Christian L. Harris walks through 3D tools for apparel design, explaining how reusable digital assets cut production time and cost. He warns that current avatars lack soft-tissue simulation, and advises companies to find designers willing to become internal 3D champions to drive adoption.
Alright, so what is 3D for apparel? 3D is at a point where we have so many great options and so many great tools, and they're only growing. Looking at the 3D landscape, we have some brands that have been around for 30 years. We have several providers out there, and all of their solutions are pretty unique. The more you use 3D, Each one of those assets you get to save. You can pull it up whenever you need it, use it again, modify it, adapt it, and create something new with it. So those resources will come, but they may not be available at the beginning of your implementation. So give your designers a little bit of time to adjust. One of the things to remember when you're looking at avatars is that avatars are solid. So think of your avatar as being more of a statue or mannequin than a human body. Avatars do not have soft tissue yet. That is something that everyone in the industry has been working toward because it's something we need. You look at what kind of talent you have in-house, ask them how they want to proceed with their career and what new skills they want to take on. There may also be skills they don't have already that they would very much like to adopt. These people who have other skills they want to acquire could be your 3D champions. All challenges considered, Migrating from 2D to 3D design has boundless value and opportunities. It's a great time to jump into 3D.
