Chapter 1: Repeat Types

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Repeat Types (Straight, Half‑Drop, Tossed) for Costume Concept Artists

Focus: repeat logic, placement, scale — written for both concept and production artists.

Why repeats matter for costumes

Repeats turn a single motif into surface language that reads consistently across shots, rigs, and body types. In games and film, good repeat design preserves recognizability at gameplay distance while avoiding moiré, visual buzz, and seam mismatches in close‑ups. For production, well‑built repeats save UV space, reduce texture memory, and make colorways and merchandising easier.

The three core repeat families

1) Straight (Block) Repeat

A straight repeat tiles a motif in a grid: same x and y offsets, aligned columns and rows.

  • Read: Organized, formal, architectural; strongest along vertical/horizontal axes.
  • Use when: You want order (military, school uniforms, heraldry, couture suiting). Ideal for stripes, checks, polka‑dot arrays, geometrics.
  • Technical: Tile width = W, height = H. Translation vectors: (n·W, m·H). Seam alignment must be perfect on left/right and top/bottom tile edges. Any misalignment causes visible seams.
  • Pitfalls: Can strobe under motion/camera scaling; mitigate with slightly irregular dot sizes, micro‑texture, or anti‑alias‑friendly line weights.

2) Half‑Drop (or Brick) Repeat

Rows are shifted horizontally by ½ of the tile width on alternating rows. Think bricklaying.

  • Read: Dynamic, diagonal energy; breaks long verticals and hides seams better than straight.
  • Use when: Floral/foliage, medallions, novelty prints where you want flow without obvious grid.
  • Technical: Base tile = W×H. Row 1 origin (0,0). Row 2 origin (W/2, H). Repeat vector for coverage: (W, 2H). Edge joins: left/right edges must also join to the opposite edge shifted by ±W/2. Test by offsetting layers.
  • Variations: Half‑step vertically (a.k.a. half‑brick) where columns shift up/down half the tile height.

3) Tossed (Scattered) Repeat

Motifs are rotated and placed seemingly at random within a tile; the tile still repeats, but the grid is visually camouflaged.

  • Read: Casual, playful, organic. Feels hand‑placed.
  • Use when: Novelties, small icons, leaves, stars. Great for kidswear, streetwear, festival looks, or when you want energy without direction.
  • Technical: Use Poisson‑disk spacing or rule‑of‑thirds clustering to avoid clumps/holes. Constrain rotation to a range (e.g., ±30°) to keep recognizability. Ensure motifs that touch an edge continue correctly across the opposite edge.
  • Pitfalls: True randomness often creates accidental lines. Check for unintentional diagonals and laddering by squint testing and blur‑down previews.

Placement vs All‑Over vs Engineered Graphics

  • All‑Over Repeat: Pattern covers the whole garment. Prioritize tiling quality, seam match, and scale readability.
  • Placement Print: A single motif or framed graphic placed on a panel (e.g., chest emblem). Use when motif integrity is more important than coverage. Coordinate grounds or micro‑textures can support it.
  • Engineered (Panel‑Mapped) Print: Art planned to the pattern pieces. Stripes align at side seams; medallions land at center front; gradients follow hem arcs. Heaviest lift but most premium. Provide labeled art for each piece with bleed and notches.

Concept note: When you sketch, flag which route you intend. Production costs and timelines change dramatically between these.

Choosing scale that reads in camera

Start from the read distance

  • Gameplay/hero camera: Identify typical on‑screen lengths (e.g., a 1.8 m character reads ~180–220 px tall in isometric; ~400–800 px in TPP hero frames). A motif should resolve at 3–7 px for micro texture and 12–24 px for icon detail.

Scale ladder

  • Micro (noise control): 0.5–2 cm on body; reads as texture, not motif. Use to quiet large shapes.
  • Meso (pattern voice): 3–10 cm; identifiable motifs without dominating silhouette. Safest for uniforms and everyday looks.
  • Macro (statement): 12–40+ cm; bold shapes that can fight silhouette. Anchor with large negative space and simplify forms.

Quick test

Export a 1 m swatch mapped to a cylinder and view at 25%, 50%, 100%. If the motif disappears at 25% or flickers at pan speeds, rescale.

Building the tile (concept → production)

A. Motif design

  • Draw motifs with closed, simple silhouettes; avoid hairline details under 1 px at target texel density.
  • Provide a neutral ground version for colorway exploration and a knockout version for placement overlays.

B. Tile size and units

  • Pick units early. Common choices:
    • Game: pixels at texel density (e.g., 512 px = 0.5 m on‑body; 1024 px = 1 m).
    • Film/merch: physical units at print DPI (e.g., 300 ppi at full scale).
  • Rule of thumb: choose the smallest tile that avoids repetition fatigue on the largest garment panel.

C. Edge joins

  • Mirror‑check left↔right and top↔bottom. For half‑drop, also check left↔right with ±W/2 offsets. Use offset filters to proof seams.

D. Negative space rhythm

  • Balance motif, counter‑form, and ground texture. Aim for 30–60% ground for breathable reads unless the intent is dense coverage.

E. Color strategy

  • Keep values stepped (dark/mid/light) with at least 12–15% contrast between steps for safe reads.
  • Prepare indexed palettes or separate color layers if screen printing; for digital, keep layers organized for quick hue shifts.

Repeat math (handy formulas)

  • Half‑drop alignment: if base tile is W×H, the composite repeat that visually resets the grid is W×(2H). Place secondary row origins at (W/2, H).
  • Stripe cadence: spacing s = (garment visible width / desired stripe count). Include seam allowance if matching at side seams.
  • Check balance: if stripes of widths a and b repeat, tile width T = a + b; percentage dominance = a/T and b/T.
  • Tossed spacing: start with a target minimum distance d between motif centers (Poisson disk). Use d ≈ 0.8× motif diameter for lively but non‑colliding placement.

Pattern on bodies: warping and placement logic

Directional motifs

Arrows, chevrons, text, animals — decide up/down rules. For half‑drop, ensure rotated motifs don’t create undesirable “falling” illusions when the body bends.

Body landmarks

  • High visibility zones: chest/upper back, shoulders, thigh fronts, hood crowns. Place anchors (medallions, badges) here.
  • Distortion zones: bust, seat, elbow/knee. Avoid perfect circles or text here unless engineered.

Garment pattern interactions

  • Seam matching: For checks/stripes in straight repeats, map UVs so side seams share the same U origin. For half‑drop, offset UVs on alternating pieces by +0.5W.
  • Scale continuity: Keep one global UV density for the whole outfit unless intentionally mixing scales.
  • Bias‑cut illusions: Diagonal grain reads can be simulated by rotating the UVs or rotating the artwork within the tile (e.g., 30–45° for chevrons).

Production notes (games, film, apparel)

Texturing for real‑time

  • Texel density: lock per asset class (e.g., 512–1024 px/m). Build repeat tiles to that density to avoid resampling.
  • Moiré control: avoid 1‑px alternating patterns (thin stripes, tiny checks). Slightly vary stripe widths or add subtle noise in roughness/normal instead of albedo.
  • Atlasing: Place base tile once; let UVs repeat. Keep trim sheets separate from repeat tiles to maintain reuse.

Printing for physical builds

  • Process: rotary screen (fixed circumference), flatbed screen (plate‑sized), or digital direct (roll width). Know the maximum printable repeat (e.g., 64 cm rotary circumference).
  • Registration & trapping: add 0.1–0.2 mm traps between color separations to avoid slivers. Use overprint where inks allow.
  • Shrinkage & skew: pre‑wash and measure. Adjust tile by 1–3% depending on fiber (cotton/wool) and finish (heat‑set poly shrinks less).
  • Seam placement: For centered motifs, print engineered panels or cut‑to‑print with notches. For all‑over, try to land seamlines in quiet ground.

Colorways and finishes

  • Build a colorway sheet: base ground + 3–5 palette swaps (brand, faction, rarity tiers). Include metallic/foil callouts, flock areas, puff inks.
  • Provide a grayscale value map so teams can pick safe contrasts across platforms.

Visual noise vs clarity in repeats

  • Signal: recognizable motif silhouette.
  • Noise: unplanned high‑frequency edges, micro‑contrast.
  • Keep motif edges crisp; move micro‑texture into normals/roughness instead of base color. Use dimmer grounds behind dense repeats to stop shimmer.

Worked mini‑examples

A. Straight repeat — officer’s check

  • Motif: 4 mm navy stripe + 2 mm red pinstripe.
  • Tile: T = 6 mm (navy+red). Mirror to create 12 mm check.
  • Notes: align side seams by sharing U origin; place epaulettes on solid navy to break pattern at shoulder seam.

B. Half‑drop floral — festival blouse

  • Motif: 6 cm bloom cluster + 2 cm leaves.
  • Tile: 18×18 cm; half‑drop offset (9 cm) every other row.
  • Notes: rotate leaves ±15°. Keep 40% ground. Anchor one bloom over CF on engineered version; for all‑over, avoid bust apex with leaf‑heavy zones.

C. Tossed icons — streetwear hoodie

  • Motif: 2 cm icons (stars, lightning, wings) rotated ±20°.
  • Tile: 24×24 cm; Poisson spacing d ≈ 1.6 cm.
  • Notes: increase ground contrast on hood crown to maintain read at distance.

Collaboration touchpoints

  • Concept → Surfacing: provide intent (repeat type, scale ladder, density target, value steps, anchor placements).
  • Surfacing → Tech Art: confirm UV strategy, tiling vs baking, shader support for triplanar or anisotropic repeats.
  • Concept/Costume → Wardrobe/Fabrication: confirm print process, maximum repeat size, color count, handfeel and drape.

File prep & naming

  • Naming: IP_Project_Outfit_Pattern-Name_RepeatType_Scale_v###.psd
  • Layers: motifs grouped by color; edge join guides; background ground; notes.
  • Exports: seamless tile (PNG/TIF), color‑separated files (if needed), engineered panels (PDF/AI) with notches and grainlines.

Common failure points & fixes

  • Visible seams: Rebuild edge joins; add overlap bleed; test with offset.
  • Laddering in tossed repeats: Nudge positions to break unintentional diagonals; vary icon rotation.
  • Flicker in thin stripes: Thicken lightest lines, reduce contrast, or move detail to normal/roughness.
  • Scale fights silhouette: Drop motif count, increase ground, or step down to meso scale.
  • Misaligned checks at seams: Re‑origin UVs; use match points on patterns; for physical garments, cut with walking seams and notches.

Quick reference (at a glance)

  • Straight: Orderly, grid energy; best for checks/stripes; high seam discipline.
  • Half‑Drop: Flowing diagonals; hides repeats; great for florals/medallions.
  • Tossed: Playful and organic; control randomness; watch for laddering.
  • Scale: Choose for the camera; ladder micro/meso/macro.
  • Production: Clean edge joins, stable values, tested at distance, clear UV/print strategy.

Design with intent, test at distance, and let the repeat support — not fight — your silhouette and story.