The United States Patent and Trademark Office has published patent 12745814, titled “Rendering a 3D garment preview,” assigned to Levi Strauss & Co. The inventors are Jennifer Schultz, Christopher Schultz, Debdulal Mahanty, James Barton Sights, and Benjamin Bell. The patent details a digital design tool that provides a realistic preview of laser-finished apparel.
The core of this invention is a software tool that allows users to create and modify clothing designs, specifically the wear patterns and finishing effects typically applied to denim, and preview these designs in three dimensions before they are physically manufactured. Traditionally, creating distressing or fading on jeans involved resource-intensive processes like wet washing with chemicals or dry abrasion with pumice stones. This new technology utilizes lasers to burn patterns onto the fabric, reducing water, chemical usage, and time. The digital preview tool allows designers to select a “base fit fabric,” overlay a laser pattern, adjust elements like tinting, brightness, and damage placement, and view a photorealistic 3D image of how the garment will look after the final post-laser wash. This real-time visualization eliminates the need for numerous physical prototypes.
This patent was recognized as the patent of the month for the textiles, clothing, and footwear industry in October 2026 due to its potential to optimize the manufacturing process and reduce environmental impact. By enabling accurate, real-time digital 3D previews of laser-finished garments, it significantly streamlines the design phase. Designers can experiment with countless variations—altering wear patterns, scaling damage, and adjusting tint—without wasting physical materials. This efficiency not only accelerates the time-to-market for new apparel lines but also aligns with the industry’s growing focus on sustainable production practices by replacing traditional, chemical-heavy finishing techniques with precise laser technology.
The development of this software tool and its integration with laser finishing processes could be eligible for Research and Development (R&D) tax credits in the United States. The practical applications of this patent involve substantial software engineering and systems integration to translate 2D laser input files and flat fabric images into accurate, photorealistic 3D models with simulated lighting and shadowing. The process of calculating the precise interactions between the laser pattern mask and the base fabric image to render realistic fading and damage requires complex algorithmic development. Furthermore, the creation of a system that links this digital preview environment directly to the physical laser cutting machines to ensure accurate reproduction of the digital design in the real world demonstrates a systematic process of experimentation and technological advancement, which are key criteria for R&D tax credit eligibility.
