Computerized method for creating and editing surfaces to represent garments on the body of a mannequin in a virtual three-dimensional environment

Abstract

The invention relates to a computerised method for creating and editing, using a computer, surfaces used to represent garments on the body of a mannequin (22) in a virtual three-dimensional environment. The method consists in using digital sculpting techniques and tools in conjunction with physical cloth simulation in order to modify freely and quickly the shape of a garment on the body of a mannequin (22).

Claims

1. A computerized method for creating and editing surfaces for representing garments on a mannequin body in a three-dimensional virtual medium, said method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of: a) Representing a mannequin 22 clothed with an overall piece garment 23 surface by means of a triangular mesh 67, covering the mannequin's body; b) With the aid of digital sculpture tools, allowing the triangular mesh 67 representing the garment 23 surface to be manipulated as if it were clay, wherein the structure of the triangular mesh representing the garment surface is modified by adding or removing triangles; c) With the aid of physical cloth simulation, allowing the triangular mesh 67 representing the garment 23 surface to be manipulated as if it were real fabric; d) Allowing the manipulations described in steps b) and c) to be performed in any order, for the number of times as required to impart to the garment the format considered as suitable; and e) At all times, preventing the triangular mesh 67 from moving towards the region in the interior of the mannequin body 22, and f) Activating the physical cloth simulation embodiment to allow a piece of the mesh to fold over at least a part of the overall piece of garment 23 forming thereby multiple layers.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in step c) alternatively the said physical cloth simulation embodiment is activated in the absence of the gravity force so as to obtain deformations located on the surface of said triangular mesh 67.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of cutting the overall piece garment to obtain a plurality of pieces and selecting a mesh type for each of the plurality of pieces, wherein the different mesh types have different properties selected from the group of texture, color or shine.

4. A computerized method for creating and editing surfaces for representing garments on a mannequin body in a three-dimensional virtual medium, said method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of: a) Representing a mannequin 22 clothed with an overall piece garment 23 surface by means of a triangular mesh 67, covering the mannequin's body; b) With the aid of digital sculpture tools, allowing the triangular mesh 67 representing the garment 23 surface to be manipulated as if it were clay, wherein the structure of the triangular mesh representing the garment surface is modified by adding or removing triangles; c) With the aid of physical cloth simulation, allowing the triangular mesh 67 representing the garment 23 surface to be manipulated as if it were real fabric; d) Allowing the manipulations described in steps b) and c) to be performed in any order, for the number of times as required to impart to the garment the format considered as suitable; and e) At all times, preventing the triangular mesh 67 from moving towards the region in the interior of the mannequin body 22, f) Positioning a pinch ring tool on a region of the mannequin body where the mesh to be modified is placed, stretching the triangular mesh by adjusting the radius of the pinch ring and cutting the triangular mesh, and g) Activating the physical cloth simulation embodiment to allow a piece of the mesh to fold over at least a part of the overall piece of garment 23 forming thereby multiple layers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 attached is a screen shot of the interface of the software program for 3D creating garments used for illustrating the computerized method of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 attached is a screen shot showing a basic garment designed according to the computerized method of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 attached shows the application of the pinch tool.

(4) FIG. 4 attached shows the application of the pinch tool with a ring.

(5) FIG. 5 attached shows the application of the pinch tool with a ring and of a cutting tool.

(6) FIG. 6 attached shows the application of the pleat

(7) FIG. 7 attached shows the application of drag with the cloth simulation tool.

(8) FIG. 8 attached is a view of the triangular mesh used to represent the garment surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) The method proposed in the present invention is based on a computer program (the CAD software) used for designing garments. Said method allows the user to design and view any kind of garment directly on the body of a mannequin inserted in a virtual three-dimensional medium.

(10) In the present invention, the expression method is used to design the techniques used and how the same are combined by the garment designing program herein described.

(11) The invention will be described below by reference to the attached Figures.

(12) It should be borne in mind that in the attached Figures the user is not represented.

(13) FIG. 1 is a screen shot (number reference 20) of the computer program on which is based the method proposed in the present invention.

(14) Screen shot 20 shows that the graphical program user interface or GUI is seen by the user as three distinct areas 21, 24 and 25. The central area 21 exhibits a three-dimensional virtual medium with a mannequin body 22. By using the mouse cursor 36 and clicking on area 21 the user can freely control the position, angle and distance from which the mannequin body 22 can be viewedit is said that there is a virtual camera (not represented) which observes mannequin 22 from a certain point of the three-dimensional space at a certain orientation or angle.

(15) At first mannequin 22 is clothed with a tight and simple garment 23 covering most of its body. An overall piece of garment such as this one will be called mesh. A garment is formed by one or more meshes.

(16) On the right, area 24 shows a list of meshes 23 (just one mesh is present at first, this situation being depicted in FIG. 1). The user can create new meshes 23 or remove the existing meshes.

(17) On the left, area 25 depicts a set of tools available to the user to modify the selected meshes 23. More details on these tools are given below.

(18) FIG. 2 is also a screen shot 30 of the same computer program as above and depicts a more advanced step of the editing process (that is, after the user performed a few modifications). In this Figure, a symmetry plane is activated: in this way, anything the user makes on one side of the plane will be replicated on the other side.

(19) With the aid of the available tools depicted in the left area 25 the initial mesh or piece of garment 23 represented in FIG. 1 was cut and adjusted to obtain a garment made up of two meshes: a shirt 26 and a skirt 27, as shown in FIG. 2. These two meshes are listed in area 33 on the right.

(20) On screen shot 30 it can be seen that skirt 27 is selected in the list of area 33 on the right. The user has a selected editing tool 28a in area 25 on the left while the mouse cursor 36 is positioned on the selected mesh 28b of central area 21 of the application.

(21) The working area 28b of editing tool 28a is highlighted in the software program central area. The user activates a symmetry plan 29; in this way, the working area and behavior of each tool is repeated, in a mirrored way, at the opposite side of plane 28c.

(22) Still in FIG. 2, area 33 on the right also shows a few visual properties of the selected mesh 31such as color, shine and textureallowing the user to alter these properties. The texture exhibited on skirt 27 of central area 21, for example, is also shown in area 32.

(23) Starting from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and using the set of tools illustrated in area 25 on the left, the user can design any kind of garment (such as the garment shown in FIG. 2).

(24) FIG. 3 illustrates the working of the pinch or sweep tool, such tool being very common in digital sculpting programs such as ZBrush.

(25) The pinch tool is designed for pulling or dragging a region of the mesh surface. At a first moment 34, the user positions the mouse cursor 36 on the region he intends to drag. The tool working area 37a (that is the mesh region which will be altered) is highlighted on the mesh. Then, at 35, the user clicks with the mouse button (not represented) and drags the mouse cursor 36 towards the desired direction. The highlighted region 37b at the mesh surface follows the mouse cursor 36 movement and deforms itself.

(26) By using the pinch tool, the user has the sensation that the mesh is made from similar to clay stuff.

(27) The suitable positioning of the virtual camera enables one to manipulate any mesh surface spot with the aid of the pinch tool.

(28) However, according to a distinctive aspect of the invention, the software program on the basis of the present method does not allow moving the mesh surface towards the interior of the mannequin body 22. As a consequence, the mannequin body 22 is naturally rendered a mold for the mesh surface.

(29) A further way of pulling and dragging a mesh surface is by using the pinch ring tool. By using this tool, when the user crosses the mouse cursor 36 on the mannequin body 22 a ring (a circumference) is exhibited involving the said mannequin body 22 at a certain point and follows the mouse cursor 36.

(30) FIG. 4 illustrates a possible use of this tool in three situations 38, 39 and 40.

(31) At first, at 38, the user moves the mouse cursor 36 towards a region of the said mannequin body 22 in order to position ring 41a. Ring 41a follows the mannequin body 22 and not a specific mesh. However, when the mouse cursor 36 is moved by the user ring 41a affects the surface 41b of the selected mesh which is at a certain distance of the ring plane: the working region 41b of ring 41a is shown on the mesh surface, analogously to what occurs with the pinch tool.

(32) At a second step 39 depicted in FIG. 4, the user clicks with the mouse button and drags cursor 36 towards the desired direction, pulling the mesh surface 41b which had been highlighted The user can choose a ring 41a opening angle, in this way, besides pulling the mesh surface 41b towards the desired direction, ring 41a also gradually increases its radius 42a during the dragging movement, making the mesh surface 41b to depart from the mannequin body 22 and to open as a cone 42b.

(33) The pinch (FIG. 3) and pinch ring (FIG. 4) tools enable a mesh to be similar to clay since they allow the user to freely move and deform its surface as mentioned hereinbefore. However, it is also possible to make a mesh to behave as true fabric.

(34) FIG. 4 illustrates a possible use of this property at third step 40. After pulling and opening the mesh with the pinch ring tool (38 and 39) the user activates the physical cloth simulation embodiment. Thus, under the effect of gravity, mesh 42b falls and adjusts to the mannequin body 22. This makes that fabric 43 pleats are automatically generated giving the mesh 42b the appearance of a true garment.

(35) A further possible use of the combination of the pinch ring tool and physical simulation is shown in FIG. 5 in four steps 44, 45, 46 and 47.

(36) At first, at 44, as in the case illustrated by FIG. 4, the user positions the ring on a region of the mannequin body 22 where the mesh 49 he wants to modify is placed.

(37) In the next step, step 45, the user clicks the mouse button and drags cursor 36 upwards to move and open the region of the selected mesh. The ring gradually increases its radius during the dragging movement, making the altered region 49 of the mesh to acquire a conical format 50 and cover the mannequin 22 head.

(38) Past 46, the user makes use of the scissors tool to cut the mesh surface 48a. To perform the cutting, the user clicks on two spots (51a and 51b) on the screen, determining a straight line segment. This segment is projected on the mesh surface, creating a curve defining the 48a cut.

(39) Finally, at step 47, the user activates the physical cloth simulation making the fabric to fall under gravity and separating the portions 48b which have been cut at previous step 46.

(40) It is also possible to activate the physical cloth simulation embodiment without the gravity force (that is, the garment will behave as a real fabric in a zero gravity environment). This enables one to obtain deformations on the mesh surface.

(41) The pleat tool the use of which is illustrated in FIG. 6 makes use of this property.

(42) At first at 52 the user clicks on two spots 54a and 54b on the screen to specify a straight line segment which will be projected on the mesh surface to generate a curve 55a as in the scissors tool mentioned hereinbefore.

(43) Then at step 53 the user turns the mouse scroll (not represented) to shorten curve 55b. Physical cloth simulation is activated without gravity and the fabric deforms only in the region of the curve created by the user, providing pleats at location 56.

(44) Upon using the pleats tool the user does not need to be aware that the mesh is behaving as real fabric (that is, physical cloth simulation has been activated). From his point of view, the tool just applied an effect that generated pleats on the mesh surface at the region of the curve he has drawn.

(45) A further tool which makes use of the physical cloth simulation embodiment without gravity force is the drag tool. The working of such tool is illustrated in FIG. 7 by means of three steps (57, 58 and 59).

(46) In the first step 57 the user positions the mouse cursor 36 on a region 60b of the mesh 60a.

(47) Then at step 58 by clicking with the mouse button the physical cloth simulation embodiment without gravity force is activated (without showing it to the user). By moving the mouse with the blocked button, the spot clicked on the mesh is dragged, deforming the mesh surface just at region 61. Upon release of the mouse button, the cloth simulation embodiment is automatically interrupted (again without showing it to the user),

(48) The user may repeat the clicking and dragging process as many times as desired. This can be used to adjust the mesh format or create pleats on its surface. In FIG. 7, for example, the user clicks and drags a second time 59 to create a silly collar 62.

(49) The program making use of the method proposed in the invention represents internally a mesh surface having a structure constituted by several triangles which discretize such surface. This representation is from now on designed in the present specification by the expression triangular mesh.

(50) FIG. 8 shows the structure of a triangular mesh 67 during the application of the pinch tool described hereinbefore.

(51) In a first step 63 the user positions the mouse cursor 36 on a mesh region 65 which he desires to pull. Then at step 64 he clicks the mouse button and drags the cursor 36 towards the desired direction. In order to represent the new surface mesh, triangles 66 are automatically created and destroyed as a result of the user movement of the mouse cursor 36.

(52) The description above represents the computerized method according to the invention for creating and editing surfaces for representing garments on a mannequin body in a three-dimensional virtual medium, said method comprising the following steps: a. Representing a garment 23 surface on a mannequin body 22 by means of a triangular mesh 67; b. Placing the triangular mesh 67 of step a) on the said mannequin body 22; c. With the aid of digital sculpture tools, allowing the triangular mesh 67 representing the garment 23 surface to be manipulated as if it were clay; d. With the aid of physical cloth simulation, allowing the triangular mesh 67 representing the garment 23 surface to be manipulated as if it were real fabric; e. Allowing the manipulations described in steps c) and d) to be performed in any order, for the number of times as required to impart to the garment the format considered as suitable; and f. At all times, preventing the triangular mesh 67 from moving towards the region in the interior of the mannequin body 22.

(53) As described above, the program utilizing the method proposed in the invention has two distinct embodiments, which differ on the way a certain mesh behaves: a) Sculpting: the mesh behaves as if it were made of a clay-like material. It allows the user to freely alter the mesh surface. For example, the pinch and pinch ring tools make use of this embodiment; b) Simulation: the mesh behaves as if it were made of real fabric. The user can either activate the cloth simulation embodiment explicitly (with or without gravity force), or the cloth simulation can be activated and inactivated implicitly such as for example when use is made of the drag and pleat tools.

(54) The drag and pleat tools described above in the present specification require that the program be able to quickly enter and exit the cloth simulation embodiment, the user being not aware of it.

(55) Such quick, automatic alternation between embodiments (that is, without warning the program user) is a key aspect of the present method.

(56) The user of the computerized method on which is based the present program is never explicitly informed on the actual garment status, neither on the change in status. The user just chooses a tool to apply a certain effect on a mesh surface.

(57) The implementation of a computer program able to perform efficiently such alternation between the sculpting and simulation embodiments is not trivial and not anticipated by any state-of-the-art technique.

(58) In order to make such performance viable one requirement is the absence of a huge computational cost involved in the exchange of statuses. According to the proposed method this is made possible since both sculpting and cloth simulation embodiments use the same data structure to work: a triangular mesh.

(59) Stanculescu, L. et al. report in the article Freestyle: Sculpting meshes with self-adaptive topology (Computers & Graphics, 2011, Preprint pages 1-12) a method for sculpting volumetric objects by directly using a triangular mesh representation. The sculpting embodiment of the present method is based on the method described by Stanculescu, L. et al.

(60) As mentioned above in the present specification, the cloth simulation embodiment of the computerized method used in the present program is also developed by using the same triangular mesh structure. The use of a triangular mesh to represent fabric in computational physical cloth simulation is described by Baraff, a and Witkin, A. in Large steps in cloth simulation (Computer Graphics Proceedings, 1998, Annual Conference Series, p. 43-54) and in several subsequent papers.

(61) Internally the sculpting embodiment can change the triangular mesh structure used for representing the garment surface, that is, additional triangles can be added or removed during the application of a tool. On the contrary in the cloth simulation embodiment just the vertices positions of the triangles are altered, that is, no triangle is added or removed.

(62) As compared with U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,259B2which utilizes parametric surfaces to represent the garment and allows the user to manipulate the control spots of the said surface to adjust the garment on the mannequin bodyit is believed that the sculpting embodiment of the method described in the present invention provides a more intuitive manner for the user to perform the desired modifications on the garment surface, since it is based on already existing digital sculpting programs (e.g., ZBrush).

(63) The cloth simulation embodiment of the method described in the present invention, on its turn, provides more agility to the user in the creation of fabric pleats. The presence of pleats in the fabric imparts a more realistic aspect to the garment. This agility for creating pleats on the garment surface provided by the cloth simulation embodiment cannot be not obtained by the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,259B2 nor by generic digital sculpting programs.

(64) Differently from both the computerized method and program described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,259B2 the present computerized method allows to: 1) Creating garments of any topology from a single initial configuration (dispensing with the need of three initial kinds of garment as is required by the technique described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,259B2 cited above); 2) Easily generating pleats in the garment surface with the aid of the cloth simulation embodiment; and 3) Being easily learned by users of generic digital sculpting programs since the functionalities of its tools are similar to those used in programs aiming at the same purposes.

(65) In this way it is possible to state that the computerized method described in the present invention is a specific digital sculpting method for garment design, said method having not been described nor suggested by the state-of-the-art technique.