Clothing simulation is currently mainly used as 3D visualization for generating idealized and sales-promoting product representations. In virtual fitting, an initial assessment of the silhouette, proportions and design in terms of colors and surface structure can be made. This enables the reduction of physical prototypes and results in savings of time, material and costs. Complete elimination of physical prototypes is not yet possible because simulation is not reliable enough for robust fit analysis. In addition, predictions of the textile-physical behavior of virtually available materials would be useful.

The challenge in developing and optimizing the simulation of textile surfaces is the physical behavior of textiles. Textile material is flexurally limp. The bonding relationships of the textile construct cannot be attributed exclusively to the atomic-molecular level and thus to the fiber material. The cohesion within a textile surface results from the frictional forces between the fibers determined by yarn and surface construction. Due to these known but not sufficiently meaningful fiber-yarn correlations, the behavior of textile surfaces is difficult to calculate. The investigation of the correlations between material and construction properties and their effect on the textile-physical behavior of the fabric enables the selection and prioritization of relevant parameters for the simulation. This results in the optimization of the simulation programs with respect to their reliability for the fit analysis.

Using cotton as an example, a system is developed which presents the material and construction properties of textile surfaces, their correlations and influence on the simulation. Based on the material parameters, conditions for a reliable simulation and prediction of the material behavior can be derived.

This paper focuses first on the distinction between material properties of fibers and construction properties of yarn and surface.