Refined Flattening Calculation of Hot Air Baloon Shape Surface Tiles

Abstract

Design of hot air balloons can benefit from computer graphics in combination with numerical methods. The balloons are usually designed using modern CAD tools where their shape is modelled in 3D space. However, the design of the 3D shape is just a beginning of a complex production process. Flattening of the designed tiles and their preparation for a fabric cut is critical for a final quality of the design. Because of a relatively small number of companies producing the hot air balloons, only a limited number of very expensive useful tools exists. This paper addresses the issues of an automatic cut design calculation based on the 3D shape and physical properties of the fabric, using advanced numerical methods combined with existing flattening algorithms.