TY - JOUR AB - Purpose– The three‐dimensional (3D) body scanner is an important new technology that will impact the design and production of apparel, but use of this tool is at an early stage of development. Appropriate measurement extractions from the complex 3D scans that will address the needs of apparel patternmakers are an essential part of the development process for this new tool. The paper aims to address these developments.Design/methodology/approach– In this study, a method of automatically locating the side seam for torso fitting garments from 3D body scans for a variety of body types was developed and tested. The method is based on the location of center points of body depth measurements, and five different body landmarks or combinations of body landmarks were tested to determine the best choice for implementation.Findings– Based on rankings and ratings of the results by apparel experts, a method using the average value of body depth measurements taken at about 100 locations equally spaced from the axilla to the crotch was chosen as the best solution.Research limitations/implications– Additional testing of this method and development of a method for locating the side seam for lower body garments is the next step in this research.Originality/value– Identifying appropriate landmarks and body measurement extraction processes for apparel or style‐based measurements is as important as the more commonly derived anthropometric measures based on body landmarks. Landmarks such as side‐seam placement pose unique challenges that must be solved with analysis and reconstruction of style‐based data. The paper provides information on these factors. VL - 20 IS - 4 SN - 0955-6222 DO - 10.1108/09556220810878829 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/09556220810878829 AU - Ashdown Susan P. AU - Sung Choi Mee AU - Milke Eric PY - 2008 Y1 - 2008/01/01 TI - Automated side‐seam placement from 3D body scan data T2 - International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 199 EP - 213 Y2 - 2024/03/28 ER -