Target and comparison
Shape matchShape match after every edit. The dashed line marks the best score reached on this target.
Interactive research demo
Measuring shape similarity
Sculpting and shape control share one loop: measure the difference from a target, apply a correction, measure again.
Sculpting workspace
Keyboard: use the arrow keys to move the tool and press Space or Enter to apply it.
Begin with the largest differencesCompare the two contours on the left, then remove material from the corresponding area on the right.
How it works
Interaction guide
Objective: Remove material from the block on the right until its contour matches the target on the left.
Sculpting: Drag over the block to remove or restore particles.
Feedback: The green contour is the current shape. The score is the area overlap with the target, and the history records it after every edit.
Research context
People compare and refine shapes naturally; robots need an explicit, robust measure of the same difference.
Shape comparison gives a robot feedback about whether a manipulation is moving an object toward or away from its target.
Takeaway
A similarity measure is what makes a correction loop possible.
Measure the difference from the target, apply a correction, measure again. This is the loop the manipulators run in the other demonstrations, with the score replaced by a shape error.