BoingBoing reader Roland Piquepaille says:
In this article, Nature tells us that mathematicians have set up "equations that predict how fabric will fold." This theory of drapery could help fashion designers build clothes that hang straight. It also will allow computer animators to "model more realistically how clothes hang and move." "Mahadevan's equations could also allow clothing companies to give online shoppers a personalized, virtual view of how a garment will look on them — something they are keen to do as web-based retailing gathers pace. This overview contains more details and references on wrinkles and crumples because one of the leading researchers studied them extensively. It also includes pictures of how a crumpled sheet exhibits deformations that are strongly localized around peaks and ridges and of "crow's feet" wrinkles that appear around people's eyes as they age.
