Tukatech Opens Library of Over 750 Virtual Fit Models to All 3D Fashion Users
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tukatech opens their library of over 750 virtual fit models for global brands and retailers to all 3D users in the fashion industry. Regardless of which 3D fashion technology system they use, anyone can access this library, which offers exact replicas of 3D fit models developed from leading brands' live fit models. Each is a true representation of a real fit model who was body scanned or 3D sculpted using a proprietary measurement engine and digitized for the virtual world, including their measurements, shape, and posture.
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The decision was made to remedy a productivity gap identified by the Tukatech CAD Specialist team. According to Tukatech's Chief Collaborator, Savannah Crawford, many fashion professionals adopt 3D fashion technology in hopes of reducing sample iterations. However, those who only approve design virtually must still make multiple fit samples before going to production, which costs too much time.
"We want the industry to use 3D technology for fit approvals, not only for design. Otherwise, it is difficult for fashion businesses to justify the addition of 3D virtual sample-making to their product development process," Crawford explains.
One component to using 3D fashion technology for fit approvals is to have every person in the process use the same 3D model. However, this consistency is not enough if the 3D model was not replicated properly. Crawford asserts that a major breakdown is that a lot of 3D models are replicated from body forms, rather than a real person.
She expands, "When the brand tries the garment on at their end, they are most likely fitting on a live fit model, whereas the vendors develop patterns and samples using a body form. While the specifications may be similar, body forms do not do justice to the human body. There tends to be a lot of variance in the body shapes and posture, so much so that the drape of the garment is very different between the two."
This is a major reason why Tukatech custom sculpts TUKA3D virtual fit models from 3D body scan data of real fit models. This practice ensures that the brands and vendors assess fit on the same body shape, so that what is seen on the screen is the same as real life.
In the last 15 years, Tukatech has 3D body scanned hundreds of fit models, representing different ethnicities, ages, sizes, and shapes. If a modeling agency does not allow for their fit models to be scanned, the fashion technology company replicates their bodies using only photographs and a proprietary measurement method. They then develop digital and physical slopers to validate the 3D fit model and correct the body until there is zero tolerance.
Once approved, TUKA3D models are rigged with real-time motion simulation to mimic the actions and exercises performed in a real sample fitting. TUKA3D models give fit feedback with tension heat maps, showing where a garment is tight or loose.
These custom avatars now make up Tukatech's library of over 750 virtual fit models. The models in this library are provided to TUKA3D users as part of the implementation package and will now be available to users of all other 3D fashion technology systems as well. Though other 3D users will not have access to the full range of motion simulation, they will be able to see their fit model in a pose for either fit or presentation purposes.
Tukatech Chairman & CEO, Ram Sareen, explains, "Since 3D is now getting more traction with designers, we wanted to help the industry with the foundations of digital development. These models were already created for large global brands and retailers. Having a consistent virtual fit model between the brands and all vendors is the first step to seeing a correctly fitting product."
Sareen hopes providing all players in the digital supply chain with the exact replicas of scanned fit models will give the industry a better chance of reducing the number of sample iterations. He asserts that many TUKA3D users have reduced or eliminated physical samples because of the ability to assess fit in TUKA3D.
Timex & Fergasam Group, the first in Asia to use TUKA3D for dresses in 2005, is one such company. Arshad Sattar, Group Managing Director, explains, "Our goal 15 years ago was to have the first submitted sample approved. We chose TUKA3D as a tool to meet this goal by testing the fit virtually before we had to cut and sew a sample. We knew the only way we could do that was if we had the exact replica of each of our customers' fit models."
Today Timex makes over 700 new dress styles per month for over 100 brands and retailers around the world. Sattar speculates, "If we were not able to fit digital samples using 3D fashion technology, we would have closed our doors a long time ago." According to Sattar, the cost of physical sample development is too high to amortize over hundreds of SKUs and small order quantities.
About Tukatech offering their virtual fit model library to all 3D users, Sattar thinks it's a great opportunity. "The knowledge that went in to developing these digital assets will benefit the apparel industry as a whole," he says.
Today Tukatech has the largest network of 3D users around the world. According to Sareen, "Tukatech is kind of a hidden secret. Almost all our users are vendors catering to hundreds of brands and retailers. They are all aiming for first sample approvals. We are offering these 750 virtual fit models to help the industry sustain profitability and more widely adopt 3D fashion technology."
Email tukateam@tukatech.com to inquire about the availability and pricing of your desired fit model. If your fit model is not already in the Tukatech library, Tukatech will be happy to create a 3D replica using 3D body scan data captured by one of the hundreds of Styku body scanners located around the world.
About Tukatech, Inc.: Tukatech is the garment and apparel industry's leading provider of end-to-end fashion software and garment manufacturing technology solutions. Founded in 1995 by garment-industry veteran Ram Sareen, Tukatech offers award-winning 2D pattern making, grading, and marker-making software, automated marker making software, 3D sample making/virtual prototyping software, as well as garment plotters, and automatic spreaders and cutters for production. All systems include unlimited training, consulting, process engineering, and implementation of our technologies. The capability of Tukatech's technology remains unparalleled in the fashion industry. For more information visit: https://tukatech.com/
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