SculptXR Studio

Get real-time feedback with visual cues. Add or remove clay precisely as guided, improving your sculpting skills effortlessly.
Organize your workspace like a real desk! Arrange your 3D elements and UI for easy access and dive into Guided Lessons to start sculpting!
This dashboard tracks progress with accuracy, precision, achievements, and guided sessions, offering easy access to projects and tutorials.
Precisely aligning the 3D overlay onto the clay.
Splash Screen
3D scan objects in your room to create detailed references for your guided lessons.
Select your sculpting skill level to receive personalized lessons tailored to your needs.

Inspiration

It all started with a shared curiosity, a spark to explore new hobbies that could bring a sense of creativity and purpose to our everyday lives. Among all the possibilities, sculpting stood out, a craft that seemed both grounding and magical. One of our teammates, a seasoned sculptor, shared stories of the joy and fulfillment that sculpting brought to her life. But with those stories came tales of the hurdles: the frustration of gathering the references, translating ideas from flat sketches into three-dimensional shapes, the struggle to achieve just the right proportions, and the self-doubt that often plagues beginners.

As we delved deeper, we discovered that sculpting is more than just an art form; it’s a path to improved mental well-being and enhanced creativity. Research from Fowler and Rigby (1994) shows the profound impact of sculpting on the human mind. Yet, these incredible benefits remain out of reach for many, as challenges like mastering spatial awareness (Schol, 1999) and the precision of proportions (Wu et al., 2015) often become roadblocks, turning eager learners away from the craft.

This sparked a question: What if these barriers didn’t exist? What if there was a way to make sculpting accessible, intuitive, and enjoyable for anyone, regardless of their skill level? The answer lay in technology—specifically, AR and MR. With real-time visualization and guided tutorials (Takeuchi et al., 2012; Zi-qiang, 2005), we saw the potential to reimagine the sculpting experience, empowering beginners to confidently bring their ideas to life.

And so, we set out to create a solution that doesn’t just teach sculpting—it transforms the way people connect with this timeless craft. By blending technology with artistry, we aim to open the door for more people to experience the joy and fulfillment of sculpting, one step, one creation, at a time.

What it does

SculptXR Studio redefines the art of sculpting by delivering an immersive and accessible experience for hobbyists. Leveraging advanced 3D scanning to digitize real-world objects and projecting them into an intuitive AR environment, SculptXR Studio empowers users with minimal tools. Guided sessions, coupled with real-time feedback, simplify the learning process, enabling users to master techniques faster and achieve precision with ease. Whether you're a beginner or refining your craft, SculptXR Studio transforms sculpting into an enjoyable, skill-building journey.

How we built it

Starting with UX research, we developed this prototype using ShapesXR through an iterative process. Insights from research-informed ideation artifacts such as personas, storyboards, and user flow, clarifying user needs, key touchpoints, and edge cases. The prototype was then crafted efficiently, leveraging available resources while adhering to time and technology constraints.

Challenges we ran into

As designers with limited coding knowledge, we chose ShapesXR to design our prototype, enabling us to fully explore and express ideas. Given the broad scope of sculpting, we focused specifically on guided sessions using 3D-scanned objects to ensure clarity and feasibility within our constraints.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

our discovery of how XR can truly transform the sculpting experience. By leveraging XR’s capabilities, we developed a solution that not only reduces the cognitive load often associated with sculpting but also makes the craft more accessible to a wider audience.

This innovation goes beyond simplifying the process; it empowers new users, including those who may face physical or cognitive challenges, to hone their skills with greater confidence. Through intuitive, guided sessions, learners can focus on creating rather than struggling with barriers, achieving mastery more efficiently while fully immersing themselves in the joy of sculpting.

For us, this isn’t just a technical achievement—it’s a meaningful step toward making the art of sculpting inclusive, standalone and accessible to everyone, regardless of their starting point or abilities. It’s a testament to the power of design and technology coming together to inspire creativity, unlock potential, and open doors to new possibilities for all.

What we learned

This project was a journey of discovery, offering us valuable insights into both sculpting and XR prototyping. We learned about the challenges beginners face in sculpting, such as mastering proportions and spatial awareness, and how technology can address these barriers.

Through XR prototyping, we explored how to simplify complex processes while creating inclusive, user-centered solutions. This experience deepened our skills and reinforced the power of combining technology and artistry to empower and inspire.

What's next for SculptXR Studio

SculptXR Studio aims to expand into diverse sculpting guided sessions with sophisticated object libraries organized by difficulty levels. To enhance accessibility and inclusivity, future features will include voice-over, text, and audio translations in multiple languages. Using Unity or similar XR platforms, we plan to make SculptXR Studio live and publicly available.

Research References

Zi-Qiang, Z. (2005). Sculpture Creation in the Multi-culture. Journal of Nanyang Teachers'College.
Takeuchi, R., Watanabe, T., Mikami, K., & Kondo, K. (2012). Proposal of digital sculpting with history management of strokes. .
Wu, Y., Lu, T., Yuan, Z., & Wang, H. (2015). FreeScup: A novel platform for assisting sculpture pose design. 2015 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (ICME), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICME.2015.7177421.
Schol, D. (1999). The Linear Visualizations of Mathematical Anomalies In Sculptural Space: An Artist Presentation. , 275-278.
Fowler, J., & Rigby, P. (1994). Sculpting with people--an educational experience.. Nurse education today, 14 5, 400-5 . https://doi.org/10.1016/0260-6917(94)90036-1.

Built With

canva
figma
shapesxr

Submitted to

XR Design Challenge

Created by

As an XR-UX Designer and Researcher, I contributed by conducting UX research, defining the project scope, and applying human-centered design and ergonomic principles. I also collaborated on XR design and prototyping to create a user-focused, innovative solution.

Akhil Atluri
A UX Designer and Researcher at a Civic Tech organization, has prior experience in SaaS and Healthcare.
As an XR product designer, I played a pivotal role in this project by identifying the problem, conducting market research, and performing a competitor analysis to ensure our idea was both relevant and feasible with current technology. I created a detailed persona, user journey map, and user flow to guide the design process.

In ShapesXR, I designed and developed key scenes, including scanning, 3D overlay alignment on the clay, and real-time feedback, ensuring the prototype provided a seamless and intuitive experience. Throughout the design process, I prioritized accessibility by adhering to accessibility guidelines, such as maintaining proper contrast and font sizes, to create an inclusive experience for all users.

Marva Abouei
I'm a Product Designer mixing HCI smarts, game design magic, and art to craft delightful, human-centered journeys.