OptiTex at Cornell: Kudos to Susan Ashdown

 Susan Ashdown, Professor from the Fiber Science & Apparel Design Departmentat Cornell University  is a former collaborator that I was recently very happy to see again in person. Susan is an expert researcher in the area of FIT body scanning technology. During my visit to Cornell [4/29/09] I had a chance to see the exciting integration of the multidimensional OptiTex system that is taking place there.

In the past I posted an article titled “OptiTex#2: FIT Technology” I wrote about the critical importance of developing accurate real life fit when working with a virtual avatar form as well as the creative strategic partnerships that are in continual development at OptiTex.

I stated that :

“The benefits of using 3D avatar/ mannequins for fashion product development are perfect fit, mass customization, cost effectiveness for design, development, prototyping and e-commerce marketing. “

I also wrote about the partnership that OptiTex developed at ALVAFORM but Susan has immediate access to a  body scanner so she can develop customized virtual avatar dress forms for the OptiTex application or work from the measurements of the ALVAFORMS she has.

Susan is teaching the OptiTex system at Cornell and I observed first hand how she has creatively integrated the use of ALVA dress forms into the OptiTex class. Students print out the patterns that they created on the OptiTex system in half scale. They then construct the half size garments and fit them on to a half size ALVAFORMS that they have at Cornell. The half scale forms were made from the 3D file created for the full size dress forms, so rescaling the full size patterns by 50% results in an accurate fit on these small dress forms, with half the materials, time, and space that it would take to make full scale garments. This is really an exciting OptiTex accurate real VS virtual FIT project for students to work on. I am posting some images of Susan holding up some of the OptiTex garments that students developed, constructed and fit on to the ALVAFORMS.

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[UPDATE: I asked Susan why she selected the half size ALVA forms to experiment with and not just any other half size dress form. She replied that the difference is that the Alva forms are  1) body shaped, they have realistic breasts and buttocks, since they were made from a scan of a real person (not a scan that Susan made, but one that they did at Alvanon), 2) they are all identical, and all a precise half scale of the full forms as they all come from the same forms that are used to shape the fiberglass (the Wolf forms are shaped by hand and vary a lot), and 3) they have legs - Susan stated that she has never found another half scale form with legs!]

Here is a link to the ALVAFORM Academic Series Web page.  

CLICK HERE for ALVAFORM academic information and contact information for Susan Ashdown.