PAD System's New Approach Brings CAD to the Masses
The new owner of CAD/CAM supplier PAD System Technologies is making some changes that prospective CAD artists as well as existing customers may find hard to refuse.
The Hong Kong–based Sheen Union Development Co., which acquired PAD from its Canadian owners in March, is cutting prices on some of PAD’s top-line products, making key features more affordable for the mass market. The price cuts are expected to be well into the double-digit percentages and applicable for PAD’s Clone and Made-to-Measure, (MTM) modules. Upgrades will also be reduced.
“These are elite features at an affordable price. Many users don’t even know what Clone is, so this will give users an opportunity to really experience what PAD can do,” said Kristine Gloviak, vice president of PAD’s U.S. agent, GCL Distribution.
Many of the announcements were made at PAD’s Worldwide Distributors Conference, held recently in Shanghai, China, and attended by Gloviak and about 20 other distributors around the world. Aside from discussing new price plans and product developments, the distributors toured factories that produce clothing for The North Face, Patagonia, Adidas and others.
In one factory, designers showed how they use PAD to create technical ski jackets made with 160 pieces. The tour also demonstrated how computerized pattern-making is expanding offshore. With a strong emphasis on speed-to-market, CAD is being taught around the world now and has placed strong demand on new systems and features.
Tools such as Clone and MTM make the pattern-design process go more quickly and easily than ever before, Gloviak said. The Clone system automatically updates modifications made from the pattern-development phase to the cloned-production pieces, thus eliminating many steps and saving time. The system works on all related pieces such as fusings and linings. It also makes automatic updates for seam allowances and grading.
MTM is a mass customization solution that enables users to update several pieces at once regardless of size and takes into account pleats, shirring and closed darts. MTM also updates style line grading during pattern development and can work using body circumference and length measurements.
PAD has also released version 4.8 of its Master Pattern Maker CAD system, which features a number of improvements that make life easier for CAD artists. Among them is a retro-version save feature that enables users to save files in earlier versions such as 4.0, 4.1 or 4.4 and 4.6. There are also new technical sketch windows that display imported sketches and images as well as an improved toolbox look.
“It’s colorful and powerful, combining pop-ups with displays,” Gloviak described.
The system also incorporates a new marker algorithm called Opticut Plus, which integrates with a nesting system called ShapeShifter for maximum efficiency.
All of the new features in version 4.8 will be addressed at a launch event to be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the California Market Center’s Fashion Theater in Los Angeles. For more information, call (800) 570-4274.—Robert McAllister
