L. Maha Mahadevan, E. Cerda, and J.M. Pasini of Harvard University have devised physics equations that predict the number and shape of folds in a draped sheet. The findings (published in Nature Magazine) could be applied to online clothing companies to show customers how clothing will hang on them when they move, online video games, and even computer animation.
The same challenge foxes computer animators. Computer-generated images of clothing look rubbery because it is difficult to model realistically how clothes hang and move. We have to do this through very intensive simulations, says fabric modeller David Breen of Drexel University. And that is impractical for high-speed animations in movies or computer games.
Christopher
Portland, OR
November 2002
FEB 07, 2004 08:03 PM