Browsing by Author "Ashdown, Susan P."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Citation - WoS: 1
Citation - Scopus: 2
Comparison of Actual and Virtual Pressure of Athletic Clothing in Active Poses
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, 2024) Vuruşkan, Arzu; Ashdown, Susan P.
PurposeThe circular design process in contemporary fashion design, from two-dimensional (2D) sketching and pattern making to three-dimensional (3D) prototypes, can be facilitated by virtual prototyping. Virtual pressure representations on avatars provide visual and quantitative information regarding garment fit and comfort, which are particularly important for active wear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits of using avatars in active poses from 3D body scans and the use of digital 3D tools for the design process and the prediction of fit of active wear.Design/methodology/approachThis research initially explores virtual fit of cycling wear in active poses and compares the actual pressure values from humans with virtual pressure maps on custom avatars made from body scans in cycling poses across a range of sizes.FindingsSimilar fit results were achieved visually in both the standing and cycling poses. However, the comparisons showed no correlation between the actual and virtual pressure data. Of the 32 cases representing different combinations of the parameters of this research (four sizes, two garment types, four active poses), the differences were significant. The results suggest that, rather than providing a direct correlation with pressure values on the body, the main value of avatar data is in providing comparative visual support for fit evaluation.Originality/valueThe approach taken in this research, which considers the active pose and the size range, potentially contributes to the improvement of virtual fit technology, and its more effective use in apparel product development and fit evaluation.
Citation - WoS: 9
Citation - Scopus: 13
Modeling of Half-Scale Human Bodies in Active Body Positions for Apparel Design and Testing
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, 2017) Vuruşkan, Arzu; Ashdown, Susan P.
Purpose - The design and testing of clothing for activewear requires complex assessments of the suitability of the clothing when the body is in motion. The purpose of this paper is to investigate full body 3D scanning of active body poses in order to develop watertight digital models and half-scale dress forms to facilitate design, pattern making and fit analyses. Issues around creating a size set of scans in order to facilitate fit testing of activewear across a size range were also explored. Design/methodology/approach - Researchers experimented to discover effective methods for 3D body capture in the cycling position and reconstruction of the body in a reliable way. In total, 25 cyclists were scanned and size representatives were selected from these participants. Methods of creating half-scale forms were developed that make optimum use of modern materials and technologies. Half-scale dress forms were created in two active positions in a range of sizes for fit testing and design. A set of half-scale and full-scale bike shorts in two styles were manufactured and fit tested on the half-scale forms compared to fit testing on the scan participants to test validity of this method of assessing fit. Findings - Issues in capturing and reconstructing areas occluded in the scanning process, and reconstructing the interface with the bicycle seat were addressed. Active digital forms were developed across the size range, from which both digital avatars and physical mannequins were developed for pattern development and fit testing. The production and use of precisely half-scaled tools for garment testing was achieved and validated by comparing fit test results in active positions on the half-scale forms and on participants who were scanned to create these forms. Originality/value - Design modifications for active positions to date are based on linear measurements alone, which do not define the 3D body adequately. Despite much research using body scanners, only limited data exist on the body in active poses, and the concept of creating half-scale forms by scanning fit models throughout the size range in active body positions is a novel concept. The progress made in resolving material and process experiments in creating the actual half-scale forms, and testing their suitability for fit testing provides a basis for further research aimed at developing similar dress forms for other activewear garments.
Citation - WoS: 8
Citation - Scopus: 11
A Sizing Improvement Methodology Based on Adjustment of Interior Accommodation Rates Across Measurement Categories Within a Size Chart
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, 2017) Pei, Jie; Park, Huiju; Ashdown, Susan P.; Vuruşkan, Arzu
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify common issues among commercial body size charts, and to propose a sizing improvement methodology without changing the number of sizes in the range. One goal is to equalize the number of people accommodated by each size within the range, and to propose a way to evaluate the effectiveness of the improvement. Design/methodology/approach - The proposed method consists of three phases: (Phase I) identify target population; (Phase II) analysis of existing size charts; and (Phase III) improvement of the initial size chart. Phase III is the key process, which includes repeated manipulation of intersize intervals of the three primary measurements (chest, waist and hip) for improved consistency of overall and interior accommodate rates among the three measurement categories. A program was developed in RStudio (R) to generate trials and side-by-side bar plots for visualization of the differences in accommodate rates. Findings - The main issue in commercial body size charts observed is the inconsistency of the interior accommodation rates among measurement categories. Some other issues include: lack of important measurements, failure to provide ranges and gaps between measurement ranges of adjacent sizes. Originality/value - This paper proposed a complete work flow to improve body size charts to fix the common issues. The method integrates historic size information and new anthropometric information extracted from a national-scale sizing database (e.g. SizeUSA). The study also brought association of the secondary body measurements with primary measurements without using linear regression. Hence, information from body size charts can be more efficiently used in acquiring other size information.