ClayScape: A GenAI-Supported Workflow for Designing Chinese Style Ceramics with Clay 3D Printing

TL;DR

This paper introduces ClayScape, a hybrid workflow combining Generative AI and clay 3D printing to make Chinese ceramic design more accessible and creatively expansive for craft creators.

Contribution

It presents a novel integrated workflow and design tool that reduces technical barriers and enhances creative exploration in Chinese ceramic making.

Findings

Supports accessible ceramic creation for craft creators

Reveals expanded creative opportunities and challenges in balancing agency

Demonstrates the potential of hybrid workflows in digital fabrication

Abstract

Chinese ceramic-making involves complex and interdependent steps, making it technically demanding. Digital fabrication methods attempt to make the process more accessible, but for craft-creators, technical challenges such as CAD and CAM skills remain major obstacles. To address this, we designed a hybrid workflow that integrates Generative AI with clay 3D printing to support new creative possibilities. We evaluated the workflow through ClayScape, a design tool that operationalizes this approach, with four ceramic creators. Our findings show that the workflow supports accessible ceramic creation while revealing both expanded opportunities for creative exploration and challenges in balancing agency and control. This work demonstrates how hybrid workflows can lower barriers to digital fabrication while supporting creative possibilities in culturally grounded ceramic practices.