CAD in Textile and Fashion Industry

Introduction:
Today textile and Iashion industry has reached new heights by computer aided methods
oI design and manuIacturing. Computer technology is making waves especially in the Iashion
design zone. The widespread use oI CAD has enable design and manuIacturing Iirms to be more
eIIicient and competitive. The state oI the art CAD system allows designing sophisticated
collections and presenting any work in the most proIessional way. These systems provide easy to
use tools that extend designers and manuIactures creativity to make products that one never even
thought possible. These unique CAD systems come with build-in help and demo guidelines and
provide vast number oI options to liIe in design ideas.
What is CAD?
The term CAD is an abbreviation Ior 'Computer-aided design', In simple words, the use
oI computers Ior designing purposes is reIerred to as CAD, while CAM reIers to usage oI
computers Ior the purpose oI manuIacturing products.
CAD/CAM is currently in use in several industries such as architecture, electronics,
mechanical and production engineering, Iashion and textiles. There are several kinds oI CAD
packages available in the market today, with diIIerent kinds oI Ieatures. Most oI the packages are
ready-to-use with a number oI graphics, which the user can select according to his or her
requirements.
Use of CAD in textile and Fashion Industry:
CAD soItware exists in all areas oI the textile and Iashion industry. In Iashion, Iashion
media, retailers and designers all use CAD soItware to some extent. However, the importance oI
CAD soItware resides primarily in Iashion design. In textile CAD is used in weave creation,
colour and weave eIIect, digital printing, computerized embroidery and CAD automated weaving
etc. some speciIic uses oI CAD are as Iollows:
1. Designing:
O CAD may be used to design curves and Iigures in two-dimensional (2D) space; or curves,
surIaces, and solids in three-dimensional (3D) objects. CAD allows designers to view
designs oI clothing on virtual models and in various colors and shapes.
O $oItware can help students draw, create woven textures, drape models to create patterns,
adjust sizes and even determine Iabric colors. You dont have to word hard rather WORK
$MART.
O CAD aids in creating the Iashion illustration Ior each ensemble oI a Iashion collection.
The soItware also allows designers to create new Iabric prints to compliment their
designs.
O $ave, store and create your own collection libraries. Make modiIications to existing
designs and create brand new collections.
O With the Virtual Fitting (moulage) option, create a model in any size measurements and
use it as a base to draw your designs.

. Manufacturing:
O Textile manuIacturers use CAD soItware to make Iabrics. Fashion textile manuIacturers
use CAD soItware to weave complex Iabrics such as jacquards, according to Fashion Era.
O CAD Iacilitates the production oI Ilat patterns by creating the patterns and making
multiple sizes oI the same pattern (grading) Ior garment construction.
O Models oI diIIerent proportions can be used as a background guide to draw your original
designs.
. Printing:
O Virtually eliminates the expense and time oI screen printing preparation. Digital printing
techniques can produce endless good quality designer printed products with Iewer eIIorts.
O The designer can now see how a particular piece oI Iabric or garment will look in
diIIerent colours and shapes without having to commit to a Iinal product.

. 2-roidery:
O In the past, embroidery or hand stitching was long, tedious hours spent process but today
computer aided embroidery decorates meters oI Iabric in Iew hours. Automatic $equins
insertion, digitize satin, zig-zag and piping automatic conversion oI one stitch type to
another stitch type, all is possible.
Advantages of CAD:
O CAD soItware helps to reduce the overall cost oI producing a Iashion collection, as it
requires less human labor and reduces human error.
O CAD soItware accelerates product turnaround time, so designers can develop and deliver
collections to retailers Iaster.
O CAD allows manuIactures to save their designs onto computers, which can be easily
interpreted by anybody since all the measurements are given.
O CAD has made designing Iashion pieces much Iaster and simpler.
O $ince the design is not sketched with a pencil or pen, it is very accurate and can create
every kind oI shape, curve and measurement that a pencil and a piece oI paper can show.
O Designs can be saved as templates or the basis Ior clothing models Irom which Iuture
designs can be made, especially iI it is Ior a speciIic line.
O The knitwear computer-aided design (CAD) system permits an easy way oI checking out
new colours, seeing how they blend with existing shades by examining them in knitted
Iabric simulations, beIore a commitment to the expense oI new dyeing.
Advantage of Using CAD over Manual Designing
Years ago the process oI Iabric design was extremely tedious. Today, with the
introduction oI CAD and its many soItware capabilities, the possibilities are endless. Where
previously designers used to labor over graph paper and stencils, now they simply have to play
with a mouse or stylus pen to come out with innovative designs. And the result is not only an
increase in speed, but greater accuracy than the manual process. It is no wonder that even small-
scale textile design and manuIacturing companies are using CAD systems. The Iour major
advantage oI CAD over manual designing and production are:
1. Speed & ase of designing a pattern
. Repeata-ility
. Flexi-ility
. Lower production Cost
Conclusion
CAD/CAM is taking the textile industry by storm. The beneIits oI CAD/CAM
applications are being recognized by the industry, and are gradually gaining acceptance. It will
allow our manuIacturers and production teams to create products more eIIiciently. It will
increase time eIIiciency, thereby increasing customer satisIaction. 1he CAD revolution is upon
us and we welcome it with open arms.