Computer aided texture alignment of Japanese kimono

A yukata is a type of traditional Japanese clothing. An alignment of its texture pattern is an important factor of the yukata design. In the traditional design of the yukata, the calculation of the size, texture alignment and the development of the cutting pattern are manually performed. There are traditional rules for the texture alignment. Especially, the texture alignment depends on the experience and intuition of the skilled person. We have developed a CAD system for Japanese kimono. In this paper, we describe methods for automatic texture alignment. At first, image processing algorithms to detect the texture pattern in the kimono cloth are developed. Secondarily, methods of the texture alignment based on the traditional rules are developed. Finally, image processing algorithms for the texture alignment based on the traditional rules are proposed. By using this CAD system, designers can easily tailor the yukata regardless of their skill.