Augmented reality teaching material design for brocade patterns from the perspective of digital humanities: A case study of the Mysterious Xilankapu

The Tujia ethnic group's traditional brocade Xilankapu encapsulates wisdom, values, and beliefs rooted in their productive and daily lives. This textile heritage serves as a high-quality pedagogical resource. To address the challenges of digital transformation, this study adopts a Digital Humanities perspective to design Augmented Reality teaching materials for Xilankapu. It proposes a systematic framework for AR-based pattern education and validates its pedagogical effectiveness through empirical design practices. Specifically, the design contains a paper-based textbook and Augmented Reality digital resources, of which, the Augmented Reality digital resources include the reconstruction of the 3D scenes of the Tujia ethnic group, the video of the dynamic renditions of four patterns, and the animation of the 3D model of the loom, which are developed using the smartphone-based Unity 3D+Vuforia technical solution, and the corresponding usability tests are conducted. This study confirms the value of Augmented Reality technology in teaching material design and pattern innovation while providing a digital innovation case for the Tujia brocade. The findings offer significant contributions to academic discourse and practical applications in cultural heritage preservation.