3D Printing for Apparel Design: Exploring Apparel Design Process using 3D Modeling Software

Disruptive Potential of 3D Printing for Clothing and Textile Sector

“…The qualitative data collected in this research supports the conceptual framework developed by Sun and Lu (2015) for integration of 3D printing in C& T discipline. The results of this study provide C&T discipline with both an understanding of the potential of 3D printing and practical steps to integrating 3D printing for C&T. Eight interviewees agreed that the rapid influence of technology on fashion discipline has the potential to create another "paradigm shift" for C&T. If the emerging technology has the potential of disrupting the way C&T industry functions, the discipline which trains the workforce should be aware of the possible changes and have the ability to transform itself to the new needs of the discipline.…”

“…Disruptive innovations are technologies, which drastically change the lifecycle of products and eventually take over the role of the original product (Christensen, 1997). Previously, C&T researchers have noted the lack of 3D printed apparel (Sun & Lu, 2015;Sun & Parsons, 2014). This research used a qualitative approach to explore whether 3D printing for apparel is a fad or reality.…”

Envisioning the era of 3D printing: a conceptual model for the fashion industry

“…However, traditional training for fashion designers commonly does not include the 3D modeling and rendering techniques using digital fabrication methods, such as 3DP. Previous studies focusing on design cognition in 3D modeling of wearable products has suggested that a designer usually faces a challenge in accurately perceiving haptic and visuo-spatial experience in the virtual prototyping process (Sun and Parsons 2014). Even considering designer's experience in 2D CAD programs, scholar has found the digital crafting process may result in an exhausting experience, and individuals with more training in haptic skills are more likely to deal well with the challenges in the virtual design environments (Treadaway 2009).…”

“…A human avatar is often utilized in the 3D CAD process as a "virtual dress form" for wearable product design (Sun and Parsons 2014). Such an approach would eliminate much of the procedures in traditional product development like various fitting sessions using live models.…”

“…Moreover, fashion design and product development have traditionally relied heavily on hand-on based practices and intuitive decision making, and a steep learning curve exists in a digital design adaptation for designers who have more training in haptic skills (Danaher 2004;Harris 2005;Treadaway 2009). For 3DP based wearable product design, scholars (Sun and Parsons 2014) have found that traditional fashion designers would need to efficiently apply their spatial visualization ability (Kozhevnikov et al 2010) and their tacit knowledge in order to effectively translate or convert the conventional handon based tools, procedures, and workflow into the 3D CAD processes.…”