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Vis2Touch: Perceptually Grounded 3D Printing of Visual Art With AI-Driven Depth and Texture Estimation
IEEE Transactions on Haptics
|July 29, 2026
Summary
This study introduces Vis2Touch, a system that creates textured 3D models from images, enabling tactile exploration of visual art. The system enhances art appreciation by adding physical depth and texture to digital images.
Area of Science:
- Computer Vision
- Haptics
- 3D Printing
Background:
- Visual art traditionally lacks tactile information, limiting physical understanding.
- Existing methods struggle to integrate depth and texture for physical representations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a system (Vis2Touch) for transforming 2D color images into 2.5D textured models for 3D printing.
- To investigate how tactile perception of depth and texture influences art appreciation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a monocular depth estimator for macroscale depth reconstruction.
- Employed a fine-tuned diffusion model to generate microscale textures from segmented image regions.
- Combined depth and texture heightfields for composite 3D models, preserving color.
Main Results:
- Vis2Touch successfully generated 2.5D colored 3D models with both structural depth and surface texture.
- Psychophysical experiments revealed that modulating texture with image distance improves perceptual accuracy.
- Tactile expectations were found to vary significantly with perceived depth.
Conclusions:
- Vis2Touch offers a novel method for physicalizing visual art, enhancing accessibility and understanding.
- The findings open new avenues for creating haptic artifacts that convey spatial scale and texture.
- This research bridges the gap between visual and tactile experiences in art exploration.
