3D Hand Scanning to Digital Draping for Glove Design

Abstract

New technologies such as 3D simulation and digital prototyping offer endless design opportunities for gloves. One potential application is digitally draping, which can be used to improve glove fit. A pilot study with one subject was conducted to examine the feasibility of this approach applied to glove design and fit. The subject completed a fit survey and then had their hand 3D scanned. A glove was digitally draped on the subject’s hand scan in EFI Optitex®. The pressure map and mesh tool in Optitex were utilized to aid expert fit evaluations. The findings of this pilot study show that the 3D glove simulation can provide a robust understanding of fit. Designers can use this visual and quantifiable information as a way to improve glove fit during early design iterations, thereby potentially sparing resources. Additionally, better fitting gloves could potentially be an effective way at combating common hand injuries.