Designing Mini Block Artwork from Colored Mesh

Mini block artwork is a kind of well abstracted low-resolution block construction with aesthetically pleasing block layout. Similar with previous LEGO constructions, mini block artwork requires strong interconnection among blocks, i.e., a stable layout. However, what make mini block artwork different are the new requirements on highly abstracted shapes and colors and the regularity in block layout considering symmetry in the model itself. We focus on these requirements by first integrating quantization of colors into abstraction. We further explore layout generation method satisfying both stability and symmetry to support our prototype design system. Mini block artwork generated using different methods are evaluated on both stability and symmetry of the block layout. To facilitate a justified and discriminating layout comparison using stability, though we consider factors similar to classical heuristics, we experimentally optimize the weight of each factor for mini block artwork.