Key takeaways
Choosing digital fashion tools means balancing patternmaking, garment simulation, material development, and the practical needs of production and 3D asset workflows. CLO brings many of these steps together in one fashion-focused environment:
- Patternmaking and grading: CLO combines 2D pattern creation and editing with 3D garment simulation, including tools such as Auto POM & Grading and formula-based grading.
- Drape and fit evaluation: CLO’s simulation tools, including fit maps and GPU-accelerated soft-body simulation, help designers review how a garment behaves on an avatar.
- Garment-specific workflows: Tools such as the Knit Swatch Editor, Denim Wet Wash effects, and GPU trim simulation support work across knitwear, denim, and detailed outerwear.
- 3D pipeline flexibility: CLO supports formats and workflows for downstream content creation, including USD/Omniverse exchange, VRM, and MetaHuman DNA import. Marvelous Designer is its sibling software, geared toward animation and gaming, while CLO is optimized for fashion design and development.
- Production and collaboration: CLO includes BOM and fabric-consumption workflows, and CLO-SET supports cloud-based product development, asset management, and team review.
Technical fashion CAD and simulation evaluation framework
Technical apparel development brings together garment manufacturing and digital asset creation. A useful way to assess a fashion-focused platform such as CLO is to consider how it supports these connected needs:
- 2D patternmaking and grading: Draft and edit pattern geometry, review the garment in 3D, calculate Points of Measure (POM), and apply grading rules across size ranges.
- Drape and fit evaluation: Simulate fabric behavior and garment movement, with diagnostic tools such as fit maps to support fit review.
- Material development and visualization: Define material properties and structural knit details, and review wash effects and garment appearance in the viewport.
- 3D pipeline interoperability: Prepare garment assets for tools such as Blender and Unreal Engine using supported exchange formats and rigging workflows.
- Production and collaboration: Connect design work to BOM information, fabric-consumption estimates, manufacturing files, and web-based collaboration.
Side-by-side platform comparison matrix
This overview distinguishes CLO’s fashion-development workflows from those of its sibling software, Marvelous Designer, which is geared toward animation and gaming asset creation.
| Workflow | CLO | Marvelous Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Fashion design, patternmaking, and virtual sampling | 3D garment creation for animation, games, and visual effects |
| Pattern and garment workflow | 2D pattern creation and editing alongside 3D garment simulation | Garment construction and draping for digital characters |
| Fit and simulation | Fit maps and garment simulation tools for fashion development | Cloth simulation for character and scene workflows |
| Downstream use | Production-oriented pattern, BOM, and fabric-consumption workflows, plus 3D export | Digital garment assets for animation and gaming pipelines |
| Collaboration | CLO-SET supports cloud-based asset management and team review | Supports digital asset workflows for creative production |
Detailed platform profiles and architectural breakdown
CLO
CLO brings 2D patternmaking and 3D garment simulation together in a fashion-focused design and virtual-sampling workflow. Designers can adjust pattern geometry and review its effect on the garment’s 3D drape as they develop a style.
The workflow can span three connected stages:
- Patternmaking and grading: Draft and refine patterns, then apply sizing rules across a range of sizes.
- Simulation and fit review: Evaluate garment drape and fit on avatars, with fit maps available as a diagnostic aid.
- Production and asset hand-off: Organize BOM and fabric-consumption information and export assets for downstream workflows.
CLO includes tools such as Pattern Drafter and Auto POM & Grading for pattern development and measurement workflows. Its material and simulation features include fit maps and GPU-accelerated soft-body simulation. Production support includes an internal BOM editor with nesting-based fabric-consumption calculations and CAD exchange formats such as DXF, Adobe Illustrator (AI), and vector PDF. For digital content workflows, CLO supports USD export via NVIDIA Omniverse, VRM, MetaHuman DNA data import, and the EveryWear rig mapping template.
Marvelous Designer
Marvelous Designer is CLO’s sibling software, sharing core simulation technology while serving a different creative focus. It is geared toward animation, gaming, and visual-effects work, while CLO is optimized for fashion design and development. In Marvelous Designer, garments can be built from 2D pattern pieces and simulated on digital characters.
Marvelous Designer supports asset workflows that include formats such as OBJ, FBX, Alembic, and USD, as well as a LiveSync plugin for Unreal Engine. Its role in this article is to illustrate the complementary digital-character workflow; CLO remains the fashion-focused choice for pattern development and production-oriented apparel workflows.
Apparel category technical workflows
Different apparel categories bring their own construction and material considerations. CLO’s patternmaking and simulation tools can help teams examine those details as they develop garments.
| Apparel Category | Pattern & Material Considerations | CLO Workflow Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Outerwear | Layered patterns and hardware details | Lacing and gluing tools, GPU trim simulation |
| Denim | Fit, seams, and wash appearance | Denim Wet Wash effects |
| Knitwear | Gauge, courses, wales, and yarn properties | Knit Swatch Editor and APEXFiz data bridge |
| Activewear | Close fit and stretch materials | Fit maps and soft-body avatar simulation |
Outerwear: multi-layer construction and hardware simulation
Padded coats, technical jackets, and tailored outerwear involve layered pattern assemblies and hardware details. In CLO, designers can use Lacing and Gluing tools to attach pocket bags, labels, and trims to pattern pieces, allowing them to follow the garment’s drape. GPU trim simulation and custom OBJ zipper-teeth registration support the development of detailed outerwear components.
Denim: rigid fit and wet wash surface simulation
Denim development brings together fit, seam placement, and wash appearance. CLO’s Denim Wet Wash Effect lets designers preview treatments such as stone wash, enzyme wash, and bleach on a 3D garment, helping them assess wash placement in relation to seams before physical testing.
Knitwear: structural gauge and yarn definition
Knit garments are shaped by loop structure as well as yarn properties. CLO’s Knit Swatch Editor lets designers define knit characteristics by adjusting wales, courses, yarn thickness, and gauge parameters. CLO also integrates a data bridge with SHIMA SEIKI APEXFiz, supporting the transfer of knit structure data between specialized knit engineering workflows and 3D garment simulation.
Activewear: compression and dynamic strain mapping
Activewear calls for careful consideration of close-fitting patterns, stretch materials, and wearer comfort. CLO’s fit maps help designers assess garment fit, while GPU soft-body simulation can show how panels interact with an avatar in motion. These visual tools support design review; they do not replace physical testing or wearer feedback.
Global 3D pipelines: exporting to Blender, Unreal Engine, and MetaHumans
Transitioning 3D garments into external DCC tools, real-time engines, and digital human pipelines requires structured asset preparation to maintain topology and material integrity.
Asset transfer follows four sequential technical milestones:
- Garment Simulation: Finalize cloth drape, panel tension, and multi-layer collisions on the target avatar.
- Quad Retopology: Convert high-density triangular simulation meshes into optimized quad topology.
- UV Island Packing: Unfold and pack UV islands within standard 0-1 coordinate space to eliminate texture distortion.
- DCC & Engine Export: Package geometric meshes, PBR texture maps, and motion caches into target exchange formats.
Blender 4.x asset preparation
When sending garments to Blender for high-end rendering or scene layout:
- Mesh Retopology: In Marvelous Designer or CLO, convert high-density triangular simulation meshes into quad topology using built-in quad-mesh conversion tools.
- UV Optimization: Ensure UV islands are packed efficiently within standard 0-1 coordinate space to prevent texture distortion.
- PBR Texture Export: Export the material texture maps needed for the intended Blender workflow, such as diffuse/albedo, normal, roughness, metallic, or displacement maps where available.
- Blender Import and Shading: Import the resulting OBJ, FBX, or glTF file into Blender. Connect texture maps directly into Blender's Principled BSDF shader node setup to preserve surface roughness and displacement settings.
Unreal Engine 5.x and MetaHuman character pipelines
Exporting digital garments to Unreal Engine for real-time applications or cinematic rendering involves specialized exchange channels:
- MetaHuman DNA Alignment: CLO supports importing MetaHuman DNA data, allowing technical artists to drape and simulate garments directly over MetaHuman avatar bodies.
- Animation and gaming workflow: Marvelous Designer, CLO’s sibling software for animation and gaming, offers a LiveSync plugin for Unreal Engine workflows.
- Rig Transfer and EveryWear Optimization: For rigged character garments, CLO offers EveryWear rig templates to automate joint skinning and clean interior hidden geometry using EveryWear Auto Seal.
- Format Selection: Choose a format supported by the target pipeline. CLO supports USD and glTF workflows for downstream asset use; check the receiving application’s requirements to confirm which materials, geometry, and rig data will transfer.
Production integration and enterprise cloud ecosystems
Modern apparel development requires digital 3D garments to connect downstream with enterprise production and merchandising systems.
The enterprise hand-off pipeline connects three primary functional stages:
- 3D Design Authoring: Create and finalize virtual garments, material properties, and graded patterns.
- Cloud Review & PLM: Conduct digital line reviews and exchange asset data across enterprise PLM architectures.
- Production Data Output: Compile nesting-based fabric consumption metrics, BOM cost sheets, and manufacturing DXF files.
CLO supports a connected workflow from garment development through production hand-off and team review:
- BOM and fabric consumption: CLO’s BOM Editor brings together information such as trims, fabrics, and colorways, with nesting-based fabric-consumption calculations to support cost estimation.
- Cloud review and asset management: CLO-SET supports 3D product review, asset management, and remote team collaboration, helping teams keep garment assets and feedback organized.
- Enterprise connections: CLO has integrations with enterprise PLM solutions including Centric Software, PTC FlexPLM, and BeProduct. Available integrations and workflows depend on the organization’s setup.
Frequently asked questions
Can CLO support production-oriented patterns and hand-offs?
CLO supports fashion-development workflows with pattern exports in formats such as DXF, AI, and vector PDF, alongside BOM data and nesting-based fabric-consumption information. The precise production hand-off depends on the requirements and systems used by each team. Marvelous Designer serves a different purpose: it is CLO’s sibling software for animation and gaming asset workflows.
What is the difference between CLO and Marvelous Designer?
CLO and Marvelous Designer are sibling software products that share core cloth simulation technology but serve different workflows. CLO is optimized for fashion design and development, including 2D patternmaking, grading, measurement, BOM, and production-oriented exports. Marvelous Designer is geared toward animation, gaming, and visual-effects work, with a focus on digital character garments and creative asset pipelines.
How do I export 3D garments to Unreal Engine?
Start by checking the target Unreal Engine project’s requirements for geometry, materials, and rigging. CLO supports USD/Omniverse workflows and offers EveryWear rig templates and MetaHuman DNA data import capabilities. For animation and gaming workflows, Marvelous Designer also offers a LiveSync plugin. As with any asset transfer, review the exported garment in the receiving project to confirm that materials and rig data have carried over as intended.
How does automated grading work in CLO?
Automated grading applies sizing rules across pattern pieces. CLO’s Auto POM & Grading supports measurement-point and formula-based grading workflows across size ranges, helping designers review how sizing changes affect the garment.
How does CLO support knitwear development?
CLO’s Knit Swatch Editor lets designers adjust structural knit characteristics such as wales, courses, yarn thickness, and gauge parameters. Its integration with SHIMA SEIKI APEXFiz supports the movement of knit structure data between specialized knit engineering and 3D garment workflows.
Can active students at accredited universities get a CLO individual subscription?
Yes. Active students studying at an accredited university qualify for a CLO individual subscription license. They may also receive a student discount by submitting appropriate enrollment documentation to CLO’s user support team for verification.
Is CLO Academy free, and does it provide a certificate?
CLO Academy is free for all individual subscribers, including active students. It currently does not offer quizzes or certificates of completion. CLO provides a separate, paid certification exam called "CLO Verified"; candidates who pass receive an official CLO certificate verifying proficiency in the specific software version used during the test.