**2. Computer aided garment designing**

Computer aided designing software (AceApparel; Assol; Assyst; Audaces; Bernina; Comtense; FashionCad; Gemini; Gerber; Grafis; InvenTex; Jindex; Lectra; Leko; Optitex; PadSystem; RichPeace; Staprim; WildGinger; TanyaGeo) not only provide the possibility to speed up the process of putting a new model into production and improve the quality of the products, but also to reduce material costs and labour intensity, ensuring an elastic change of the assortment. Most of the systems are made by the module principle in which separate garment designing stages are implemented (Razdomahins, 2007). The systems are constantly being developed according to the improvements of in production conditions, the implementation of new technologies as well as the optimisation of the designing process.

When introducing CAD/CAM systems, some main aspects have to be taken into consideration: costs of software, equipment, technical supply and training, the suitability to the particular production conditions, the safety of exploitation and improvement possibilities (Vilumsone, 1993; Pavlovskaya, 2009). Although the implementation of systems is an expensive process, the advantages compensate the high costs and difficulties that arise during the implementation.

Modern computer aided designing systems allow performing different designing stages including traditional 2D designing, as well as the imitation of a 3D garment, 3D virtual fitting.

product surface layout has to be created (drawn) (Vilumsone, 1993; Koblakova, 1988). One of the most topical problems in garment designing has always been the search of garment designing methods scientifically reasoned, precise and as little as possible time and labour consuming. Several factors depend on a precise development of garment surface layout – material expenditure, garment set quality, labour intensity level, the aesthetical and

The traditional mass production ever decreases the volumes of series, the production becomes more elastic and the choice of goods expands; the wear time decreases. Along with the serial production, individual production becomes more and more popular. The current economic situation shifts the search for labour more and more to the East, but the creation of individually oriented products could make it possible to maintain working places and production units in Europe. People will be willing to pay more for this type of clothing and receive it in a possibly short term. Thereby the promotion of individualized production is

The non-contact anthropometrical data acquisition methods are currently used to solve the problem of acquiring the clients' measures for individualized production, yet still the spread of individualized production is limited by the uniformity of assortment, the labour intensity of designing, the uncertainty of the result of the construction and the complexity of the constructing tasks creating an individual product for each customer (D'Apuzzo,

In its turn the potentialities of the virtual reality are used to create e-store offers that are more attractive to customers, create virtual twins, model fitting and the reflection of

Computer aided designing software (AceApparel; Assol; Assyst; Audaces; Bernina; Comtense; FashionCad; Gemini; Gerber; Grafis; InvenTex; Jindex; Lectra; Leko; Optitex; PadSystem; RichPeace; Staprim; WildGinger; TanyaGeo) not only provide the possibility to speed up the process of putting a new model into production and improve the quality of the products, but also to reduce material costs and labour intensity, ensuring an elastic change of the assortment. Most of the systems are made by the module principle in which separate garment designing stages are implemented (Razdomahins, 2007). The systems are constantly being developed according to the improvements of in production conditions, the implementation of new technologies as well as the optimisation of the designing process.

When introducing CAD/CAM systems, some main aspects have to be taken into consideration: costs of software, equipment, technical supply and training, the suitability to the particular production conditions, the safety of exploitation and improvement possibilities (Vilumsone, 1993; Pavlovskaya, 2009). Although the implementation of systems is an expensive process, the advantages compensate the high costs and difficulties that arise

Modern computer aided designing systems allow performing different designing stages including traditional 2D designing, as well as the imitation of a 3D garment, 3D virtual

hygienic characteristics of the finished product.

affected by social and economic aspects.

**2. Computer aided garment designing** 

2008; Fan, 2004).

garment individualities.

during the implementation.

fitting.

Modern 2D CAD/CAM systems perform constructing in three ways:

Type 1 The construction is designed manually, but the production preparation is performed using computer technologies (manually prepared patterns are entered into the system with a digitizer).

Type 2 Manual work is completely excluded. The whole designing and preparation process is computer aided.

Type 3 Part of the designing stages are computer aided, without human help, but the rest is an interactive process.

The use of any kind of computerization has indisputable advantages: improved production quality, higher productivity, humanization of the working process, more elastic production, process control, the possibility to link the production with the desires of the customer (rapid response). Nevertheless each system can be improved. For a 3D imitation of a garment to adjust a parametric mannequin to the individual measures of a human body additional projection body measures have to be considered (at present only the height is integrated, but the width characterizing the configuration of transversal planes is necessary too.

The latest tendency in the CAD/CAM development is the creation of 3D designing. There are several reasons for the implementation of 3D designing:


Although 3D designing where it is possible to create a layout of plane details by a 3D shape drawing already exists, such systems have several disadvantages: a limited assortment and shape of garment, segmentation.

Depending on the practicable task, 3D systems can be divided as follows:

Type 1 Imitation of the garments' appearance – the system allows changing the 3D sketch or photograph to evaluate the appearance of the garments' model with visually different types of textile materials;

Type 2 Garment imitation – the systems allows performing a virtual fitting, evaluate the external appearance, shape, set, proportions of the garment (the garment is created in 3D by joining patterns constructed in a plane, creating an imitation of the garment with the intention to ascertain the conformity of the outer appearance to the expectations);

Type 3 Garment designing – the system allows creating the shape of a garment, identify (define) dividing lines, create patterns in a 3D environment following a layout in a plane.

The apparel appearance imitation systems are suitable mainly for making catalogues and specialist communication to verify the visual conformity of the textiles with the particular model. To create the reality of the apparel perception a shading/lustre of a

Virtual Garment Creation 53

(a)

(b)

Fig. 2. Garment imitation a) LECTRA 3D Fit, b) BERNINA My Label

photograph/sketch. A new fabric is spread over the fabric in the image in a way that the direction of the pattern conforms with the pattern direction of the fragment defined with the help of a net structure (Figure 1). In case of a complicated model the preparation of the image for fabric "spreading" can be quite labour-intensive. Nevertheless it pays off since after that a large variety of patterns and colours can be tested within a very short period of time.

Fig. 1. Imitation of the garments' appearance KOPPERMANN Tex Design

There are several other 3D designing elaboration foreruns and finished elaborations, the usage of which is limited by different factors – assortment, segmentations of products, the fiction of 3D designing – all changes are made in a 2D environment (Viļumsone, 2007).

A structural scheme of the production process (Fig.4.), identifying the processes of typal production with the goal to determine the mutual relationship of the production preparation processes and the structure of the informative and software means, has been developed; it has been concluded that no matter what level CAD/CAM system is used, their usage provides a faster development of the product and shortens the working process. A complete 3D designing process would exclude different working stages connected with constructing and constructive modelling, 3D imitation and creation of a virtual prototype.

photograph/sketch. A new fabric is spread over the fabric in the image in a way that the direction of the pattern conforms with the pattern direction of the fragment defined with the help of a net structure (Figure 1). In case of a complicated model the preparation of the image for fabric "spreading" can be quite labour-intensive. Nevertheless it pays off since after that a large variety of patterns and colours can be tested within a very short period of

Fig. 1. Imitation of the garments' appearance KOPPERMANN Tex Design

There are several other 3D designing elaboration foreruns and finished elaborations, the usage of which is limited by different factors – assortment, segmentations of products, the fiction of 3D designing – all changes are made in a 2D environment (Viļumsone, 2007).

A structural scheme of the production process (Fig.4.), identifying the processes of typal production with the goal to determine the mutual relationship of the production preparation processes and the structure of the informative and software means, has been developed; it has been concluded that no matter what level CAD/CAM system is used, their usage provides a faster development of the product and shortens the working process. A complete 3D designing process would exclude different working stages connected with constructing and constructive modelling, 3D imitation and creation of a

time.

virtual prototype.

(b) Fig. 2. Garment imitation a) LECTRA 3D Fit, b) BERNINA My Label

Virtual Garment Creation 55

Fig. 4. The 3D process of garment designing

apparel model.

**3. A comparison of the existent 3D designing systems** 

When developing 3D apparel designing systems three mutually connected tasks are being solved: the development of a virtual mannequin, the creation of a 3D shape of a garment model and the 2D layout of details (Winsborough, 2001; Yan, 2007). There are two sequences possible for these tasks. Systems, like Optitex (OptiTex CAD/CAM), that imitate garments, use 2D templates that are sewn together virtually. In its turn 3D designing systems create the surface of a garment in relation to a mannequin and acquire the layout of details afterwards (Staprim CAD/CAM). In addition problems connected with the qualities of the textiles. The imitation of the physical qualities of fabrics (elasticity, drapery etc.) when placing parts of a garment onto a 3D mannequin influence the correct set of a garment and the visual perception of a model (Szabó, 2008). The visual qualities of a fabric – colour, pattern, texture – are very important for a wholesome perception and evaluation of an

The comparison table of the existent 3D designing systems examines the best known systems which offer 3D designing: Optitex (Israel; http://www.optitex.com/), Staprim (Russia; http://www.staprim.com/), Lectra (France; http://www.lectra.com), Assyst (Germany; http://www.human-solutions.com), Gerber (USA; http://www.gerbertechnology.com/), Assol (Russia; http://www.assol.org/), Bernina (Switzerland; http://www.berninamylabel.com/).

Fig. 3. Garment designing 3D CAD STAPRIM

Fig. 3. Garment designing 3D CAD STAPRIM

Fig. 4. The 3D process of garment designing
