SimClay explores the relationship between Clay 3D printing and craft. The project develops a new digital design program, which is based on the fluid implicit particle solver system allowing the gravity-based robot clay extrusion simulation results to be continuously fed back to the design program, helping the designer to predict the material distortion based on its characteristics and constantly adjust design program.

Using this design program, the computational methodology creates, predicts and exaggerates the imperfections of the printing process creating a sense of digital ‘risk’ associated with wider definitions of craft. Through these simulations which predict instability and drooping, the ‘hand’ of the craftsman becomes part of the digital fabrication. Designers become de facto craftsmen, they not only carry out design work, but also operate tools to produce and build products. The design program which we propose re-establishes the role of co-creation in clay 3D printing and its relationship with expression and craft.

SimClay provides various application examples of simulation based computational design program in the field of architectural design, showing the flexible and extensive application capabilities of this design methodology from the desktop scale, to the medium composite structure scale, and to the architectural space scale.