Garment fit portrayal system and method

Abstract

An on-line garment fit portrayal system configured to operate on a specialized server linked over a network to at least one web-enabled player device capable of common image format display is described. The system comprises a server-side garment model storage capability containing one or more garments, with parameters for each garment; a server-side modeler mechanism for generating a three-dimensional body model from individual body data, the body model data being stored in a body model storage capability; a server-side simulator mechanism coupled with the garment model storage capability and the body model storage capability for simulating a three-dimensional form fit of a garment in the garment model storage capability onto a stored body model, the simulator mechanism producing a portrayal subject model; and a server-side rendering mechanism coupled with the simulator mechanism for portraying on a web-enabled device a three-dimensional form fit of the garment on the body model.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An on-line fully digital and personalized fit portrayal special-purpose computer program executing machine-readable instructions stored on a non-transitory medium, the program comprising:
 garment data access instructions for obtaining garment model data from a garment model storage capability;   body data access instructions for obtaining personalized body model data from a subject;   simulating instructions for simulating a fit of a three-dimensional garment model on a three-dimensional body model by processing the garment model data and the body model data together into a three-dimensional personalized fit portrayal subject model;   rendering instructions for rendering the three-dimensional portrayal subject model into a two-dimensional portrayal subject model rendering; and   encoding instructions for encoding the two-dimensional portrayal subject model rendering for remote viewing thereof by the subject on an web-enabled device.   
     
     
         2 . The program of  claim 1  further comprising:
 shading instructions for shading at least a garment portion of the two-dimensional portrayal subject model to represent a surface appearance of the same. 
 
     
     
         3 . The program of  claim 2  further comprising:
 cinematography instructions for placing the portrayal subject model in a scene comprehensive of objects including the portrayal subject model, lighting, and one or more camera views. 
 
     
     
         4 . The program of  claim 3 , wherein the scene is represented by scene data representative thereof, the scene data being stored in a scene storage capability. 
     
     
         5 . The program of  claim 4  further comprising:
 grip instructions for facilitating real-time movement of the one or more camera views. 
 
     
     
         6 . The program of  claim 1  further comprising:
 user interface (UI) instructions for inputting changes to one or more of the garment model data and the body model data from the subject and thereafter re-executing the simulating, rendering, and encoding instructions. 
 
     
     
         7 . The program of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executed by a server-side processor. 
     
     
         8 . The program of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the simulating, rendering, encoding and shading instructions execute concurrently within one or more graphic processing units (GPUs). 
     
     
         9 . A method for providing a digitally personalized garment fit portrayal to one or more concurrently on-line remote subjects, the method comprising:
 providing a proprietary server including a processor configured to execute machine-readable instructions thereon, the server being operatively connected to the internet;   providing machine-readable instructions configured when executed in the processor on the server to cause the server to perform each of:
 obtaining garment model data from a garment model storage capability; 
 obtaining personalized body model data from one or more subjects; 
 simulating a fit of a three-dimensional garment model on a three-dimensional body model by processing the garment model data and the personalized body model data together into one or more three-dimensional personalized fit portrayal subject models; 
 rendering the one or more three-dimensional portrayal subject models into one or more n-dimensional portrayal subject model renderings; and 
 encoding the one or more n-dimensional portrayal subject model renderings for remote viewing thereof by the one or more subjects on one or more web-enabled display devices. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more subjects are plural, and wherein steps a) through e are performed concurrently and in real-time with respect to each of the subjects' personalized body model data. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  which further comprises:
 providing one or more graphic processing units (GPUs) operatively coupled with the processor. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein n is two. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein n is three. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein two-dimensional stereoscopic images are encoded for remote side-by-side 3D viewing thereof by the one or more subjects. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the garment model data contains parameters including a garment piece parts list, piece spatial properties, piece mechanical properties, piece optical parameters, and assembly information. 
     
     
         16 . An on-line garment function fit and style portrayal software-as-a-service (SaaS) system comprising:
 a server-side application software program including a processor executing machine-readable instructions, including instructions for:
 fitting an individual body model into a common garment model to produce a three-dimensional fit model, and 
 portraying the fit model in n-dimensions to a remote user of a web-enabled display device, including internet connected devices, 
 wherein the garment model is defined by garment model parameters including light responsiveness. 
   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the machine-readable instructions further include:
 instructions for encoding the fit model into an image compatible with viewing on at least one remote web-enabled player device capable of common image format display.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the processor is capable of concurrently and in real time fitting plural individual body models into plural common garment models to produce plural corresponding three-dimensional fit models and for portraying the plural corresponding fit models in n-dimensions to plural corresponding remote users of plural corresponding web-enabled display devices, including internet connected web devices. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions for fitting and portraying enable speculative fitting of a hypothetical individual body model into the common garment model at otherwise idle server-side times, thereby to augment a garment body fit and portrayal database. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions for fitting and portraying enable anticipatory fitting of a real, previously registered individual's body model into the common garment model during an individual user's browsing of an on-line garment shopping web-site, thereby to reduce garment body fit portrayal latency in the event the individual user decides to digitally try on the common garment model.