Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

3D Digital Visualisation for Fashion and Textiles A Practical Survey of Tools and Techniques

Ian Grant11 and Dan Hughes-McGrail2

ABSTRACT

The present project explores the use of digital fabric simulation and3D visualisation with fashion and textiles undergraduate students,seeking to support design and the production of persuasive images. Afocus group reported partial engagement with current approaches toCAD and software instruction, noting learning software is timeintensive and frequently not supportive of other areas of physicaldesig and, fabrication. Learning 3D skills is complex and the presentpaper presents our efforts to summarise key developments in the areaand highlight creative practices of note.

KEY WORDS

Digital Fashion; Fashionable Technology; Computer Aided Design; 3D DigitalContent Creation; Visualisation; Collaboration; UK Undergraduate Teaching andLearning;

NOMENCLATURE

Baking - The process of fixing data, whether that be colour information orkinetic properties, into the vertices of a mesh, thereby making the data portableand 'fixed' into the geometry or stored in a set of images.

Cultural Probes - A research method created by Gaver et al. (1999) at the RoyalCollege of Art, London, designed to inspire creative acts by research subjectsthrough the gifting of kits of material and instructions.

Digital Content Creation Tools (DCC) — an inclusive term for the variety ofsoftware suites available across digital design.

11 Field Leader, Art and Design. University of West London, London.2 PhD Candidate. University of West London, London.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKMaterial - In Computer Graphic terms, a combination of surface information, imagetextures, 'shaders', computing the visual appearance, colour and form, of asurface under specific lighting conditions.

Meshes - In Computer Graphic, a mesh is a representation of a surface usingpolygons. Points (vertices) are joined by lines (edges) forming three, four ormore sided shapes (triangles, quads and n-gons). Together, these building blocksmake the topology of a 3D form or mesh.

Non-photorealistic-rendering (NPR) - In computer graphic image production,software engineers are not only interested in realism and hyper-realism. NPRrefers to the collected techniques of simulating the marks of other renderingprocesses, from hand drawn lines, to cel painting of animation, to the hatchshading of woodcuts. 3D software is used in the simulation of 2D imagingtechniques.

SIGGRAPH - Special Interest Group Graphics of the American Computer MachineryAssociation. A major global organisation, event and publications, advancing theinterests of computer graphics and related fields.

INTRODUCTION

"Digital cloth: guys, you are doing it wrong." (Winkler 2010)

The current realm of computer generated 3D image making and the simulation ofcloth for real-time and computed image making is rich, seductive and full ofpromise for the digital designer. How useful, how accessible and how 'learnable'are such tools and techniques for the student fashion designer? How far should wego in training student fashion designers to produce pre-visualisation and designmaterial in the virtual domain?

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKOne of our practical starting points can be summarised with the followingquestion: What is the potential for collaboration between digital design students(games, visual effects and animation) and fashion and textile students? Theauthors are firmly in the digital camp, without a disciplinary background infashion education and have sought collaboration in the project from teachingstaff and students.

The present project explores the use of digital fabric simulation and 3Dvisualisation with fashion and textiles undergraduate students, seeking tosupport design, fabrication and the production of images for a variety ofpurposes.

A focus group of fashion students (March/April 2012) reported partial engagementwith current approaches to computer aided design (CAD) and software instruction,noting learning software is time intensive and frequently not supportive of otherareas of physical design and fabrication.

Learning 3D skills is complex and the present paper presents our efforts to:

1. Map the foundation 3D skill-set for undergraduate fashion students; 2. Devise learning structures and materials to support the development of fashiondesign related 3D digital skills and technical literacy;3. Evaluate to what extent using 3D software enables rapid virtual iteration andis transformational of the student design process;4. Facilitate interactions between animation, games and fashion designundergraduate students, to observe how 3D knowledge and skill transfer happen andwhere practices overlap.

The final aim is key. We have an interest in the role collaboration has infacilitating the sharing of knowledge and skills across disciplines. Ourpreliminary work supports the idea that the skill-sets involved in characterdesign for games and animation, and the toolsets for fashion visualisation, arecomplementary and our aim is to chart and continue this exploration.

We undertook a broad survey of software tools and techniques, and settled on afew processes to introduce to our student groups. For this paper we select three'design processes' to share. There are many more and I will write about thecriteria for inclusion in the 'Design Process' sections.

The project is continuing and the present paper summarises our findings andexperiences to date.

We also present a short survey of the 'state of the art' in cloth and knitvisualisation, as reported at SIGGRAPH (2008-2013). Recent SIGGRAPH papers(Kaldor, et al. 2008, 2010; Yuksel, et al. 2012b) explore fabric simulation atthe level of yarn, currently 'state of the art,' and not easily available forthose who knit or wish to have a sense of the performance of fabric throughsimulations. How far are such techniques translatable to other software oraccessible to the student without digital design experience?

There is also an understanding that fashionable technology has a long establishedinterest in the fusion of technology, fashion and apparel design, and a

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKrecognition of the relationships between virtual simulations and our everydaylives:

"The term fashionable technology refers to technology with an aestheticappeal. The geek chic of the mid to late 90s and the appearance of wearablecomputing on a larger scale for style, fashion and aesthetics. The focus of theterm is on 'able' with the intention of making technology fashionable andaesthetically pleasant. Particularly, the merging of the virtual and physicalspaces, demands stylish avatars that live in both realities. Fashionable

technology is associated with an array of disciplines in the fields ofdesign and technology that frequently intersect. The significance offashionable technology as an emerging field is apparent." (pg.12 Seymour 2010)

FOCUS GROUPS: STRUCTURE AND INSIGHTS

To date we have held three focus groups, holding a structured conversation withgroups of fashion students with a mixed experience of digital skills engagement.

The focus group was shown a short presentation, see Grant (2013), intended as apersuasive introduction to 'inspirational techniques', 'state of the art'graphics work in cloth and knit simulation and some of the software we identifiedthrough early research as contender tools for consideration.

· We had a short software demonstration;· Excerpt from a ZBrush training video (Smith, 2012)· Met a games student specialising in Character Design who had the need to

generate clothing and apparel and who worked with the 'sculptural'techniques, but had little experience with garment design or the languageof fashion;

· Viewed 'state of the art' simulation of garments and knit at the level ofyarn;

The initial focus groups of fashion students were asked:

Q1. Describe your experience of digital tools and software?Q2. What are your attitudes to simulation and digital techniques in fashiondesign?Q3. What software do you currently use and for what purpose?Q4. What do you think you need digital (3D) software for as a fashion designstudent? Q5. How do you approach learning software and how do you cope with softwarechanges?Q6. What would you do in a collaboration with a 3D visualisation expert?

In conversation we explored the following:

· What are student attitudes to simulation and digital techniques in fashiondesign?

· What is their current software use?· What is their sense of their own needs?

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

· What is their sense of obstacles to learning software?· What are their interests in virtual / visual simulation?· What are their current techniques of learning and coping with software

changes?

FOCUS GROUPS COMMENTS AND THEMES

Here are a summary of statements and comments from the sessions. I have groupedthem to form themes:

"We are at the early stage encounters with software";"Don't like computers, but willing to learn 'the basics'";"3D gives more creative freedom";"I like the detail and 'lifelikeness' of 3D simulation and the knit

renders";"I find the 'new' exciting and stimulating";"Frustrating, but once I get the hang of software, I love it!""There is a future for this type of techniques, I like it!""We need tools to support painting and colouring fashion lineups,

illustrations and trend boards";"Software (photoshop) is used only to support drawing";"Some designers prefer to work 'freehand'";"I have a need to imagine a garment on a real figure";"Hanging a simulated garment on a 3D model is more efficient and leads to

less wastage";"I use 2D software (photoshop) to preview how a textile pattern 'prints

onto figures'";"I have a wish collaborate with an expert: to print (3D) and to design; to

experiment and to be encouraged to think outside the box";Fear for future job security / roles:"I wouldn't want to work with a 3D visualisation expert. I think it would

create a need for technical genius's (sic.) in the fashion industry [whosejob it is] to create simulated presentations of upcoming trends and

collections" "I know the basics, I'm self taught by trial and error and

experimentation";"I need 3D visualisation in order to explore and visualise the

characteristics, qualities, textures of potential material used withingarment construction and production (drape)."

One had programming experience of Pascal and engaged with open source tools(the Gimp);

One had current 3D experience of Autocad and Vectorworks;"3D skills will complement the 2D skills I am practicing";"Dynamically changing design to preview creative options and test potential

is easier (in 3D)";

Additional the following desires were stated: students wished to:

· Sketch and quickly visualise designs;· Create and customise 3D virtual clothing;· Input their own patterns and easily create a 3D apparel item;

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

· Pose 3D models and run simulations under different physical conditions andsimulate different material properties;

· Explore how 3D can help produce the total aspect of the promotional fashionimage (hair, lighting and 'look' design);

· Explore pattern and print design beyond Photoshop and encounterexperimental computer aided design techniques (i.e. procedural, generativepattern making);

· Develop skills for employability: current digital skills are viewed asimportant for self-promotion as well as effective design.

The next steps for the research project aims to deepen experimentation, directlyproduce learning materials to support rapid design processes, provide contextsfor solo and collaborative development. The creation and implementation of well-designed 'cultural probes' should create these opportunities.

The primary aim of establishing groups of interested students is to establish theground for future interactive 'cultural probe' work detailed in the section 'NextSteps', below.

GAMES, FASHION AND CLOTH SIMULATION

An important creative collision happened when Arena Homme Plus (April 2012)published a set of fine computer generated (CG) character illustrations producedby the games publishing house Square Enix, where the male characters (Lightning,Noel, Hope and Sazh), famous to gamers and to many in our fashion student focusgroups, were shown wearing the latest spring/summer collection from Prada. Theexamples were selected from the collection by 'Final Fantasy' character designer,Tetsuya Nomura.

The illustrations are exemplary of the work digital stylists can make, typicallycelebrating the photo-real, physically accurate lighting models, impeccablecreases, folds, pattern and detailing.

One imagines the techniques could contain those we are interested in this papermodelling cloth by physical simulation around 3D models, or 3D sculpting,materials and texturing using established techniques to achieve the visualsurface qualities of material and prints and, perhaps, finishing work by digitalpainting in photoshop.

Besides the practical digital illustration techniques, the accompanying articlein Arena Homme Plus raises other cultural and aesthetic issues, that also emergedin our focus groups, surrounding the politics of the image and the ever impingingmove of the virtual into everyday life.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 1: Final Fantasy VIII-2 / Prada Cross Over. Source: Arena Homme Plus 2012

Arena Homme Plus makes a useful connection between the worlds of fashion and 3Ddigital design:

"Consider two senses of the word 'model.' A model is a human being whoshows off fashions to their best effect on the catwalk or in a photograph. Butin the world of computing, a model is also a mathematical construct, a

recreation in numbers of reality's underlying processes. And so a video-game character is always, too, a 'model,' digital flesh moulded to askeleton of pure geometry, and also 'modelling,' or simulating, thecharacteristics of real, bone-and-flesh-and-blood bodies: the rhythm of agait, the swinging of limbs, the choreography of spell-casting and sword-swinging." (Various, 2012)

To This appropriate appropriation of the technology of gaming technology inpursuit of fashion promotion and design is viewed as a challenge to the prevalentsexual attitudes, focus and gender politics typified in mainstream video-gaming:

"Final Fantasy's male models, in particular, have long been in the businessof subverting the stereotypical macho look of many other videogames, whereaction heroes have pumped pecs, ripped T-shirts and stubble: its men are

sensitive, artistic types, always expertly coiffed by their digital artisanstylists. More than most other video- game characters, you might say, theydeserve to wear Prada." (Various, 2012)

Figure 2: Final Fantasy VIII-2 / Prada Cross Over. Trouser Detail. Source: ArenaHomme Plus 2012

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKFollowing the trend of product design towards the synthetic promotion image(think Ikea's virtual catalogue images), the Homme Plus article continues,summarising the process of this extraordinary act of visualisation (not design —the garments already existed):

"And so, for this shoot, technical wizards from Square Enix's Visual Worksstudio were given direct access to the Prada garments selected by Final Fantasycharacter designer Tetsuya Nomura. Months of meticulous painstaking work,overseen by the game development team, was then carried out in order to createthe final fusion of real and unreal." (Various, 2012)

It is this fusion of the real and the unreal, the interplay between observation,reference and getting lost in virtual 3D space, that we are interested in fashionstudents exploring. How does 3D digital design makes them feel, how comfortable

In what ways are fashion students critical of the software, its typical usage andthe cultural processes locked therein?

Although convinced that the digital design processes have merit, as they arevaried, flexible and hybrid, we are not uncritical about the goals of the pursuitto the photo-real. There are digital design processes that focus on chaos andserendipity as key creative drivers. The emerging methods of using 3D designsoftware are plural, and we consider some below.

SURVEY OF TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

We evaluated a selection of contemporary 3D digital content creation (DCC) tools:Modo, Blender, Maya, Garment Maker in 3DS Max, ZBrush, CLO 3D, MarvellousDesigner.

Some are high-end and expensive (although undergraduate student prices are verycompetitive), some contemporary, some older (but modernising). Two, CLO 3D andMarvellous Designer, are specifically tailored and aimed at the fashion designer,with creation processes familiar to the fashion designer, with pattern and seamidentification at the heart of the 3D clothes modelling experience.

MAPPING 3D SKILL-SETS

The examples discussed below in 'Design Process 1-3' and summarised in Table 1,illustrate a range of approaches to 3D image production: some via modelling, e.g.modelling with physics simulations, image based sculpting (displacement, vectordisplacement and bump), interactive sculpting, some with minimal modelling and anemphasis on creating images by pattern making with layered 'skins', proceduraltextures varied over times, producing renders in 3D software then painting and'finishing' in Photoshop. It is hard to determine the 'co-dependent' knowledgesneeds for some work and the interface familiarity needed to move betweensoftwares. Therefore determining whether a skill-set is 'easy' or 'complex' isrelative and determined more by engagement and experience than intrinsicdifficulty.

We have a practical goal to promote pipe-line solutions (combinations of creativesoftware) working processes that can be learnt in a short time and wherevisualisation results are quick to achieve and the resultant images persuasive.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Table 1: A map of 3D skills used in Design Processes 1-3

We also acknowledge the hybrid workflows between creative software: an exemplaryone being that of the concept artist Scott Robertson, moving between photoshop,to Modo and back. Often generating hundreds of generative 'sketches'.

Also, the capabilities of software overlap.

For example, the Bullet Physics Library (2013) drives the soft-body (and cloth)simulation in a number of the packages. Where other physics solvers are used, theparadigms are very similar. To that end we are 'software agnostic' and value thateach individual student should be encouraged to develop their own criticalchoices of tools and their own preferred 'pipeline.'

In the next stage of the research, pedagogical materials will be designedillustrating how the round trip or two way asset exchange is achieved, using avariety of software.

Insights gathered from the experiences below:

· Surface / texturing models are frequently not portable between render-engines of competing software;

· Well constructed and segmented geometry makes the trip between software ifexported in the correct way, being mindful of object scale and orientation;

· Some motion / animation data is portable: point cache / motion data can be'baked' and moved between software environments.

· Physics simulation data / caches are volatile and need 'baking'; .bulletfiles can be moved between environments, but 'baking' such simulatedanimation is desirable;

There are environments that generate 'real-time' experiences allowingmanipulating 'soft bodies' and cloth (e.g. Fabric Engine's Creation Platform) butthey are beyond the scope of this paper.

STATE OF THE ART IN CLOTH AND KNIT VISUALISATION

The recent work of Calder et al., (2008, 2010), seen in Figure 3 and the relatedwork of Yuksel et al. (2012b, Figure 4 and 5), released at SIGGRAPH, representsthe 'state of the art' in yarn-level simulation and visualising knitted garments.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKShowing these images and animations to fashion students elicited the followingresponses: "I find these images appealing." "How can I make an image like that?" "Can I produce patterns from such software?" "Can I produce knit patterns for arbitrary forms?" "Can I view the knit on different body shapes?"

Figure 3: Knit simulated at the level of yarn. Source: Calder et al. (2008)

VISUAL CONCESSIONS FOR (NEAR) REAL-TIME SIMULATION

Most video game engines and 3D content creation software approach mechanicallysimulating cloth as 'elastic sheets', or meshes made up of triangulated polygons.The material detail of the fabric, the tautness of yarn or stitch is not modellednor replicated, but approximated by simulating the overall stiffness, mass,springiness, friction within the entire surface as a 'spring network.' Thevariable parameters of such 'soft-body/cloth' simulation are (in 3DS Max, 2013,but are typical): Material Thickness; Bend; Stretch; Compression; Shear; Density;Damping; Plasticity; Thickness; Repulsion; Air Resistance; Friction (Dynamic;Static; Self); Seam Force; Cling; Shape Preservation (bend; stretch); for closedobjects: Internal Pressure and Volume Maintenance;

Understanding how these variables interrelate and produce the kinetic appearanceof different material properties is very abstract, so inHowever in 3DS Max, Mayaetc, the following prototypes predetermined sets of settings that achievesimulations of the behavior of particular fabrics are given as ‘presets’ for:

Burlap, Cashmere, Cotton, Flannel, Generic Heavy, Heavy Leather, Polyester,Rubber, Satin, Silk, Spandex, Starched Cotton, Taffeta, Terrycloth, Wet cloth,Wool;

Note these are just the physical properties of how the material flexes andinteracts with other objects, not the visual appearance or surface detailing.Texturing the material is very much up to the artist.

It is tempting to place the approaches on an 'authenticity' continuum betweencrude surface level simulation being rough and ready and the 'yarn' level workbeing 'persuasive.'

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

"This is why we’re always bewildered when our colleagues in the tech worldwant us to be thrilled about their digital models of cloth. After all, they’vejust created a dancing model with swirling cloth, how fabulous is that?

Well, except for us it’s not that fabulous. We don’t really know how muchhard work you’ve put into your model, we just know when we look at it, it’snot right, by which we mean it’s not accurate. We’re not excited." (Winkler,2010)

It is unclear whether Winkler has seen the knitting simulation at the yarn levelof Calder et al., (2008, 2010) and Yuksel et al. (2012b). The students weinterviewed were excited. Further study is needed to reveal what lies behindtheir initial views.

One can't underestimate the critical perspective of Winkler.In our focus group, two fashion staff voiced a similar view: that physicalfabrication and learning the skills to make had to take priority over the timespent learning virtual and simulation tools. An understandable value. Anotherview, was about the deeper politics of the hyper-real image and a suspicion aboutthe collapsing of skills, where the designer and manufacturer are, potentially,one-and-the-same person. The anxiety around 'de-skilling' is echoed, again byWinkler (2010):

"The longer we work, the more specific textile knowledge we acquire, untilafter 30 years our fingertips are the ultimate augmented reality device andhave forgotten more about cloth than most people ever know. We can look at abolt of cloth and know what it will feel like before we ever touch it. We candetermine the fibre percentage by running a finger nail over the weave of thecloth and listening to the resonance of the sound that is made. Polyester forexample, has a high singing note that is unmistakable and the more poly thehigher the note. This is real expertise and you don’t get it in design school orfrom doing anything but manipulating cloth all day every day to produce theprecise results that you want until cloth becomes part of you." (Winkler, 2010)

Though not totally 'Luddite,' it is worth countering this narrow perspective onphysical embodied skill with the views of Iris van Herpen:

"Working with handcrafted techniques or a sewing machine gives you a lot ofpossibilities but also a lot of restrictions. 3D printing is an entirelydifferent language. The complexity and detailing of it almost resembles oldhistoric crafts. It lets me think in total three-dimensionality, instead of firstimagining something in 3D, then drawing it on paper in 2D and then creatingit for the body in 3D again. For me, it’s a dream." (van Herpen, 2013b)

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 4: (A1, 2, 3, 4, B1...) Illustration of the stitch mesh process withexamples. Source: Yuksel et al. 2012b

However, considering Yuksel et al. (2012a), the technologists have made anenormous effort embodying the knowledges and technologies of knitting intosoftware simulation, yielding very persuasive visual results (to me a noviceknitter).

The 'stitch mesh' process, as seen in the flow of images in Figure 4, has an'interactive' stage where start direction and direction of knit of elements canbe drawn on a garment mesh representing the final garment. In Figure 4 (A3) wecan see different knit stitch types that can get interactively encoded into adiagram (A4), very similar to digital knitting patterns. The pattern diagrams canthen be interactively placed onto the garment mesh. Special annotations can beadded to the stitch mesh for cable stitches and increasing and decreasingstitches. The stitch mesh undergoes a simulation process that relaxes the patterninto a shape informed by the physics of the knit, stitch, tension, seams, etc.Figure 4 (B3) show samples that have been 'relaxed.' Figure 5, below, shows thedetailed rendering of a full garment.

The tools created by Yuksel et al. are commercially unavailable.

However, not long after the paper revealing the process, artists (Kostack, 2012)have imitated the technique using free tools (Blender) and posted results toYouTube. The technique uses the surface replicators that I describe in section'Design Process 3.' Instead of replicating image textures, the replicator clonestiny models of knit stitches over a surface, seen in Figure 4, A3, above.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 5: Stitch Mesh Sweater. Close up detail of a 'stitch mesh' example.Source: Yuksel et al. 2012a

INTRODUCTION TO THE DESIGN PROCESSES

In the process of writing this paper we had to prioritise which, out of manyworkflows and techniques, we wished to feature:

· Contemporary tools; · Extending the use of known software (in the case of our group, Photoshop);· Build on core physical skills, like observation, sculpting or drawing;· Techniques accessible across a range of software;· Unfamiliar ideas to those unacquainted with digital fashion or game design

cultures.

One of the stated outcomes of the entire project is a web resource of techniquesand other learning materials with conventional step-by-step tutorials. Thefollowing design processes would be the first to feature in those resources andare summarised in the sections below:

· Simulation;· The Sculptural;· The Hybrid and Procedural;

DESIGN PROCESS 1: SIMULATION

Above, we heard of a variety of 'state of the art' techniques for simulatingknitted cloth and clothing. The predominant method in 3D DCC suites involvessoft-body simulation, deforming surfaces with collisions, gravity and otherphysical phenomenon. After simulation, the surface are modeled, placed in scenes,further modeled (or sculpted) textured, surfaced then rendered.

CLO 3D and Marvellous Design, produced by the same company, CLO 3D, is a tailoredtool with very specific workflows, familiar to fashion designers. The company arequite proud of the verisimilitude of the images produced by their software, withmany 'spot the real or virtual' image tests like the one seen in Figure 6.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 6: Promotional image from CLO 3D. Real or Virtual? Source: CLO 3D 2013

In Figure 7, we see a quick surface texturing and cloth physics simulation testcomplete in Modo. Setup and rendering took under 20 minutes. A knit 'material'with fur simulating yarn fibres, a drag and drop studio lighting model, there isno pinning or 'fitting' workflow. One can 'anchor' meshes to other rigid bodygeometry in scenes. But the workflow is not as evolved or as specialised as incompetitor packages. The texture, lighting and rendering model is sostraightforward it is worth persevering to find a pipeline to Modo to utilise therendering capabilities. See more on 'pipelines' in the section: 'Survey of Toolsand Techniques', above.

Figure 7: Cloth Simulation and Texturing Test Render in Modo. Source: Ian Grant2013

Such a pipeline 'result' is depicted in Figure 8. A 3D mannequin model isexported from Modo to Marvellous Designer. Placement pins are created on themodel. A sample dress pattern is drawn and placed on the mannequin and'simulated' in Marvellous Design. To simulate you press a large green 'play'button. The resultant mesh, with folds and creases made by the collision of thecloth mesh with itself, the mannequin and it's interactions with the force ofgravity, is exported back to Modo, for texturing, lighting and the finalrendering of the image. The rendering can happen in Marvellous Design, but thetoolset is less specialised than Modo (and most other packages).

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 8: Marvellous Designer to Modo. Source: Ian Grant 2013

As we will see from the work of Hughes-McGrail, below, it is common to combinetechniques where posed simulated clothing is further sculpted and refined'manually' by the hand, tablet and mouse of a digital sculptor.

DESIGN PROCESS 2: SCULPTURAL

Creating 3D garments from 2D patterns may seem counterintuitive to those notsteeped in fabrication, so it may not be surprising game and animation characterdesigners tend towards a 'sculpting' model.

One method entails working from a basic shape and sculpting all fold and flowdetails into the fabric. Later, we describe an extended method that starts withgeometry pre-deformed by a cloth and gravity simulation (using a base mesh as acollision object).

At the simplest description level, 3D sculpting (in our example using Pixologic'sZBrush) uses a variety of brush shapes/sizes and to displace and move the surfaceof a 3D model. It is as akin to 'painting' as 'sculpting.'

The workflow described in Smith (2013), and summarily depicted in Figure 9, movesthrough:

· An observational study of photographic reference material of clothes andother media, like stone sculpture of cloth and deformable objects: notingthe patterns, waves and ridges caused by radial bunching, hanging,triangulating and stretching.

· The generation of a simple mesh, abiding by simple topology rules (wherecrease edges of the final garment object are modeled with close-proximityedge loops)

· The rough shaping of the block geometry to match a base 'model' (figure)mesh

· Using brushes to block out the geometry according to creasing rules,moving, pushing in and pulling out and smoothing;

· Detail passes: flattening ridges, pinching ridges in accord with gravity,visually observing and sculpting the pull of forces (body surfacedeformation and gravity), the meshes can be 'masked' to localise the brushactions to very specific areas of the mesh;

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 9: Sculpting Clothing ZBrush Techniques. Source: Smith 2012

In Figure 10, we can see a University of West London Games student, PaulWidelski's attempt at retro space-suit design. The sculpting approach requiresadditional base geometry, detailed above, if the results are to transcend the'body skin' look of tight fitted garments.

Figure 10: ZBrush Figure. Retro Space Suit Source: Paul Widelski 2012In the work of co-author Hughes-McGrail, in Figure 11, we see the same ZBrushbased sculpting workflow, but with the added step of using reference material andgarment patterns through the simulation environment of CLO 3D. The patterns are'seamed' (edges chosen that will be joined), material properties are selected,anchor points (or pinning to 'placement points') are selected on the base figuremesh and the segments are processed and dressed onto a model. The simulationmodels gravity, other forces (like wind or turbulence) or are deformed inresponse to collisions with the base figure animating (for example a catwalkwalk-cycle).

Hughes-McGrail, producing still poses and portraiture, see Figure 12, isinterested in taking simulated fold and crease data into ZBrush, speeding up thecloth 'sculpture via painting' workflow of Smith (2012) described above.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 11: (A) (B) (C) Working from Reference to CLO 3D to ZBrush. Source:Hughes-McGrail 2012

Dan Hughes-McGrail, an analogue and digital sculptor, collaborated with fashionand costume designers at the University of Huddersfield and established apipeline working between the Fashion specific software (CLO 3D), to a digitalsculpting environment (ZBrush), to Digital Content Creation software (Maya) forsurfacing, scene layout and rendering, using the ray-trace renderer 'Mental Ray.'

CLO 3D uses 2D pattern diagrams to generated simple polygon garment models thatare then subject to physics simulations to model broad features of cloth, withdifferent material properties

One of the experiences Hughes-McGrail accounts was that through collaborationswith expert modelers and engineers, fashion and costume designers becomeincreasingly confident, and are translating traditional skills and methods to usewithin 3D digital environments. In the process of doing so they free themselvesfrom the conformity to familiar processes and are disentangled from the steeplearning curve of 3D digital technologies, by working alongside other experiencedpractitioners and by combining aspects of practice, technique and technology.

Where collaboration isn't possible, to what extent are some processes andsoftwares more accessible than others? e.g. Modo has 'kits' that make difficultor convoluted tasks central to a custolmised and focused interface and workflow,e.g., studio lighting, package design, animation rigging setup. The 'drag anddrop' nature of, for example, their HDR lighting setup, makes straightforward thesame set up Mental Ray makes complex and expert. With Modo, beginners can makeimages with complex lighting setup in minutes, and, perhaps negatively butdefinitely results focussed, without knowing the details of the implementation.The software has become a black box.

Hughes-McGrail continues: additionally the former boundaries between the tasks(and roles) of designer, pattern cutters in fashion and costume design becomethoroughly blurred and a more integrated process of design/production is enabled.Digital sculpting tools and 3D pattern design tools can cause an integration ofdesign and production phases for virtual garment and a physical garment. Iris vanHerpen (2013a) is a great example of this.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 12: Sir Patrick Stewart in Period Costume. A Portrait. Source: Dan Hughes-McGrail 2012

These ideas were also raised (by staff and students) in the third fashion focusgroup, but were voiced as a source of contention. The de-specialisation andcollapse of roles, those who design are also those who make, led to sensitivityabout 'future' skills and careers.

Costume designers have historically focused heavily on traditional technicalmaking during their design and sampling processes; however the powerfulsimulative qualities of 3D digital tools provide new methods that both challengetheir art and enable them to push their designs further. 2D visualisation has a limiting effect on the complexity of design. The designermust necessarily project their knowledge of garment construction norms via theabstracted 2D image. The construction of the garment has to infer many factorsand in reality this means many, iterative trial and error prototyping processes.3D modelling methods greatly accelerate this prototype phase of design at thesame time as removing a level of abstraction from the design process making iteasier for designer to engage with the physical construction of a garment.

Digital sculpture techniques can be used to sketch garment designs directly ontoa 3D digital mannequin. Thus offering rapid design and exploration of garmentstructures and styling. Being able to manipulate the design in 3D space whilstsketching, allows the designer to see their drawn costume lines flow seamlesslyaround the mannequin surface and to be aware of the silhouettes from all angles.Design elements can be sketched and saved, undone or erased, and sketched again.Digital sculpting packages are generally used with graphics tablets, which are ahighly intuitive input devices that allow the designer to use draw form andcolour directly onto models. The process is quick, iterative and intuitive; andthus promotes an explorative and playful engagement with design.

Digital Sculpture tools offer great enhancement to the conceptualisation phase ofdesign but the digital artefacts produced are not directly usable withintraditional clothing production. It is possible to extract cutting patterns fromsculpted models, but this is quite technically involved. There is potential forsoftware developers to enhance the formal analysis processes so that complexsculptural forms can be dealt with more effectively.

However, developments in 3D printed fabrics may also release designers from thelimitations of panel construction, In this case the discipline could become moresculpturally oriented.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Other methods of 3D digital clothing design follow a more simulative approach,which offer familiar working metaphors and produce digital artefacts that can beused in traditional production practices.

Marvellous Designer, CLO 3D and Optitex are two such software approaches. Bothare relatively quick to learn and output 2D geometric patterns and 3D models forfurther use in 3D animation. The digital working environment attempts to emulatethe traditional workshop practices of garment design. Garments are made byinitially drafting pattern panels and defining seam edges in 2D, the softwaregenerates a 3D mesh version of these panels which are then arranged around a 3Dmodel mannequin. The 3D panels are then attached at the seams and simulated ascloth. Different cloth/material parameters can also be adjusted and defined. Thedrafted pattern drawings can be finely adjusted on screen for fitting and thedraped simulation will update the results of these changes immediately.The software allows multiple layers of cloth to be used and will simulate thecloth’s interactions It will also simulate the behaviour of different type ofcloth. When complete, the 2D drawings can be exported and integrated with cuttingmachines.

Hughes-McGrail used CLO 3D to design patterns, simulate and generate models ofthe historical costume for a virtual portrait of Sir Patrick Stewart. Despitebeing new to pattern cutting, the software taught Dan how to analyse a garmentinto pattern blocks by demonstrating how specific 2D panel shapes and the fabricsproperties relate to the final the draped garment.

Tools like CLO 3D that have been specifically designed for garment design andvisualisation. They attempt to incorporate traditional practices into theirmethods, also accelerate the designers iterative exploratory processes. Therebyencouraging playfulness and experimentation, but in ways that are sympathetic toexisting production processes. These simulative approaches also present newpedagogical opportunities in the rapid transfer of knowledge of pattern cutting.Both sculpting and simulative methods can enable increased complexity andsophistication in design.

DESIGN PROCESS 3: THE HYBRID AND PROCEDURAL

In this section, we have selected two techniques, texture bombing and proceduralsurface sculpture, used by game and animation concept artists that are exemplaryof the kind of 3D visualisation techniques that may be of interest to thesketching fashion designer. They are particularly useful at generating multiplevariations of a design for further selection and iteration.

I call the techniques 'hybrid,' as they work across software and involve avariety of techniques. I use the term 'procedural' for two reasons: (1) the stepsto achieve the results abide by simple rule-sets where numerical input can bevaried to achieve wildly varied results and (2) particular mathematicallydescribed textures, like 'noise', 'cellular', 'dots', 'ripples', 'weaves','woods', 'checkers', are used not only for pattern generation, but also surfaceperturbation and geometry displacement.

Discussing the 'simplicity' of these techniques or assessing how learnable theyare by the non-3D-specialist is a problem. Some of the ideas are complex, but the

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKimplementation and results (often achieved by varying very few parameters) arereadily emulated once the scenes files are set up by a digital collaborator.

The techniques here are the ones favoured as examples, and although the work ison the sci-fi edge of geeky (not a judgement, just a question of accessibility),we are looking at the creation methods not the genre of the images. That said,the processes visually resonate with the work of established fashion designers,for example: Iris van Herpen (2013) or in the computation couture of ContivvmFashion (Huang and Fizel, 2013).

The procedural and generative push in design is widespread and the reach intocontemporary fashion and jewellery design is marked. Whole design aesthetics areshaped and inspired by biomimicry and generative approaches. Exemplars includethe online design and sales initiatives of the T-Shirt-Issue (2013), Huang andFizel with Continvvm (2013) and Rosenkrantz and Louis-Rosenberg with NervousSystem (2013).

Natural processes can be simulated in 3D software at the 2D level of image andthe 3D level of geometry.The generative artist seeks inspiration from algae, coral growth, dendriticsolidification and other branching structures; cell cycles and physical forces,fungal growth, hyphae, rhizomatic growth, entwining threads and radiolaria (likehoneycomb or lace).

TEXTURE BOMBING

Scott Robertson (2013a and 2013b) is a concept artist who works across conceptimagery for visual effects, games and product design. The work of particularinterest for fashion design includes his footwear (See Figure 19) and sportswear(Robertson 2013b).

Robertson exemplifies the use of procedural textures and a hybrid workflowbetween 3D software and painting 'between' 3D renders on layers in Photoshop.

Broadly, Robertson's technique is a variation on 'texture bombing' and can beseen in Figures 16, 17 and 18.

"Textures are useful for adding visual detail to geometry, but they don'twork as well when extended to cover large areas such as a field of flowers,or many similar objects such as a city full of buildings. Such uses require

either a very large amount of texture data or repetition of the samepattern, resulting in an undesirable, regular look. Texture bombing is aprocedural technique that places small images at irregular intervals to helpreduce such pattern artefacts. The basic idea behind texture bombing is todivide UV space into a regular grid of cells. We then place an image withineach cell at a random location, using a noise or pseudo-random number function.

The final result is the composite of these images over the background."(pg. 323, Glanville 2007)

I'll take a moment to illustrate how this works in Modo:

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 13: (A, B, C, D) Using Replicators for object or texture distribution on asurface. Source: Ian Grant 2013

In Figure 13, (A) we see a plane with the mesh visualised as a grid. In (B) a'replicator' positions a single 'prototype' object, the red sphere, at eachvertex position, or if we wish, (C) on each face (or polygon). In (D) wedemonstrate random jittering of the position of each replicated object.

In the following Figures 14 and 15 we do exactly the same replication process butwith image textures as a prototype, rather than mesh objects. Figure 14 sees oursource images. Figure 15 (A) sees a single texture placed at the vertex points.Then (B) we jitter the size of the image texture. In (C), instead of picking onetexture source we randomly pick and overlay from twelve. Suddenly we see alayered and nuanced composite, made with little to no human effort. Vary theblending modes of how the textures relate and (D) we have a complex pattern,applicable as a stencil or as a colour texture.

Figure 14: Example source images for ‘texture bombing’ using ‘replicators’ inModo. Source: Ian Grant 2013

Figure 15: (A, B, C, D) Iterations of a texture Using Replicators in Modo.Source: Ian Grant 2013

In the 'skin' figures 16 and 17, Robertson does no modelling at all, working onpre-made characters. He has three (or less) layers of 'skin' 8mm-10mm thick,split into zones (arms, back, front) and then adds procedural textures (cells,noise, etc.) and other image textures as stencils or colour stamps. He projectsthe textures with either spherical, cylindrical or planar projections, and variesthese to explore visual variations.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UK

Figure 16: Skins made with texture replicators in Modo. Hand varied in Photoshop.Source: Robertson 2013c

Figure 17: More skins made with texture replicators in Modo. Varied in Photoshop.Source: Robertson 2013c

He uses the colour information from the textures and their grey-scale values asdisplacement or bump information. Sometimes he uses a skin layer and with atexture makes part of it transparent, simulating fabric transparency and cutouts.

The joy comes when the figure and skins are setup: attributes of the 'texturereplicator' positioning the images across the skin layers can be varied andchanged over time. He changes the scale, the position, the projection method orthe transparency amount. Anything that takes his fancy. Animating these valuesovertime allows Robertson to leave an animation rendering overnight, come backand have hundreds of subtle variations upon a theme. He doesn't end theexploration there.

As the resultant images are lit and positioned consistently, he can stack them upin Photoshop layers and with impunity paint out elements, vary the blendingmodes: in his words "mixing and matching — just stack in photoshop and deleteparts!" (Robertson 2013c)

The open, experimental exploration allows Robertson to "explore a whole range ofthings and get into new aesthetics you wouldn't get into in any other way."(Robertson 2013c)Robertson is using 3D as a sketching tool. He looks for designs and is 'lookingfor starts'.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKHe follows a similar workflow with the 'Armoured Replicator Suits' in Figure 18,except instead of 'bombing textures', he bombs geometry. Small parts of modelsare scattered across a surface using 'surface replicators' in Modo.

Figure 18: Armoured suits made with replicators in Modo. Hand painted inPhotoshop. Source: Robertson 2013b

The footwear image (Figure 19) is probably the most obviously relevant to fashionstudents: following the approaches detailed above: take a trainer model; splitthe mesh into logical zones; apply colour, stencil, bump and displacement mapsusing 'texture replicators'; vary settings over time, and then, overnight,generate seven hundred variant trainer designs. If desired, layer in Photoshopand 'paint' through to find new combinations of elements. One shouldn't get tooseduced by the productivity. Automating variant design is not the primary goal.Generating ideas to iterate over and select between: thinking of each variant asa sketch to spark further ideas, using the software to produce ideas, shape, formand colour combinations outside of the designer/artists range is the main goal.

Figure 19: A selection from 700 trainers designs made in Modo. Source: Robertson2013b

SKETCHING

An area of further attention emerging from the research to date, is the interestof fashion students in alternative digital methods of sketching.

Scott Robertson (2013) speaks of his approach digital sketching as a set ofmethods for unlocking muscle memory, of looking for the image or spatialcomposition in algorithmic generate marks

The open drawing software project 'Alchemy' (2008-2010) (Willis and Hina, 2013)provides a drawing paradigm radically different from the tools in Photoshop, andwill form the basis of a kit in our future 'cultural probe' activity.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKBack to the Arena Homme Plus perspective on the connections between fashion andgame design:

"Many of the characters in the earlier Final Fantasy games were designed bythe revered Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, who also contributed conceptualcharacter art to the latest game, and it is in the Gustav Klimt-esque flowinglines of such illustrations that we can locate an authentic creative link betweenvideo games and fashion. Both begin, after all, with sketching." (Various,2012)

One conclusion towards a model practice: we seek artist/designers who blendanalogue and digital processes. Sketching is a place where such processes meet.

CONCLUSIONS: NEXT STEPS - CULTURAL PROBES

The next phase of the project will place carefully assembled 'cultural probes',following the approaches of Gaver et al. (pg.24, 1999) into the hands of fashiondesign students.

Cultural probes are a way to gather insights about individuals or groups andtheir activities. The researcher provides a kit of material, or resources withproposed tasks, and the means for the 'probed' to self-report on a process thatmay be extended over a time. The 'probes' are worded to initiate new approachesand ideas ('provoke inspirational responses' [Gaver, pg.22, 1999]) and, Isuggest, can work pedagogically. Gaver summarised:

"We approach research into new technologies from the traditions of artist–designers rather than the more typical science-and-engineering-basedapproaches. Unlike much research, we don’t emphasise precise analyses or

carefully controlled methodologies; instead, we concentrate on aestheticcontrol, the cultural implications of our designs, and ways to open newspaces for design." (pg.24, Gaver et al. 1999)

The methodology seeks 'inspiration' not 'information' from groups.

We tentatively suggest the following 'probes':

The goal: to produce 700 variations of a design, with:

· A laptop, with software and a set of instruction videos;· A laptop, with software and a skilled operator / collaborator / digital

designer;· The same creative instructions with a physical sketch pad of fashion runway

figures and physical media;

COLLABORATION

Collaboration became a theme of the project and an interesting point ofdifference between the authors.

Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Fashion, 16-18 May 2013, London, UKGrant views that student's can become polymaths through their encounter withtransdisciplinary digital skills. They can develop knowledges and effectivepractices through self and solo development.

Hughes-McGrail, suggest collaboration with technical experts is key.

The cultural probes will explore the solo and the collaborative endeavour. Oneprobe kit with supply an 'expert,' the other with instructions, video and curatedweb material for the auto-didactically inclined.

ETHOS

The future ethos of the project is shaped like this:

· Develop a critical outlook to software tools and processes;· Be careful not present technologies as if the hyped technologies of the

future should be adopted by all;· Be inclusive of established knowledges;· Push students towards encounters with the work of other disciplines through

curiosity driven learning and structured research experiences;· Establish mutual exchanges between different design cultures;

Through the next phase of the project and through the design and implementationof exciting 'cultural probes', we hope to (de)familiarise our students withregard to their own creative choices, their established tool sets and their actsof creative collaboration.

3D Visualisation for fashion is a ripe ground for the exchange and development ofcreative knowledges.

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