Digitalis 3d aims to facilitate digital design of intricate lattice structures with controlled local and global properties. It comes as a plugin to the 3d modelling software Rhinoceros and its graphical algorithm editor Grasshopper and supports smart and flexible automatic generation of 3d lattices with finely tuned local structural, mechanical and porosity properties. From built-in interactions with established commercial finite element software to instantaneous porosity measures, digitalis provides a neat toolbox for evidence-based structural optimisation.
Digitalis enables users to harness the growing capabilities of additive manufacturing by providing control over individual strut geometry. This is of particular interest when the functionality of the constructs is directly impacted by their structure. As an example, digitalis is currently being used to design microscale scaffolds for bone tissue engineering with controlled mechanical stimulation of biological cell populations. Relying on smooth interactions with finite element solvers, digitalis also allows for reliable assessment of mechanical behaviour, enabling users to investigate novel structures.