Virtual prototyping & used tools

Open educational resource developed by:

Introduction
More than ten years ago, academic research opposed towards the clothing and textile
industry for their lack of of effective garment-oriented CAD packages to design directly in
3D and simulating the behaviour of the product in use. Due to the growth of demand for
sustainability, e-commerce, mass customization and advances of virtual reality applications,
the digitization of the garment is strongly desired for the optimization of the industry’s
design and development process.1

Keywords
Virtual, avatars, 3D, textile, garment, digital prototyping

1. E, P. and N, B., 2017. 3D Virtual Prototyping Traces New Avenues for Fashion Design and Product Development: A Qualitative Study. Journal of
Textile Science & Engineering, 07(02).
Goals
The awareness and information of new-comers in the textile sector is the main scope of this
educational resource. That is because Design, Development and Production have largely
relied on the same, often manual, methods despite all the technological advances
happening in the world outside of fashion and apparel2.

Nowadays, with the growth of demand from better educated consumers, mass
customization, e-commerce, advances in virtual reality applications, the virtual garment
development is strongly desired in order to optimize apparel industry’s design and
development processes. Although this is now commonplace in the aeronautical,
automotive, furniture and shoe sectors, development in the apparel industry has been slow
and complex; mainly due to the dropping and stretching properties inherent in fabric,
which are not only radically different between different fabric types and constructions, but
also in the direction off weave or knit within the piece

2. E, P. and N, B., 2017. 3D Virtual Prototyping Traces New Avenues for Fashion Design and Product Development: A Qualitative Study. Journal of
Textile Science & Engineering, 07(02).
Since ten years now, the necessity of digitization has taken over the re-planning and reforming of
business models into integrating the 2D (then) and 3D (currently) models into their activities.
Manufacturers and suppliers in the textile industry are already making use of a well-established 2D
CAD technology for pattern drafting and sizing, or CAM systems for automatic cutting and sewing;
and have already entered the 3D technology world provided with simulation capabilities, prediction of
actual behaviour of the cloth, in terms of prototyping and finally the making of completely digital
textiles, Multi-layered fabrics, textiles used in daily clothing, protective wear for sport and working
activities, as well as coverings, tarpaulins and other textiles used in home/vehicle furnishings,
architectural structures, etc3.

3. Fontana, M., Rizzi, C. and Cugini, U., 2004. Physics-Based Modelling And Simulation Of Functional Cloth For Virtual Prototyping Applications. 1st
ed. [pdf] Available at: <https://diglib.eg.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10.2312/sm20041400/267-272_fontana.pdf?sequence=1>
.
1. 3D/ digital/ Virtual prototyping
Digital prototype (or one of the three mentions in the title above), in the textile and
garment industry enables technologies in the process of product development where
various operators are involved in the different stages, with various skills and competencies,
and different necessity of formalizing and defining in a deterministic way the result of their
activities4.
In other words, it can be considered as the digitization of some of the steps followed by
supplier and manufacturer in the process of product development.

1.1 Digital prototyping and supply chain

Focusing on the prototyping stages of the supply chain 3D technologies are being
developed in order to cover the needs of communication between producer and supplier
for shorting the prototyping stages and their economic and environmental impact. Digital
Prototypes are used as an essential tool in the modern design process. The integration can
speed up the design process and affect competition between companies5.

4. E, P. and N, B., 2017. 3D Virtual Prototyping Traces New Avenues for Fashion Design and Product Development: A Qualitative Study. Journal
of Textile Science & Engineering, 07(02).
5. PAPACHRISTOU, E., 2015. How to integrate recent development in technology with Digital Prototype textile and apparel applications.
MARMARA UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, 27(3).
2. Used tools

The first thing needed for a successful prototyping in the textile industry is a high tech and
specialized CAD program.

Since the beginning of the smart era in product design, R&D and manufacturing in textiles,
the software supporting the digitization varies and keeps developing onto a large pace
scale.

Some of the used tools are:

• CLO3D
• CAD
• TAILORNOVA
• BROWZWEAR
• OPTITEX
• IDESIGNIBUY
• CDESIGNFASHION
• VIRTUALITY.FASHION

6. E, P. and N, B., 2017. 3D Virtual Prototyping Traces New Avenues for Fashion Design and Product Development: A Qualitative Study. Journal
of Textile Science & Engineering, 07(02).
 Sports garment simulation on the tool Browzwear.
Aiming to represent as close to reality as possible the movement of the garment while the
athlete is moving.

Images: https://browzwear.com/company/
With the constant development of 3D tools, the user is able to go online and share
information with the manufacturer concerning the garment and its utility. The textile
textures. Wraps, wefts, the garment movements, the different textile behaviours in several
conditions such as water resistance, are now available online without the necessity of
exchanging the prototypes multiple times.

Images: https://www.clo3d.com/
The user of those tools can aslo have full image and access to the patterns of a garment.
Thus the reaccordination and reformation of the garments’ pattenrs can be done
Digitally wihtout needing to be actually made in hand.

Images: https://www.clo3d.com/
3. The importance of 3D virtual prototype
in the textile industry
A scenario of an apparel industry with fashion designers who do not use pencil and paper
and do not pass these designs to the pattern maker to digitally sew and evaluate them in a
3D model is too optimistic.

A future scenario of a fashion designer comfortable enough with 3D technology to create

from the beginning that initial fashion drawing in a three-dimensional space making quick
decisions, trying out different fabrics, colors and contrasts, communicating his/her ideas
with the pattern maker and the entire development team in true to life 3D and within hours
instead of days or weeks, sounds science fiction. Tree-dimensional (3D) technology - while
well established in many other industrial sectors like automotive, aerospace, architecture
and industrial design-, has only just started to open up a whole range of new opportunities
for apparel designers.1

7. Minghua, T., Faming, X., Huijuan, Z., Anyi, W. and Xiaoguang, W., 2016. Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation Cross-Linking on Polyolefin/Phenyl
Silicon Rubber Composite. Journal of Fashion Technology & Textile Engineering, 04(03).
This process is a time consuming and wasteful procedure.
The digitization of the partnership between designer and manufacturer is
close and already automating and minimizing steps on the process.

The garment sample development process

Image:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evridiki_Papachristou/publication/299982121_Can_3D_Virtual_Prototype_Conquer_the_Apparel_Ind
ustry/links/57872eb608ae36ad40a6a310.pdf
 4. A paradigm of software virtual prototyping

CLO3D, a new digital based tool, has optimised the digitisation of its products by
enhancing the ability to imprint the moves of the body onto the garment and give a
scope of natural effect and physical approach.

Image:https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0c/03/36/0c03363e5423264bb95ffa47b5cde631.jpg
4.1 Digital prototyping software CLO’s features:

MODULAR DESIGN 3D SIMULATION & LAYER

• Configurator • Real Time Sync/ Simulation
• Modular Template Files • Real time Garment Move
• Sewing Blocks • High-definition Garment
• Edit Block Components • Pattern Layer
• Pattern Sublayer
• Sewing Layer
• Fold Pattern
• Fold Seam Lines

Images: https://www.clo3d.com/explore/features
3D GARMENT EDIT 3D ARRANGEMENT 2D PATTERN DESIGN

• 3D line on pattern • Gizmo • Create/ Edit Pattern

• Cut 3D Pattern • Arrangement Point • AI Curve (Bézier Curve)

• Flattening • Direct Positioning • Symmetric/ Instance Design

• Select Single Multi Meshes • Fold Arrangement • Dart/ Pleats fold

• Single/ Multi Pins • Arrange as Flat/ Curved • Notch

• Freeze/ Deactivate • Flip Patterns • Trace

• Strengthen • Superimpose • Symbol. Annotation

• Glue Trim/ OBJ • Smart Arrangement • Seam Allowance

• Reference lines

Images: https://www.clo3d.com/explore/features
 4.1 Digital prototyping software CLO’s features:

HARDWARES & TRIMS

GRADING SEWING AND TACKING
• Zipper
• Add Pattern size • Segment Sewing
• Button/ button hole
• Edit Pattern size • Free sewing
• Elastic
• Pattern size table • M:N Sewing
• Glue trim/ OBJ
• Sewing Notch
• Custom trim/ OBJ
• Symmetric sewing
• Scale trim/ OBJ
• Tack on garment
• Topstitches (OBJ/ Image)
• Tack on Avatar
• Piping
• Pleats Sewing

Images: https://www.clo3d.com/explore/features
FINE - TUNNING FIT CHECK AVATAR

• OBJ Weight • 2D pattern measure • Edit avatar style

• Puckering • 3D garment measure • Edit avatar size

• Bond/ skive • Check 2D Sewing • Avatar Measurement

• Press length • Avatar tape

• Steam • Transparent map • Edit avatar pose (FK/IK)

• Solidify • Pressure points • Edit arrangement point

• Pressure • Strain/ Stress map • Avatar skin offset

• Fit map • Avatar friction
• 1:1 view
• 3D state history
Images: https://www.clo3d.com/explore/features
COLOURWAY PRINT LAYOUT
• Create colourways • Print layout 2D snapshot
• Edit textures/ colours • Arranging patterns
• Colour name input • Roll width settings
• Viewer code

Images: https://www.clo3d.com/explore/features
 RENDER IMAGE/ VIDEO ANIMATION (RUNWAY)

• High quality render • Record

• Single/ multi images • Play

• Turntable images • Edit

• Turntable videos • Animation video capture

• Light properties
• Render properties

Images: https://www.clo3d.com/explore/features
Conclusions

• The minimum amount of prototyping stages in a supply chain between a designer and

manufacturer in the textile sector are 4. This mean four times the transportation
therefore the air emissions from the means of transport, and four times the processes of

the production of the prototypes from scratch, including of course the human hours
spent for these stages.

• The digitisation of at least three of these steps will minimise and ultimately bring a big
impact on the environment and on the cost of production and communication between

designer and manufacturer.

• However the digitisation is still on early stage in the textile sector considering the lack of

education in the new norms that appear through the technological growth, coming to
replace some traditional ways of things.
Conclusions

• The way is still long and the human touch and physical contact with the product is

impossible to replace, but in the meanwhile, making the contact of the human
resources and their work easier and less complicated will improve and develop the

production process and benefit the sustainability efforts of the textile sector.

• The production of advanced textiles is a complicated process and the many different

materials and pieces that complete the smart textile are of different production that
need to be added up together, therefore many different production collaborators must

come in touch multiple times to search, design, receive and probably re-receive a
material. What would happen and how many efforts would be saved and sacrifices

avoided if a big amount of these processes is being completed by a few online tools.
 Visit http://destexproject.eu/ to see the rest of the intellectual outputs of the project

Disclaimer:
The European Commission support for the production of this report does not constitute an
endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot
be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Acknowledgement:
DESTEX project (INDUSTRIAL AND CREATIVE DESIGN IN ADVANCED TEXTILE MANUFACTURING;
project reference number 2019-1-SE01-KA203-060379) is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of
the European Union.