Towards Virtual Prototyping of Complex-shaped Multi-layered Apparel

Abstract

Virtual prototyping of cloth has recently become a topic of increasing interest both in computer graphics and computer-aided design for industrial fabric or apparel production. Aiming at an accurate simulation of garment shapes, this paper presents a physics-based system for virtual cloth modelling, specifically conceived for design purposes and targeted to the clothing industry. This environment should allow the designer/modellist to validate her/his style and design options through the analysis of garment virtual prototypes and simulation results in order to reduce the number and role of physical prototypes. To this end, a complete physics-based model has been defined, oriented to actual complex-shaped apparel, incorporating aspects related to garment’s shape and structure (e.g., 2D profiles of basic patterns and multi-layered parts), mechanical/structural properties of fabric materials and multi-layered parts, and design/manufacturing processes (e.g., ironing, starching). The physical garment’s model has been developed upon a particle-based model embedded in constrained Newtonian dynamics with collision management. The system has been validated within European and national projects, simulating several female and male garments with different levels of design complexities and directly provided from involved clothing companies.

Keywords:

• garment design and manufacturing
• garment simulation
• physics based-models