We want to create tools that allow for a seamless, humanless digitisation process
Vizoo GmbH is a German company that specialises in material digitisation technologies, offering high-quality solutions for creating digital twins of physical materials. Vizoo’s key products, xTex and physX, allow for the fast, accurate, and scalable digitisation of materials, providing photo-realistic results across various industries including fashion, footwear, automotive, and furniture. Known for its universal compatibility with different 3D software and trusted by global brands, Vizoo has established itself as a leading innovator in digital material scanning and 3D workflows. Its Drape Validation Workflow further enhances the accuracy of digital fabric samples, supporting efficient and standardised digitisation processes. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, CEO Martin Semsch talks about the company, its products and the future of material digitisation.
With 3D technology becoming mainstream in fashion and textiles, how do you see the adoption of Digital Product Creation impacting traditional supply chains?
The adoption of DPC (Digital Product Creation) in fashion and textiles is an absolute game-changer for traditional supply chains. It eases the pressure on manufacturers to make the entire process more efficient and sustainable. For example, with 3D, we can shorten design-to-production timelines significantly, which means fewer physical samples, reduced waste, and a smaller carbon footprint overall.
The added value here is the ability to make quicker decisions. Real-time digital samples allow for faster prototyping, which directly reduces lead times. By cutting down on the amount of physical back-and-forth, brands can move from concept to market much more swiftly, all while maintaining the quality and accuracy of their products.
How do you think automation and digital tools can reduce waste and increase sustainability across fashion and textile industries?
Automation and digital tools have a tremendous role to play in making the industry more sustainable. First, by reducing the need for physical samples, particularly by dedicating this towards the later stages of production, we can drastically cut down on waste. The shift towards digital pattern planning allows for more efficient fabric utilisation, optimising material usage and reducing excess.
The broader impact is that production can become more demand-driven. This leads to a reduction in overproduction, meaning brands can respond to customer demands more flexibly while producing exactly what is needed, when it is needed. It is a win-win for both sustainability and business efficiency.
As brands increasingly adopt 3D technologies, what skills do you believe will be most valuable for professionals entering this field?
I believe the most valuable skill for anyone entering this space is an openness to learn not just new technologies, but to create new possibilities. The fashion industry is evolving at a rapid pace, and the ability to adapt to and master digital tools will set professionals apart. However, one often underrated skill is the ability to blend traditional fashion production expertise with these new digital capabilities.
Professionals who can bridge the gap between traditional craftsmanship and digital tools will be uniquely positioned to solve problems in creative ways, taking both their creativity and the industry itself to new heights.
How do you see the role of material digitisation expanding beyond fashion and automotive into other industries over the next decade?
Material digitisation is poised to expand wherever physical products are made—and that is in nearly every industry. Most products, at some level, have fabrics or other material components, whether you are talking about furniture, interior design, or even gaming.
In fact, industries that you might not immediately associate with textiles, such as architecture and product design, are increasingly exploring the benefits of digital materials. Gaming, in particular, is an exciting frontier where the fidelity of digital materials can add realism and depth to virtual environments.
Vizoo has been a pioneer in material digitisation since 2013. What inspired you to launch Vizoo, and how has the company evolved since then?
My background is in computer science, but I stumbled into fashion and quickly realised that the industry lacked the tools to digitise fabrics accurately and at a high quality. There was a clear gap in the market, and that is what inspired me to launch Vizoo back in 2013.
Since then, we have grown into a market leader with 500+ global clients from various industries—from Adidas, to IKEA, to Volkswagen, just to name a few. It is because of them that we continually push the boundaries of what is possible with material digitisation and fabric scanning. Our goal has always been to help our customers realise their creative visions while also driving profitability and sustainability. Today, we are doing that through ongoing innovation in tools like xTex and physX, and by focusing on making our solutions more interoperable within the digital ecosystem.
The new Drape Validation Workflow is a significant innovation. Could you explain how it bridges the gap between physical and digital fabric samples?
The Drape Validation Workflow establishes a standard, software-independent process for measuring the physical properties of fabrics. We realised that the lack of which results in great variances and thus contributes to a lot of back-and-forth between clients and suppliers. This ensures that both are on the same page when it comes to expectations, making it easier to trust and use digital fabrics. This better communication means fewer surprises in production and a much smoother workflow overall.
What are some of the challenges you faced when developing xTex and physX technologies, and how did you overcome them?
Developing xTex and physX was quite a challenge because, at the time, the market for digital fabrics was still emerging. We were essentially developing for future workflows that did not exist yet. There was no clear use case, so we had to think ten steps ahead, assuming what the industry might look like in three years. This meant we were building for users who we do not have a name and a face for—like 3D fashion designers, which were rare when we started.
How does the interoperability of Vizoo’s digital solutions benefit different industries like fashion, automotive, and furniture?
The key to our solutions is flexibility. Regardless of the 3D design software being used—whether it is Browzwear, CLO 3D, or many others—our technology is built to work across platforms, giving clients the freedom to adapt their workflows without being locked into one system. That is crucial in industries like automotive or furniture, where design requirements can vary significantly.
We have also worked closely with ecosystem partners to ensure that our solutions seamlessly integrate into existing workflows. This flexibility benefits agencies that work across industries—allowing them to use our tools in multiple contexts, from fashion to automotive to furniture design.
What are the biggest hurdles the industry faces in achieving standardisation for digital twins, and how can these be addressed?
One of the main challenges we face is the lack of industry-wide push to implement standardisation quickly. Ecosystem players, not just brands, need to push for it to ensure that we are all working from the same baseline. Right now, a wide variety of workflows, tools, and platforms are being used, which makes standardisation difficult to achieve.
Inconsistent physical measurements and 3D simulation standards between different software solutions create further complexity. This fragmented landscape also leads to a steep learning curve, making it harder to attract and train talent.
At Vizoo, we are collaborating with various partners in the ecosystem to address these challenges through interoperability. For instance, we have worked on the development of a common digital twin file format—U3M— that is now supported by platforms like Browzwear, Style3D, Centric, Keyshot, Swatchbook, z-emotion, and others. Additionally, our physX platform simplifies physical parameter acquisition, speeding up processes and making conversions between physical and digital fabrics more seamless.
As material digital twins become increasingly vital in 3D projects, how do you ensure that your technologies remain universally compatible with various 3D software platforms?
Compatibility is key, and it is something we take very seriously at Vizoo. We achieve this through close collaboration with the leading software companies in the industry. For instance, we have been deeply involved in the development of the U3M file format, which is now supported by around 95 per cent of fashion design platforms. This allows us to ensure that our materials are accessible and functional no matter which platform our clients are using, and we are continuously working to make sure that this remains the case as new technologies emerge.
Vizoo is known for providing lightning-fast digitisation solutions. What innovations have enabled you to achieve such speed while maintaining high-quality outputs?
The speed of our digitisation process is something we are incredibly proud of. One of the main factors that enable this is our advanced algorithms, which allow us to scan materials and process the data faster than ever before. We have developed proprietary solutions like xTex, specifically designed to deliver highly accurate digital materials at the fastest possible rate.
Additionally, we utilise C++ to optimise every bit of the application. It makes the development process more complex, but it is worth it because it allows us to achieve the kind of speed and scalability that our customers need. Whether they are scanning a small batch of materials or large volumes, our technology is built to handle it efficiently.
Sustainability is a growing concern in the fashion and textiles industry. How does Vizoo’s technology contribute to sustainable practices in material development and production?
Sustainability has always been a pillar of what we do. By improving workflows through digital tools, we help brands reduce waste across their production processes. Our solutions minimise the need for unnecessary physical sampling and production iterations, which not only saves time and resources but also reduces the environmental impact.
By digitising materials early in the process, companies can make smarter decisions from the design stage through to manufacturing. This promotes a more efficient use of resources and helps brands meet their sustainability goals more easily.
What role does AI and machine learning play in Vizoo’s current and future development of material digitisation technologies?
AI and machine learning are going to be pivotal for the future of material digitisation. Right now, we are looking at utilising the vast amount of material data we have collected over the years to train AI algorithms on how to process digital materials. The goal is to eventually create a fully automated system where we can remove the need for human input altogether.
In a few years, we envision a scenario where AI handles the entire fabric scanning process, allowing for faster, more accurate results without requiring manual effort. This will not only speed up workflows but also increase the scalability of digitisation for industries that need to handle massive amounts of material data. We can then give the time back to people to pursue and actualise their creative visions without being hampered by these manual processes.
Can you share any success stories where Vizoo’s technology significantly improved efficiency for clients in their digital transformation journey?
Absolutely. One of our key success stories is with Artistic Milliners, a well-known textile manufacturer. The company integrated our material digitisation solutions into its production workflows and saw significant improvements in efficiency. By digitising its fabrics with xTex, Artistic Milliners was able to streamline the development process, reduce its reliance on physical samples, and make faster decisions with its buyers.
Another example is JML Fabrics, who leveraged our technology to enhance its digital material library. This allowed the company to offer more options to its customers while cutting down on sampling time, ultimately improving both its speed-to-market and customer satisfaction.
What is the next big innovation for Vizoo GmbH, and how do you see the future of material digitisation evolving?
The next big frontier for Vizoo is being able to place material digitisation or fabric scanning directly into fabric mills—the very source of the fabrics. We call this ‘tier 1’ digitisation, where the entire workflow becomes digital even before the first physical fabric swatch is shipped. This would eliminate the excesses in shipping samples and enable a fully digital workflow right from the start.
To make this vision a reality, we are focusing on developing technologies that are not only faster and easier to use but also incredibly accurate and high-quality. We see AI playing a critical role here, enabling the removal of much of the human input required in today’s manual processes. In the future, we want to create tools that allow for a seamless, humanless digitisation process, where thousands of materials can be digitised quickly and without compromise. I believe when we remove these hurdles, we are enabling higher quality and more sustainable products come to the market faster, and on the other hand empower people to focus on unlocking their creative potential.
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