A French curve is a template usually made from metal, wood or plastic composed of many different segments of the Euler spiral (aka the clothoid curve). It is used in manual

drafting Drafting or draughting may refer to: * Campdrafting, an Australian equestrian sport * Drafting (aerodynamics), slipstreaming * Drafting (writing), writing something that is likely to be amended * Technical drawing, the act and discipline of compo ...

and in fashion design to draw smooth curves of varying radii. The curve is placed on the drawing material, and a pencil, knife or other implement is traced around its curves to produce the desired result. They were invented by the German mathematician Ludwig Burmester and are also known as Burmester (curve) set.

Clothing design

French curve physical templates are regularly used for original high fashion design and by home

sewist Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabri ...

s (along with other types of artisans) most usefully in necklines, sleeve, bust and waist variations. The varied curve radii allow for smooth and stylish personalized adjustments of standard purchased clothing patterns for an excellent, personalized fit. Fashion designers and sewists may use a selection of french curves, hip curves, straight edges and L-shaped right angle rulers. They may be in metal or clear plastics, with measurements marked in metric or imperial.

Digital versions

As modern computer-aided design ( CAD) systems use vector-based graphics to achieve a precise radius, or approximate curves, mechanical templates (and most mechanical drawing techniques) have become obsolete outside of stitchers' home pattern adjustments and fashion designs. Manual curve templates are also used by model makers and others maintaining traditional trades and skills. Digital computers can also be used to generate a set of coordinates that accurately describe an arbitrary curve, and the points can be connected with line segments to approximate the curve with a degree of accuracy, although this varies with the type of curve. Some computer-graphics systems make use of

Bézier curve A Bézier curve ( ) is a parametric curve used in computer graphics and related fields. A set of discrete "control points" defines a smooth, continuous curve by means of a formula. Usually the curve is intended to approximate a real-world shape t ...

s, which allow a curve to be bent in real time on a display screen to follow a set of coordinates that are not on the line being drawn. This is different from the way a French curve is placed on a set of three or four points on paper.

References

External links

* Weisstein, Eric W.
French Curve
' from MathWorld. *

' from Integrated Publishing. {{Authority control Technical drawing tools Curves Mathematical tools

Clothing design

Digital versions

See also

References

External links