Physics-based modelling and simulation of functional cloth for virtual prototyping applications

A CAD-oriented system is proposed for the design of complex-shaped functional cloth, provided with a physics-based modelling core for simulation and virtual prototyping tasks. Textiles are physically modelled as particle grids in 3D space subjected to Newtonian dynamics, with internal spring, bending and shear forces derived from KES-F data measuring material behaviour. Interactions with the environment are expressed as external forces, collisions against obstacles, self-collisions and constraints. Differently from physics-based animation systems, the proposed system is conceived for real design purposes, and includes functionalities emulating the construction process of actual clothing and structural textiles, e.g., mesh sewing/assembly, insertion of small components, multi-layered fabric composition, mechanical shape deformation, and 2D-to-3D mapping methods. As applications, several cases of textile configurations are considered, with geometric models directly provided by industrial companies and presenting different levels of design complexities, such as garment models (e.g., men's jackets) for the clothing sector, or functional textiles used in the automotive industry (e.g., soft car tops).