Rapid Body Scanning Technology for a Virtual Mass Customization Process in Garment Industry

Nowadays the product development process in apparel industry is mainly influenced by the customercustomizing products become more and more popular aiming not only to improve fit but also to individualize and satisfy customer needs. Numerous tools have been developed all facing the same problems: How to take body measurements, how to take the right measurements, how to transport individual posture information [2, 3] and how to implement these data correctly into a product pattern based on a predefined construction system. Therefore body measurements and posture information both have to be linked by transfer equations to finish/ready measurements positioned on defined locations of the construction and finally of the product. Most of the companies offering mass customization to their clients are working without scanning technology and without a fitting sessionchecking fit and design only in a very last process stepif at all-usually when the product is already manufactured Virtual Product Development is a powerful toolnot only for merchandising and promotion but also for design development, fit check and technical product development, closing the gap between missing real products and missing imagination of customers.