One of the downsides of a global supply chain is the challenges it presents during the sampling process. The resulting miscommunication from trying to collaborate over disparate locations often leads to costly errors, and shipping multiple physical samples often from one continent to another adds weeks to the overall lead time. For years fashion technology providers have been trying to find solutions to the problem, with 3D garment design and prototyping, such as Browzwear and Optitex, being the closest thing thus far to actually having the fit model in the room with you. However, speaking from experience of working with these systems for many years, the steep learning curve and labour intensive processes of fabric testing and digital pattern creation needed for accurate simulation unfortunately presents a barrier to adoption. Whilst undeniably clever and able to produce increasingly more and more realistic results, in an industry as fast paced as fashion it will usually be unrealistic to use 3D systems such as these for all product development and sampling in a business.
However in the not too distant future, technology may have found a true solution to the challenges apparent in global product development. Graphics startup company, Otoy, have just released a new holographic video capture system, Octane Render, which at present allows you to capture the parameters of a scene (or person) with a mobile device’s camera, encoding that video information via the cloud, which allows video producers to display a 360 degree 3D view.
“Holographic video, or holographic light field rendering as it’s technically known, produces stunningly realistic images that can be looked at from any vantage point,” the company said in a statement. “Each frame of video accurately simulates every ray of light in a given scene or environment and every interaction that each light ray has with the surfaces and materials therein. Every reflection, refraction, and absorption of that field of light is modeled as it would be in the real world.”
In the future, Rod Roddenberry (son of legendary Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and investor in Otoy) believes that Otoy’s new software is the first step in being able to power a real life holodeck, the next best thing to teleporting the actual fit model in Shenzhen, straight into your design room in London.
She has a detailed understanding of the apparel product development process and the supporting systems including PLM, PDM, CAD and 3D garment design.