The potential of self-transforming structures with complex geometries has inspired numerous researchers from science, engineering, and art to explore novel materials, multi-material fabrication techniques, and material programmability as enabling technologies. The underlying transformation mechanism is usually the result of a complex interaction between materials exerting forces, anisotropic material distribution, and mechanical stability. Designing such structures is an active research challenge in computational fabrication, as it requires finding a physically realizable configuration that satisfies functional constraints while facing a huge number of degrees of freedom.

We explore a type of structure that starts from a flat initial configuration and has a static equilibrium that resembles a desired three-dimensional shape. We propose to use flat pre-stretched elastic sheets as the actuating material, combined with an anisotropic distribution of disconnected rigid tiles that resemble the geometric shape of frustums. The tiles, attached to these elastic sheets, embody the implementation of a transforming mechanism. This transforming mechanism is ideal for building robust, cost-efficient models while enabling the reproduction of a wide range of shapes. As the initial configuration is flat, we can use widely available standard materials with excellent deformation properties, such as latex, as base materials in the fabrication process. By adjusting the distribution and shape of the tiles, the resulting local curvature can be influenced and thereby the resulting global shape controlled. The tiles are rigidly attached to the pre-stretched sheets, which exert contracting forces on the tiles once released. These forces can be adjusted by the layout of the tiles as well as by the parameters that control the attachment location. This construction enables shaping