Project : "What's New" CONTENT

2009-01-27T05:55:00.000-08:00

Live Pavillion

Lectra called me about video clip

2008-10-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, its Cloudia,
Ruth Howcroft from Lectra called about the Modaris footage,
she says its fine for you to use it in the final clip.

"What's New" Video Voice-Over Copy

2008-10-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

To be read in best Jeremy Clarkson impression!

"Lectra's Modaris 3D Fit package has revolutionised an industry once fabled for workrooms of highly-skilled tailors, dressmakers (small pause!) and deft pattern cutters.

"Whilst this type of craftsmanship is kept alive by a few exclusive Paris haute couture fashion salons, the industry is now predominantly filled with those for whom time-honoured skills (pause!) lie simply at the touch of a button...

"Modaris software represents a virtual fashion workroom. Patterns are cut and trialled on a 3D model or 'mannequin,' with the drape and texture of a selected fabric simulated for greater visualisation.

"This software saves time; prevents costly mistakes - such as pattern cutting errors; and provides a more accurate vision of a target-customer's body type (pause!) This is because the 3D mannequin can also be 'made-to-measure,' like something out of the 1980's sci-fi comedy, 'Weird Science!'

Modaris is undoubtedly 'future-fit' technology. But, (pause!) by cutting out the middle man, are we fashioning a world where dressmaking's age-old techniques, as well its sheer art, is being lost for good?"

website copy - Ten Quick Facts About ... 3D Fashion Design Software

2008-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

shortens lead times and reduces development costs, errors and waste
facilitates collaborative working between remote parties
brings together 2D patterns, fabric information and 3D virtual models
can be used as a presentation tool for early marketing
3D visual prototyping has previously been used in automotive, aeronautical and industrial/mechanical product design`
more than half a garment's cost depends on decisions made during the design process
garments can be designed and previewed in 3D in as little as a few minutes
Modaris 3D Fit took eight years to develop and was first introduced in 2006 at the IMB Show
3D Fit mannequins can be made by body-scanning, by importing from third-party design software or by creating directly within the programme
Modaris 3D Fit is used by major clothing manufacturers every day, all over the world

website copy - article

2008-10-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

What's New ... in Fashion Design?

“Apparel professionals are faced with a unique visualization challenge—the inherently 2D production cycles, with flat patterns and materials, must result in a product that optimally fits the three-dimensional human form.”
(Lectra White Paper: 3D Solutions for the Apparel Market)

Designing clothes has until recently been a lengthy, time-consuming and expensive process. Using traditional methods, pattern cutters would work from hand-drawn sketches to produce prototype garments. These would then be altered and re-made several times before they were ready to go into production. The same design in a different fabric or with different detailing would involve the making of a whole new prototype. In a global workplace, the expense (in time and money) of designing and sending samples halfway across the world to be approved or sent back for further alterations, could represent over half the cost of the finished garment.

It's no surprise then, that the fashion industry, being both highly competitive and visually orientated, has always been an early adopter of graphical design technology. In the recent past, this often meant fairly simple 2D design software such as Adobe Illustrator or various pattern-grading and cutting programmes, but in the last few years a revolution has taken place in the fashion studio, as designers increasingly adopt tools which allow them to visualise their creations directly in three dimensions.

This week, the What's New? team have been learning about the impact of this software on the fashion industry, taking Lectra's Modaris 3D Fit package as a case in point. First introduced at the IMB Show in 2006, after eight years in development, 3D Fit is designed to blend seamlessly with Modaris pattern-making software, and is compatible with all industry-standard CAD packages. This software allows the designer to apply a pattern to a virtual mannequin which can be viewed from every angle. The model can even be animated, allowing the designer to see how her creation will move with the body. An entire range can be created using variations on the same basic pattern shapes. Designs can also be tested against a variety of fabrics and body shapes, all before the first cut of scissors on cloth. Just as importantly, these designs can be rapidly and easily shared with all the parties involved in the production process, simply by emailing the files for approval. This not only cuts costs and saves time, but improves the environmental profile of the finished product.

“We began by creating patterns in Modaris, as before,” said Lotta Silow of KappAhl – a major Scandinavian fashion retailer.“We then simulated the pattern in Modaris 3D Fit, where we could examine the look and hang of the garment and easily modify it—moving a seam, shortening or lengthening the garment, etc. We then showed it to the designer or the buyer for their input before making the first prototype. The ability to make all these adjustments before we had created a prototype made the entire process much faster, and we saw right away that the first prototype was very good, much better than what we were getting before.”

The 3D virtual model can be created in one of three ways: by body-scanning – very useful for those designing for big-name catwalk models, by importing from an external programme such as 3D Studio Max or Maya, or by creating directly in 3D Fit, where a huge array of easy-to-use parametric sliders give the designer fine control over the body shape. Once the pattern pieces have been drawn, they are applied to the virtual mannequin and can be previewed using a library of generic fabric properties. The process works for a huge variety of fabrics, including leather and silk.

The time taken to produce a 3D preview of a garment depends on its complexity as well as the pattern-maker's expertise and the company's use of best practices, but simple garments, such as T-shirts, can be designed and previewed in as little as a few minutes. Designing by using variations of existing garments can also speed up the process considerably. 3D Fit is used every day by apparel designers all over the world, in products ranging from lingerie to children's wear and technical work clothing. As Modaris looks to the future and continues to develop innovative solutions, the only limitations are the vision and skill of the designer.

Incomplete Video (awaiting animation + voice over)

2008-10-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

website copy - "about us"

2008-10-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

OK, I had a go at this, see what you think ...

"The What's New? team are dedicated to bringing you the latest news of technological innovations in the creative industries. Whether you are interested in cutting-edge design software or virtual worlds, intelligent building materials, motion capture animation techniques, ecological water recycling systems, or new, physical gaming interfaces, you'll find it on this site, and by tuning in to What's New?, Channel Blah on Wednesdays at 6.30pm.

Download HD quality clips and interviews with industry professionals, or have them streamed to your mobile phone. Read Quick Facts on each topic, or explore our growing collection of in-depth articles, online resources and tutorials for projects you can do at home. Join in the discussions on the Post-It Forums or add your professional or social profile to the What's New? Network. You can also subscribe to our newsletter or RSS feed for the latest news, as soon as we get it."

greenscreen footage

2008-10-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

I've put together some footage to replace the greenscreen in the studio shots - let me know what you think ...

Website's homepage

2008-10-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Since I've designed a layout too, I'm adding it to the list..

Required Graphics for Video

2008-10-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

1. OPENING GRAPHICS

Duration: 5 seconds

Content: "What's New?" text + audio

2. INTERVIEW STING

Duration: 5 seconds

Content: TBC

3. WEBSITE GRAPHICS

Duration: 5 seconds

Content: "www.rave.ac.uk/whatsnew" text + animated images of website being used

4. CLOSING CREDITS

Duration: Flexible

Content: Gentle smooth animated background + scrolling text credits + audio

Re post

2008-10-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

colour option was wrong

posting again sorry

2D layout

2008-10-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone

sorry for posting late

these are the samples of layout

please watch it and leave some comment

your opinion is really important

Modaris 3D software

2008-10-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

http://mfile.akamai.com/21755/wmv/lectra.download.akamai.com/21755/video/cao/modaris3dfit/mordaris_3d_fit_presentation_high.wmv

Modaris Software- questions for interview

2008-10-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I got in contact with Jenny Murphy,who is the Marketing Manager at Ledra, the company who own the Modaris software, for 3D fashion design. They are happy for us to come and interview Ruth Howcroft, who was the lady that originally showed us the Software at our Fashionseminar last Wednesday, but the questions will have to be run through the P.R. department first. A few of us got together to formulate the kind of questions that we thought would be pertinent to the Website 3D segment we are creating, we tried to keep Fashion out of it as much as possible so thatthe questions would have universal understanding for anyone listening to the proposed interview.

Here is a list of what we have so far, please feel free to add more, pr edit,I will email the first draft for approval this afternoon, but it is elastic.

1. What is Modaris Software, what does the name mean
2. The History of the company
3. Why and how did Modaris come about
4. What is the ultimate goal of Modaris software, and is there less use for designers since its inception
5. Is it what they expected Modaris software to be
6. How long does it take to become proficient in it
7. Are there plans for additional features, and if so what
8. Has there been a great response to it,is there a next version already being planned
9.Are there any flaws
10.What problems does it solve, if any?
11.Does it create any problems
12. Can this Software be applied to any other industries
13.How well does it integrate with other Software
14.How and why did they come up with it
15. Who is the person behind Modaris
16,How long does it take to get from initial stage to of a drawing to 3D
17.Have there been any obstacles in developing software
18. What kind of garments are most popular for designing with the software, is there anything that can't be designed
19.Do they think that Software could eventually take over from the need for a person to Design
20.What is the future of Modaris

Response to Content ideas

2008-10-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hi, I read the ideas about content changing for each segment,we could
focus each segments content focusing on each discipline,then we could learn and focus
on each one per segment and learn new things? for example we could do one segment just on
Product design ....

More virtual fashion ...

2008-10-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

What would be really good would be if all these technologies talked to each other ... if, say, you could design in Modaris and then import straight to Sims2 or Second Life - you could produce both ranges (real-world and virtual) from the same template.

MoCap and other 3D goodies ...

2008-10-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

A place we might be able to visit?

"Formed in 2001, Inition is a cutting-edge centre of 3D expertise and technology. We have an unrivalled knowledge and product portfolio of all things 3D."

They have a big range of 3D technologies, including several different sorts of motion capture. They are based in London and have a demo studio for potential clients to visit. Anybody any good at blagging student visits?

ADDITIONAL CONCEPT FOR THE WEBSITE

2008-10-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

At the end of wednesdays session, me and Annie were discussing content and copy, and somehow stumbled on the idea of having a 'themed month'. For example, the first would be '3D', where all the topics, lectures, downloads, graphics etc where centred around the monthly theme of 3D. Then the next months would be completely different, the website would asthetically change, users would be excited by a new topic and have new issues to discuss and learn, and all the previous months information would be stored in an accessible archive, building a library of 'whats new' which could then result in an annual/bi-annual review of whats been going on.
What do you think? and any ideas of other themes?

The Sims™2 H&M® Fashion Runway is where Fashion Design and the Virtual World meetwz

2008-10-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

http://thesims2fashionrunway.ea.com/week1.php

About the Fashion-3D,this is a 3d modeling contest of the Sims2 video game.This contest was about designing outfits for the game's characters and publishing them to web,in order to be voted or commented by others. All models have been created by software The Sims™2 H&M® Fashion Stuff.
These are the top ten of the category "party time".

Programme Structure

2008-10-10T05:18:00.000-07:00

Click Here for Brief Programme Structure

This is very rough, however, it provides an idea of how the programme should open, and the amount of time which is required for each section. If we set targets to how long each section should take, this should make scripting easier.

James May demonstrates motion-capture and head-tracking

2008-10-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of this programme

(this is a really interesting programme about robots and AI - I am particularly impressed with the robot that can put objects it has never seen into categories, such as "chairs")

Website Brain Storm

2008-10-09T02:11:00.000-07:00

A Brain storming session from the website team, about the websites content.

2008-10-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hi guys check out this for content, its the 'Modaris' 3D software for design.
The second one is the videoclip which is more effective in communicating the technology.
It shows a garment design, on a model which you can change the fabrics, colours,
and change body type and size to see how a design will look on the body.

http://mfile.akamai.com/21755/wmv/lectra.download.akamai.com/21755/video/cao/modaris3dfit/modaris_3d_fit_presentation_high.wmv

Website Copy

2008-10-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

Copy we will need for the website ...

These are bits of writing and / or articles which will go on the website somewhere ...

About
A bit of blurb about "what's new" ... who we are, what we do etc.

Themed article
"This week, our focus is on 3D technologies in the creative industries ... " blablabla ... this can include quite a few different examples, with links to further info elsewhere on the web. .. a sort of "roundup" of what's out there.

Focused articles
Short articles going into a bit more depth on each of the ideas we are covering in the documentary.

Explanatory notes
bits of text here and there on the website to explain what's on offer, e.g. "welcome to the forum. This is the place to discuss ..." blabla etc.

Please add to these if you think of any more.

Beowolf-An example of Motion Capture technology

2008-10-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Silverlight

2008-10-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

This maybe an interesting and interactive way to present our content to a wide audience

Modaris-3D software for Fashion design

2008-10-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.lectra.com/en/cao/easy_grading/modaris.html

http://mfile.akamai.com/21755/wmv/lectra.download.akamai.com/21755/video/cao/modaris3dfit/modaris_3d_fit_presentation_high.wmv

Hi guys check out this for content, its the 'Modaris' 3D software for design.
The second one is the videoclip which is more effective in communicating the technology.
It shows a garment design, on a model which you can change the fabrics, colours,
and change body type and size to see how a design will look on the body.

My OpenSim is up and running ...

2008-10-06T08:39:00.001-07:00

This is also my first attempt at machinima, so please forgive the clumsy editing, lack of much sound and text too small to read (the text doesn't say much of interest anyway, just that it's a completely empty opensim - I've just done the landscaping) ...

It's a standalone at the moment (on my own computer), but has the potential to be connected up to an open-source grid. Who knows, one day I may be a "gridnaught" like these guys ...

What's New Interactions

2008-10-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

The following demonstrates how interaction is used on different platforms.

Type of interaction: Motion and gravity

Type of interaction: Eye tracking system used by advertising companies for market research

Type of interaction: Voice Activated Navigation System

and to finish what ever you do DO NOT PRESS THE RED BUTTON!

Love it !

what's New Interaction

2008-10-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

What does interaction mean in the digital enviroment!

Interactions is becoming more popular within the digital enviroment as it encourages the user/ client to use the product. This means that the use of technology to generate interaction is the way forward to ensure a 360 enviroment. Currently the 360 enviroment is generated by touch, moving, watching, listening and voice recognition this use of human senses goes futher by encouraging them to interlink ie Nintendo Wii.

Green Screen Virtual World

2008-10-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, here are some pics from us testing out the Technology on Green Screen,taking into accont the eciting world of Second Life,perhaps some of our virtual world might include something personal to each of us, ie famous Monuments from places and countries we are all from (not literally monuments, remember the white model we saw at the Serpentine museum?)so everyone is represented visually,and is a Global representation of us as a group....

2008-10-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

On Thursady afternooon I being Helen, Kimi and Cloudia worked in studio b to discover how chroma Keying worked. It was really interestesing to see how the equipment was set up and how from attaching different LED lights you could change the background.

We also found it extremly interesting to discover how the Chroma map reflected light by the different formats contained within the material.

Hope you likexxx

What's New? Emerging Technologies in the Creative Industries

2008-10-03T02:15:00.000-07:00

The creative industries have enjoyed capability advances in the last ten years thanks to developments in new technologies, construction and manufacturing processes. Everything from 3D computer modelling packages, rapid prototyping, CNC milling, laser cutting and a wealth of other high-tech, futuristic resources have enabled design and creative firms to continually set precedents on aesthetic, economic and innovative world stages.

There are a number of emerging technologies that continue to support this drive, but perhaps the one's we should be looking at are those that are helping to off-set, reduce or completely eradicate the negative side effects of the industry?

Water is in increasingly short supply on our little planet. This is a scarce resource that the creative industries have a particular responsibility toward, thanks largely to a range of the technologies and manufacturing processes that it employs and the negative effects that they have in-turn. In basic terms, waste water, grey water and run-off is produced by the creative industries. The damage that this does to our rivers, aquifers, animal and plant life is, without a doubt, the unattractive side of an arguably glamorous business.

...But it's not all doom and gloom. There are emerging technologies that are helping to combat such negative side effects, and although they may be considered 'emerging' and 'new,' they herald a relative return to source. In some cases, these 'technologies' are as simple as a series of 'marsh land systems' full of organisms - such as snails and plants - that clean the waste water. In others, they are 'botanical cells' that not only clean the waste water, but enable its re-use.

What's new in the creative industry is an increased pressure, from governments and consumers, to examine its processes and be responsible for the impact that it has in areas outside of design, aesthetics and innovation.

What's new is that the most flashy, futuristic and high-tech, emerging technologies may actually have more to do with our Past, than they do The Future.

Open Grids ... the birth of the 3D web?

2008-10-02T06:04:00.000-07:00

What is an Open Grid?

Please bear with this lengthy explanation - part of the challenge for me will be how to explain this succinctly enough for the project.

First, there was Second Life® ... What's that, then?

(image: me and some friends in Second Life)

"Second Life® is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe."

"it's not a game, it's a platform"

The first of these quotes is from the official website, the second is frequently quoted on the residents' forum (not publicly accessible). Second Life is not a game, in the sense that there are no pre-defined goals - you can do what you like there (until Linden Labs® tells you you can't). Within SL, people buy and sell virtual land, build, script, socialise, dress up, make art, run educational projects, role play ... the list is endless. It has its own economy, based on the L$, which has an exchange rate with the US$. People can, and do, make real-life incomes from their Second Life businesses, although not as commonly as popular myth would suggest.

It is not the only online virtual world, but until very recently, nothing could rival SL in terms of user-generated content or residents' freedom to pursue their own goals. In particular, SL was the only online virtual world where residents could create or upload any content they chose, without it having to go through a process of approval by the hosting company.

In January 2007, Linden Labs released the source code for the Second Life viewer, so that developers could make their own customised viewers for connecting to Second Life, with added features, or more often, pared down versions for low bandwidth usage.

The OpenSimulator project

(image: my newly landscaped standalone OpenSimulator region - stored on my own computer)

A virtual world like SL consists of two pieces of software: the server and the client, or viewer. For a long time, code developers in SL had dreamed of writing an alternative to rival and move beyond what SL could offer, but faced enormous difficulties trying to develop both pieces of software simultaneously. With the open-sourcing of the client, their job was made significantly easier and things began to move fast.

"The OpenSimulator Project is a BSD Licensed Virtual Worlds Server which can be used for creating and deploying 3D Virtual Environments. It has been developed by several developers. Out of the box, the OpenSimulator can be used to create a Second Life(tm) like environment, able to run in a standalone mode or connected to other OpenSimulator instances through built in grid technology. It can also easily be extended to produce more specialized 3D interactive applications."

Open Grids
(image: Planet Video's region on OSGrid)

The OpenSimulator project means that for the first time, people can build their own grids, or link up their independently hosted regions to other people's, to create new virtual worlds. Some, such as CentralGrid have chosen to follow Linden Lab's business model, hosting all regions on their own servers, and renting server space to their customers. These are commonly referred to as Closed Grids. Others, true Open Grids such as OSGrid, allow individuals and organisations to host regions on their own servers and connect them to a public grid.

Why is this exciting?

In the words of JustinCC, one of the core developers of the OpenSim technology,

"...there’s something wonderfully subversive and radical about running an open grid on a non-profit basis. I mean, these people want to build a rebel world with a ragtag fleet of servers spread around cyberspace. Sure, OpenSim is still flaky alpha level code (more so in grid mode than standalone). Sure, as OSGrid expands it meets scalability problems, both in terms of server related issues and in terms of more fundamental OpenSim architectural problems (making these plain is, of course, also a valuable function of OSGrid). Sure, as an open grid I wouldn’t yet call OpenSim secure in any significant way - please don’t upload your L$100000 Second Life object to it just yet. But in my opinion, despite all this, the community and long term possibilities engendered by OSGrid have the potential to be wonderful."

The OSGrid model promises two things that Linden Labs have tried, but failed (personal opinion) to provide: this really could be "our world, our imagination", now that we don't have to be bound by LL's frequently changing and erratically enforced ToS and Community Standards - it's up to us to write our own, and this really could be the 3D web, now that the monopoly has been broken, and work is underway on all the grids, including Second Life, to enable teleporting between worlds.

The future will be interesting ...

Head Tracking Video ...

2008-10-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

And here's a link to the guy's website. I really like his low-cost, DIY approach.

What are we doing then?

2008-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the content blog for the What's new project. The idea is that we use this blog to amass people's ideas for content for the project. Or, we can also use it for all the different bits of the project - eg. graphics ideas, etc. , but then it might get a bit jumbled ... perhaps it would be better to use a few blogs and link them together ... what do people think?

content

2008-10-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

head tracking