3D technology is not the future for footwear design — it’s already here, changing the way brands design and market their product. When it comes to footwear production, 3D technology has been introduced at multiple stages. Significant attention has been given to 3D printing for its tangible results, but 3D software, whether utilized for product ideation or marketing visualization, is emerging as an influential solution at both ends of the footwear journey.
“If you look at the major footwear manufacturers, there’s been conceptual modeling in some way for quite some time,” said Scott Green, director of product management in the software business unit at 3D Systems. “They have artists who do 2D paper drawings and designs, but then at some point, someone has got to make a looks-like, feels-like model.”
As software design has improved, this 3D modeling has been brought forward in the production process so that designers frequently now create their initial ideas directly in the software. Through solutions like 3D Systems, brands can generate high definition digital renderings that can be shared for improved collaboration within teams. Useful “undo” functions can also enable experimentation, which may prove more difficult with a physical model. For designers who enjoy creating directly with their hands, the company’s Geomagic Freeform software includes a haptic element, so that employees engage in a tangible process.