Rendering the Renaissance: A Methodology for Recreating Historical Fabrics and Fashions in Computer Graphics

Abstract

Fabric and costume is an integral part of film media and increasingly so in computer graphics. There exists a growing interest in the creation of period films. To stay true to historical accuracy, creating believable, accurate costumes with appropriate fabric is key. While films such as Pixar’s Brave have made attempts at visual accuracy, there is little existing literature discussing a method of creating such costumes. This thesis aims to form a methodology and approach to historical costume using available technology, extant historical garments, period artist renderings and real world fabrics and sewing technique. To approach this problem, a focus time period and location was selected for review and recreation. Due to the amount of visual data available, mid 16th century Florence proved a desirable candidate. Existing software packages Maya, Marvelous Designer, Mental Ray and Renderman were used for modeling, simulation and rendering respectively in order to execute the final product. The end goal was to render a model of a Florentine dress with identifiable fabrics using the designed methodology. An additional goal was to demonstrate a variety of fabric shaders to illustrate fabrics found during this period such as wool, linen, silk and velvet. The resulting renders represented visual accuracy to the sources used. Applications for this methodology can include film, games, historical documentation and education