Content area
Product development in the apparel sector faces challenges such as high raw material costs and the need for human models to verify fit. With Industry 4.0, technologies like 3D modeling and augmented reality enable realistic garment simulation without the need for physical prototypes. This research aims to explore these technologies to improve development, prototyping, and fitting processes in the apparel industry, making them more efficient and accessible. The objective is to propose a practical manual for simulating women's clothing in a virtual environment, using 3D fitting models generated from adult female body scans. The expectation is that a practical manual for garment simulation and digital prototyping in a virtual environment, using scanned adult female bodies, will facilitate access to these technologies for micro and small enterprises engaged in slow fashion. Many of these businesses identify as creators of authorial fashion. This research is applied, qualitative, and descriptive. It uses bibliographic research, a systematic literature review, interviews, and questionnaires. Fieldwork was conducted at the social organization Núcleo Gestor da Cadeia Têxtil e de Confecções em Pernambuco (NTCPE) through interviews with the organization's managers, non-participant observation of fifteen participating brands, questionnaires, body measurements, and body scanning of seven clients from brands affiliated with the NTCPE, aged between 18 and 60 years. The theoretical framework covers topics mainly related to ergonomics, anthropometry, body scanning, and digital prototyping. The manual is expected to make garment product development more efficient, contribute to the creation of lower-cost pieces, benefit micro and small authorial fashion businesses, and support NTCPE in its role as an innovation agent for small fashion enterprises in Pernambuco.