Creating the pattern for a new dress design can be fiddly, so Amy
Wibowo at the University of Tokyo, Japan, is using augmented reality to
make it simpler.
Six ceiling-mounted cameras are trained on
the dummy and on two tools held by the designer, one for creating
surfaces and other for cutting them. The tools and the dummy both have
markers, so the cameras can work out where in 3D space they are
relative to each other. As the designer draws and works on and around
the physical mannequin, this shows up on a virtual onscreen version.
"The
idea is to make it easy for people to design clothes," says Wibowo.
Usually you have to choose set patterns, which is limiting, she says.
What's particularly difficult is working out what 2D shapes are needed
in order to achieve a particular 3D design.
Her approach,
called DressUp, gets round this by using "flattening" algorithms to
work out the best shaped patterns to achieve the 3D design. Then you
just print it out and cut around the patterns in the material of your
choice, she says.
Since most people wouldn't have this set up
in their homes, Wibowo is now thinking about how she might be able to
create something similar using Wii remotes. Wibowo will be presenting
the project at the TEI conference in Kingston, Ontario, in February.
http://www.newscientist.com
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