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Anamary draping fabric over a mannequin next to a sewing machine, with her kitten beside her.
Anamary Leal
Hometown: Miami, FL
Current City: Blacksburg, VA
Education: BS, Computer Science, University of Central Florida; PhD student, Computer Science, Virginia Tech
Hobbies: Sewing, making artisan crafts and costumes, gaming, Japanese animation.
Fun Fact: "One of the first things I ever sewed as a kid was a bathrobe for my Barbie."

I develop 3-D fashion design software that helps you visualize what you're creating.

—Anamary Leal

Virtual designing
Anamary is creating fashion design software that allows you to envision what a finished piece of clothing or an accessory will actually look like. It will display a 3-D model that can be viewed from all angles and also show you what your design will look like using different fabrics and textures.

One idea, lots of ways
"Using a computer program makes it much easier to design," says Anamary. "Have you ever sewn something that didn’t turn out right? You're pretty much stuck with the results. With software you have the possibility of trying lots of design options before you cut your first piece of fabric. If only there was an 'undo' method in real life too!"

What's her passion?
Creating. "My passion has always been to create, whether through sewing and artisan crafts, or virtually, through computer programs. It's awesome to take an idea and turn it into something real that you made yourself."

3-D Gaming
Anamary's other interest in computing is developing the next generation of 3-D gaming. "We have so much potential to make video games more dynamic, engaging, and fun!"