Degree programme Master Textile Products
Field of study Clothing

Hochschule Niederrhein. Your way.

Textile Products | Clothing

With the Clothing major, students qualify for the development and implementation of product and process innovations. Extensive knowledge of future-oriented virtual product development with all the building blocks of 3D CAD technologies is taught. Innovative production methods such as new seam-forming joining technologies as well as methods for integrating mass customization in the development and production processes expand the competencies in the clothing technology field. The development and production of functional clothing is demanding and requires a sound knowledge of the special features of the production process. This aspect is addressed in advanced courses on functional textiles and supplemented by practical applications.

Subjects of study (excerpt) and further information

3D Product Development | Virtual Product Development

Against the backdrop of increasing globalization and the associated competitive situation of internationally operating companies, development times in the textile and apparel industry are becoming shorter and shorter, thus leading to a critical examination of the product development process.
Against this background, digital product development is a generic term for the use of innovative, future-oriented digital technologies in this area and stands for a meaningful linking and coupling of these within the overall process.

In the Virtual Laboratory (VirtualLab) of the Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Clothing and Textiles, these technologies are brought together and bundled for digital and virtual product development.
The Hochschule Niederrhein uses all CAD programs of the most important suppliers in the 2D and 3D area in research and teaching education. They are tested and further developed in close cooperation, meaningful links are established and further digital technologies such as digital printing, which is gaining more and more importance, are integrated in research projects in cooperation with industrial companies.

On our YouTube channel we show work by students that was created in the VirtualLab as part of lectures or theses.

3D Body Scanning and Avatar Generation

Body Scanner

Body Scanner

TG3D

TG3D Body Scanner

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TD3D body scanner

Avatar

Avatar population

For the simulation of textile products, shaped bodies are usually required on which the textile cover can be simulated realistically. For the area of clothing, these are so-called avatars, which are used as parametric avatars, statistical avatars or also as individual scanatars.
In the VirtualLab, individual bodies are scanned using the existing body scanner technologies and prepared for use in the 3D simulation.
An optical processing or further individualization and rendering of the avatars takes place subsequently in further programs, since especially in the fashion sector a correspondingly high demand is made on the optics of the avatar.

In the area of 3D CAD, the focus is particularly on the realistic simulation of textile surfaces, which are indispensable for a corresponding acceptance and informative value. The characterization of material parameters such as force-elongation, bending stiffness, mass, thickness, drapability and the implementation in corresponding simulation programs is the focus of the work in the VirtualLab.
A specially developed fully automated drapometer and the parallel implementation of a virtual drapometer in the corresponding 3D CAD programs provide the necessary conclusions for modifications of the physical calculation models. Additionally developed "touchbooks" with corresponding product-specific selected materials should offer a significant simplification in the selection of the correct parameters for the implementation in industrial practice and reduce time-consuming tests.

Virtual material parameters

Material entry

Physical material detection

Drapometer

Drapometer

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Drapometer

Visual ME

Visual material acquisition

ME

Visual material acquisition

Material

Visual material character

Maps

Material Maps

3D simulation

Simulation

3D simulation

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Sim3
Sim4
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Sim6
Sim7

In addition to the required realistic simulation selection of appropriate simulation grids and grid sizes and the associated visual control of the products in the fit area with additional calculation of body distance, elongation, etc.- 3D simulation includes in particular the possibility to serve as a tool in collection development for quick decisions.
On the one hand, this can involve a focus on stylistic product development and/or on technical product development.
In the area of stylistic product development, the focus is not on the simulation itself, but rather on rapid further development of the 3D product.

Especially for the area of clothing, the transfer of the predominantly static simulations into dynamic ones is required. On the one hand, this requires avatars that are animated and the calculation of the simulation (the individual so-called frames) of the motion sequence.
Real motion sequences can be captured with so-called motion capturing systems and transferred to already existing virtual avatars with appropriate software.
As a result, complete collections are virtually created in the VirtualLab and presented on likewise individualized catwalks.

Animation

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Animation

Animation

Animation

Rendering

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Render

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For highly appealing and high-quality simulation results, rendering is necessary, which requires appropriate programs. Photo-realistic results are achieved through the targeted placement of light sources and calculation of shadows as well as the detailed assignment of additional maps to the textile surfaces. By using real-time scanners, different material designs can be quickly and efficiently projected onto the 3D surface for visual inspection.

Protective textiles | Functional clothing

An advanced course on protective textiles and functional clothing gives students a detailed insight into the development, processing and application of these textiles and highlights the various aspects associated with functional clothing. Current research of the faculty is integrated into the teaching education and gives the students the opportunity to actively participate in the research projects.

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Outdoor jacket
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Outdoor jacket details
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Outdoor on model
cleanroom1
Protective clothing clean room
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Protective clothing clean room
simulation
Simulation protective clothing clean roo
Details
Simulation Details

One focus of the master's program in apparel is on functional and protective clothing. Oriented along the textile chain, high-performance and functional yarn materials, innovative coating systems for functional surfaces and multi-layer structures of textile surfaces, for example for improved comfort properties in later clothing systems, will be covered, as will special finishing processes for protective and functional clothing.

Application scenarios for functional and protective clothing in the sports, medical and occupational sectors are analyzed and evaluated under realistic conditions. Property requirements for the textile structures and garments are derived from this in order to be able to create requirements for all materials and processes along the value chain and to independently develop holistic concepts of functional clothing systems.

Lena Baumann1
master's thesis

Lena Baumanns

Lena Baumann2
Virtual Reality
Lena Baumann3
Virtual Reality
Lena Baumann4
Virtual Reality
Lena Baumann6
Virtual Reality
Lena Baumann8
Virtual Reality
Lena Baumann9
Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality

In this master's thesis, a virtual walk-in store is developed based on the presentation of the basic functionality and historical development of virtual reality. First, a modular furnishing system is created, then a virtual room and its environment and lighting are created, and a virtual person is used to interact with and move through the room. Finally, clothing is imported from various CAD systems on a test basis and an exemplary store is created. Finally, feedback from test persons was collected, a conclusion was drawn and an outlook on future possibilities was given.
(Supervision: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Ing. Michael Ernst, Dipl.-Ing. Antje Christophersen & Dipl.-Ing. Dorothee Güntzel, M.Sc.)

Personalized pattern

This master's thesis presents a modern start-up concept for a women's fashion pattern label and also examines customization options such as the feasibility of using the PFP-GRAFIS software program to create customized patterns. The start-up concept is theoretically executed with chapters on the business model, the marketing strategy, product description, as well as market and target group analysis. In the practical part of the thesis, a corporate identity is created for the pattern label, which is applied in a style guide. A collection is designed and developed, which consists of 5 patterns, which find accordingly in GRAFIS schnittentwicklerische execution. A sample collection is manufactured and a product is worked out exemplarily as a pattern fully, including sewing instructions.
(Supervision: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Ing. Michael Ernst & Prof. Dipl.-Des. Karin Stark)

Erkens1
master's thesis

Anjuli Lucia Erkens

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Model 1
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Model 2
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Model 3
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Details
Erkens6
Grading Nest
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Product photo

Anjuli Lucia Erkens

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master's thesis

Anne-Sophie Schumacher

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Technical design
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Simulation dress front view
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Simulation dress side view
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Dress front view
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Dress side view
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Details

Virtual company

In the master's thesis, the construction of a virtual company is simulated with the aim of finding out to what extent the pre-production phase can be carried out exclusively with the help of a 3D system. After the company has been roughly defined, a first collection is worked out. This is implemented in the 3D system CLO 3D. Based on the simulation, production documents and a processing sample will be created. In particular, the free pattern development and adaptation in 3D will be investigated in comparison to the real product and thus the quality of the visualization in terms of reliability in product development.
(Supervision: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Ing. Michael Ernst & Dipl.-Ing. Dorothee Güntzel, M.Sc.)

 

Vidya Award

Every year, the CAD company Assyst invites universities that use the Vidya simulation software in teaching education to take part in the Vidya Award.
Outfits are to be digitally developed on a given theme and staged as 3D models.

Our faculty has been taking part in this competition for years and some of our students have already been very successful, winning the €1,000 prize money for 1st place.
The participation in the competition is supervised by the Virtual Lab of Ms. Antje Christophersen and Prof. Dr. Michael Ernst.

Vidya1
Vidya Award 2017
Vidya2
2nd place Christina Blum

Vidya Award 2017

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Vidya Award 2018
Vidya4
Winning model Alla Teske

Vidya Award 2018

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Winning model Flyura Hake

Vidya Award 2019

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Award ceremony

Vidya Award 2019

Here is a YouTube video. Click on it to watch. The data protection regulations of google apply!