The following suggestions will help you to create more photorealistic ray trace renders by improving the appearance of seams and trims.

3D trim objects enhance the appearance of a garment and provide a true-to-life simulation. It is recommended to use 3D trims, particularly for those trims which need to stand out from the garment such as buttons and rivets. This Browzwear article explains how to import a 3D trims object that are of OBJ or FBX formats.

If a 3D trim is not readily available, 2D artwork objects can be made to look 3D in VStitcher using 2.5D trims. These objects use a combination of artwork and applied physics to create the appearance of a 3D trim. This Browzwear article explains how to create a 2.5D trim.

This VStitcher feature was introduced in 2020 January Edition. It allows you to choose a stitch construction type and create realistic stitching effects in 3D which properly interact with the chosen lighting in ray trace renders.

There are three stitch constructions available in VStitcher:

When using either the Directional and Open Seam stitch construction types, remember to enable the ‘Enhanced Layer Blending’ in VStitcher. This can be found under the ‘Garment’ in the menu bar. Ensure the look of the seam mimics the physical sample by checking how it looks in VStitcher’s V-Ray Real-Time Ray Trace renderer.

If you are not using vector seams with textures, you may want to try checking ‘Use Lower Layer Maps’ and checking that it provides a better representation in VStitcher’s V-Ray Real-Time Ray Trace render.

It is typically more challenging to ensure a true to life representation of embroidery and lace textures. It is recommended that you work with Browzwear if your 3D garment has this kind of material. Another recommendation is to utilize Substance by Adobe to ensure the highest quality material visualization. There is an Embroidery Substance preset listed under the Artwork Execution (1 below) in the Context View for Artwork.

This Browzwear webinar provides more information about the utilize Substance integration with VStitcher.

If your 3D garment has tunneled drawstrings or similar garment features, you may want to consider using VStitcher’s Puffy function. The puffy function creates two separate layers from a single piece. To enable the Puffy function, tick Puffy Firmness in the Physical Properties dialog box for the material and check how the feature looks within VStitcher’s V-Ray Real-Time Ray Trace renderer.

Please note that when puffy is enabled, Thickness dictates the total width of the insulated material, not the thickness of the fabric itself.