Utilities:Fabric Editor

From OptiTexHelpEn

• Use the Fabric Editor to convert real fabric characteristics tested in industry laboratories into OptiTex cloth parameters.
• The Fabric Editor supports Kawabata (KES) and Fast industry standards and automatically converts KES and Fast results into OptiTex cloth parameters.
• Use the Fabric Editor to assign textures and appearance attributes to specific fabrics.
• The Fabric Editor enables you to create new lists, merge existing lists into a single list and edit existing lists.

Contents 1 Location 2 User Interface Overview 3 File Format 4 File Menu 4.1 New 4.2 Open 4.3 Save 4.4 Save As 4.5 Merge 4.6 Exit 5 Fabrics Editor Tab 5.1 Current Fabric File 5.2 Fabrics In File 5.3 Sort List 5.4 Filter By 5.5 Delete 5.6 Add 5.7 Rename 5.8 Texture Preview 5.9 Appearance 5.9.1 Appearance Options 5.10 Physical Attributes 5.10.1 Physical Attributes Parameters 6 Converter Tab 6.1 Operation 6.2 Fast 6.3 KES 6.3.1 Linear Graph 6.3.1.1 Stretch 6.3.1.2 Shear 6.3.1.3 Bend 6.3.1.4 Weight 6.3.1.5 Friction 6.3.1.6 Thickness (mm) 6.3.2 Columns Graph 6.4 References 7 Related Subjects

Location

• Start menu> Programs> OptiTex 10> Utilities> Fabric Editor

User Interface Overview

1. File Menu
2. Fabrics Editor Tab - Arrange your Fabric Lists and edit the fabric's parameters and textures' attributes.
3. Converter Tab - Convert real fabric characteristics into OptiTex cloth parameters.
4. Appearance - View and Edit the appearance attributes for each fabric in the list.
5. Physical Attributes - View and Edit the OptiTex Cloth parameters for each fabric in the list

File Format

• The Fabric List is saved with the extension *.fdf (fabric data file)
• Note - this is an OptiTex file format and it is not intended to be used or opened in non-OptiTex's applications.

File Menu

New

• Start a new Fabric Pattern Profile file (*.fdf)

Open

• Use the 'Open' to load a saved fabric list.
• No more than one file may be opened at a time.
• If the 'Open' command is chosen while a fabric file is opened and was recently changed without being saved, then the Save dialog is displayed.

Save

• Use the Save command to save the file displayed on screen with the current file name in the specified drive and directory.
• When saving a file for the first time the Save As dialog box is displayed.
• The last directory where fabric list files have been saved becomes the default drive for the Open and Save commands.
• The FDF extension is added to the file name automatically.

Save As

• Use the 'Save As' command to save a fabric list file that is already opened with a different name.
• When saving a file for the first time the Save As dialog box is displayed even if the Save command was selected.

Merge

• Use the 'Merge' command to display two or more fabric lists at a time in order to unite them.

Exit

• Use the 'Exit' command to close the Fabric Editor Utility.
• After selecting the 'Exit' command in case there is an open file that has not been saved then a message box will appear allowing you to save your work.
  

  3. File Options
  
  

Fabrics Editor Tab

Current Fabric File

• This field specifies the name and path of the file that is currently opened.
• In case the current file has not been saved yet then this field will remain empty.

Fabrics In File

• Specifies the number of fabrics in the list.

Sort List

• Use this command to sort the list by alphanumeric order.
• The order can be reversed (Z to A instead of A to Z) by clicking the 'Sort List' again.
• Tip: To sort by numbers use 01 instead of 1, 02 instead of 2 and so on up to number 9. If you don't, the number 11 will be sorted right after the number 1.

Filter By

• Type text in the 'Filter By' field to display only those fabrics which share this text in their names.
• This option does not delete the other fabrics from the list.
• In the following example the list was filtered to display the fabrics which have the word 'cotton' in their names.

Delete

• Delete selected fabric from the list.

Add

• Add a new fabric to the list. This will invoke the 'Add New Fabric' window shown bellow.

• Name the fabric and click OK to approve.
• Notice that the new fabric will have no Physical and Appearance attributes defined.

Rename

• Rename selected fabric. This will invoke the Rename Fabric window shown bellow.

• Change the fabric's name and click OK to approve.

Texture Preview

• Displays a preview of the texture assigned to selected fabric. The texture can be assigned in the Appearance tab.

Appearance

• Use the appearance tab to assign textures and material settings such as Transparency to fabrics in the current fabric list. The material settings will be saved with the list.
• The textures assigned to the fabrics will be saved in a folder called "Textures" that will be created under the same directory as the fabric list.
• The Appearance tab is similar to the Shader window in 3D Runway.

Appearance Options

• Color
• Texture File
• Offset
• Scaling
• Angle
• Glow
• Shininess
• Transparency

Physical Attributes

• The Physical Attributes tab contains information about the fabric behavior - values of fabric characteristics that define the material.
• The setting of this tab can either be made manually or automatically by the Converter Tab.
• The Physical Attributes are the same as the Cloth Parameters found in the 3D Properties window in OptiTex 3D Runway.

Physical Attributes Parameters

• Bending
• Shearing
• Stretching
• Weight
• Friction is the only value that cannot be attained automatically from the Fast Fabric Converter since this is not a parameter that's being tested by Fast.
• Thickness

Converter Tab

Operation

1. Enter Fast/ Kes parameters.
2. Click the Calculate button. OptiTex Parameters will be displayed.
3. Name the fabric
4. Click the Set Fabric button to save the fabric to the current list found in the Fabrics Editor tab.
5. Use the Clear button to clear the parameters' fields.

Fast

• The SiroFAST Control Chart For Tailorability contains the measurements of 10 mechanical properties.

OptiTex 3D Runway requires the conversion and input of the following 5 properties:

1. Extensibility (2 input values, one for the warp direction and one for weft)
2. Bending Rigidity (2 input values, one for the warp direction and one for weft)
3. Shear Rigidity
4. Surface Thickness
5. Weight

• Enter the values given in the chart to the corresponding fields in the Converter.

KES

Linear Graph

Stretch

• Sample Length (cm) - Standard Kawabata tensile and shear machine, is 5cm long. Therefore, use 5cm as Sample Length.
• This is the relevant report page for Force/Alongation:

• Force (grf/cm)/Alongation X (Warp) - Look at the Warp LT Value, in this case 0.767 (See marked area in image number 9). If it's lower than 0.8, use the following measurements (if not, see next section): Estimate the relevant load force that will be applied on the fabric. For this example 200 gf/cm will be used. On the graph, find the point where the Force equals 200.

From this point, look at the line, and find the next point before the line becomes curved.

Measure the horizontal and vertical difference between the points.

The horizontal difference is the E(Strain) value, whereas the vertical difference is the F(Force) value. In this example, F= ~90gf/cm , E= ~0.3% . In OptiTex Fabric Converter, fill the X Force and the X Alongation with these values:

• Force (grf/cm)/Alongation Y (Weft) - First look at the Weft LT Value, in this case 0.850. (See marked area in image number 9). If it's greater than 0.8 use the following measurements (if not, see previous section): Start at (0,0) point, and pick a point where the line is nearly straight, before it curves.

From this point take the E(Strain) and F(Force) values:

In this example, The F value (represented by the green arrow) is ~50gf/cm. The E value (represented by the blue arrow) equals ~1.4%. Therefore, in OptiTex Fabric Converter, fill the Y Force and the Y Alongation with these values:

Shear

On the Shearing graph, measure the incline of the line between the two points: Degree=0.5, and Degree=5:

In this case, the vertical difference, which represents the Force, is ~3.4. The horizontal difference, which represents the Degrees, is 4.5 (between 0.5 and 5).

Therefore, in OptiTex Fabric Converter 3.4 and 4.5 will be used as Shearing Force and Degrees values:

• Notice that the graph has 2 lines. One represents the Weft Shear and one is the Warp Shear. OptiTex application currently supports only one Shearing input. If the lines have different incline, use the steeper incline as input.

Bend

On the Bending graph, measure the incline of the line between the two points: K=0.5, and K=1.5:

In this case, the vertical difference, which represents the Force, is ~0.43. The horizontal difference, which represents the Curvature is 1.

Therefore, in OptiTex Fabric Converter 0.43 and 1 will be used as Bending Force and Curvature values:

• Notice that the graph has 2 lines. One represents the Weft Bend and one is the Warp bend. OptiTex application currently supports only one bending input. If the lines have different incline, use the steeper incline as input. In the future, both X and Y bending will be supported.

Weight

Friction

For friction, use the MIU value for the Back of the fabric:

Thickness (mm)

Columns Graph

1. Sample Length (cm) can be taken from the Appendix page
   

   24. Sample Length
   
   
2. EMT (Stretch in OptiTex) can be taken from the following table:
   

   25. EMT/ Stretch
   
   
3. Shear can be taken from the following table:
   

   26. Shear
   
   
4. Bending can be taken from the following table:
   

   27. Bending
   
   
5. Friction can be taken from the following table:
   

   28. Friction
   
   

References

The References Tab contains links to Help pages and to Online Unit Converter.

Related Subjects

• Fabric Parameters Dialog
• Cloth Parameters
• 3D Shader