Table of Contents
Technologies are everywhere, and even the industries that were well known for their incredible manual labor for years now resort to digitalization. Let’s take clothing design and tailoring. A decade ago, all sketches were drawn manually, the clothing construction was tiresome and complicated, and to make a suit, the designer needed to perform numerous actions that took a lot of time and effort. And that is precisely why we all appreciate clothes of beautiful design and high quality.
However, let’s not forget that the fashion industry is not the most eco-friendly one, and its sustainability was questioned for years. Until now, when a lot of software appeared and let the designers save not only time but also resources and transition to a more planet-saving approach. Thanks to numerous smart solutions that appeared on the market, the designers now can perform virtual fitting, virtual construction and tailoring, 3D modeling, technical drawings, forecasting of necessary materials and their amount, and many more.
Such technologies as AR, VR, and CAD are already transforming the way our clothes are made. And it is hard to underestimate their value. We have already covered the topic of digital solutions for the clothing industry and described some best practices that are already used by huge and small retail brands and design companies. So in case you are interested, take a look at that article here.
And in this article, we would like to discuss in detail the tools that every designer company needs, point out how they can improve the business, and help to optimize numerous processes. We have also collected the most interesting examples to let you understand better how such smart designing software works and what benefits it has. So, let’s wait no longer, and proceed to our topic!
Technologies that change clothes design
These days the trend all over the world shifted towards sustainability. All businesses related to the vast clothing industry try to reduce the impact of the production on the environment. And this implies the necessity of usage of more advanced tools for tailoring to minimize the waste of fabric, haberdashery, paint, and other resources. Although old but gold design solutions work fine, there are new smart ones that can bring clothes making processes to a whole new level. And we are referring to AR, VR, 3D modeling, and the term CAD (computer-aided design) that unites them.
Let’s first begin with CAD because this term combines numerous technologies. Computer-aided design can be performed thanks to solutions that use AR, VR, and 3D modeling. These can be separate programs or a complex holistic system that includes several technologies and offers a wide range of features. The selection of feature sets and technologies often depends on the company’s needs. Some companies need a tool for performing fittings or measurements online, and some need complex solutions for the construction of clothes and virtual alterations, etc.
What we can say for sure is that traditional tailoring and clothes design faces too many challenges to stay competitive and productive these days. So it is time to digitalize your business. We offer you to take a look at the most popular technologies that are used in this industry and how exactly they work.
#1 Augmented Reality
Now when the whole world gets more connected thanks to the Internet, people want to be able to get a garment produced by a company from abroad. Would that be possible if the tailoring stayed traditional? Probably not, because let’s take fittings – how would a person get to the designer or tailor too many times? This is inconvenient, and also cost and time-consuming. That is why many companies initiated the development of their own custom tools for tailors.
AR technology lets people perform all crucial measurements by scanning their bodies using a smartphone. Then this data can be transmitted to the device of a tailor and he will use it to construct a garment and make it suitable for a certain body type.
Speaking about AR it is crucial to mention that it offers clothing making companies a lot of advantages:
- You can create clothes for people with different body types. Let’s say you are sawing a form for competing sportsmen. Rather than taking the measurements of each team member separately and manually, you can use an AR application and do it much faster. The app will scan the body of a person and provide all data in numbers. A couple of minutes and you have all measurements right at your hand.
- You can arrange remote fittings. If you have a lot of clients from abroad, you do not need to ask them to come to your office. Just use your custom AR tool that will create an avatar after scanning the body of your client and let the client try on a new garment and suggest alterations.
- You will create more customized garments. By using AR applications, people can perform virtual fitting and select a color of the future garment, the fabric, haberdashery type and shape, types of threads, etc. Even the look of the piece of clothing can be changed by your client easily. In such a way, you will ensure a more personalized and customer-oriented approach.
- You will save resources. The AR software can help you with clothing construction and let you count how much fabric and other materials will be needed. So you will not buy any extras and then throw it all away. This will make your production more eco-friendly and efficient.
Speaking about virtual try-on apps and fitting rooms, it should be said that they offer 3 scenarios of this activity. So an AR solution can do:
- AO try-on – Avatar only. It is when the system creates a virtual body based on real measurements of a person.
- DO try-on – Dress only when you try-on clothes on a real person using an AR application. You just open it on your device, upload your design, direct a camera on a person standing in front of the device, and see how the design looks like on that person.
- HV try-on – Hybrid version. It is an approach when virtual clothes can be tried on an avatar and then blended with a real physical body, thanks to the AR solution. The clothes will be shown in movement (when a person moves a hand – a sleeve will move too) so that a client can check how the real garment will look and behave when you are not in a static position.
#2 3D modeling
For many years the design was performed in traditional 2D format, and even now, some companies still resort to it and do not actively use any 3D modeling software. This is a massive mistake because this technology is a future! We have all heard about 3D printing, so needless to say that it is used in every industry, and designing one is not an exception. However, in this article, we will not focus on it cause we’d like to discuss the 3D software.
Such software allows us to perform visualization of future garments and make the designing process faster and easier. So basically, it is an advanced tool for rendering. The 3D visualization module can be implemented in the software for design to be used on try-on stages and for enabling body scanners. To make a 3D module work, you need to insert the data related to the physical body (its measurements), or simply scan the person, and then add a virtual garment so that it can be tried on.
However, convenient fitting is not the only advantage of the 3D visualization module. It can do much more:
- Perform fast design edits. Thanks to 3D simulation and layering, you can alter the design at any stage by switching the color, the shape, the fabric, the size of the garment, etc. And this is without wasting any original materials which are perfect from a financial perspective.
- Create custom patterns and prints. With 3D modeling software, you can create unique pieces and let your fantasy guide you through the whole process. You may even end up with a revolutionary, innovative design at your hands. After you’ve created the construction, you can transfer the parameters and figures to your factory, and they will sew a piece according to your 3D design.
- Import specs of any fabric. Some 3D modeling tools offer such a realistic experience that you can even check how the material will behave in motion. Fabrics are different – some are flowy, some are heavy, So to get a real understanding, you just import the specs, create a 3D model of a garment, and see how it fits.
#3 Virtual Reality
Unlike augmented reality that only extends the existing environment, virtual reality creates a wholly artificial one and offers a full immersion. This technology is widespread and actively used in many industries despite its relatively high price. And not so long ago, VR entered the world of design and tailoring. The unique possibility that VR offers is to create clothes from a customer’s perspective. The customers can not only take a look at a future garment but also see on what occasion to wear it.
VR is a powerful tool able to boost designers’ companies and turn their marketing to a whole new level. Let’s say you own a brand and a new collection in mind – you can gather a small group of people and check if your concept will work if your clothes are wearable and can get sold out in the future. Using VR, people can try on clothes as if they were real.
You can easily design using VR devices, create prints, patterns, alter the construction, add some decorative elements, and perform numerous other actions. Just take a quick look at the video below to get an understanding of how this technology is used for design.
VR, like AR, offers a high level of customization, and people can participate in adding changes to the design, which is great from a marketing and customer engagement perspective. Also, it is a more money-saving approach since before buying materials and starting the production, you get real numbers that will let you not to buy too much fabric or other things. You will buy only the things you need and in a necessary amount without producing waste.
Some great examples of smart design solutions
If you have your custom VR, AR, or 3D modeling solution on your mind but still doubt whether it is worth investing in, then some examples can help you to make a decision. It is always better to take a sneak peek on how everything works and then get an understanding of what exactly suits your needs. So we have collected some of the most popular and successful examples of smart clothes design solutions for you to check. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
CLO
The name of this solution perfectly explains what it is capable of. CLO 3D is a modeling tool for designers that is very user-friendly and convenient. It is actively used by numerous companies all over the world, and you can find numerous tutorials related to 3D modeling in this application on YouTube. Here is one of them to show you the main principle of this solution work.
It offers a great level of visualization, rich palette of colors and tools, choice of avatars, and many more. Here are some great options of CLO we’d like to emphasize:
- 3D simulation, layering, design and garment edits;
- Sewing and tacking;
- Print layouts;
- Fit checks and animation runaway.
Seems quite impressive, right? And taking into account the number of positive reviews on this software, it can be said that its development was worth what it took.
Tuka3D
Tuka is a unique solution with the widest set of features a clothing designer can imagine – from virtual fittings with emulation of real fabric motion to X-ray and tension mapping.
So basically, this application allows you to scan a real model, then create an avatar, and create a garment for that specific body shape. You can preview the pieces, adjust them to any designing stage, and get a holistic view of the clothing before starting a real production process. You can set fabric color and texture, add the desired fabric, see an animated preview of your pieces, and what’s more exciting, you can integrate this software with your other graphic design solutions. This is what we call a holistic approach to design!
There are also many other solutions available on the market that are using VR, AR, and 3D modeling, so you may reasonably ask yourself a question – “Why would I develop a custom solution if there are others already made ones?” The answer would be – because a custom solution will meet all your requirements and will be adapted to your business processes.
You can combine in it several top technologies and get an app able to speed up the designing process, increase income, and save production costs. Different companies need different tools, and to successfully integrate them all and create a smart environment, and it is always better to have your easy-to-tune solution.
Conclusions
It doesn’t matter in what time we live, the desire of people to look good and wear-well made clothes is always actual. Today’s world is all about uniqueness, so people are now eager to get something new, custom-tailored, and looking different. That is why the design sphere is under significant pressure. It takes a lot of time, money, and effort to create garments and not to produce a lot of waste. And the key to sustainability is technology.
AR and 3D modeling tools are a must-have for design and tailoring companies. Not only can they speed up production, but they also help to build a more customer-oriented approach and satisfy the needs of clients. Virtual fittings, AR-powered solutions for taking measurements, 3D modeling tools for creating and adjusting unique garments – these all solutions are the future of design. So if you only have thought about getting one of the mentioned tools, it is the right time to initiate its development and boost your business.
