Synthesis and Analysis Techniques for the Human Body: R&D Projects - 3D Modeling and Animation: Synthesis and Analysis Techniques for the Human Body - page 367

SHOPLAB technical approach

In order to clearly indicate the potential of the project, we will present in detail
the functionality of the Virtual Mirror scenario, which is part of the ShopLab
toolbox. In the case of small clothing shops, lack of space is often a factor that
detracts from the shoppers' enjoyment. When trying different outfits on in a
small cubicle, one cannot see how the clothes will look in a natural environment.
Certain views of the clothes are difficult to obtain, for example, one cannot easily
see how the trousers fit in the back. Moreover, some types of clothes, for
example, a snowboarding garment, are particularly difficult to evaluate in the
shop environment. The following ShopLab installation overcomes these prob-
lems. On one wall of a changing room imagine an ordinary mirror for traditional
changing room evaluation, while on an adjacent wall a flat screen panel displays
the customer in their new clothes in an appropriate environment (Figure 11).
They will be able to see themselves easily from behind or sideways. The
displayed artificial environment and lighting conditions make it easier to evaluate
how the clothes would appear in a “real world” situation (Figure 12).
The ShopLab platform is mainly being developed using the ARTookit libraries
(ARToolkit Library). ARToolkit is an open-source vision-tracking library that
enables the easy development of wide range of Augmented Reality applications.
The library has been inspired and implemented by Professor Hirokata Kato and
Dr. Mark Billinghurst. The 3D human models will be developed based on the H-
Anim standard. A portable 3D body scanner will be used for the modeling.

Figure 11. The concept of the
Virtual Mirror.

Figure 12. The Virtual Mirror
in action.