Paper Simulator

Client: Tom Frith-Powell, Paper Foundation <tom@paper.foundation>

Artisanal paper-making is an enjoyable hobby, and popular craft skill ranging from high-end art paper to unique personal notebooks. Cambridge has some of the world’s leading paper researchers, who study the microstructure of the paper in historical books and documents. The goal of this project is to create a physical simulator that models the fibres, fluids and forms of a traditional paper making process. The result will be not only a valuable scientific tool, but potentially a popular plug-in component to the many painting and drawing apps that offer a rather trivial range of simulated paper textures and background images.