What a technical flat is
A technical flat, or flat sketch, draws the garment as if it were laid flat on a table: no body, no pose, no shading. Front and back are drawn at the same scale, in the style industry flats use (the shoulder a little wider, the sleeves slimmer and hanging close), and the two halves match wherever the garment does. A fashion illustration shows how a garment looks on a person; a flat shows how it is made.
Every line means something. A seam is a solid line, topstitching is a dashed line beside it, and darts, pleats and folds are drawn where they fall. Pockets, closures and trims are drawn in their place and to scale, because the factory takes what goes where from the flat. The outline is drawn heavier than the seams and stitching inside it, so the shape reads first.
The measurements are not read off a flat with a ruler. They are in the points of measure table, and the flat carries the codes that lead to each row.
The views a pack needs
| View | What it shows | Who reads it |
|---|---|---|
| Front | The neckline, closures, pockets, seams and stitching on the face of the garment | Everyone |
| Back | The back body, yokes, vents and back pockets, at the same scale as the front | Pattern maker, sample room |
| Sides | The side seam, pockets set in it, a hood's depth and how a sleeve hangs | Pattern maker |
| Inside | Labels, linings, facings and tapes, where the inside shows them | Sample room, packing |
| Details | A collar, a pocket or a cuff drawn larger, where the full view is too small to read | Sample room |
Photos that draw well
- The whole garment in one photo, laid flat on a plain ground or worn facing the camera.
- The front and the back. A side photo helps where the side has something to show, such as a pocket or a vent.
- Close-ups of the details: the collar, a pocket, a cuff, the hem, the label.
- Straight on and evenly lit: shoot from directly above or directly in front, in light that shows the seams.
- Large enough to read. The Studio asks for a larger photo when every photo is small.
A sketch is read the same way. Draw the front and the back, and write the construction beside them: the seam, the closure, the pocket. A flat you already have, from another tool or an old tech pack in PDF, AI, SVG or PNG, can be traced into the Studio instead: it proposes which piece is which, you confirm it, and the flat becomes an editable garment.
How the Studio draws the flat
First it asks a short survey about the photos: the fit, the fabric, the colours, the collar or the waistband, the sample size and any measurements you have, and the logos and prints. Each answer comes filled in from the photos, and your answers outrank them. Then it draws the front and the back, and draws both sides from the finished front and back so their pieces match. Making a tech pack with AI goes through the survey and every step after the drawing.
Where no photo shows a part, the drawing works it out from what the photos do show, so check those parts first. A logo or a print in the photos is drawn as artwork on its panel, kept apart from the garment, so it can be moved, resized or replaced. When the drawing lands, the Studio compares it with your photos and points out the problems a buyer would reject; you can have it redrawn with those corrections and keep whichever drawing is closer.
Checking a flat
- Proportions: the body length against the chest, the sleeve length, and the collar and pockets against the body.
- Counts: pockets, buttons, panels, belt loops and rivets, against the photos.
- Seams and stitching: a seam wherever the garment has one, and topstitching where it shows, such as the two rows of a flat-felled seam.
- Closures: which side laps over which at centre front. Left and right are the wearer's, on the flat as on the garment.
- The inside: where the labels sit, and the lining or facing if there is one.
Then read the points of measure against a garment you trust. The flat and the table share their codes, so a proportion that looks wrong shows up as a number that is wrong.
Editing the flat
What the Studio draws is a garment you can edit, not a fixed picture. Its sliders resize the parts together with their measurements, so a longer body or a wider sleeve changes the flat and the table at once. Any piece can be reshaped by hand with the tools and keys Illustrator uses (Selection, Direct Selection, the Pen), and the Studio names the points of measure a hand edit may have changed so you can check them. Or describe the change to the assistant, such as "shorter body, wider rib". Every change can be undone, and Reset shape returns a piece to its sliders.
Flats for Illustrator
The flats export as SVG with named layers and plain colour values, which open in Illustrator for artwork or finishing, and the whole pack exports as a vector PDF, so lines stay sharp at any print size. A change made in Illustrator stays in that file; make the changes the pack should carry in the Studio, where the flat and the measurements move together. See also Texhub, or Illustrator and spreadsheets.
Questions and answers
Can AI draw a technical flat from a photo?
Yes. The Studio draws the front and the back from your photos, then both sides, as an editable garment with its pieces, seams and trims as separate parts. It asks a short survey first, and checks the drawing against your photos when it lands.
What photos should I take?
The whole garment, front and back, laid flat on a plain ground or worn facing the camera, plus close-ups of the collar, pockets, cuffs and label. Shoot straight on, in light that shows the seams.
Can I start from a sketch?
Yes. A sketch is read like a photo, so write the construction beside it. A flat you already have, from another tool or an old tech pack, can be traced into an editable garment instead.
Does it draw the back if I only have a front photo?
Yes, but it has to work out what no photo shows, so check the back and the sides first. A back photo, even a quick one, gives the drawing the back to copy.
Can I edit the flat?
Yes. Its sliders resize the parts with their measurements, any piece can be reshaped by hand, and the assistant makes the changes you describe. The flats also export as SVG for Illustrator.
Will the flat match my measurements?
The garment is built at your sample size and to the measurements you type in the survey, and every point of measure is read off it. The flat is a drawing of that garment, so take the numbers from the table, not off the drawing. Check the key ones against a garment you trust.
