GarmentCode: Programming Parametric Sewing Patterns

Garment modeling is an essential task of the global apparel industry and a core part of digital human modeling. Realistic representation of garments with valid sewing patterns is key to their accurate digital simulation and eventual fabrication. However, little-to-no computational tools provide support for bridging the gap between high-level construction goals and low-level editing of pattern geometry, e.g., combining or switching garment elements, semantic editing, or design exploration that maintains the validity of a sewing pattern. We suggest the first DSL for garment modeling -- GarmentCode -- that applies principles of object-oriented programming to garment construction and allows designing sewing patterns in a hierarchical, component-oriented manner. The programming-based paradigm naturally provides unique advantages of component abstraction, algorithmic manipulation, and free-form design parametrization. We additionally support the construction process by automating typical low-level tasks like placing a dart at a desired location. In our prototype garment configurator, users can manipulate meaningful design parameters and body measurements, while the construction of pattern geometry is handled by garment programs implemented with GarmentCode. Our configurator enables the free exploration of rich design spaces and the creation of garments using interchangeable, parameterized components. We showcase our approach by producing a variety of garment designs and retargeting them to different body shapes using our configurator.Comment: Supplementary video: https://youtu.be/16Yyr2G9_6E

Turning Points and Shifting Understandings of European Security: The European Neighbourhood Policy’s Development

The chapter aims at contributing to the conceptualisation of the EU’s security role and of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) as a regional security policy. We argue that there have been shifts in the EU’s approach towards regional security in the framework of the ENP and that a clear trend towards a more systematic combination of structural and hard security elements is visible, reflecting both new EU institutional capabilities and a propitious international environment, demanding integrated and comprehensive approaches to security. We argue that the EU’s security actorness in the neighbourhood has benefited from this developing comprehensive approach, ingraining a mix of normative and geopolitical aspects reflected in the EU’s self-perception and its international image