A method of drawing a material into sheet form, the method comprising the steps of: providing a preform comprising at least one material as a large aspect ratio block wherein a first transverse dimension of the preform is greater than a second transverse dimension that is approximately perpendicular to the first transverse dimension; the first transverse dimension being the width of the preform and the second transverse dimension being the thickness of the preform, the preform having a third direction, which is the drawing direction, the preform further having a front and rear outer surface providing a furnace having at least one heating element on at least two opposing sides of the furnace; energizing the at least two heating elements to apply heat to the preform to create a thermal gradient from an exterior surface along the first transverse dimension of the preform inward toward a plane of the preform, at which the preform is drawn, wherein each of the at least two heating elements create a thermal gradient acting normal to the outer surface, feeding the preform into the furnace; and drawing the preform in such a manner that the material is maintained dimensionally constant in the first transverse dimension and reduced in the second transverse dimension, wherein the step of providing a preform comprises providing a first block comprising a first material and embedding in the first block either a) parallel layers of different materials or identical materials with different dopants or b) a plurality of vertically aligned secondary material elements centered on a vertical axis of the preform or c) a plurality of parallel aligned secondary material elements, and wherein, upon completion of the drawing step, the sheet form comprises layers corresponding to said first material and correspondingly either a) said different materials or same materials with different dopants or b) said plurality of vertically aligned secondary material elements or c) said plurality of parallel aligned secondary material elements. providing a preform comprising at least one material as a large aspect ratio block wherein a first transverse dimension of the preform is greater than a second transverse dimension that is approximately perpendicular to the first transverse dimension; the first transverse dimension being the width of the preform and the second transverse dimension being the thickness of the preform, the preform having a third direction, which is the drawing direction, the preform further having a front and rear outer surface providing a furnace having at least one heating element on at least two opposing sides of the furnace; energizing the at least two heating elements to apply heat to the preform to create a thermal gradient from an exterior surface along the first transverse dimension of the preform inward toward a plane of the preform, at which the preform is drawn, wherein each of the at least two heating elements create a thermal gradient acting normal to the outer surface, feeding the preform into the furnace; drawing the preform in such a manner that the material is maintained dimensionally constant in the first transverse dimension and reduced in the second transverse dimension, wherein the step of providing a preform comprises providing a first block comprising a first material and embedding in the first block either a) parallel layers of different materials or identical materials with different dopants or b) a plurality of vertically aligned secondary material elements centered on a vertical axis of the preform or c) a plurality of parallel aligned secondary material elements, and wherein, upon completion of the drawing step, the sheet form comprises layers corresponding to said first material and correspondingly either a) said different materials or same materials with different dopants or b) said plurality of vertically aligned secondary material elements or c) said plurality of parallel aligned secondary material elements.