Virtual Material Appearance Comparison for Gonioapparent Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing color matching methods struggle to accurately match the appearance, including color and texture, of materials with gonioapparent properties, such as metallic flakes or interference flakes, especially when illumination and viewing directions change, and often require multiple iterations or physical comparisons.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for visualizing the appearances of two materials using a computer-implemented method that generates and visualizes instances of an appearance model for each material on a virtual object, allowing side-by-side comparison under various illumination and viewing conditions, with optional blending or separation, using a display device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional blending methods are used to create translucent polymers, then material homogeneity is improved, but the ability to visually distinguish individual materials is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a visual copy or representation of the material identity through color coding. Each polymer material is assigned a specific color that replicates its identity in a visually distinguishable form, allowing identification without physical separation. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining material homogeneity while preserving visual identification through a color-coded copying system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent directly applies color changes to indicate different polymer materials. By incorporating colorants that assign distinct colors to different polymer types, the system enables visual differentiation of materials even when they are blended together. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining compositional homogeneity while using color as an information carrier for material identification.
2Loss of information
If polymer materials are separated for identification, then visual distinction is improved, but processing efficiency and material homogeneity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of physically separating materials for identification, the patent creates a visual copy of material identity through color coding. This allows identification to occur during processing without requiring physical separation, thereby maintaining processing efficiency while enabling material differentiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses color changes as a non-intrusive identification method that does not require stopping or slowing down processing operations. Materials can be identified by their color codes while continuously flowing through processing equipment, maintaining productivity while enabling visual distinction.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple translucent polymers are blended, then material homogeneity is improved, but traceability and visual tracking of individual materials are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns distinct color codes to different polymer materials used in blends. Even when materials are thoroughly mixed for homogeneity, their individual identities are preserved through color coding, enabling traceability and tracking of each material component throughout the processing and final product lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The color coding system creates a visual representation of each material's identity that persists through blending. This copying of material identity information allows traceability to be maintained even as physical materials are mixed, resolving the contradiction between homogeneity and traceability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables confident assessment of material appearance matching without physical objects, facilitating accurate color and texture comparison, especially for gonioapparent materials, and reducing the need for iterative physical comparisons.
Implementation Method 1
The colored master batch is mixed with a polymer material to produce a colored polymer compound
Data Source
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AI summary
In a computer-implemented method for visualizing the appearances of at least two materials, a first instance (56) of an appearance model is obtained, the first instance being indicative of an appearance of a first material, and a second instance (66) of the appearance model is obtained, the second instance (66) being indicative of an appearance of a second material. A virtual object (72) having a continuous three-dimensional surface geometry is visualized together using a display device (70). The virtual object has first and second portions (72a, 72b) visually separated by a virtual separating element (74) or a blending region. The first portion of the virtual object is visualized using the first instance of the appearance model, and the second portion of the virtual object is visualized using the second instance of the appearance model.