Interaction is critical for data analysis and sensemaking. However, designing interactive physicalizations is challenging as it requires cross-disciplinary knowledge in visualization, fabrication, and electronics. Interactive physicalizations are typically produced in an unstructured manner, resulting in unique solutions for a specific dataset, problem, or interaction that cannot be easily extended or adapted to new scenarios or future physicalizations. To mitigate these challenges, we introduce a computational design pipeline to 3D print network physicalizations with integrated sensing capabilities. Networks are ubiquitous, yet their complex geometry also requires significant engineering considerations to provide intuitive, effective interactions for exploration. Using our pipeline, designers can readily produce network physicalizations supporting selection-the most critical atomic operation for interaction-by touch through capacitive sensing and computational inference. Our computational design pipeline introduces a new design paradigm by concurrently considering the form and interactivity of a physicalization into one cohesive fabrication workflow. We evaluate our approach using (i) computational evaluations, (ii) three usage scenarios focusing on general visualization tasks, and (iii) expert interviews. The design paradigm introduced by our pipeline can lower barriers to physicalization research, creation, and adoption.

翻译：交互对数据分析和意义建构至关重要。然而，设计交互式物理形态极具挑战性，因为它需要可视化、制造和电子学等多学科交叉知识。交互式物理形态通常以非结构化方式制作，导致针对特定数据集、问题或交互的解决方案难以扩展或适配新场景及未来物理形态。为缓解这些问题，我们提出一种计算设计流程，用于3D打印集成传感功能的网络物理形态。网络虽无处不在，但其复杂几何结构仍需大量工程考量才能提供直观有效的探索交互。通过该流程，设计者可快速制作支持选择——交互中最关键的原子操作——的网络物理形态，并通过电容传感与计算推理实现触摸交互。我们的计算设计流程通过将物理形态的形式与交互性整合至统一的制造工作流中，开创了全新设计范式。我们通过(i)计算评估、(ii)三个聚焦通用可视化任务的使用场景以及(iii)专家访谈来验证该方法。该流程引入的设计范式可降低物理形态研究、创作与推广的门槛。