French curves are plastic (or wooden) templates having an edge composed of several different curves. French curves are used in drafting (or were before computer-aided design) to draw smooth curves of almost any desired curvature in mechanical drawings.

What’s the meaning of French curve?

: a curved piece of flat often plastic material used as a guide in drawing curves.

Is French curve a measuring tool?

1. French Curve Ruler. The French curve is the most common curved ruler used for fashion design. (It’s the translucent ruler shown above.)

What is hip curve?

A Hip/Form curve is a large French curve that aids in pattern making by providing an elogated, curved edge for smoothing and correcting pattern lines.

What kind of tool is hip curve?

The Hip Curve The hip curve is an essential tool for making patterns and fitting adjustments at the hip line. The tool is also great for making adjustments at the hemline, for lapels and at the elbow. Anywhere a slight curve is needed, this is a good ruler to use.

What is the purpose of the French curve?

It is used in manual drafting and in fashion design to draw smooth curves of varying radii. The shapes are segments of the Euler spiral or clothoid curve. 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.

What kind of ruler is a French curve?

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.

How is the tangent on a French curve made?

“The French curve is made so that at the lowest point on each curve, no matter how you turn it, the tangent is horizontal.”. All the guys in the class were holding their French curve up at different angles, holding their pencil up to it at the lowest point and laying it along, and discovering that,…

What did Feynman say about the French curve?

The Feynman remark just reflects the point that the tangent is horizontal at a minimum-you probably learned that in Calculus 1. The joke is that that is there is no magic in the French curve, that this is true for all curves.