Fashion & Costume Design in Quarter Scale
by Don McCunn The CAD/CAM CycleCAD/CAM is an abbreviation for Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing. It is the process whereby the fashion industry has been streamlining the design and construction of ready-to-wear clothes (RTW) since the 1970s. Working in quarter scale allows this cycle to be simulated using a computer for the design process and an inexpensive desk top cutting machine connected to a computer to cut the fabric. CAM Cutting MachinesFor this description the Silhouette Portrait 3's cutting machine is used to convert the CAD files so they can be print and cut either as paper patterns or cut directly into fabric. This cutting machine was selected because it can also be used to cut the Mini-Mes out of poster board. ![]() The PatternsAll the patterns included in Fashion & Costume Design in Quarter Scale are available in the proprietary STUDIO format as well as the standard CAD formats: DXL & SVG. To download any of these patterns go to the CAD-Files page. If you are creating original designs, the Business Edition of the Studio software allows you to save your patterns as an SVG file that can be used by other CAD systems. Line DescriptionsThe lines in these files are created to take advantage of the ability of CAD programs, such as Silhouette's Studio, to specify which lines should be printed, cut, or ignored. ![]()
The color of the lines printed by the Silhouette system is determined by the print cartridge in the machine. This means that when the black and blue lines are printed for Mini-Mes with legs, they can be printed as just black lines. Copyright © 2023 by Don McCunn |