3D shape prediction of a paper model of a two piece brassiere cup for its efficient design

A method to predict the shape of a paper model of a two piece brassiere cup is proposed. A brassiere cup consists of several parts made of cloth and wires. The shape of each part is determined by making a paper model of the cup and checking the 3D shape of the model. For efficient design of parts, it is required to predict the 3D shape of such model with simulation. As a model is made of paper, each part is inextensible and its deformed surface is developable. Then, the potential energy of a part can be represented as a function of the principal curvature and the principal direction along an edge of the part. Minimizing the potential energy under geometric constraints, the stable shape of the cup model is derived. The computed shape of the cup almost coincided with the measured shape of an actual paper model.