CAD Services
Where your fashion designs are developed from an initial vision to the final product
Design Package
Design concept + fabric sourcing + designing + CAD visualisations
4-6 WEEKS
This package is suitable for entrepreneurs starting a fashion line, but lacking design knowledge or other resources to turn their vision into reality.
Includes:
Research
- Initial assessment over coffee
- Analysing the underlying idea, brand or strategy
- Definition of the design brief
- Preparation of the commercial quotation
- Fashion, function and market niche research
Designing
- Designing two different concepts – choosing one to continue with
- Two different style design options – choosing one to continue with
- Fabric sourcing for a chosen design
- CAD sketching and visualisation of fabrics
- Presentation and description of the CAD style design
- Two phases of introducing changes and fine-tuning
Product/Service Delivery
- Digital map of designed styles – final version
- Printed map of designed styles – optional
- Suggestion of fabrics and accessories with list of supplier contacts
Style Development Package
Pattern Making + Prototyping + Grading package
3 days to 3 weeks*
* depends on the number of styles as well as on their complexity
This package is our core business, representing the heart of clothing development. It is suitable for any clothing company, brand or start-up that needs to translate design sketches or ideas into engineered cuts, to produce clothing prototypes.
Here creativity meets the technical aspects of clothing creation, which is certainly one of the most delicate areas of the development process.
The patterns are made using Optitex CAD systems, based on design sketches, selected measuring systems, the client’s market niche, product function, fabrics and everything that affects the final fit of clothes.
Includes:
Research
- Initial assessment over coffee
- Defining the service range you need
- Researching the market niche, fashion or technical trends, fabrics and materials to be used in your design concept
- Preparing the commercial quotation
Pattern Development
- Analysing styles to be developed (together)
- Making technical drawings, if missing
- Defining the sizing system to work with
- Defining the expected base size for the pattern and the body measures for that size
- Analysing fabrics, trims and sewing technology for each style
- Analysing the fabrics and trims for every style before we proceed with pattern making
Pattern making
- Creating digital patterns using Optitex CAD system
- Introducing pattern changes according to fitting comments (for sampling)
- Preparing the basic style documentation (style sketch, descriptions, technical directions and base size measurement)
- “Fine-tuning” of the pattern before the grading process
Prototyping
- Sewing a first (for now physical) prototype in a fabric similar to the original
- 3D prototyping and visualisation should be available in the near future
- Analysing the fitting of the prototype on a doll, commenting together
- Defining the sewing technology to be used on a style
- Later: Discussing the final sample made in the original fabric, measure control, etc.
Grading
- Suggesting and discussing the grading options for each style
- CAD pattern grading for each style, according to the client’s size list
- Preparing style documentation for production including all sizes measurement (MSM)
Delivery
- Basic pattern for each style, plotted on paper
- Style documentation
- Physical prototype – optional
- Graded pattern in .pds or .dxf file format
Pre-production Package
Digitising + Grading + Cutting Preparation
from a few days to a few weeks*
* depends on number of the styles as well as on their complexity
This package is recommended for clients who have already developed their collection, possess the final samples of each style and their equivalent patterns (either in paper or digital form). Customers usually request that we digitally develop the predicted size range based on their basic pattern. This process is known as Grading.
If sent in paper form, patterns need to be digitised (imported into the CAD system).
Pattern sent as digital file should ideally be sent as a .dsn file (Optitex CAD file format). If not possible, they should be converted into .dxf file format.
In any case, the process after importing patterns into our system is the same. We verify and prepare patterns for digital grading, grade them to the desired sizes (preferably according to the client’s measurement table), produce the markers (cutting layers) according to client’s orders, prepare the cutting plans and the rest of the style documentation.
In other words, this specific package of services provides everything it takes to prepare styles for the cutting room in production.
Includes:
Research
- Initial assessment over coffee
- Analysing client’s needs, samples and patterns
- Defining (with client) the grading size frame per style
- Defining (with client) the grading system according to the preferred grading rules or measurement system (MSM)
- Commercial quotation based on the brief
Digitizing
- Using a digitiser to import paper patterns into CAD system or
- Converting pattern files sent in different formats into the Optitex CAD file format
- Verifying and preparing patterns for the grading process
Grading
- Pattern pieces are graded to appropriate sizes using Optitex CAD system
- Graded pattern pieces are digitally checked to fit each other well (to avoid any trouble during the sewing process)
- Measurement table of finished product (MSM) prepared for every graded style
Marker making (Nesting) + Plotting
- The process involves digitally fitting pattern pieces into a marker (nested image)
- The process requires info on usefull fabric width and a production order (ordered quantity per size in a specific style)
- Besides the digital cutting pictures (markers), a cutting plan will be prepared as an instruction to the cutting room
- The cutting plan’s benefits: efficient fabric consumption and optimal cutting process
- Markers are made for all types of fabrics and trims in the specified pattern and style
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- Our experience and good CAD tools bring about savings for our clients in terms of fabric consumption and the production time
- That way you have control over the product costs way before the production even starts
Production documentation
- Set of technical data necessary for production of styles:
- Technical sketch with a description of style,
- Main pattern and sewing instructions,
- Measurement for all style sizes,
- Cutting plan with instructions for the cutting room…
Deliver
- Finished markers at a 1:1 scale, plotted to paper roll and sent to the cutting room
- Optional:
- a .HPGL marker file sent via e-mail to the remote plotter or
- a .CUT marker file sent via e-mail to the remote cutter, anywhere in the world
- Production documentation already printed or sent in .pdf format, ready for print
Work with us
Ready for your clothing design vision to come true?