Clo3D plugin based on C++ Qt user interfaces

This innovative tool was developed to make the garment creation pipeline in CLO3D more efficient. Traditionally, clothing designers need to manually place each point that defines the shape of every pattern piece—a process that can be tedious and time-consuming. To streamline this workflow, I created a tool that includes built-in clothing styles, each driven by a set of adjustable parameters controlled through scrollbars. These scrollbars correspond to commonly used attributes found in a garment tech pack, as defined by merchants. By defining each pattern piece as a function of these input parameters, designers can quickly and intuitively modify styles, significantly accelerating the design process.

This project is primarily built in C++ with the QT 5.15 library, to match the settings for the CLO SDK. I used the Qt framework to design the user interface and connected it to the CLO3D SDK to access and control the available API functions provided by the CLO software.

The plugin reduces the time required to design styles for personal brand clothing from 15 minutes to just 2 minutes, significantly accelerating the creative process and allowing designers to visualize their ideas more efficiently. It also ensures that each new style adheres to a standardized pattern library, minimizing fitting errors.

To build this plugin, I developed the Qt-based UI layer and implemented custom C++ files to connect the UI elements with CLO3D API functions. I also modified the function structure and data types to ensure the Qt widget window remains consistently displayed above the CLO3D interface. Additionally, the progress bar is dynamically controlled based on the return values of the CLO3D API functions.

While the CLO3D API provides essential tools such as creating patterns by points and adding seamlines via line indices, it has limitations in freely moving pattern pieces or editing them using existing shapes or lines. To overcome these constraints, I established precise calculations to align each tech pack parameter with corresponding points. The relationships between these points were defined using linear equations, enabling accurate and automated pattern generation within the plugin.

Reference image and guideline have been added to give instructions.

The UI function includes an embedded

structure

that ensures the widget integrates

seamlessly into the workflow. The buttons

are assigned to the QDialog and are

only initialized when activated.

The plugin is easy to use in the CLO3D software. I use CMake to compile the .ui and .cpp files with the necessary library into a .dll file, which is the standard format for CLO3D plugins.