Tech firm harnesses CT scanning for first 3D imagery of a real garment

Tech firm So Real has partnered with a fashion manufacturer Eton Shirts to produce what it claims is the world’s first 3D visualisation of a real garment using CT scanning technology.

The two have worked together to transform the Eton white dress shirt into a detail-rich 3D rendition that offers a new dimension to product exploration and digital touch and feel. To achieve greater detail than ever, So Real used CT scans, a technology used in medical diagnostics.

Customers now have a way to see the level of quality and skill that goes into each Eton shirt. This is especially relevant at a time when going to a store is not always an option, the firms say.

The Signature Twill shirt can now be explored with extreme close-ups that showcase the material, design, and craftmanship.

So Real’s use of industrial CT technology allows the digitisation of objects in unparalleled detail both inside and out, thereby creating true “digital twins” of any physical object. The patented scanning and twinning process also allows the precise segmentation and measurement of every component of that object, enabling virtual sampling and the creation of libraries of customisable building blocks for future designs.

Ian Ravenshaw Bland, co-founder, and CEO of So Real said: “Eton and So Real are cut from the same cloth, the same swatch even. A total commitment to quality is at the core of our DNA and we both love to bring things to life that have never been done before.

“This was an incredible opportunity to showcase the true potential of our technology. We’re extremely proud that the first garment ever to be visualised this way was an Eton shirt. The level of detail micro-CT provides lets us zoom in until we’re eye to eyelet – right up to the threads and fibres – as if it was under a microscope.

“The past year has demonstrated that increasing the supply of digital versions of real-life items is one of the keys to a prospering economy and we’re proud to be together with Eton at the forefront of digital garment innovation.”