ARTISTA: Redefining Pottery Design with Virtual Reality and Physically Simulated Clay

Virtual Reality (VR) applications have gained significant popularity in various fields, including design and manufacturing. This paper introduces a novel VR application that simulates a 3D clay printer. The application utilizes the Oculus Quest 2 Head Mounted Display (HMD), enabling users to create virtual pots by manoeuvring a virtual extruder that extrudes and deposits strands of clay in layers. Two features define this application: incorporating a virtual coiling technique, offering guided assistance throughout the pottery prototyping process, and integrating physical simulation that provides users with real-time feedback on the final results achievable using a real 3D clay printer. Users can now design and iterate virtually without physically printing, reducing material waste and improving the overall creative process. Moreover, this application saves the information necessary to create the designed pottery piece with a 3D clay printer. We present a preliminary version that enables artisans in VR to craft unique, handmade virtual pottery pieces, fostering creativity and enabling the exploration of many design possibilities.