Fashion runs at a breakneck pace, and traditional market-testing, product advertising, and catalogue creation are lagging behind. 3D could be the answer – but in a very different way to the true-to-life, physically accurate simulation we looked at in the previous month.

There are, essentially, two approaches to turning two-dimensional patterns and physical samples into 3D renders: one that focuses on technical accuracy, and is primarily targeted at technical designers and their manufacturing partners; another that is designed to make those renders look as attractive as possible, with the target being non-technical in-house teams and end consumers.

Some 3D solutions cross this barrier; most do not. So in May 2020 The Interline will shift its editorial focus to examine the use of 3D for aesthetic purposes. In a world where most furniture catalogues, car commercials, and photoshoots blend real photography with computer-generated assets – or are CG in their entirety – how prepared is fashion to go to market with products that may still be somewhere in the supply chain? And what else does the future hold for the use of high-fidelity 3D assets in advertising and communication?

Find out when The Interline covers the aesthetic side of 3D in May 2020.