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| Issue date:01/08/2006 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Aug 2006 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
| by Sanjay Gupta |
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Computer-aided-design (CAD) software has been historically used by designers to create sketches, croquis, repeats, patterns, and silhouettes. Convergence of CAD technology with web technology is now aiming to increase production efficiency and reduce delivery times. Recent developments in texture mapping design technology have on one hand improved the designer's toolset for rendering realistic looking product, and on the other enabled a consumer interface using web technology for the development of customized products. Another area being addressed is that of prototyping or sampling.
The reasons are not far to seek. Fashion trends are changing faster than ever. Retailers not only want more collections per season but also that their offerings to the consumers for a particular season should also keep changing through the season. We have now these so-called "fast fashion" companies that deliver new lines of clothes to their stores every four to six weeks. H&M and Zara, for example, have speeded up the design cycle with computer technology. Zara uses data from its 426 stores to spot new trends, and offers 10,000 new products a year. TopShop, another newcomer, generates as many as 300 new designs a week. The shelf life of a garment has fallen from six months to a few weeks. Besides, the line development costs represent today between 6-9% of a company's operating costs.
E-prototyping is essentially a bundle of technologies that have been integrated around the web technology for virtual creation of materials and styles through rapid prototyping of materials, cutting and sewing to communication of all the necessary data for production of styles. CAD companies like Lectra and Nedgraphics today offer e-prototyping solutions enabling speeding up of the creative process, testing of more ideas, and development of lines adapted to market requirements.
How it works
Sampling of textile/ fashion products has traditionally been a long process as it is sequential and requires the participation of many users i.e. the buyer, vendor, manufacturer, designer and maybe the consumer at various stages of conceptualization and manufacture. Through e-prototyping a network connecting all users is created in a way that everyone can witness and participate at every stage of development of the product. Everyone sees the same thing and any changes or modifications are made in real time.
The network is made possible by integrating the traditional CAD systems for making color palettes, weave, print, sketches, croquis, repeats, patterns or silhouettes on a web-based platform. Newer modules for texture mapping, catalog making, mass customizing, color management and so on are also being added. This network is connected to rapid prototyping tools like inkjet printing, automatic sample looms and automatic single ply cutters to complete the link.
While the concept looks simple, it has taken many years of development in many parallel areas to make it happen. Some critical components are explained below.
Design Data Management
Electronic data management is crucial for problem-free operation of this network as it must provide a fast, efficient and secure way to send data required for any operation in the lines anywhere in the world. Such an EDM system will cover the data management requirements of the full cycle running from yarn, fabric and garment design, to computer-aided collection management, taking in digital fabric printing or weaving for prototypes and small production runs, automated cutting, computerized technical data exchange, right through to virtual merchandising and garment customization. These systems are operable within a local area network, wide area network or on the Internet, using extensive user-defined security precautions enabling individuals to have read-only or read and write access to data. All data is compressed, encrypted and secured with account names and passwords to ensure safe transmission.
Lectra offers the complete solution through LectraOnLine. LectraOnline "e-prototyping" service provides virtual sampling for apparel customers, by combining texture mapping with 3D garment construction. LectraOnline will automatically generate lightweight files from pattern pieces created in two dimensions, from a fabric photo or scan, or from a virtual fabric. The designer submits a file over the Internet along with a photo of the fabric, and LectraOnline sends back a three-dimensional virtual garment. The resulting image can be zoomed in and out to see more detail as well as fitted on a virtual model for size and style adjustments.
Gerber Technology's WebPDM (Product Data Management) system, aimed at retailers and manufacturers, acts as an electronic filing cabinet and stores all details related to a product including measurement specifications, construction details, costing as well as bill of material information, photographs, technical sketches, video and voice annotation files.
Design presentation & communication
Communication & presentation modules allow circulation and accession of design information via a web browser enabling communication and presentation of all design information within the company or with vendors in other countries without the need to install software on every PC. The Presentation module uses standard web technology, and a variety of product sheet print-out options. Together with the texture mapping, 3D presentation and recoloring plug-in, these modules forms an excellent marketing and sales tool.
Home furnishing is one of the earlier adopters of texture mapping |
Texture mapping or "digital draping," is an established visualization tool that creates photo-realistic 3D rendering of designs, colors, surfaces, textures and patterns onto photographs of furniture, models or room-sets, offering life-like representations of digital product samples. The process enables test marketing of new product without the need to develop physical samples. The newer versions have increased functionality for both offline and online use, removing the time consuming and challenging ways of earlier versions. The new generation tools are focusing on web, kiosk, and CD-Rom applications, making it a collaboration tool between designers and buyers before manufacturing begins. This kind of web-enabled merchandising can be used at the consumer level too.
Home furnishings is one of the first industries to make use of texture mapping as their basic silhouettes and styles do not change dramatically from season to season. It is easy to leverage a small library of photos to create hundreds of product images cost efficiently. Depending on the system or service used, the average cost of a texture mapped image is US$75-US$1,000. By using texture mapping in place of sample development and photography of new products for sales books and packaging, home fashions companies can save anywhere from US$5,000 - US$15,000 per bed/bath ensemble. Even though texture mapping can't replace real product, it does provide a realistic image before the sampling begins. This helps eliminate sampling costs from product ideas that are never adopted for final production. Since average sampling costs in engraved screens, fabric yardage, strike-offs and sewing for a single bed ensemble range between US$10,000 and US$40,000 each, the savings with texture mapping are dramatic.
Use of texture mapping has been slow to catch on in apparel owing to the quicker product development process, combined with constantly changing silhouettes. However, its use is beginning to pick up in catalog and web-sale companies particularly. LectraCatalog combines an Oracle-based database with texture mapping on a 2D or 3D image, where styles, fabrics and trims can be mixed and matched instantly and displayed photo-realistically. It can be used for face-to-face design collaboration from your own computer, or as a web-enabled catalog. Nedgraphics is offering Easy Map, which promises improved mapping algorithms and improved efficiencies for scaling, moving, and re-coloring designs on the image. Age Technologies has recently introduced its StyleDraper texture mapping program, an Adobe Photoshop plug-in for use by design studios and freelance artists who could not afford texture mapping programs in the past.
Mass customization and 3D simulation
Future developments in the area are targeted towards integration of e-prototyping with two new technologies: mass customization and 3D simulation.
E-prototyping is not too far removed from mass customization. Solutions for mass customization offer integrated body measurement solutions with mass customization software and 3D body scanners. Having ordered a customized item online, customers are unlikely to be willing to wait too long for their garment. For this reason, all systems typical of e-prototyping need to be in place to ensure that the order is correctly interpreted and produced.
Virtual merchandising need not be limited to a two-dimensional representation. Quite simply different fabrics behave in different ways and it is important for a customer to "see" how a fabric will drape in a three-dimensional way. Numerous CAD-CAM systems are under development to provide optimum solutions. One example is that of Gerber Technology offering the APDA-3D pattern visualization system that enables pattern makers to view 2D styles assembled and draped on a dress form. Users can even define the viewing and lighting angles of the image and are able to view a vertical or horizontal cross section of the style to verify fit and ease. Textiles are easily imported from Artworks Studio into APDS-3D for draping purposes and, using the Kawabata fabric draping system, users can control the bending properties of fabrics on screen. APDS-3D is actually a product of Asahi Chemical Industry Co Ltd of Tokyo, Japan designed for the apparel industry and is licensed exclusively by Gerber Technology.
In conclusion
E-prototyping will no doubt lead to increased efficiency of sampling with shorter delivery times and lower costs. It will also show a new way of prototyping that is more participatory and evolutionary in its design approach.
Dr Sanjay Gupta is a Professor of Fashion and Textiles at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, India.
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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