Virtual reality can change the way fashion illustration classes are being conducted. Students now can enjoy their fashion illustration classes using virtual palette and brushes.
Art and design professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chiara Vincenzi is now using a VR program to represent the dress designs prepared by her students. The VR program has been developed by Illinois-based IDEA Lab.
Professor Vincenzi wanted her students to learn about this innovative concept and enjoy the opportunity to explore fashion design in the virtual world. Students had a project to execute for the fall semester. The project comprised the design of a collection of garments.
The students used pencils and paper to design the dress but in some cases, they opted for Adobe Illustrator. Students preferred the VR concept for a special assignment. They created red-carpet dresses using VR goggles and the 3D painting VR application Google Tilt Brush.
Students are Free to Do Anything
When talking about the latest concept, professor Vincenzi said that when you are in a virtual world you are free to do anything. You can try many options to experiment. Vincenzi has created a tutorial using Media Commons to let her students enjoy the VR world or 3D painting brush.
This was a practice and it helped students to use the brush in the lab. The class was divided into two segments. In the first session, students experimented with Tilt Brush, while the second session held dress designs.
Professor Vincenzi added that the VR concept has made the design easy and flexible for the students. According to Vincenzi, the program also allowed students to see their designs from different directions and dimensions.
The concept is perfect for the beginning of ideation. It allows the students to go around the mannequin and examine aspects like color, texture, shape, and different silhouettes.
It Promotes Creativity
When talking about the effectiveness of the VR program in fashion designing, Vincenzi said that she has examined some student’s behavior especially those who come to the VR lab with sketches. He said that with the help of this VR program students get freedom and end up with something satisfactory. When talking
She also said that in the beginning, the concept may look challenging for the students who have not tried this before. Students who are good with traditional kits may not get expected results using the VR program.
When talking about the experience of using this innovative concept, Mia Balice, a student who has not used VR before said that in this virtual world students can get various types of brushes including sparkle brushes, glitter brushes, etc.
Accessing the different sides of a dress was like a real-life feeling for her. For an experienced person, it is quite challenging to create a dress, she added.
The entry of such VR programs in fashion designing can open the door for students who cannot access real-life laboratory for workshops. It is cost-effective and an amazing way to experiment with creative ideas.
