Challenges in Appearance Capture and Predictive Modeling of Textile Materials

Abstract

The appearance of cloth is the result of complex light interactions within the structures present in textile materials, particularly challenging due to their multi-scale nature. In addition to the inherent complexity of cloth rendering, there is a lack of connection between computer graphics techniques and manufacturing processes followed in industry. We discuss existing techniques and pose questions about which are the right paths to follow for a better synergy between CG and textile research, including (but not restricted to): defining a standard set of properties required to predict the appearance of cloth to be manufactured; developing both acquisition techniques reliable and suitable for industrial processes and other frameworks more focused on inexpensive capturing (e.g. based on single pictures, Pantone labels); finding material representations that are robust in absence of several low-level parameters; creating a standard for color depth depending on the dye type and dying technique; developing a standard to account for post-process steps (washing, chemical treatments, etc) on the mechanical and optical properties of the textiles.