duststorm wrote:Ghastly wrote:Too specific? I don't understand what you mean by that? Are there not already open source programs for specific purposes such as making humans or plants, etc? Why would an app for making clothing be more specific than the others?
The potential user base is small, a niche as it were. And the software is very specific.
I think that blender clothsim or ODE or Bullet softbodies will be the closest things you will get to an open source implementation.
I have to agree with Ghastly; the potential base is quite large. I don't think it is an unsolvable problem: the issue is what types of folds must follow the body and the rig in an animation. To give an example: a zig-zag fold at a bent elbow or knee will have secondary and tertiary folds, depending on the weight of the material.
An oilskin coat would need one (primary); a wool jacket would need two (secondary); a sheer silk blouse would need three (tertiary). In a normal-sized human, tertiary folds are the limit, because after that, folds branch or join other folds.
All this can be down with shape keys (morph targets) in exactly the same way the expression morph targets work.
So...the interface would give the user the choice of what fold to do where, and what degree of folding. There are four other difficult folds: spiral; half-lock; drop; diaper. Google 'Barbara Bradley folds' for more information.