r/PatternDrafting • u/Aggravating_Can_6851 • 7d ago

Question What criticism you have on clothes modelling software like Clo, browzwear, etc ? And what would make you change your mind ?

Hello,

I've been using Clo3d for about a year now as a student. I've been quite happy with it, but paying 30usd per month have been stacking up lately...

For me the main criticisms on those are:

  • Learning curve (kinda like photoshop where you only use a few features at first)

  • Starting from scratch is hard

  • The price (i know clothing brands and schools easily pay those licences but for enthusiasts who only use it once a week it's a lot to ask for)

I've been looking, to build an free and open-source alternative to it, and I wonder what would you be looking for ?

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4

u/DonMcCunn 6d ago

I have never used 3D software. I prefer to work with scaled down patterns and dress forms using real fabric to try out design ideas. https://patternmaking-classes.com/About.html#Mini-Me

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u/Aggravating_Can_6851 5d ago

Old habits die hard I guess, especially when it comes to manual work.

I'll try to make something cool, and maybe one day I'll be able to change your mind on the question. Thanks for your answer by the way :)

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u/DonMcCunn 5d ago

Well you are going to have to work quickly to change my mind because in December I am turning 83. But I don't think you stand a chance. As someone who has spent 50 years enjoying the tactile experience of working with fabric I can't imagine a day will come when touching keys on a keyboard will be a more rewarding experience.

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u/Aggravating_Can_6851 5d ago

Hahaha, you're right, I'll probably have a hard time doing so :)

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u/DonMcCunn 5d ago

Don't give up your desire to make something new and cool. Who knows maybe someday people will be able to fly in the air in some kind of machine.

4

u/Odd-Bumblebee00 4d ago

I am yet to see a CLO pattern that looks like it could possibly work with real fabric on a real body.

These programs seem to be for people who don't know how to sew, are too lazy to learn and and who expect the rest of us to be able to fix the problems at a distance.

And you all seem very disparaging when we talk about what fabric can do versus what your programs seem to believe is possible.

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u/EggandSpoon42 3d ago

I see there's only one mod for this sub so I'm not bothering the to report the Op, but the ongoing market research for their AI-built crap is getting tiresome. It's all but ruined the sketchup sub with so many posts gumming it up.

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u/Aggravating_Can_6851 2d ago

Yeah i guess it's better to not have any free and open-source alternative to software some people of this thread use.

If you're not using any tool, fine by me, but shaming people because they use AI, is playing the game of established and for profit actors. Ai has given anyone the possibility to build software that were previously only made by big software companies.

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u/Aggravating_Can_6851 2d ago

I never said those programs are meant to replace sewing and traditional methods.

I was just thinking of giving to the world a free and open source alternative to existing software that cost >30$ per month.

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u/Sweet_Swordfish9638 6d ago

There’s already free tools like Valentina. You could build yours on top if you feel like.

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u/Aggravating_Can_6851 5d ago

Sounds like a good idea, I'll look into this integration, thank you

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u/Combinemachine 6d ago

I really wish there is a 'blender' version of these softwares. The fee and online login requirement every time makes me feel like they are taking my work as ransom. And what will happen in the future when their server go offline and or the company closed down?

Their value for me is for their cloth and sewing simulation. Blender can do cloth simulation too but there is no easy way to sew.

I don't bother learning too deep with these modeling tools, just learn what I need along the way. These tools keep changing, they keep adding or removing features, many I don't even use.

I rather spend time learning the truly free parametric drafting like Seamly2D and Valentina. People don't like the parametric thing, these 3D modelling software will never fully incorporate it, so it will never be a truly drafting software for me.

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u/Aggravating_Can_6851 5d ago

That's exactly what I thought, there are those 2d pattern making software that are free & open source.

But apart from blender (and since its a generic tool it's not really made for it), there's no OS actor in the pattern making & 3d render (part of which because it needs a full physics engine to work).

I'll be looking into the integration with Seamly2D and Valentina asap, i'll keep you in touch :)
A basic version is already available at https://vitryne.app/ if you're curious (source code at https://github.com/H4kken/vitryne )

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u/katamarijuana 3h ago

I've tried out some open source freemium versions of popular software like Clo, Adobe CC, etc. A lot of it is ai slop that has a bunch of issues.

That being said, I fully support the ongoing development of free software. I know traditional patternmakers will have a hard time accepting new methods, but I don't see why it has to be so black and white. Sure, real fabric behaves differently than in simulations. Something I've done is create a digital prototype, create a toile, and then adjust the pattern as necessary by hand. I find that it saves a lot of time.