PixBric: Precision Morphological Control of Pre-Stretched Fabrics Through Tessellated Primitive Geometries

3D printing onto pre-stretched fabrics has emerged as a promising technique for fabricating self-shaping textiles. However, resulting morphing behaviors are often dictated by heuristics or arbitrarily selected parameters. We present PixBric, a pixel-based design framework that enables precise morphological control through tessellated primitive geometries printed onto biaxially stretched fabrics. Upon release, these units buckle into programmed 3D forms including undulations, curling, and bistable snapping. PixBric integrates parametric modeling, mechanical simulation, and empirical evaluation to map geometric parameters to deformation outcomes. We demonstrate applications spanning morphable typography, wearable rings, and reconfigurable surfaces. PixBric bridges digital simulation (tide) with the mechanical constraints of elastic substrates (tied), transforming complex material behaviors into accessible tools for learning, experimentation, and creative fabrication.

Hye Jun Youn, Jun Kyu Choe, SooYeon Ahn, Marcello Tania, Serena Xin Wei Sara, and Hiroshi Ishii. 2026. PixBric: Precision Morphological Control of Pre-Stretched Fabrics Through Tessellated Primitive Geometries. In Proceedings of the Twentieth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (TEI '26). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 20, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1145/3731459.3773316