Abstract:
A system for creating a model of an article of clothing or other wearable, the system includes a mannequin or other model of at least a portion of a human form; a sensing device configured to scan the mannequin without the wearable to generate a first scan information and configured to scan the surface of the wearable on the mannequin to generate a second scan information; a processor communicatively coupled to the sensing device to receive the first and second scan information, the processor configured to: generate point clouds using the scan information; aligning the point clouds; generating a plurality of slices along at least one longitudinal axis through the point clouds, each slice having a centroid along a corresponding longitudinal axis; and generating a table having a plurality of entries each representing a distance between corresponding vertices for the pair of point clouds; the table representing the wearable.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This U.S. non-provisional application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/296,001, filed on Feb. 16, 2016, the contents of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. This U.S. non-provisional application is related to the following commonly-owned U.S. patent applications, which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their respective entireties:
   (1) U.S. non-provisional application entitled “System and Method for Virtually Trying-On Clothing”, filed on Feb. 17, 2017, Ser. No. ______, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/296,005, filed on Feb. 16, 2016;   (2) U.S. non-provisional application entitled “Virtually Sharing Customized Clothing”, filed on Feb. 17, 2017, Ser. No. ______, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application no. 62/296,008, filed on Feb. 16, 2016.   (3) U.S. non-provisional application entitled “System and Method for Targeted Personalized Ads”, filed on Feb. 17, 2017, Ser. No. ______, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/296,013, filed on Feb. 16, 2016.   
 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
       [0005]    This disclosure relates generally to the field of representing a graphical object display modeling using mathematical algorithms. More particularly, the disclosure relates to creating three-dimensional models of clothing and other wearables. 
       Background Art 
     Description 
       [0006]    One of the basic needs of human beings is clothing. In 2016, annual apparel sales were expected to exceed $1.4 trillion globally, and more than $300 billion in the United States. In 2015, apparel became the highest selling category in online retail within the United States, reaching about $75 billion in annual sales. 
         [0007]    There are advantages in selling and purchasing clothing online. From the customers point of view, the time and effort to travel to the store may be avoided. They may purchase the clothing directly on their computer wherever they happen to be. From the retailer&#39;s point of view, the need for brick and mortar stores may be avoided altogether or reduced in number, thereby potentially saving retail store rents. The self-service nature of online sales may reduce the need for retail sales staff, and the associated costs. 
         [0008]    There may also be disadvantages in selling and purchasing clothing online. In contrast to a customer who visits a brick-and-mortar retail store, an online customer cannot physically try on clothing before purchase. The lack of pre-sales fitting may increase the return rate because customers find that they are not satisfied with the fit or look of the clothing when they receive the order. The extra shipping and handling cost and effort of returned items can discourage purchases in the online sales channel, increase wear on unsold merchandise, and reduce profits. 
         [0009]    E-commerce websites often display images of clothing dressed on mannequins or human models so that potential customers can visualize the clothes as they would be worn. These images are often generated by the manufacturer or the retailer to promote the product. These photographed professional models that may not represent the body type of the typical customer. However, many retailers also take photos of so-called plus-sized models and others that may represent more typical customers. These efforts may help potential customers better visualize the clothing on themselves. 
         [0010]    When a potential customer visits a retail store, they typically have the option to try on in-stock clothing. They can verify which size of any such garments fit them and can see how the selected garment looks on them. They can try on clothing and get immediate feedback from the friends or family who visit the store with them. However, online purchases are fulfilled through centralized warehouses that may provide an advantage in terms of consolidated inventory. Consolidated inventory may allow a wider range of stocking units (SKUs) and sizes than can cost-effectively be maintained in inventory in each of numerous smaller retail stores. 
         [0011]    Clothing retailers often provide generous return policies for clothing that is purchased online. This may encourage consumers to make online purchases of clothing despite the lack of a pre-sales fitting process. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    A system and method for capturing a 3D clothing model is disclosed. 
         [0013]    The system captures a three-dimensional point cloud of the reference mannequin and a three-dimensional point cloud of the reference mannequin wearing an article of clothing or other wearable. 
         [0014]    In some embodiments, the scan information is captured using at least one depth sensor. The depth sensors measure distance from the sensor to the surface of the naked or clothed reference mannequin. The reference mannequin or the sensor or both are moved in a controlled manner so that the sensor can capture surface positions of the entire surface of the naked or clothed reference mannequin. A processor processes the scan information using well-known techniques for depth sensor information to produce a point cloud representing the surface of the naked or clothed mannequin. 
         [0015]    In some embodiments, the scan information is captured using at least one image sensor. The image sensor captures 2D images of the surface of the naked or clothed reference mannequin. The reference mannequin or the sensor or both are moved in a controlled manner so that the sensor can capture 2D images of the naked or clothed reference mannequin from various perspectives. A processor processes the scan information using well-known techniques for 2D images to produce a point cloud representing the surface of the naked or clothed mannequin. 
         [0016]    The point cloud for the wearable and the point cloud for the reference mannequin are align using at least one key feature common to both point clouds. Key features may include at least one of shoulders, neck, armpits, and crotch. 
         [0017]    The point clouds are sliced perpendicular to lengthwise axes and centroids are computed for each slice. In a preferred embodiment, the point clouds are represented in polar co-coordinates for processing. 
         [0018]    Difference tables are generated by computing the distances between corresponding points in the point cloud for the wearable and the point cloud for the reference mannequin. Each entry in the difference table corresponds to a distance that is associated with a specific point in the point cloud of the reference mannequin. Color and texture information may also be associated which each difference. This color and texture represents the color and texture of the wearable. 
         [0019]    In a preferred embodiment, these differences are computed in parallel for each slice using one or more graphics processing units. 
         [0020]    Three-dimensional display modeling has been used to render images of people wearing clothing. Technicians use high-end 3-D animation software to manually create a library of clothing articles. Physical simulation of the clothing design and materials are then applied to the model to render an image of the clothing article worn by a person. 
         [0021]    These methodologies can require expensive highly skilled technicians to run the animation software. The work can be labor-intensive and time-consuming. The physical simulation and rendering can require substantial computer resources. In some cases, these methodologies can take 20-60 minutes on the fastest cloud processor. 
         [0022]    Given the number of stock keeping units (SKUs) in a clothing line, including variations in sizes and materials, the significant skilled labor, time, and compute resources to generate 3D models for each clothing line would be substantial. 
         [0023]    The simple scan process described herein does not require operators skilled in computer graphics or physical modeling. There does not need to be any complex physical simulation as to how the wearable will look on the model of the human body. The position of the surface of the wearable on the reference model is captured as it is actually positioned on the reference mannequin during the scan operation. An operator might just press a button to scan a reference mannequin, dress the reference mannequin with a wearable and press the button again to scan the dressed mannequin. A difference table for that wearable could be automatically created. 
         [0024]    Prior art systems use complex graphical representations of both the mannequin and the wearable that necessitates significant complex computations to render as an image of the mannequin wearing the wearable. In some embodiments, this may take on the order of 20-60 minutes per rendering. 
         [0025]    In contrast, the difference tables are simply tables of scalar adjustments to associated points in a point cloud for the reference mannequin. Because of the simplified computations required, and the facilitation of parallel processing of each slice, each clothing article might take on the order of 3-5 minutes. 
         [0026]    In one embodiment, the difference tables for wearables are used with as disclosed in U.S. non-provisional application entitled “System for Virtually Trying On Clothing”, filed on Feb. 17, 2017, Ser. No. ______. 
         [0027]    
               
     
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a system for creation of three dimensional (3D) clothing models using a reference mannequin. 
           [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of a system of  FIG. 1  using a reference mannequin wearing an article of clothing or other wearable. 
           [0030]      FIG. 3  shows one embodiment of a process for creating 3D clothing models described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
           [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates one embodiment of a segment of a sliced point cloud. 
           [0032]      FIG. 5  illustrates one embodiment of a segment of a point cloud for a reference mannequin and a cross section of a point cloud for a wearable. 
           [0033]      FIG. 6  illustrates another embodiment of a segment of a point cloud for a reference mannequin and a cross section of a point cloud for a wearable. 
           [0034]      FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic representation of an embodiment of a machine, within which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform one or more of the methods discussed herein. 
           [0035]      FIG. 8  shows one embodiment of a torso portion of the point cloud for a reference mannequin. 
           [0036]      FIG. 9  shows one embodiment of a torso portion of the point cloud for a reference mannequin wearing a blouse. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0037]    Various examples of embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following exemplary embodiments are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. 
         [0038]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a system  100  for creation of three dimensional (3D) clothing models shown with a reference mannequin  102  mounted on a base  101 . The reference mannequin  102  has realistic features and proportions to accomodate clothing and other wearables as described herein. If features and proportions are not realistic, worn clothing may hang on the body in a way that does not realistically portray its fit and look on a human being. Body features that may be less relevant to fit, like genitalia, may be omitted or obscured on the mannequin  102 . 
         [0039]    A sensing device  104  is configured to receive information through a sensing input  105  under the control of a processor  107 . 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, the sensing device  105  is a depth sensor configured to measure the distance from the sensing input  105  to the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at one or more surface points within the field of view  106  of the sensing input  105 . 
         [0041]    In some embodiments, the sensing device  104  includes a sensing input  105  that has a single depth sensor that is moved in a controlled manner around the periphery of the mannequin  102  to capture the depth information from multiple perspectives around the mannequin  102 . By tracking the relative motion between the sensing input  105  and the mannequin  102  for each of the depth measurements, the sensing device  104  can determine surface position information at various points on the reference mannequin  102 . This information can be processed to produce a point cloud representing the scanned portion of the reference mannequin  102 . Collectively, point cloud information represents the surface shape of the mannequin  102 . 
         [0042]    In other embodiments, the sensing device  104  remains in a fixed position and the base  101  is rotated through a 360° rotation in synchronization with the sensing input  105  of the sensing device  104  to gather the depth information from multiple perspectives around the mannequin  102 . 
         [0043]    In yet other embodiments, both the base  101  and the sensing device  104  are configured to move to gather the depth information from multiple perspectives around the mannequin  102 . 
         [0044]    In some embodiments, the sensing device  104  surrounds the mannequin  102  and the sensing input  105  includes an array of depth sensors dispersed around the mannequin  102  to capture all the depth information from multiple perspectives around the mannequin  102  in parallel. 
         [0045]    Between the extremes of capturing all depth sensor information in parallel, and capturing each depth sense measurement in sequence, there may be smaller arrays of depth sensors that are moved around the reference mannequin  102  to capture the depth sensor information. More depth sensors allow more scanning to be performed in parallel which may lead to faster scan results. However, more depth sensors may require larger and more expensive scanning devices. 
         [0046]    A scan information  111  is received by a processor  107 . The scan information  111  includes each of the multiple depth measurements and the position of the associated sensor for each of the measurements. The scan information  111  may also include color and texture information at each of the points. The processor  107  processes the first scan information  111  according to well-known methods for processing depth information to generate a first point cloud  108  and stores the first point cloud  108  in a database  110 . The first point cloud  108  is a constellation of points indicating the relative position of the surface of the mannequin  102  and color and/or texture information at those points as derived from the scan information  111 . 
         [0047]    In an alternative embodiment, the sensing device  104  is a two-dimensional (2D) image sensor that captures an image of the mannequin  102  from various perspectives around the mannequin  102  as described with reference to the depth sensor(s). 
         [0048]    The first scan information  111  is received by the processor  107 . The first scan information  120  includes each of the multiple 2D images and the associated perspectives of the one or more image sensors. The processor  107  processes the scan information  111  according to well-known methods for processing 2D image information to generate a point cloud  108  and transmits the first point cloud  108  into a database  110 . The point cloud  108  is a constellation of points indicating the relative position of the surface of the mannequin  102  and color and/or texture information at those points as derived from the scan information  120 . 
         [0049]    It will be apparent that other schemes for moving one or more sensors around the periphery of the mannequin  102  may be used to generate the scan information  111 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 2  illustrates the system  100  of  FIG. 1  with the reference mannequin  102  wearing a dress  103 . 
         [0051]    The sensing device  104  is operated as described with reference to  FIG. 1  to capture a scan information  112 . 
         [0052]    In embodiments of the system  100  that use one or more depth sensors, the second scan information  112  includes each of the multiple depth measurements and the associated perspectives for each of the measurements. The processor  107  receives the scan information  112  and processes the scan information  112  according to well-known methods for processing depth information to generate a point cloud  109  and transmits the first point cloud  107  over a bus into a database  109 . The point cloud  109  is a constellation of points indicating the relative position of the surface of the mannequin  102  wearing the dress  103  and color and/or texture information at those points as derived from the scan information  112 . 
         [0053]    In embodiments of the system  100  using one or more 2D image sensors, the scan information  112  includes each of the multiple images and the associated perspectives of each of the Images. The processor  106  processes the second scan information  120  according to well-known methods for processing 2D image information to generate a second point cloud  108  and transmits the second point cloud  108  into a database  109 . The second point cloud  108  is a constellation of points indicating the relative position of the surface of the mannequin  102  and color and/or texture information at those points as derived from the scan information  112 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 3  shows one embodiment of a process of creating 3D clothing models described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0055]    In step  300 , the reference mannequin  102  is scanned to generate the scan information  111  as described with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
         [0056]    In step  305 , the processor  107  processes the scan information to generate the point cloud  108  as described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The point cloud  108  is used as a reference point cloud for processing with each of the subsequent point clouds. 
         [0057]    In Step  310 , the reference mannequin  102  is dressed with a wearable. 
         [0058]    In some embodiments, the wearable is one of various types of clothing such as pants, shorts, dresses, skirts, shirts, blouses, stockings, gloves, hats, and the like. In some embodiments, the wearables include accessories such as eyeglasses, sunglasses, rings necklaces and earrings. 
         [0059]    Generally, the process is performed with a single wearable for each scan so that the model generated by this process is associated with the individual wearable. In some cases, however, more than one wearable may be processed together as part of a set, such as a two-piece bikini. 
         [0060]    In step  315 , the reference mannequin  102  is scanned to generate the scan information  112  as described with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
         [0061]    In step  320 , the processor  107  receives the scan information  112  and processes the scan information  112  to generate the point cloud  109  as described with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
         [0062]    In step  325 , the point cloud  109  is aligned with the point cloud  108 . 
         [0063]    The point cloud  109  is a 3D surface representation of the reference mannequin  102  wearing the wearable. The point cloud  108  is a 3D surface representation of the reference mannequin  102  without the wearable. 
         [0064]    In some embodiments, the point cloud  109  is aligned with the point cloud  108  by aligning key features in both point clouds. Key features may include the shoulder, neck, armpit or crotch, for example. Pattern recognition may be used to locate these key features in each of the point cloud  109  and the point cloud  108  even on a point cloud which covers some of these key features. 
         [0065]    In step  330  the aligned point clouds are separated into slices by the various feature of the reference mannequin. Separating the point cloud into slices allows for more effective processing, including parallel processing by graphics processing units. 
         [0066]    The body is generally sliced perpendicular to the lengthwise axis for each body feature. For example, the slices in the arms are sliced perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of each arm. The slices in the legs are cut perpendicular to the axis along the lengthwise axis of each leg. The slices in the torso are cut perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of each trunk. The slices in the torso are cut perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of each trunk. Similarly, the head, hands and feet are cut along the associated lengthwise axis. 
         [0067]    The sizes of the slices may vary depending on the relative size of the feature and detail required for that feature of the body. For example, the fingers may be split into smaller slices that the legs. 
         [0068]    Centroid are computed for each slice. In a preferred embodiment, the point clouds are represented in polar coordinates. However, other representation systems may be used. 
         [0069]    In step  345 , a smoothing filter is applied to the centroids. The filter removes discontinuities and other irregularities in the positing of the slices along the lengthwise axis of each portion of the point cloud. 
         [0070]    In step  340 , a table of entries having distances between corresponding points in the first and second point cloud are generated and stored in a database. 
         [0071]    In step  345 , it is determined whether another wearable will be scanned during this batch process. If so, the currently worn wearable is removed and the process continues at step  310  using the same reference point cloud that was initially captured in steps  300 - 305 . 
         [0072]    In some embodiments, similar processing is perform used only a reference body representing only a portion of a human body. For example, a reference body limited to the portion of the body below the waist might be used to create 3D model of pants and skirts. A reference body limited to the torso might be used to create 3D models of shirts and blouses. A reference body limited to one or both legs might be used to create 3D models of stockings or socks. 
         [0073]    In some embodiments, the point clouds include polygon meshes with color and texturing. 
         [0074]      FIG. 4  illustrates one embodiment of a segment of a sliced point cloud. The segment includes a slice  210 , a slice  220  and a slice  230 . 
         [0075]    A lengthwise axis  200  passes through the centroids at the center of each slice. 
         [0076]    A point  201   a  is a point at the boundary between slices. Only a few sample points are shown in the figure. In some embodiments, a slice may have approximately five thousand points dispersed around the sidewall of the slice to represent the surface of the scanned object. 
         [0077]    A point  201   b  represents the same point on the scanned object as the point  201   a  but it is assigned to the slice  220 . The point  201   a  and the point  201   b  are associated with each other by a connection link  201   c.    
         [0078]    Similarly, a point  202   a  and a point  202   b  represent the same point on the scanned object but the point  202   a  is assigned to the slice  210  and the point  202   b  assigned to the slice  220 . The point  202   a  and the point  202   b  are associated with each other by a connection link  202   c.    
         [0079]    Similarly, a point  205   a  and a point  205   b  represent the same point on the scanned object but the point  205   a  is assigned to the slice  210  and the point  202   b  assigned to the slice  220 . The points  205   a  and  205   b  are associated with each other by a connection link  205   c.    
         [0080]    Similar relationships are created at the boundary between the slice  220  and the slice  230 . A point  211   b  represents the same point on the scanned object as a point  211   a.  Point  211   a  is assigned to the slice  220  and the point  211   b  is assigned to the slice  230 . The point  211   a  and the point  211   b  are associated with each other by a connection link  211   c.    
         [0081]    Similarly, a point  215   a  and a point  215   b  represent the same point on the scanned object but the point  215   a  is assigned to the slice  220  and the point  215   b  is assigned to the slice  230 . The point  215   a  and the point  215   b  are associated with each other by a connection link  215   c.    
         [0082]    A scanned object may be represented by long sequences of slices connected using the illustrated principals. 
         [0083]    Collectively, the connection links make up a connection map that capture the relationships between the points at the edges between the slices so that the slices can be reassembled after processing. The slices are reassembled by bringing the slices together and removing each redundant point linked at the boundary. 
         [0084]    In some embodiments, the point cloud shown represents a portion of the reference mannequin. In other embodiments, the point cloud shown represents a portion of the wearable being worn by the reference mannequin. 
         [0085]    In a preferred embodiment, the point cloud of the wearable and the point cloud for the reference mannequin are aligned and sliced as described herein so that each slice for the wearable has a corresponding slice for the reference mannequin. The corresponding slices are associated with the same portion of the reference mannequin. These corresponding slices can be processed together independently of the other slices thereby enabling parallel processing for better performance. 
         [0086]      FIG. 5  illustrates one embodiment of a segment of a point cloud  580  for the reference mannequin that has been reassembled from a slice  510 , a slice  520 , a slice  530 , a slice  540 , a slice  550 , and a slice  560 , having a lengthwise axis  500  crossing through the centroid of each slice. A point cloud for a reference mannequin is typically made up of many more slices, and may have many different lengthwise axes for certain features depending on the relative orientation of the segments for portions of the arms, legs, and trunk, for example. 
         [0087]    The segment of the point cloud  580  may represent a portion of a leg of the reference mannequin and the segment of the point cloud  590  may represent the leg portion of a pair of pants. 
         [0088]    Only a cross-section portion of the point cloud  590  is shown. It is common for the point cloud of the wearable to wrap around the point cloud  580 . The point cloud  590  is also separated into slices. The portion of the point cloud  590  that wraps in front of and behind the segment of the point cloud  580  is not shown to clearly illustrate the computation of a difference table representing the 3D positions of the point cloud  590  as offset from the point cloud  580 . 
         [0089]    The slices (not shown) for the point cloud  590  are aligned with the slices of the point cloud  580  using key features common to both point clouds as described herein. 
         [0090]    These point clouds are shown with the slices assembled because that is the positioning which is analogous to the real-world scenario of a wearable wrapped around a portion of a reference mannequin. Thus, a human is better able to intuitively understand the relationships discussed during the calculations. However, the following calculations are generally performed on slices that have been separated as shown in  FIG. 4  so that slices can be efficiently processed in parallel by graphics processing units. 
         [0091]    A point  501   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  501   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  510 . The distance between the point  501   b  and the point  501   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0092]    Similarly, on the opposite side of the point cloud  580 , a point  505   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  505   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  510 . The distance between the point  501   b  and the point  501   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0093]    A point  511   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  511   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  550 . The distance between the point  511   b  and the point  511   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0094]    Similarly, on the opposite side of the point cloud  580 , a point  515   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  515   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  550 . The distance between the point  515   b  and the point  515   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0095]    There are numerous other points in the point cloud  580 , not only at the boundaries between the slices, but along the sides within each slice to define the contours of the surface along the side walls of each slice. Similarly, there are numerous other points in the point cloud  590 , not only at the boundaries between the slices, but along the sides within each slice to define the contours of the surface along the side walls of each slice. A scalar distance is computed between the corresponding points in the point cloud  590  and the point cloud  580  and stored in a table and each distance is associated with each slice and point of the reference mannequin. These distances are also referred to as a difference, and the table is sometimes referred to as a difference table. 
         [0096]      FIG. 6  illustrates one embodiment of a segment of a point cloud  580  for the reference mannequin that has been reassembled from a slice  510 , a slice  520 , a slice  530 , a slice  540 , a slice  550 , and a slice  560 , having a lengthwise axis  500  crossing through the centroid of each slice. A point cloud for a reference mannequin is typically made up of many more slices, and may have many different lengthwise axes for certain features depending on the relative orientation of the segments for portions of the arms, legs, and trunk, for example. 
         [0097]    The segment of the point cloud  580  may represent a portion of the reference mannequin and the segment of the point cloud  590  may represent a portion of a wearable  591 . 
         [0098]    Only a cross-section portion of the point cloud  591  is shown. It is common for the point cloud of the wearable to wrap around the point cloud  580 . The point cloud  591  is also separated into slices. The portion of the point cloud  591  that wraps in front of and behind the segment of the point cloud  580  is not shown to clearly illustrate the computation of a difference table representing the 3D positions of the point cloud  591  as offset from the point cloud  580 . 
         [0099]    The slices (not shown) for the point cloud  591  are aligned with the slices of the point cloud  580  using key features common to both point clouds as described herein. 
         [0100]    These point clouds are shown with the slices assembled because that is the positioning which is analogous to the real-world scenario of a wearable wrapped around a portion of a reference mannequin. Thus, a human is better able to intuitively understand the relationships discussed during the calculations. However, the following calculations are generally performed on slices that have been separated as shown in  FIG. 4  so that slices can be efficiently processed in parallel by graphics processing units. 
         [0101]    The point cloud  591  is for a simplified wearable not to scale with reference to the slices. It is primarily configured here to illustrate various exemplary relationships between the point cloud for a wearable and the point cloud for the reference mannequin for the purposes of computation of a difference table. 
         [0102]    The cross-section portion of the point cloud  591  does not extend over the portion of the slice  510 . The point cloud  580  has a point  501   a  and a point  505   a  as derived from the scan process of the reference mannequin. When the wearable is scanned, the surface points captured at the slice  510  will be the same as that captured for the naked reference mannequin since the mannequin is naked at this slice. In a preferred embodiment, the system determines whether points such as the point  501   a  is included within the point cloud for the  591  and the point cloud for  580 , or such corresponding points are within a certain minimum scanner resolution so as to be treated as the same point. The difference between these corresponding points in the point cloud  591  and the point cloud  580  is zero. In a preferred embodiment, an entry in the difference table is not created for such points. 
         [0103]    A point  501   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  501   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  510 . The distance between the point  501   b  and the point  501   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0104]    Similarly, on the opposite side of the point cloud  580 , a point  505   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  505   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  510 . The distance between the point  501   b  and the point  501   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0105]    A point  511   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  511   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  550 . The distance between the point  511   b  and the point  511   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0106]    Similarly, on the opposite side of the point cloud  580 , a point  515   b  in the point cloud  590  represents a point on the surface of the wearable  109  at a slice (not shown) that is aligned with a point  515   a  in the point cloud  590  that represents a point on the surface of the reference mannequin  102  at the slice  550 . The distance between the point  515   b  and the point  515   a  represents the distance that the surface of the wearable  109  is positioned from the surface of the underlying reference mannequin. 
         [0107]    There are numerous other points in the point cloud  580 , not only at the boundaries between the slices, but along the sides within each slice to define the contours of the surface along the side walls of each slice. Similarly, there are numerous other points in the point cloud  590 , not only at the boundaries between the slices, but along the sides within each slice to define the contours of the surface along the side walls of each slice. A scalar distance is computed between the corresponding points in the point cloud  590  and the point cloud  580  and stored in a table and each distance is associated with each slice and point of the reference mannequin. These distances are also referred to as a difference, and the table is sometimes referred to as a difference table. 
         [0108]      FIG. 7  is a diagrammatic representation of an embodiment of a machine  900 , within which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform one or more of the methods discussed herein. The machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. In one embodiment, the machine communicates with a server to facilitate operations of the server and/or to access the operation of the server. In some embodiments, the machine may act as a server for some functions and a client for other functions. 
         [0109]    In some embodiments, the machine  900  is the system  150  according to an embodiment as described herein or a component of such systems, such as one or more processors that make up the system  150 . In other embodiments, the machine  900  is the database system  110  according to an embodiment as described herein. 
         [0110]    The machine  900  includes a processor  960  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both), a main memory  970  and a nonvolatile memory  980 , which communicate with each other via a bus  902 . In some embodiments, the machine  900  may be a cluster of computers or comprise multiple processors or multiple processor cores. In one embodiment, the machine  900  also includes a video display  910 , an alphanumeric input device  920  (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device  930  (e.g., a mouse), a drive unit  940  (e.g., solid state drive (SSD), hard disk drive, Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) drive, or flash drive), a sensing device  950  (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device  990 . 
         [0111]    In some embodiments, the machine  900  is includes the sensing device  104 . 
         [0112]    In some embodiments, the video display  910  includes a touch-sensitive screen for user input. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive screen is used instead of a keyboard and mouse. The drive unit  940  includes a machine readable medium  942  on which is stored one or more sets of instructions  944  (e.g. software) embodying any one or more of the methods or functions of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0113]    The instructions  944  may also reside, completely or partially, on machine-readable media within the main memory  940  and within machine-readable media within the processor  960  during execution thereof by the machine  900 . The instructions  944  may also be transmitted or received over a network  995  via the network interface device  990 . In some embodiments, the main memory  970  and the machine-readable medium  942  also includes a data  946  including the scan information or the point clouds. 
         [0114]    While the machine-readable medium  942  is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions and/or data. The term “machine readable medium” shall also be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods or functions of the inventive subject matter. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, and other non-transitory tangible media. 
         [0115]    In general, the methods executed to implement the embodiments of the disclosure, may be implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module or sequence of instructions referred to as “programs.” For example, one or more programs may be used to execute specific processes according to the inventive subject matter. The programs typically comprise one or more instructions set at various times in various memory and storage devices in the machine, and that, when read and executed by one or more processors, cause the machine to perform operations to execute methods, functions and other elements of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0116]    Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of machines, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the disclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machine or computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution. Examples of machine-readable media include, but are not limited to, recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices, solid state drives (SSDs), flash memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, and optical disks such as Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROMS) and Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs), among others. 
         [0117]      FIG. 8  illustrates one embodiment of the torso portion of a point cloud for a reference mannequin. The point cloud defines the surface shape of the portion of the reference mannequin. 
         [0118]    The torso portion of the point cloud for an avatar might look very similar except that the color and texture of the surface of the avatar would be different than that of the mannequin. 
         [0119]      FIG. 9  illustrates one embodiment of the torso portion of a point cloud for a reference mannequin wearing a blouse. The point cloud defines the surface shape of the portion of the blouse where it covers the torso, and the surface shape of the torso where the blouse does not cover the torso—in this case the neck. 
         [0120]    The torso portion of the point cloud for an avatar dressed with a blouse might look very similar except that the color and texture of the surface of the avatar would be different than that of the mannequin.