**1. Introduction**

Postural disorders and spinal deformities present major difficulties for affected people, not only from the medical point of view but also from the point of view of finding appropriate

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

clothing. Without doubt, it can be stated that assuring garments with perfect fit and functionality taking into account the increased need for a modern design is not possible without an extensive use of modern computer-based technologies, above all three-dimensional (3D) body scanning, computer-aided design, and virtual prototyping. Moreover, additional methods for analyzing digitized geometry, such as CASP (Curvature, Acceleration, Symmetry, and Proportionality), are needed for assuring appropriate garment part designs and final fit of the garment. CASP methodology is a widely applicable approach in fields of use where a 3D virtual model is present. We have used it for virtual prototyping of garments for people with postural disorders and spinal deformities.

Nowadays, we can use virtual reality applications to produce digital prototypes of different garments and other textile forms, especially three-dimensional. The designers can alter their design creations with less time and cost. The aim of 3D virtual prototyping is to build a virtual model instead of developing a real product. Virtual garment prototyping is a technique which involves the application of computer-aided design systems used for the development of the garment pattern designs and the assessment of their fit to the 3D body model and virtual assessment of the appearance of the whole garment.

This chapter presents topics related to the multidisciplinary fields of computer graphics and analysis, 3D scanning, and 3D virtual modeling with the aim of supporting virtual prototyping of garments for people with postural disorders and spinal deformities. Mainly scoliosis and kyphosis are treated, because a significant share of the population is facing these problems, especially in the older population.

As a transformation tool between real world and virtual world, 3D scanning is used to capture and digitize real objects. 3D scans describe an object's shape. It makes sense to use precise 3D scanners for solid and rigid objects, where small details or deviations are important and can be measured, but for virtual prototyping, it is usually enough to have a rough shape of a person. Live persons are moving and changing shape literally with every breath and heart beat. Therefore, it is better to perform low-detail scans.

In this chapter, we present research relating to the applicability of CASP methodology to nonstandard body figures' garment pattern design with the aim of finding out whether CASP methodology is right for predicting the garment pattern design for persons with a curved spine, as well as for the construction of well-fitted garments.

After the theoretical background and study of the literature dealing with curves and shapes, CASP methodology is introduced and explained. Medical points of view regarding postural disorders and spinal deformities are detailed in order to highlight the need for adapted garment designs. Practical examples are discussed using CASP methodology, including three case studies dealing with curvature graphs, together with two examples related to the design and virtual prototyping of garments for people with postural disorders and spinal deformities. The chapter concludes with suggestions for further studies in this important and interesting research area.
