The Review of Mark Planning Problem

Mark planning is one of the most important planning processes in garment industry. The major function is to generate a set of markers which is used as cutting guidelines or cutting templates in a cutting process. In other words, this process can be seen as a planning step of a cutting process which determines what sequence and how many parts will be cut. For the academic point of view, mark planning has been of interests for more than 15 years. Many papers were published with various objective functions, problem scenarios, and constraints. Therefore, a summarization of these papers representing key contents of each paper will be useful for researchers who are interested in this type of problem. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an exhaustive review of mark planning papers which is composed of three sections: the relevant background, the summary of papers, and the relationship between objective functions which is cost combinations and major garment characteristics. In conclusion, future researches should go forward the trend of integration between this process and other relevant processes in the production chain, e.g. cut scheduling, assembly planning, marker making

Optimized production and inventory decisions for a mixed make-to-order/make-to-stock ready-made garment manufacturer

In this thesis, a production and inventory planning model for mixed make-to-order (MTO) make-to-stock (MTS) production system in garment industry. Where the dominant production is typically for the Make-to-order production and the make-to-stock production is penetrating the mainstream production (MTO) as a way of enhancing the revenues and maintaining a positive cash flow, that are often degraded due to either seasonality of demands or production planning challenges. The model considers capacity planning for the mixed environment when there are predictable fluctuating demands. Due to the nature of the clothing business, it is challenging for a garment manufacturer to cope with seasonal changes while having the best capacity utilization. The literature acknowledges production planning in the garment industry. While a little focus was for capacity planning for seasonal fluctuating demands. Mathematical programming for capacity planning in a mixed MTO and MTS garment-manufacturing environment is a viable approach that can provide effective management decisions that can help the garment industry to strive in today’s competitive pace. The proposed model considers distributing the available capacity between MTO and MTS production and the implications of the costs and revenues for different capacity distribution. Decisions made on the production amounts, inventory levels and generated revenues are attained. The model was verified and validated by applying it to a local ready- made garment factory. The results ensured the validity of the proposed model. When analysis was made to the parameters that influence the decisions, it was found that distributing the capacity between MTO and MTS with different percentages had significant impact on the revenues and costs. The model was very sensitive to the increases in the fabric price and subcontracting costs while the overall net profits were not significantly affected by the changes in the inventory holding cost. Last, this work is useful in helping garment manufacturers adapt rapidly to seasonal changes by deploying their capacity effectively in favor of their projected seasonal plans

Fit evaluation of virtual garment try-on by learning from digital pressure data

Presently, garment fit evaluation mainly focuses on real try-on, and rarely deals with virtual try-on. With the rapid development of E-commerce, there is a profound growth of garment purchases through the internet. In this context, fit evaluation of virtual garment try-on is vital in the clothing industry. In this paper, we propose a Naive Bayes-based model to evaluate garment fit. The inputs of the proposed model are digital clothing pressures of different body parts, generated from a 3D garment CAD software; while the output is the predicted result of garment fit (fit or unfit). To construct and train the proposed model, data on digital clothing pressures and garment real fit was collected for input and output learning data respectively. By learning from these data, our proposed model can predict garment fit rapidly and automatically without any real try-on; therefore, it can be applied to remote garment fit evaluation in the context of e-shopping. Finally, the effectiveness of our proposed method was validated using a set of test samples. Test results showed that digital clothing pressure is a better index than ease allowance to evaluate garment fit, and machine learning-based garment fit evaluation methods have higher prediction accuracies

Technology enablers for the implementation of Industry 4.0 to traditional manufacturing sectors: A review

The traditional manufacturing sectors (footwear, textiles and clothing, furniture and toys, among others) are based on small and medium enterprises with limited capacity on investing in modern production technologies. Although these sectors rely heavily on product customization and short manufacturing cycles, they are still not able to take full advantage of the fourth industrial revolution. Industry 4.0 surfaced to address the current challenges of shorter product life-cycles, highly customized products and stiff global competition. The new manufacturing paradigm supports the development of modular factory structures within a computerized Internet of Things environment. With Industry 4.0, rigid planning and production processes can be revolutionized. However, the computerization of manufacturing has a high degree of complexity and its implementation tends to be expensive, which goes against the reality of SMEs that power the traditional sectors. This paper reviews the main scientific-technological advances that have been developed in recent years in traditional sectors with the aim of facilitating the transition to the new industry standard.This research was supported by the Spanish Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the project CloudDriver4Industry TIN2017-89266-R

Automatic tailoring and cloth modelling for animation characters.

The construction of realistic characters has become increasingly important to the production of blockbuster films, TV series and computer games. The outfit of character plays an important role in the application of virtual characters. It is one of the key elements reflects the personality of character. Virtual clothing refers to the process that constructs outfits for virtual characters, and currently, it is widely used in mainly two areas, fashion industry and computer animation. In fashion industry, virtual clothing technology is an effective tool which creates, edits and pre-visualises cloth design patterns efficiently. However, using this method requires lots of tailoring expertises. In computer animation, geometric modelling methods are widely used for cloth modelling due to their simplicity and intuitiveness. However, because of the shortage of tailoring knowledge among animation artists, current existing cloth design patterns can not be used directly by animation artists, and the appearance of cloth depends heavily on the skill of artists. Moreover, geometric modelling methods requires lots of manual operations. This tediousness is worsen by modelling same style cloth for different characters with different body shapes and proportions. This thesis addresses this problem and presents a new virtual clothing method which includes automatic character measuring, automatic cloth pattern adjustment, and cloth patterns assembling. There are two main contributions in this research. Firstly, a geodesic curvature flow based geodesic computation scheme is presented for acquiring length measurements from character. Due to the fast growing demand on usage of high resolution character model in animation production, the increasing number of characters need to be handled simultaneously as well as improving the reusability of 3D model in film production, the efficiency of modelling cloth for multiple high resolution character is very important. In order to improve the efficiency of measuring character for cloth fitting, a fast geodesic algorithm that has linear time complexity with a small bounded error is also presented. Secondly, a cloth pattern adjusting genetic algorithm is developed for automatic cloth fitting and retargeting. For the reason that that body shapes and proportions vary largely in character design, fitting and transferring cloth to a different character is a challenging task. This thesis considers the cloth fitting process as an optimization procedure. It optimizes both the shape and size of each cloth pattern automatically, the integrity, design and size of each cloth pattern are evaluated in order to create 3D cloth for any character with different body shapes and proportions while preserve the original cloth design. By automating the cloth modelling process, it empowers the creativity of animation artists and improves their productivity by allowing them to use a large amount of existing cloth design patterns in fashion industry to create various clothes and to transfer same design cloth to characters with different body shapes and proportions with ease

A data-driven intelligent decision support system that combines predictive and prescriptive analytics for the design of new textile fabrics

In this paper, we propose an Intelligent Decision Support System (IDSS) for the design of new textile fabrics. The IDSS uses predictive analytics to estimate fabric properties (e.g., elasticity) and composition values (% cotton) and then prescriptive techniques to optimize the fabric design inputs that feed the predictive models (e.g., types of yarns used). Using thousands of data records from a Portuguese textile company, we compared two distinct Machine Learning (ML) predictive approaches: Single-Target Regression (STR), via an Automated ML (AutoML) tool, and Multi-target Regression, via a deep learning Artificial Neural Network. For the prescriptive analytics, we compared two Evolutionary Multi-objective Optimization (EMO) methods (NSGA-II and R-NSGA-II) when optimizing 100 new fabrics, aiming to simultaneously minimize the physical property predictive error and the distance of the optimized values when compared with the learned input space. The two EMO methods were applied to design of 100 new fabrics. Overall, the STR approach provided the best results for both prediction tasks, with Normalized Mean Absolute Error values that range from 4% (weft elasticity) to 11% (pilling) in terms of the fabric properties and a textile composition classification accuracy of 87% when adopting a small tolerance of 0.01 for predicting the percentages of six types of fibers (e.g., cotton). As for the prescriptive results, they favored the R-NSGA-II EMO method, which tends to select Pareto curves that are associated with an average 11% predictive error and 16% distance.This work was carried out within the project "TexBoost: less Commodities more Specialities" reference POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024523, co-funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), through Portugal 2020 (P2020)

(Case Study)

The objective of this dissertation is to investigate and study the connection between the technological development found in the history of fashion clothing and design. A further objective is to consider the importance of anthropometry, ergonomics, volumetrics, geometry and body shape, and to demonstrate, through case study, avenues for adapting and incorporating flat patterning in the creative process of Fashion Design Teaching: “Amalgamated (Hybrid) modelling as a creative resource”. Every fashion designer needs to think about his personal creative process and how best to stimulate his own creativity. There are some methods that can promote creativity and these need to be made part of the designer’s daily routine in order to develop distinctive and innovative work. When building a collection, the fashion designer must adopt a methodological approach. Flat patterning reaches the heart of mathematics. It demands logical reasoning and an ability to integrate a number of disciplines. Consequently, it can give the impression of being a rigorous, complex practice, full of often incomprehensible rules, because it can be difficult to grasp its precise theory and practice. But this is an area of knowledge of great significance to students of fashion design while undergoing their academic training because the good professional must have at least a basic understanding of how their design will be put together as a result of flat patterning. In teaching, flat patterning is often set apart from the creative process and is combined with the later stage of execution. According to Mariano, “it is the process of flat patterning that defines the transformation of flat materials into three-dimensional shapes capable of adaptation to the human body. [...] It also determines whether the clothing can be reproduced”. Mariano (2011, no page) It is clear that developing a flat pattern is a very important step in the creation of a garment. Its function is not only to configure the garment but also to ensure it can be standardized and reproduced. However, when dealt with as a predominantly technical subject, its application can become divorced from the concept of creation because it appears to have no artistic content. By approaching flat patterning technique in a composite way, taking advantage of its two-pronged nature to incorporate it in the creative elements of the Fashion Design course, it can become a means of sparking the creative process which has made great names in high fashion in the past. Coelho (2008) argues that patterning should be understood as being more than a technique. He says that it loses the dynamic sense intrinsic to the concept of a method that is part of a larger process - all the research carried out by the designer – when flat patterning is either not fully understood or taught simply as a technique. Logical reasoning is vital when making flat patterns. But mastery of technique is also essential. Novaes (2008), extends Coelho’s reasoning by saying: “Other possible routes in processing a garment result from cross-referencing between standardization methods and production systems. [...] Configuring geometric patterns with three-dimensional modelling when developing a prototype is a further possible method of shaping a garment.”. (Novaes, 2011, p.93). A great example of composite patterning as a creative resource in the teaching of Fashion Design is the stylist Tomoko Nakamichi, who teaches at the famous “Bunka” Fashion School in Japan. She departs from the traditional patterning approach and, in effect, offers a hybrid technique which combines and enlarges the ranges of standard flat and three-dimensional modelling. It follows that educators should bear in mind that a study and understanding of the principles of human anatomy will instil a knowledge of how to evaluate the human profile, so contours can be followed or altered. Concepts of proportion, symmetry and volume (or volumetrics), as well as height and width measurements, are fundamental to producing a technical design and modelling pattern. This information needs to be included in the planning of a garment during graphic design. In conclusion, teaching flat patterning in a creative way, combining its different elements, can be a force to promote creativity, giving the student the opportunity to see a garment, or fashion product, in three dimensions. This modelling technique allows the fashion professional greater creative freedom thanks to immediate three-dimensional visual contact with the product. It also benefits the student who gains greater control over the creation of a garment in a liberating way that also facilitates improvements to the final results.Esta dissertação objectiva estudar e investigar a relação do desenvolvimento tecnológico velados na história da indumentária, moda e design, assim como antropometria, ergonomia volumetria, geometria, corpo e formas para fins, de buscar e exemplificar través de estudo de caso a possibilidade de incorporar e adequar a modelagem no processo criativo do ensino de design de moda “modelagem hibrida como recurso criativo”. Nesse contexto, todo criador precisa pensar sobre seu processo criativo na moda e como estimular sua própria criatividade. Existem algumas ferramentas que podem ser usadas para promover a criatividade, e estas devem ser incorporadas à rotina diária para que o designer possa desenvolver um trabalho diferenciado e inovador. O designer de moda deve estabelecer uma abordagem metodológica para desenvolver uma colecção. A modelagem por passar pelo cerne da matemática, esta requer raciocínio lógico e a capacidade de articular uma série de disciplinas dando a impressão de ser uma prática complexa, rigorosa e cheia de regras, muitas vezes incompreensível devido a uma certa dificuldade de assimilação do seu teor prático e exacto. Por conseguinte esta área do conhecimento se faz de grande importância na formação académica dos alunos de cursos de design de moda pois o bom profissional deve pelo menos deter o conhecimento básico do produto que se vai construir através da modelagem. A modelagem no ensino é frequentemente separada do processo criativo, sendo incorporada mais tarde na etapa do processo de execução. Segundo Mariano (2011), “a modelagem e o processo que determina a transformação dos materiais planos em formas tridimensionais adaptáveis ao corpo humano […] e também por determinar a reprodutibilidade do vestuário” […]. É certo que a elaboração da modelagem é um estágio muito importante, com uma função não apenas de configurar, mas também de garantir que a roupa possa ser reproduzida e padronizada. No entanto, tratando-a como um assunto predominantemente técnico, sua aplicação pode se tornar divorciada da concepção criativa, uma vez que a mesma parece ser desprovida de conteúdo artístico. Abordar e incorporar as técnicas de modelagem de uma forma hibrida e de maneira criativa no ensino do design de moda, através de suas técnicas ramificadas, desta forma a mesma pode se tornar uma ferramenta capaz de potencializar o processo criativo assim como ja no passado fazia grandes nomes da alta costura. Coelho (2008), explica que modelagem não deve ser entendida apenas como técnica porque, quando a modelagem sendo ela plana ou não é compreendida ou ensinada apenas como uma técnica, ela perde o sentido dinâmico amplo consagrado no conceito de um método que é parte de um processo maior, que é toda a pesquisa feita pelo o designer. O raciocínio lógico é essencial para realizar a modelagem plana. Mas o domínio da técnica também é essencial. Novaes, completa os pensamentos de Coelho nos dizendo que “outros caminhos possíveis no processamento de uma peça de roupa são o resultado de cruzamentos entre métodos de padronização e sistemas de produção […] já que a configuração de padrões geométricos com modelagem tridimensional no desenvolvimento de um protótipo é outro método possível para modelar peças de vestuário. Um grande exemplo de uma modelagem hibrida como recurso criativo no ensino de design de moda é a professora e designer da famosa escola de moda japonesa “Bunka” Tomoko Nakamichi, cujo oferece uma ruptura com a padronização da modelagem tradicional e oferece efectivamente uma técnica híbrida que mescla padrões recursos de modelagem plana e tridimensionais. Portanto, educadores não podem esquecer-se que com o estudo e a compreensão dos princípios da anatomia humana é possível transmitir ideias através do conhecimento de como avaliar o perfil, para que os contornos possam ser seguidos ou alterados, conceitos de proporção, simetria e volume (ou volumetrics), bem como medidas de altura e largura, são fundamentais para a realização do desenho técnico e padrão da modelagem e devem ser trazidos para o planejamento do item como informação durante o design gráfico. Desta forma então conclui-se que o ensino da modelagem de forma hibrida e criativa pode ser usada para promover a criatividade, proporcionando ao aluno a possibilidade de ver a roupa ou produto de moda em três dimensões. Pode-se dizer que essa técnica de modelagem dá maior liberdade criativa ao profissional da moda devido ao contacto visual tridimensional imediata do produto e que também beneficiará o aluno sob um maior controle sobre a criação da roupa de uma maneira incomum e que também facilitará os ajustes finais

Design of an intelligent support system for fabric quality inspection

Efficient quality management in production process is the key factor for firm’s permanence and prosperity. The rapped globalization development and shortage of resources leading to enhance the efforts toward good raw material exploitation. The present work aims to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) that may provide and facilitate one of the most difficult multi-decision problems that quality managers, in textile manufacturing firm face. In addition, the DSS is developed for a textile manufacturer and it will automate a variety of tasks to improve rolls quality; control the defect distribution on rolls by inventing anew cutting scenarios with respect to inspection results, rolls length, and number of assemblies. The DSS tool, applied for more than 100 fabric lots, will be demonstrated through a short selection of practical case studies

Advances in CAD/CAM/CAE Technologies

CAD/CAM/CAE technologies find more and more applications in today’s industries, e.g., in the automotive, aerospace, and naval sectors. These technologies increase the productivity of engineers and researchers to a great extent, while at the same time allowing their research activities to achieve higher levels of performance. A number of difficult-to-perform design and manufacturing processes can be simulated using more methodologies available, i.e., experimental work combined with statistical tools (regression analysis, analysis of variance, Taguchi methodology, deep learning), finite element analysis applied early enough at the design cycle, CAD-based tools for design optimizations, CAM-based tools for machining optimizations

Reflections on Sculptural Thinking in Fashion Design

This paper explores three-dimensional thinking in fashion design; it does this by engaging with theories, concepts and philosophies related to thought and the experience of creating three-dimensional artifacts, which are common to both sculpture and fashion. Central to this relationship is the employment of the senses with respect to perception and cognition. Of particular interest is the sense of touch,and how sensory experience encounters notions of empathy and mimicry in a phenomenological encounter with others: whether animate or inanimate. The research emerged through conversations between a fashion designer, Kevin Almond and a contemporary artist, Stephen Swindells. The sensibility of the paper, and much ofthe analysis and debates, thus adopt a creative practitioners perspective. A conceptual current running through the conversation, and subsequently the paper, touched upon whether following a line of thought becomes analogous to visually and mentally tracing a human form in a psychological space – and what is the significance for fashion of the interrelationships between sculptural thinking and phenomenological encounters with others within urban environments