3DRC Materials SOP

 Standard Operating Procedures – Digital Fabric Physics Interoperability 

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document was created by the 3D Retail Coalition (3DRC). The 3DRC is a group of brands and retailers who have come together in a pre-competitive way to solve common issues, challenges and industry problems in the apparel industry. This SOP is intended for brands, retailers & fabric suppliers with in-house testing labs and independent testing labs. This work started in 2020 and since, we have made great progress in making fabric physics data more universal and usable by brands, retailers, vendors and 3D software providers. Thank you to all of the fabric suppliers and labs who participated in the initial PILOT of this SOP. 

The purpose of this document is to share how to test fabric physics once on classical testing equipment and use in multiple 3D software. A universal 3D fabric physics test set would dramatically change the way we work today by eliminating the need to test a single fabric multiple times to support the data needs of each 3D software provider. Rather, the universal 3D fabric physics test set includes all relevant data needed by all 3D software providers through measurement and/or mathematical conversion. This universal nature of the test set will result in a reduction of time and cost for all parties involved in this work. The following pages explain the SOP of the universal 3D fabric physics test we are suggesting, based on our previous work.

We ask anyone who is using this document to provide feedback for clarity, formulas, process and efficiency especially as 3D software continue to improve and evolve. We are grateful for your feedback and look forward to collaborating.