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5 Ways in Which Apparel Organizations are Utilizing 3D Technology

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The apparel industry is slowly opening its doors to 3D and implementing digital workflows across the value chain. As the world grows more environmentally conscious, consumers’ outlook and behavior have shifted toward a more sustainable approach to their shopping habits.

Apparel organizations are now recognizing the potential of 3D technology as it not only accelerates time to market, it opens up the opportunity to streamline workflows while maximizing efficiencies in communication and production.

Here are 5 of the many ways in which apparel organizations are utilizing 3D technology today:

Innovating with 3D Sampling

Eliminating the dependency on physical samples helps simplify the design process by enabling designers to draft, edit, and validate styles digitally without sewing a single seam. From a 2D sketch translated into a 3D garment fitted on a human-like avatar, the designer can create patterns and styles directly on the digital garment with the ability to make any adjustments and showcase many variations before taking the design to production.

“Companies that have used 3D for design reported declines of 50% in the number of samples needed and the costs involved.”

By creating 3D prototypes, apparel organizations can shorten the product development time, and make decisions from anywhere around the world while reducing unnecessary waste simultaneously.

Getting the Right Fit

Tired of producing multiple physical samples and still getting the same fit inconsistencies? With 3D technology, designers can conduct the fit evaluation process in real-time at an early stage on a digital avatar that can be manipulated according to human body measurements, body types, shapes, and sizes.    This enables designers to get a true-to-life visual of how the digital garment fits, folds, and drapes when worn on the human body without waiting months to see a physical sample.

“Utilizing virtual garments that are true-to-life gives the decision-makers the confidence to depend on the fact that each aspect from the seams and trims through to the garment drapes on the body, will be identical to the physical.”

Through 3D technology, designers can communicate, review and approve from wherever they may be in the world and are ultimately connected through a single source of truth.

Bring Your Ideas to Life

When it comes to 3D visualization, apparel designers can leverage various features and functions to get the most accurate idea of what the finished piece will resemble.

By analyzing every detail of the garment, including the fabric composition and quality of the garment, 3D visualization helps to improve the manufacturing process by making sure that there is clarity about the requirements and intricate details that make up the garment as well as keeping up with any design changes and evolving ideas.

3D visualization provides a complete product understanding through interaction .”

Apparel designers can spin, zoom, and examine all the intricate details of the garment, make any adjustments if needed, and remove any element of uncertainty when it comes to fit. By apparel organizations having these interactive capabilities, they are ensuring increased engagement, sales, lower rates of returns, and higher consumer buying confidence.

Showcase Your Designs Digitally

Designers can showcase their digital samples through many safe and interactive platforms that enable collaboration and validation of garments to design effectively with the input of all stakeholders worldwide and get them involved in the process before any samples are ready.

Nowadays, clients show eagerness in having a glimpse at the design of their project even before the work starts .”

Showcasing digital samples lets designers get immediate feedback and encourages rapid decision-making because stakeholders can collaborate in making edits and adjustments to the garment in real time, reducing time to market.

Manufacturing Made Easy

3D design allows for a more streamlined and efficient end-to-end workflow, which results in an accurate pre-production process. Firstly, there is no pressure on manufacturers to produce physical samples when it comes to the digital design cycle’s manufacturing phase. Secondly, the production of the 3D garment to the physical garment is error-proof as all adjustments have already been made, and working with digital tools gives manufacturers the advantage of visualizing the end product before being sent to production ”. Thirdly, any unsold samples can be altered and repurposed for future collections, resulting in decreased waste.

There’s no doubt that 3D technology is a game-changer in the apparel industry. With the variety of digital tools in the market, it is in the best interest of apparel organizations to take part in the digital transformation and adapt their traditional workflows and reap all the benefits that 3D has to offer, as it will help them become more agile and responsive to the changing trends of the market.

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