The best 3D clothing design softwares are 3dmockup.co, CLO 3D, Browsewear Lotta, Tailornova, Adobe Photoshop, MarvelousDesigner, Tuka3D, & Affinity Designer.
The fashion industry is worth nearly $3 trillion and reaches every corner of the world. With such scale comes a clear problem. Apparel design relies heavily on repeated samples, which creates large amounts of waste. To cut this down, designers are turning to 3D clothing design software. These tools allow clothes to be designed and tested digitally.
The days of hand-drawn fashion sketches are fading fast. Designers no longer rely only on imagination to choose colors or fabrics. With the best 3d clothing design software, both professionals and beginners can create realistic designs on screen before a single piece is made.
Table of Contents
What is 3D Clothing Design Software?
Designers use 3D clothing design software to see how a garment looks, fits, and moves in a virtual space. They help create flat sketches, 3D models, design sheets, and detailed plans for every part of a garment.
If this sparks your interest, read on. Below is a handpicked list of 3D fashion design software that professionals rely on to refine designs and improve the way garments are created.
What are the Best 3D Clothing Design Software?
Which are the best software programs to design 3D clothing?
1. 3dmockup.co
3dmockup.co is a 3D mockup generator that lets you upload designs onto 3D clothing templates. If you have any custom design or brand logo as an image file, you can add it to a 3d T-shirt mockup or 3d hoodie mockup, change fabric colors and backgrounds, and download it with motion animations.
Most free online 3D clothing design software may feel complicated to use, but 3dmockup.co is very easy because its navigation is kept simple and user-friendly.
Key Features
- 3D apparel templates
- Upload multiple designs
- Modify fabric colors and backgrounds
- Export as image and video files (PNG, JPG, and MP4)
- Free plan (no watermark)
- Walking and wind animation templates
- 3D preview
Pricing
- Free
- Paid plan: $19.99/month (lifetime)
2. CLO
The most recommended 3D software for clothing design is CLO 3D. It’s built specifically for the fashion industry, not generic 3D modeling. That’s a big deal for beginners because you’re working with real garment logic, not polygons and meshes.
This tool is designed for clothing, not games or animation. Fabric behaves like real fabric. You can adjust panels, seams, colors, and textures. If your goal is to change side panels, add contrast fabric, or tweak garment construction, this fits the use case perfectly.
Key Features
- Adjust panels, seams, colors, and textures
- Real fabric feel with natural drape
- Best for hoodies, jackets, and streetwear
- Easy exports are ready for production
Pricing
- Plan starts from $25/month
3. Browsewear Lotta
Lotta, by Browzwear, is a powerful 3D clothing design add-on. It works as a core module within the Browzwear platform. Designers get wide freedom to experiment with graphics, trims, fabrics, colors, and layouts.
Designers can build fresh styles using simple blocks. The software lets them turn flat patterns, images, and logos into realistic 3D designs with ease. Moving 2D sketches from Illustrator or Photoshop into Lotta is quick and smooth. The tool feels intuitive and works well even for beginners.
Key Features
- Built by a trusted software company
- Excellent 3D views
- Easy to start
- Friendly for first-time users
Pricing
- Freelancer: $750/year
4. Tailornova
Tailornova is a fashion design tool built for modern designers. It lets you create unlimited, made-to-measure apparel with ease. The interface feels simple and intuitive. A built-in digital sketch board allows designers to shape ideas freely and turn concepts into ready designs without friction.
Designers place them on 3D models to see how the garment fits once the sketches are ready. They can check body shape, size, height, and fine details in real time. Custom-fit patterns arrive in seconds.
Key Features
- 3D fitmodel
- Smart adjustments
- Unlimited patterns plus sketches
- 3d preview
- Export files in PDF, PLT, and DXF-AAMA formats.
Pricing
- Plan starts from $29/month
5. Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop remains a top choice for designers. It helps create repeating patterns, build mockups and edit photos or moodboards smoothly. Its wide range of textures, effects, and the generative fill tool make everyday design work faster and more flexible.
It lets you fine-tune colors, adjust saturation and colors, and turn ideas into sketches. Designers often use it with Illustrator to capture sharp details, from line work to colours and fabric patterns, with clarity and control.
Key Features
- Color fixes
- Mood boards for ideas
- Quick textile concepts with Generative Fill
- Mockups
Pricing
- $22.99/month
6. Marvelous Designer
Marvelous Designer comes from the same company as CLO 3D. The difference is focus. Marvelous Designer is more popular in gaming, animation, and virtual fashion. CLO 3D is more common in real-world fashion production.
Marvelous Designer still works very well for beginners. You can buy ready-made garment patterns (like hoodies) and customize them instead of starting from scratch. This is huge if you don’t want to learn pattern drafting on day one.
Marvelous Designer has a marketplace where you can buy hoodie patterns, modify panels and shapes, change colors and fabric textures, and experiment freely without building from zero.
Key Features
- Styleline editing
- Modify panels and shapes
- Change colors and fabric textures
- Add thickness
Pricing
- Plan starts from $39/month
7. Tuka3D
TUKA3D brings digital models and avatars to life. They walk, run, and even dance, closely copying real human movement. Designers can also test garments using five visual tools such as warp, stretch, weft, X-ray, and pressure, to review a 3D virtual sample before it goes further.
Key Features
- Motion simulation
- Digital cloth
Pricing
- Plan starts from $29/month
8. Affinity Designer
Many users speak highly of Affinity Designer. They see it as a practical and sensible choice. There is no monthly fee. The software runs smoothly on both Windows and Mac, and it offers solid tools for vector work and typography. There is also an iPad version, which adds to its appeal.
For solo creators who run their own show and do not need to share files with agencies or clients, Affinity feels like the smarter option. Many believe users will slowly drift away from Adobe, not because of quality, but because the subscription model has begun to feel heavy on the pocket.
Key Features
- Vector-based design
- Print-ready colors
- Multiple export formats
- Unlimited artboards
- Works on Mac, Windows, iPad
Pricing
- Free
Conclusion
If you’re starting out, there’s no single best 3d clothing design software. When you step into true garment creation and fit control, 3D fashion tools take over. 3dmockup.co, CLO3D and Marvelous Designer are industry favorites for realistic draping, patterns, and fabric behavior. They shine when you want more than surface prints, like panel colors, textures, and real construction logic.
Most brands don’t start with everything at once. Start simple, learn the workflow, and move to advanced 3D only when your designs demand it. That’s how most successful clothing brands actually begin, one step at a time.
FAQs
Which software is best for 3D clothing design beginners?
3dmockup.co and CLO3D are the most beginner-friendly 3d software for clothing design made specifically for fashion. It allows realistic garment simulation, pattern-based design, and adjustable fabrics.
Is Marvelous Designer good for streetwear like hoodies?
Marvelous Designer works well for hoodies, jackets, and layered clothing. You can buy ready-made patterns and customize panels, colors, and textures instead of just placing prints.
Can I download 3D clothing templates and customize them?
3dmockup.co, Marvelous Designer and CLO3D both offer marketplaces where you can buy hoodie, t-shirt, and garment patterns and modify them for your brand.
What is soft body simulation in fashion design?
Soft body simulation mimics how fat, muscle, and skin react under garments. It helps improve fit accuracy, especially for undergarments and body-hugging apparel.
Do I still need 3D mockups if I use 3D fashion software?
3D software is best for design and prototyping. 3D Mockups are still useful for marketing, listings, and social media because they are faster and optimized for e-commerce.