We designed a data structure for paper pattern that enables to describe how the fragments or parts of a dress are sewed together and how the dress is put on the body. Such information is required in our system for 3-dimensional CAD for dress. In this system, we input the shape of each fragment, assign the lines to be sewn and mark some lines which are to put at some characteristic position of the body (e. g., waist line). Then the computer divides the fragments into finite elements, establishes the topology of the dress by referring the sewing information, estimates the rough position of each element (i.e., put on the body), calculates the form and distortion of the dress from mechanical characteristics of the cloth and body shape data, and displays the solid view of the result on 3-dimensional graphic display. The fact that our CAD system can simulate the formation of the final shape of the dress, assures that the information given in our paper pattern suffices to indicate how the parts should be assembled and sewn in CAM or automated sewing system. In this paper we describe the data structure of the paper pattern and the automatical division of it into finite elements.
A pattern of a dress usually consists of some pieces of cloth which are to be sewn together, and each piece has rather complicated boundary curves. Even though the lines which will be sewn together have different shapes and lengths, our program generates the points correctly corresponding with each other on every line. Moreover, when the shape of a line is complicated, the pitch of division is automatically reduced so that the line defined by the calculated dividing points well approximates the original line. Then every fragment is divided into a collection of triangles (formally, into a two dimensional simplicial complex).
Our program can divide an arbitrary pattern and can produce well formed triangles, even if there is no additional information for division instructed by the user. Hence, it is suited for the use by those who are not expert with the mechanical analysis by finite element method.
View full abstract