Apparel modeling system and method

1. A system, comprising:

a computer based product modeling unit having a processor that executes a plurality of lines of instructions that configure the processor to:

receive a captured image of an object wherein the image of the object includes a plurality of markers, that form a marker pattern on a surface of the object;

detect, based on the captured image, each of the plurality of markers on the object surface to determine a contour of the object surface and a contour of a design area on the object surface;

detect a distinguishing feature of the marker pattern;

match geometric properties of the marker pattern to a known pattern to reconstruct an unmarked pattern;

receive a user design for the design area of the object surface;

warp the user design, apply surface shading, and perform a surface specular process using the determined contour of the design area on the object surface;

replace the marker pattern with the reconstructed unmarked pattern; and

generate a visual representation of the user design on the object using the determined contour of the surface of the object, the determined contour of the design area on the object surface, and the warped, shaded and specular design area.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distinguishing feature is one of a spectral difference, a reflective difference, a textual difference and a temporal difference.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of markers may cover a predetermined percentage of the object surface.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the object further comprises a human model, a mannequin or an animal.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each marker further comprises a marker pattern that encodes, in two dimensions, a flexible substrate that may be detected when the flexible substrate is placed on a complex three dimensional surface.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of markers further comprise a grid of lines not visible to a human on the object.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the object further comprises a piece of apparel, a garment, an item worn by a human being or an item worn by an animal.

8. A method comprising:

at a computer with a processor and memory, receiving a captured image of an object including a plurality of markers on a surface of the object;

detecting, based on the captured image, each of the plurality of markers on the object to determine a contour of the object and a contour of a design area on the object;

applying a user design to the design area of the surface of the object;

remapping color of the captured image using normalized ordinal color distribution;

building a color map in normalized histogram order with an index from a matching color space;

building a look-up table to remap colors from a source sphere to a destination sphere;

generating a visual representation of the user design on the object using the captured lighting, texture and contours of the object so that the visual representation of the design on the object has the determined contour;

remapping color of the captured image with a source sphere color map to the generated image with the color map of the sphere color object; and

causing display of the visual representation.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting the markers further comprises detecting a distinguishing feature of the marker to detect the marker on the product.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the distinguishing feature is one of a spectral difference, a reflective difference, a textual difference and a temporal difference.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein each marker further comprises a piece of pigment, a piece of reflective material or a piece of retro-reflective material.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of markers further comprise a grid of lines not visible to a human on the object.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the object further comprises a piece of apparel, a garment, an item worn by a human being or an item worn by an animal.