Alternative industry software options

11/1/2021

There is not currently a software specific to Costume production and design, however there are a number of software companies competing in the fashion industry for pattern drafting, and 3D virtual fitting software.
We chose to go with Gerber for our research because it's been a mainstay in the fashion industry for decades. There are lots of great things to be said about Gerber, excellent training, software support, and really wonderfully accurately rendered patterns. The one drawback for new users to Gerber is it's legacy, they continue to accomodate older users by mainting vintage functionality and integrating new features alongside those older processes. This means there are multiple methods to reach the same outcome, and certain keys which function in almost identical ways. I think in some ways new companies benefit from having a fresh slate because they can look at legacy programs like Gerber and steal the best aspects of it and apply those to a more streamlined simple platform. I do love that once you get into it, you do have a lot of control over your tools and workspace in Gerber, however getting to the point where you can exercise that control defintely takes some trial and error and patience.
Our team has grown in our understanding of how digital patterning functions, and what we would look for in an ideal pattern drafting/3D rendering software. Without a doubt accuracy is paramount, followed by functionality (user-friendliness, and ability to export files accessible without software access), and finally the cost of software access, usually billed by annual subscription.

I've compiled some videos which show the drafting process in 3 other fashion software programs which utilize both flat patterning and 3D rendering:

CLO

CLO: $50/month or $450/year. Background in in gaming. PC & MAC compatible

BROWZWEAR - VSTITCHER

BROWZWEAR: Price on request - Must apply and be accepted if you wish to purchase - Background in Fashion. PC & MAC compatible.
Guessing price is on par with Gerber between $4000-$10,000 depending on which modules you choose to purchase.