A new patternmaking and prototyping tool is helping product developers bring their visions to life—and reducing the need for costly samples.
Fashion tech company Lectra announced the release of Modaris V8R2 3D prototyping software on Thursday. The update to the original Modaris program comes with improved 3-D simulations and tools to facilitate collaboration between stakeholders.
Lectra said the update will allow patternmakers to reduce the need for physical samples by up to 50 percent, addressing an expensive and time-intensive step in the product development process. Cutting down on the need for sampling and reworking allows brands to bring products to market faster while capitalizing on rapidly shifting trends.
Modaris V8R2 offers greater capabilities in 3-D virtual prototyping, allowing patternmakers to share their creations with 360-degree videos. Through a module on the program, designers can comment on the patternmakers’ interpretations and collaborate on solutions.
The program also features more advanced graphics, with a library of new fabrics, top-stitching effects, background scenes, lighting and colors. A new feature simplifies the process of adding darts to a garment’s rendering, which Lectra said would drastically increase patternmaking speed. Modaris V8R2 will feature Pantone and Natural Color System palettes.
It is also compatible with other widely used prototyping programs like Vizoo, a scanning system for fabric swatches, and Maya, 3DS Max and Iray, which patternmakers use to make digital renderings look more lifelike.
The program is now able to manage different units of measurement, and reconcile designs to ensure size compliance across countries.
“We are entering the information age, and we are catering to patternmakers who are dealing with consumers with different tastes, of all body shapes and sizes, ” said Céline Choussy, Lectra’s chief marketing and communications officer. “Our patternmakers have hundreds of collections to deliver and no time to spare for errors.”
Adding to that, she said, “What we are aiming to do is making their everyday work environment easier for them, by providing the tools to streamline the development process and reduce the number of reworks to achieve the right fit the first-time.”