Exporting and Sharing Renders from CLO Viewer: Best Practices

CLO Viewer: Quick Guide to Opening and Inspecting 3D Garments

What CLO Viewer is

CLO Viewer is a lightweight, free tool for viewing and inspecting 3D garment files exported from CLO 3D and compatible formats. It lets reviewers, clients, and team members open garments without needing the full CLO 3D authoring app.

File types supported

• .ZPRJ / .ZPRJX (CLO project exports)
• .OBJ / .FBX (common 3D meshes)
• .GLTF / .GLB (web-friendly 3D formats)
• Texture image files (JPEG, PNG, TIFF) linked to the model

How to open a 3D garment (step-by-step)

1. Install CLO Viewer from the official source and launch it.
2. Choose File > Open (or drag-and-drop the exported garment file).
3. Wait for textures and materials to load; large textures may take several seconds.
4. Use the mouse/trackpad to orbit (left-drag), pan (middle-drag or shift+drag), and zoom (scroll).
5. In the scene panel, expand the model hierarchy to select individual garment pieces, avatars, or accessory objects.
6. Toggle visibility of layers or patterns to inspect construction and individual pieces.
7. Use playback controls (if available) to preview animation or pose sequences exported with the file.

Inspecting details

• Materials & textures: Open the material inspector to check diffuse/albedo, normal, roughness and opacity maps.
• Pattern pieces: View 2D pattern layout if included; confirm seam alignments and grain direction.
• Seams & stitching: Zoom into seams to check stitch placement and overlap.
• Avatar fit & poses: Toggle avatar poses to verify fit across movements and body types.
• Measurements: Use measurement tools (if provided) to confirm key dimensions like sleeve length, hem, and chest circumference.

Troubleshooting common issues

• Model appears grey or textures missing — ensure texture files are in the same folder or embedded; relink textures via the material inspector.
• Slow performance — reduce viewport quality, hide unnecessary objects, or convert very large textures to lower resolution.
• Garment clipping or penetration — check collision settings in the original CLO 3D file and re-export with higher simulation quality if possible.

Quick tips

• Export a lightweight preview (GLB/gLTF) for faster sharing.
• Include a simple pose-neutral avatar to evaluate baseline fit.
• Keep texture names consistent and relative paths simple to avoid missing maps.
• Use scene annotations or screenshots when sending feedback to designers.

When to use CLO Viewer vs. CLO 3D

• Use CLO Viewer for quick review, client feedback, and sharing read-only previews.
• Use CLO 3D for editing patterns, running simulations, and finalizing garments.

If you want, I can write a short checklist or a ready-to-send client instruction message for opening files in CLO Viewer.