The effect of link-length and vertex angle on mesh generation and pattern flattening for virtual clothing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify optimum operating parameters, namely, link-length and vertex angle, for producing virtual clothing prototypes for the purpose of pattern flattening. Design/methodology/approach – Commercially available physically based simulation and flattening engines were utilized to carry out the computational part of this study. Two separately developed 3D garment templates were used for the creation of virtual garments in the form of a triangulated mesh and later for pattern unwrapping by taking differential link-lengths and vertex angles into account to ascertain their effects on the mesh quality and on the ultimate pattern flattening process. Findings – It has been found that a link-length between 10 and 15 mm and a vertex angle between 120° and 160° are optimum for the virtual clothing prototyping process. Practical implications – The findings of this study can universally be applied to simplify the tasks of virtual clothing prototyping and pattern unwrapping usin...