Page 101 - Shawl Weaving Artisan - TT

Historical context of CAD in textiles: - Realistic draping: Simulating how fabric will
Before CAD, textile design was a highly manual and fall, fold, and move on a human body or specific
form, taking into account fabric properties like
labour-intensive craft. Designers painstakingly created stiffness, stretch, and weight.
patterns by hand, using graph paper for weaving or
knitting designs. Jacquard looms, for instance, relied on - Fit evaluation: Adjusting avatars to different
manually crafted punch cards for intricate patterns – a body measurements and shapes, allowing
time-consuming and error-prone process. designers to assess fit, identify potential issues,
and make alterations digitally before physical
The transition to digital began in the late 1960s and samples are made.
early 1970s. Pioneering systems like the Textronics
Design System and EAT (Elektronik-Anwendung - Virtual showcasing: Creating photo-realistic
Technik) introduced digital creation and manipulation of renderings and 360° views of virtual garments,
textile patterns, drastically cutting down design iteration enabling early feedback from stakeholders and
time. Over time, specialized software emerged for accelerating decision-making without the need
various textile applications, integrating with Computer- for physical samples.
Aided Manufacturing (CAM) for a seamless design-to- - Print placement: Precisely positioning prints
production workflow. and motifs on the 3D garment.
3 Key Applications and features of textile CAD
• Design manipulation and editing
Textile CAD systems offer a comprehensive suite of tools - Tools for scaling, rotating, flipping, mirroring,
that address the diverse aspects of textile and apparel cropping, and distorting designs.
design and production:
- Easy editing of design elements, colors, and
• Pattern design and creation patterns.
- 2D Pattern making: Digitally creating • Collaboration and data exchange
and drafting garment patterns, including
functionalities for darts, pleats, seams, and - Compatibility with various file formats (TIFF,
various style lines. BMP, JPEG, PSD, DXF, etc.) to facilitate data
exchange with other software (e.g., Adobe
- Pattern grading: Automatically generating a Illustrator, Photoshop) and manufacturing
range of sizes (e.g., S, M, L, XL) from a single equipment.
base pattern, ensuring consistent fit across
sizes. - Streamlined communication with manufacturers
and suppliers globally.
- Marker making: Efficiently arranging pattern
pieces on a fabric layout to minimize material • Production data generation
waste, a critical cost-saving feature. - Automatic generation of technical specifications,
• Fabric design and simulation bills of materials, and production details (e.g.,
yarn consumption, loom card details) for
- Weave and knit design: Creating intricate seamless transfer to manufacturing.
weave structures (e.g., plain, twill, satin, dobby,
jacquard) and knit patterns (e.g., jersey, rib, - Integration with CAM systems for automated
interlock). Many systems include extensive cutting and production.
weave databases. 4 Benefits of CAD in textile design
- Print design: Developing original prints, The adoption of CAD in the textile industry brings
manipulating motifs, applying repeat patterns numerous advantages:
(e.g., seamless repeats, drops), and managing
color separations for printing. • Accelerated design cycle: Significantly reduces
- Texture and material mapping: Applying the time from concept to production by automating
repetitive tasks and enabling rapid iterations.
realistic textures, drapes, and material
properties to designs to simulate how different • Cost reduction
fabrics will behave. - Minimizes the need for physical prototypes and
- Color management: Offering extensive color samples, saving material, labor, and shipping
palettes, advanced color matching systems costs.
(sRGB, CMYK, Lab, HSV, HSL), and ICC color
profiling to ensure accurate color reproduction - Optimizes material utilization through efficient
from screen to print. marker making, reducing fabric waste.
• 3D Virtual prototyping and draping - Reduces errors that would otherwise lead to
- This is a game-changer for the textile industry. costly rework.
Designers can create virtual samples by
“draping” digital fabric patterns onto 3D avatars.
Textile & Handloom: Shawl Weaving Artisan : (NSQF - 2024) R.T. Ex.No 1.7.66-68 91