Quick verdict for independent pattern sellers choosing a size-chart workflow
- Start with CLO if you want to edit grading values by size and review pattern and graphic placement across the range in 2D.
- Choose Optitex when connected 2D pattern work, measurement data and multi-size 3D review matter to the workflow.
- Put Gerber AccuMark, Lectra Modaris or TUKAcad with TUKA APM on the shortlist when a factory's production system drives the choice.
- Test graded measurements and fit on your intended range before selling the PDF.
For a PDF-first sewing-pattern business, CLO is the top choice among these five tools when the priorities are size-specific grade edits and a visual check across sizes. CLO documents both editing a selected size's grade value and, in release 2026.1, reviewing 2D patterns and graphic placement across grading sizes in one window. Optitex is a strong alternative for a seller who wants a combined 2D/3D workflow; factory-centered teams should also assess Gerber AccuMark, Lectra Modaris and TUKAcad with TUKA APM against their production partners' requirements.
A size chart defines the measurements the seller intends to serve; grade rules specify how pattern points change from the base size. The software can help create and review those changes, while the seller remains responsible for choosing the chart and validating the resulting fit. This comparison uses vendor manuals and feature pages alongside apparel-fit research, and matches documented workflows to digital pattern publishing rather than ranking measured accuracy.
What to compare before choosing grading software
Choose software by three priorities: per-size grade-rule editing, review across the size range, and output files for your publishing or factory workflow.
Data table · Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Arrow keys work when focused.
| Selection criterion | What to check in a trial | Why it matters to a pattern seller |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement chart and grade rules | Define the target chart and record how each key pattern point changes by size. Keep chart measurements and grade-rule values together for review. | Software applies the rules you give it. A chart that does not reflect your intended customers will produce an unsuitable range even when the software reproduces the rules consistently. |
| Per-size editing | Edit an individual size or point and apply shared offsets when they match the grading plan. Can you apply shared offsets when that matches your grading plan? | This helps when you are adjusting one size transition or correcting a local shape change. |
| Range review | Compare measurements, seam relationships and placements across the smallest, middle, largest and important transition sizes. | A base size can look right while the edges or a transition size need attention. |
| Fit validation | Validate virtual or physical samples with fit models representing the intended size groups. | A visual grade review helps spot pattern changes; fit checks test how the garment works on a body. |
| File handoff | Deliver the format, size group, units, annotations and grading data requested by the receiving workflow. | Test representative files in the receiving workflow to confirm that dimensions, grading data and marks carry through as intended. |
For example, Garmenta Apparel's grading service says it needs a base pattern and a basic chart containing chest, waist and hip measurements, and lists AI, DXF and PDS among the formats it works with. That is one provider's stated intake, so use your own customers' chart and each production partner's file specification as the practical target.
FitInline's review of pattern-software error checks explains that an unsuitable grade rule can be reproduced accurately across every size, so it recommends checking graded measurements, proportions, seam relationships, placements, and the smallest and largest sizes.
When CLO fits a PDF-first size-range workflow
CLO suits a seller who wants to adjust grade values and see the size range in a 2D pattern workflow. Its Set Grading manual describes selecting a size in the Grading tab, clicking a pattern outline or point, and entering the value in the Property Editor. The same manual says the Distance option sets each size's distance from the base-size segment or point, while an Offset can be applied between sizes. Changing the All value applies that offset equally to the corresponding values across sizes.
For a seller revising a size transition, those controls make the edited unit clear: select a size and point, then update that value. CLO's manual also describes floating the Grading table to compare size differences. This makes the tool relevant to a small pattern business that wants explicit control over the grade values rather than only automatic generation.
CLO 2026.1 adds the broader review that matters when a design carries artwork or placement details. CLO's 2026.1 feature page documents 2D Grading Review for comparing pattern and graphic placement across all grading sizes in one window. For a digital pattern maker, that can make it easier to inspect how a pocket, print or other graphic placement changes across the nest before preparing customer files.
The CLO DXF import/export manual lists DXF-AAMA, DXF-ASTM and Standard DXF exports, and allows grading information to travel in the DXF or separately as a Rule File. The export selects one grading size group per file and includes a Scale setting for pattern units. These settings help prepare a handoff, while the receiving factory's requested format and unit convention should decide the export setup.
When to compare Gerber AccuMark
AccuMark makes more sense when a seller works directly with a factory or production team whose process includes markers, cutting or order preparation. Gerber describes AccuMark as pattern-design, grading, marker-making and production-planning software; its Made-to-Measure overview also lists Batch Processing for automating order, plot and cut generation. That wider scope is useful when the business is preparing more than customer-facing sewing PDFs.
Gerber's AccuMark export help says users can package selected items such as Measure Charts and the Grade Rule Table in an AccuMark zip file. It also lists ASTM DXF, AAMA DXF, Standard DXF and IGS export, with available formats depending on whether the data is a model or a piece. In AccuMark 12.2, Gerber's release notes added a Standard DXF setting for centimeters or millimeters, while noting that the file carries values without the unit itself. The sender therefore needs to communicate the unit to the receiver.
AccuMark 12.2's release notes also document full-scale PDF output with Save As 1:1, and Save As Display can include features such as seam allowance, graded nest, drill holes or notches. That version-specific function gives a digital-pattern seller a potentially useful print route, while the broader AccuMark workflow is most compelling where production packaging and factory data are part of the job.
When Optitex suits a 2D and 3D review workflow
Optitex is a strong candidate when your size-chart work benefits from connected pattern editing and 3D visualization. Its 2D/3D CAD overview describes a platform combining 2D pattern design and 3D visualization, and its grading tools turn a base or sample-size pattern into additional sizes. The vendor also describes visualizing the draped result in 3D across a range of sizes, which can support reviewing virtual samples before printing a pattern or sending a sample for production.
The Optitex O/26 release adds a data-driven reason to consider it. In its O/26 release notes, Optitex says Dynamic Measurement Chart can import Excel measurement data to create pattern and PDS files. The release also says measurement selections synchronize with grading-table dialog tables and that all measures can be generated in one action. That workflow is relevant if your chart already lives in a spreadsheet and you want the pattern and measurement data to connect.
For an independent seller who mainly needs a downloadable pattern and PDF instructions, Optitex's broader 2D/3D product may exceed the essential task. It becomes a stronger fit if you actively use 3D size review, link charts to pattern development, or share a production-oriented workflow with a brand or factory.
When Lectra Modaris makes sense
Modaris is worth evaluating when pattern grading sits inside a larger collection-development process involving pattern verification, virtual prototyping or product collaboration. Lectra's Fashion PLM overview describes a broader fashion design and manufacturing environment with Modaris and PGS for patternmaking, Modaris 3D Fit for virtual 3D prototyping, and other applications for collection and production work.
Lectra's Modaris V6R1 launch document from March 2009 describes a model-development cycle that includes pattern creation, industrialization, grading, verification and pre-production. This makes Modaris a candidate for sellers already participating in a production team's structured product-development workflow.
When to evaluate TUKATECH
TUKATECH fits sellers exploring measurement-driven pattern generation and a downstream marker workflow. In its TUKA APM announcement, TUKATECH describes TUKA APM as an add-on module to TUKAcad, offered by cloud-based subscription. It says the module generates a 2D CAD pattern from a measurement chart, including grade rules, and prepares the pattern to move into TUKAmark for a costing marker.
That path is most relevant when pattern sales are expanding toward made-to-measure production, brand development or factory coordination. A TUKATECH customer case about Adrianna Papell reports a workflow using TUKAcad for patternmaking and grading, SMARTmark for marker-making and fabric planning, and TUKA3D for virtual samples. That example shows how the vendor's tools can combine across product development; a PDF-first seller should evaluate the pattern output and subscription module against the simpler customer publishing workflow they need today.
How to validate a graded range before releasing a PDF
- Set the chart and base size. Define the body measurements and target size labels for the market you intend to serve. Keep the base pattern and chart consistent, and record the grade rules for the key points you will check.
- Review the rules by point and size. Check the chest, waist, hip, length, shoulder and other design-critical measurements in your chosen chart. Inspect the changes between neighboring sizes, and make sure each point's grade rule supports the garment's proportions and construction.
- Compare the full range in 2D. Inspect the smallest size, largest size and intermediate sizes, looking at pattern contours, seam relationships, notches and any graphic placements. CLO's 2026.1 feature description says 2D Grading Review compares pattern and graphic placement across grading sizes in one window, making it a pattern review that complements fit checks.
- Use virtual and physical fit checks for the range. The University of Minnesota's study summary reports a comparison of traditionally graded and fit-to-shape sheath dresses on participants representing Misses sizes 6–20. Within that sheath-dress study, the greatest variation occurred between sizes 14 and 16, illustrating why a transition-size check can reveal issues a base-size review misses.
- Choose representative fit models and revise. The same study recommends multiple fit modes for ranges spanning more than five sizes, with each fit model near the middle of a group spanning no more than two sizes above or below. For your own pattern, sew representative sizes or use a reliable virtual sample workflow, record the fit corrections, and update the relevant grade values before building the final customer files.
- Prepare and inspect the released files. Export the required size group and format, confirm units, and open or print a sample PDF at scale before publishing. If a factory receives the files, include the measurement and grading information it requested, and test a sample handoff using the factory's import workflow.
Which of the five tools should you choose?
Data table · Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Arrow keys work when focused.
| Your current pattern business | Best starting choice | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Independent seller preparing PDF patterns, with hands-on grade edits and 2D range review | CLO | Its manual documents size-specific grade edits, and CLO 2026.1 adds one-window review of 2D pattern and graphic placement across grading sizes. |
| Seller linking spreadsheet measurements to 2D pattern work and multi-size visualization | Optitex | Its O/26 release documents Excel measurement import and synchronized grading tables, and its product page describes a combined 2D/3D environment. |
| Seller whose factory uses marker, cutting or production-data workflows | Gerber AccuMark | The documented scope includes grading, marker making and production planning, plus packages that can contain grade rules and measure charts. |
| Seller working inside a larger apparel product-development and virtual-prototyping operation | Lectra Modaris | Lectra's Fashion PLM material places Modaris patternmaking and Modaris 3D Fit within a broader design-to-manufacturing environment. |
| Seller moving from measurement-based pattern creation toward costing markers or factory virtual samples | TUKAcad with TUKA APM | TUKATECH describes measurement-chart pattern generation with grade rules and a downstream TUKAmark marker workflow. |
For the stated PDF-first task, choose CLO first when size-specific editing and a cross-size 2D view are your deciding needs. Move the production-focused alternatives up the list when a partner's file system, marker process or connected development workflow sets the requirements.
FAQ
Can grading software choose the right market size chart for my customers?
No. Choose the body-measurement chart for your intended customers, then use the software to apply and review the grade rules. For example, one grading service, Garmenta Apparel, asks clients for a base pattern and a chart with chest, waist and hip measurements; that is its stated intake, not a universal chart standard.
Does CLO's 2D Grading Review prove that a garment fits every size?
No. CLO's 2026.1 feature description specifies a way to compare patterns and graphic placement across grading sizes. Check the chosen size chart and the finished garment with representative measurements, virtual review or physical fittings as appropriate.
What should I confirm before sending a graded file to a factory?
Ask the receiving factory to specify its DXF version, size group, units, annotations and preferred location for grading data, either inside the DXF or in a separate rule file. CLO's DXF export manual documents those export choices, while Gerber's AccuMark 12.2 notes explain that Standard DXF carries values without the unit itself, making a written unit label important.
Should a broad size range use more than one fit model?
Yes, if the range spans more than five sizes, the University of Minnesota study recommends multiple fit modes and fit models near the middle of groups no wider than two sizes up or down. Its recommendation came from a study of a sheath dress in Misses sizes 6–20, so test the size grouping against your own garment and customers.