Sackcloth or Silk? The Impact of Appearance vs Dynamics on the Perception of Animated Cloth

Physical simulation and rendering of cloth is widely used in 3D graphics applications to create realistic and compelling scenes. However, cloth animation can be slow to compute and difficult to specify. In this paper, we present a set of experiments in which we explore some factors that contribute to the perception of cloth, to determine how efficiency could be improved without sacrificing realism. Using real video footage of several fabrics covering a wide range of visual appearances and dynamic behaviors, and their simulated counterparts, we explore the interplay of visual appearance and dynamics in cloth animation.