My research is focused on the development of novel interfaces for Interactive 3D Design. In the course of this research I have created several novel 3D design tools, most recently Meshmixer, which was acquired by Autodesk in 2011. At Autodesk I led the Design and Fabrication Group in Autodesk Research, which explored the new design workflows made possible by the fusion of 3D scanning, direct mesh modeling, and advanced digital fabrication. I also evolved Meshmixer into one of the standard tools for 3D printing, inventing novel techniques for design-to-print analysis, support structure generation, and geometry processing. Prior to that I developed ShapeShop, a system for sketch-based 3D shape modeling, and the Analytic Drawing Tool, which allowed artists to use their 2D perspective drawing skills to draw in 3D. I received my BSc and MSc at the University of Calgary with Dr. Brian Wyvill, and my PhD at the University of Toronto with Dr. Karan Singh. 

Research Website: http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/~rms/

Jump to [Unpublished Work] [Patents] [Media] [Talks] [Service] [Credits] [Teaching] 

2018

Fast Winding Numbers for Soups and Clouds. 
Gavin Barill, Neil G. Dickson, Ryan Schmidt, David I.W. Levin, Alec Jacobson.
SIGGRAPH 2018
[PDF] [Project]

2017

SurfCuit: Surface Mounted Circuits on 3D Prints
Nobuyuki Umetani, Ryan Schmidt
IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications 37(3): 52-60 (2017)
[PDF] [Details]

2016

2015

2014

2013

Stroke Parameterization (2013)
Ryan Schmidt. 
Computer Graphics Forum 32(2). (Proc. Eurographics 2013) (To Appear)
[PDF] [Video] [Details]

Cross-sectional Structural Analysis for 3D Printing Optimization (2013)
Nobuyuki Umetani, Ryan Schmidt. 
ACM SIGGRAPH ASIA 2013 - Technical Briefs Program.
[PDF] [Video] [Details]

Design-to-Fabricate: Maker Hardware Requires Maker Software (2013)
Ryan Schmidt, Matt Ratto. 
IEEE Computer Graphics & Applications. December 2013, Volume 33. Issue 6, pp. 26-34
[PDF] [IEEE DL]

Design Tools for the Rest of Us: Maker Hardware Requires Maker Software (2013)
Ryan Schmidt, Matt Ratto. 
FAB @ CHI Workshop, CHI 2013
[PDF]

2012

Interactive Modeling With Mesh Surfaces (2012). 
Ryan Schmidt
ACM SIGGRAPH 2012 - Studio Talks Program
[PDF] [Images] [Video] [Slides] [Project] [Program]

Consensus Meshing (2012). 
Ryan Schmidt, Patricio Simari
Proc. SMI 2012 (To Appear)
[PDF] [Slides] [Details]

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Sub-pixel grayscale three-dimensional printing. Richard M. Greene, Ryan Michael SCHMIDT. (Filed 2016) [Details]
Dynamic real-time slice engine for 3d printing. Karl Willis, Ryan Michael SCHMIDT, Baoxuan Xu. (Filed 2015) [Details]
Techniques for generating motion scuplture models for three-dimensional printing. Tovi Grossman, Ryan Michael SCHMIDT, Rubaiat HABIB, Cory MOGK, George Fitzmaurice. (Filed 2015) [Details]
Design tool for a hybrid electro-mechanical 3d printer. Ryan Michael SCHMIDT, Daniel Matthew Taub, Baoxuan Xu, Karl Willis. (Filed 2015) [Details]
Techniques for approximating three-dimensional curves using foldable beams. Nobuyuki Umetani, Ryan Michael SCHMIDT, Andrew O'Shea SAGEMAN-FURNAS. (Filed 2015) [Details]
Techniques for modeling elastic rods in position-based dynamics frameworks. Ryan Michael SCHMIDT, Nobuyuki Umetani, Jos Stam. (Filed 2015) [Details]
Modeling a three-dimensional object having multiple materials. Ryan Michael Schmidt, Tyson Brochu (Filed 2015) [Details]
Support Posts for Improved Flexural Strength in 3D Printing. Ryan Michael SCHMIDT. (Filed 2014, Granted 2017) [Details]
Generating tubes within three-dimensional models. Valkyrie Savage, Tovi Grossman, George Fitzmaurice, BjÖrn Hartmann, Ryan Michael Schmidt (Filed 2014) [Details]
Techniques for Automatically Placing Escape Holes during Three-Dimensional Printing. Ryan Michael Schmidt (Filed 2014) [Details]
Techniques for Authoring View Points, View Paths, and View Surfaces for 3D Models. Hsiang-Ting Chen, Tovi Grossman, Wei LI-YI, Ryan Michael SCHMIDT, Bjoern HARTMANN, George Fitzmaurice, Maneesh Agrawala (Filed 2014) [Details]
Techniques for optimizing orientation of models for three-dimensional printing. Ryan Schmidt, Nobuyuki Umetani (Filed 2014) [Details]
Techniques for performing cross-sectional stress analysis for three-dimensional objects. Nobuyuki Umetani, Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2014) [Details]
Generating Support Material for Three-Dimensional Printing. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2014) [Details]
Evaluating the stability of three-dimensional models. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013) [Details]
Photograph localization in a three-dimensional model. Ryan Schmidt, Ramtin ATTAR, Azam Khan (Filed 2013, Granted 2017) [Details]
Generating informative viewpoints based on editing history. Hsiang-Ting Chen, Tovi Grossman, Wei LI-YI, Ryan Michael SCHMIDT, Bjoern HARTMANN, George Fitzmaurice, Maneesh Agrawala (Filed 2013, Granted 2017) [Details]
Technique for filling holes in a three-dimensional model. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013, Granted 2017) [Details]
Technique for mapping a texture onto a three-dimensional model. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013, Granted 2017) [Details]
Interactive tool for inspecting and repairing three dimensional models. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013) [Details]
Generating a Consensus Mesh from an input set of Meshes. Ryan Schmidt, Patricio Simari (Filed 2013, Granted 2017) [Details]
Adaptive mesh refinement. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013) [Details]
Mesh boundary smoothing. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013) [Details]
Adaptively joining meshes. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013) [Details]
Adaptively merging intersecting meshes. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013) [Details]
Adaptively zippering meshes. Ryan Schmidt (Filed 2013) [Details]
Volume-preserving smoothing brush. Ryan Schmidt. (Filed 2012) [Details]
Resolution-adaptive mesh smoothing brush. Ryan Schmidt. (Filed 2012, Granted 2014) [Details] 
Systems and methods for manipulating a 3d object in a 3d model using a software widget and surface constraints. Ryan Schmidt. (Filed 2012, Granted 2017) [Details]
Navigation System for 3D Virtual Scene. George Fitzmaurice, Justin Matejka, Igor Mordatch, Ryan Schmidt. (Filed 2008, Granted 2012) [Details]
Three-Dimensional Orientation Indicator and Controller. Anirban Ghosh, Igor Mordatch, Azam Khan, George Fitzmaurice, Justin Matejka, Ryan Schmidt, Gord Kurtenbach. (Filed 2007, Granted 2010). [Details]

Interviews

 3D Printing's future is the high street, not the home (October 2, 2014)
 Can an Armadillo paper airplane fly? Autodesk says yes (CNET) (August 9, 2014)
 3D Printing Low-Cost Prosthetic Parts in Uganda (medGadget) (March 7, 2014)
 3D Printing Prosthetic Limbs in Uganda (BBC World Service / BBC Click) (April 30, 2014)
 Fabricated Future: the sceptic's guide to 3D printing (New Scientist) (December 19, 2012)

Panels

 3D Manufacturing: Beyond the Hype (OCE Discovery 2014, Toronto)

Online Articles

 How the weirdest designs can become great paper airplanes (New Scientist) (August 8, 2014)
 Autodesk acquires MeshMixer (cgchannel.com) (October 31st, 2011)

Conference / Workshop Presentations

SCF 2018. (Making Legs and Practicing Neurosurgery with Maker Software) 
Tomograph 2017 (Making Legs and Practicing Neurosurgery with Mesh Processing)
SGP 2017 (Making Legs and Practicing Neurosurgery with Mesh Processing)
 VRTO 2017 (Your Left Hand is Not a Menu: Using Spatial Controllers in VR Apps)
 SIAM GD/SPM 2015 (Designing for AM: Integrating Mesh-Based Modeling Techniques with Parametric Cad)
 RAPID 2015 (Branching Support Structures for 3D Printing)
 SIGGRAPH 2015 (3D-Printed Prosthetics for the Developing World)
 GI 2015 (The Evolution of CAD: New Tools for our 3D-Printed Future)
 SIGGRAPH 2014 (Branching Support Structures for 3D Printing)
 Eurographics 2013 (Stroke Parameterization)
 SIGGRAPH 2012 (Interactive Modeling with Mesh Surfaces)
 SIGGRAPH 2010 (meshmixer: an interface for rapid mesh composition)
 SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 (Analytic Drawing of 3D Scaffolds)
 SBIM 2009 (On Expert Performance in 3D Curve-Drawing Tasks)
 Eurographics 2008 (Sketching and Composing Widgets for 3D Manipulation)
 Eurographics 2008 (Sketch-Based Procedural Surface Modeling and Compositing with Surface Trees)
 NPAR 2007 (Sketching, Scaffolding, and Inking: A Visual History for Interactive 3D Modeling)
 ACM SIGGRAPH 2006 (Interactive Decal Compositing with Discrete Exponential Maps)
 Sketch-Based Modeling Workshop 2005 (ShapeShop: Sketch-Based Solid Modeling with BlobTrees)
 ACM SIGGRAPH Sketches 2005 (Sketch-Based Modeling with the BlobTree)
 Shape Modeling International 2005 (Interactive Implicit Modeling with Hierarchical Spatial Caching)
 Workshop on Ubiquitous Display Environments @ UBICOMP 2004 (Reconfigurable Displays)

Other Talks

 Computation Lecture Series, MIT School of Architecture - Computer-Aided Perspective Drawing (Mar 2013)
 Applied Geometry Lab @ Caltech - Applied Geometry Processing in Meshmixer (Aug 2012)
 Autodesk Tech Summit - meshmixer: Interactive Surface Modeling with Dynamic Triangle Meshes (June 2012)
 Autodesk Tech Summit - Repairing 3D Scan Meshes with meshmixer (June 2012)
 Adobe CTL - Analytic Drawing and Perception of Line Drawings (Feb 2011)
 UCBerkeley - Analytic Drawing and Expert Drawing Performance (May 2010)
 JST/ERATO Design UI Project - Analytic Drawing (December 2009)
 University of Victoria - Drawing Perception, Analytic Drawing (November 2009)
 Autodesk - Analytic Drawing (Summer 2009)

Demos

 DCS Research In Action - Analytic Drawing Demo (November 2009)
 UIST 2009 - Analytic Drawing Demo (November 2009)
 DGPis40 Workshop - ShapeShop Demo (May 2008)
 TTI/Vanguard - ShapeShop Demo (April 2008)
 DCS Research In Action - ShapeShop Demo (February 2008)
 DemoCamp16 - ShapeShop Demo (November 2007)
 Undergraduate Open House - DGP Graphics Overview (November 2007)
 Fall Campus Day - DGP Tours & Demos (October 2007)
 Google "Gr8 Designs for Gr8 Girls" - ShapeShop Demo (May 2007)
 Undergraduate Recruitment Day - DGP Graphics Overview (March 2006)

Program Committees:

 Eurographics Technical Papers (2011, 2015, 2016)
 ACM SIGGRAPH General Submissions (2012-2013)
 ACM SIGGRAPH Student Research Competition (2012, 2013)
 Sketch-Based Interaction and Modeling (2012)

Technical Paper Reviewer:

 ACM SIGGRAPH (2008-2015)
 ACM SIGGRAPH ASIA (2009-2015)
 ACM Transactions on Graphics (2008,2009)
 Eurographics (2008-2012)
 ACM UIST (2010-2014)
 ACM CHI (2011-2014)
 Computers & Graphics (2008,2009)
 IEEE Virtual Reality (2008)
 IEEE Computer Graphics & Applications (2005-2011)
 IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (2006,2009)
 IEEE 3DUI (2009)
 Graphics Interface (2006,2009,2012)
 Pacific Graphics (2012)
 ACM SIGGRAPH Posters (2006)

Images

 ACM Transactions on Graphics 25(5) / SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 Proceedings (back cover)
 SBIM 2009 Proceedings (back cover)
 SBIM 2005 Proceedings (front cover)

Film

 The Spine (2009) - Additional R&D Programming

Instruction

 Lassonde Technology Faire 3D Printing Workshop (April 2014, York University)
 SIGGRAPH Toronto Chapter 3D Printing Workshop (March 2014, Toronto)
 Ladies Learning Code 3D Printing Workshop (July 2012, TIFF Bell Lightbox)

Teaching Assistant

 CSC320 - Intro To Visual Computing (Winter 2009, University of Toronto)
 CSC491 - Capstone Design Couse (Fall 2007, University of Toronto)
 CSC418/2504 - Intro to Computer Graphics (Fall 2007, Winter 2008, University of Toronto)
 CPSC231 - Intro to Computer Science I (Fall 2002, University of Calgary)
 CPSC355 - Computer Architecture and Low-Level Programming (Fall 2002, University of Calgary)

Web Tutorials

 GDB (GNU debugger) Tutorial
 Java Swing Tutorial
 OpenGL Selection Buffer Tutorial
 Raytracing Tutorials - Eye Rays, Transforming Normals