Key technologies for digital preservation and inheritance of ethnic costumes

Objective In order to address the limitations in preservation and inheritance of textile intangible cultural heritage using digital and intelligent technologies, the study proposes a methodology for the preservation and inheritance of ethnic costumes based on unreal Engine (UE), artificial intelligence (AI) and visual reality (VR) technologies. The main objectives include efficiently digitizing ethnic costumes, enhancing the reproduction of costume details through artificial intelligence tools, and increasing public awareness and interest in ethnic costume culture by creating a metahuman to interact with the audience. Method High-precision 3-D scanning technology was employed to comprehensively digitize ethnic costumes to capture both the exterior and interior surfaces. The data were stored in full-information files using ply or. pts file formats. Next, digital restoration was performed using AI tools to enhance the accuracy of color, pattern, and material details. The garments were then precisely recreated in Marvelous Designer (MD) in a scale of 1:1, simulating the physical properties of the fabrics. Finally, the recreated garments were displayed interactively using metahuman in the UE environment. Results The 3-D scanning process successfully captured detailed point-cloud data of the ethnic costumes, achieving full-information storage. Digital restoration processes applied to the 3-D models resulted in highly accurate replications of the original garments, including texture and material details. An automatic classification system for ethnic costume images was also developed using a hybrid CNN-ResNet model, which improved classification accuracy and model generalization. The system s performance was evaluated through a series of experiments, with metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score showing promising results. The dynamic garment simulation in MD and subsequent interactive display in UE demonstrated the effectiveness of this method for bringing ethnic costumes to life. For example, a Qing dynasty blue silk women s jacket from the museum collection in Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology was accurately recreated and dynamically displayed. The study also explored the use of VR/AR technology to preserve intangible cultural heritage relating to ethnic costumes, such as traditional craftsmanship and dyeing techniques, offering a new approach to cultural transmission. Conclusion The proposed methodology is effective in preserving and inheriting ethnic costumes. The integration of high-precision 3-D scanning, digital restoration and interactive display through UE not only preserves the physical characteristics of ethnic costumes, but also enhances public participation through immersive experiences. The combined use of VR, AI and metahuman technologies provides a viable solution for the preservation and innovative inheritance of ethnic costume cultural heritage. This method has popularization value and reference significance for the preservation and inheritance of other forms of tangible cultural heritage.