Page 8 - Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design

New directions in the field 1

of anthropometry, sizing
and clothing fit

Deepti Gupta
Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India

List of Abbreviations

1-D one-dimensional
2-D two-dimensional
3-D three-dimensional
4-D four-dimensional
RTW ready to wear
CAESAR Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource project
MTM made to measure
CAD computer-aided design
AI artificial intelligence
WEAR World Engineering Anthropometry Resource
SMPL skinned multiperson linear model
XR extended reality

1.1 Introduction

The apparel manufacturing industry is concerned with the process of producing gar-
ments that fit the customers for whom they are intended. The method comprises sev-
eral steps such as anthropometry or measuring the body, patternmaking or translating
the measures into 2-D patterns, assembling or joining the patterns to make a 3-D shell,
and fit testing or draping the shell on the 3-D form to assess how the garment looks and
interacts with the body (Efrat, 1982). Rapid technological advances have taken place
in each of these fields, and almost all operations have been digitalized.
Manual anthropometric tools yielding linear dimensions have been replaced by
noncontact, full-body 3-D scanners that record hundreds of dimensions in a matter
of seconds. Body scanners, in turn, are becoming smaller, more mobile, and smarter
by the day. Scan data have, for the first time allowed designers and patternmakers to
see what real bodies look like in 3-D and how they differ from the idealized models
used in the fitting room. In addition to 3-D data, 4-D body movement data are also
becoming available. Though studies with 4-D data are still limited, the technology
has immense applications in the field of functional clothing.
Powerful software that can analyze and process scan data to offer deep insights
regarding the diversity of human body shapes is available. Data repositories have been
created to store, segregate, and process 1-D, 3-D, and 4-D anthropometric data. These
Anthropometry, Apparel Sizing and Design. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102604-5.00001-9
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