Realistic Rendering and Animation of Knitwear

We present a framework for knitwear modeling and rendering that accounts for characteristics that are particular to knitted fabrics. We first describe a model for animation that considers knitwear features and their effects on knitwear shape and interaction. With the computed free-form knitwear configurations, we present an efficient procedure for realistic synthesis based on the observation that a single cross-section of yarn can serve as the basic primitive for modeling entire articles of knitwear. This primitive, called the lumislice, describes radiance from a yarn cross-section that accounts for fine-level interactions among yarn fibers. By representing yarn as a sequence of identical but rotated cross-sections, the lumislice can effectively propagate local microstructure over arbitrary stitch patterns and knitwear shapes. The lumislice accommodates varying levels of detail, allows for soft shadow generation, and capitalizes on hardware-assisted transparency blending. These modeling and rendering techniques together form a complete approach for generating realistic knitwear.