Resources · Glossary
Glossary.
Clearly defined terms for Product Reality.
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Spectral data
Term- Color data as a spectrum instead of just LAB/RGB values.Spectral data describes how a color reflects light across all visible wavelengths (typically 360–750 nm). Unlike LAB or RGB values it is device- and illuminant-independent and therefore the only reliable basis for light-fast color comparisons across suppliers, materials and markets. With spectral data, metamerism risks can be detected early, tolerances under different illuminants (D65, TL84, A) can be checked in parallel, and color standards can be shared digitally. DMIx stores spectral data per standard and measurement, versioned, and makes it available for 3D rendering, color QC and the Digital Product Passport.
LAB
Term- Device-independent color space.CIELAB describes color along lightness (L), red–green (a) and yellow–blue (b). Standard for industrial color approval.
RGB
Term- Screen color space.RGB describes colors for additive devices. Insufficient for product reality, but important for marketing output.
Delta E (ΔE)
Term- Numeric distance between two colors, the working unit for tolerances.Delta E (ΔE) is the calculated distance between two color measurements in LAB space. A small ΔE means visual closeness, a large one a visible deviation. Several formulas exist (ΔE76, ΔE2000, ΔECMC) which match human perception to different degrees, with CMC and ΔE2000 considered state of the art in textile. Tolerance limits are defined per standard, material and production stage (tight-to-loose). DMIx calculates ΔE automatically in MatchBox and BulkControl against the stored standard and flags any breach.
Metamerism
Term- Colors that look identical under one light source and different under another.Anyone checking only LAB instead of the spectrum overlooks metamerism, and ships visibly off-color products.
CMYK
Term- Subtractive print color space.CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, key/black) is the standard color space for four-color printing. Its gamut is significantly smaller than LAB or spectral, many vivid or saturated colors cannot be reproduced or only approximated. Relevant for packaging, hangtags and print collateral, but insufficient for material and product reality in textile and CMF. DMIx works spectrally throughout and provides CMYK only as an output for print workflows, never as a reference.
CMF (Color, Material, Finish)
Term- Design discipline for color, material and finish.CMF (Color, Material, Finish) is the discipline that shapes the sensory appearance of a product, from color matching to material selection to surface finishing. It sits at the interface of industrial design, engineering and sourcing and decisively shapes brand perception and premium feel. Classically CMF teams work with physical samples, which is expensive, slow and hard to scale. DMIx provides the data backbone for digital CMF: spectral color standards, PBR materials and validated digital twins, usable across design, 3D, sales and compliance.
PBR
Term- Physically Based Rendering.Material data that enables consistent renderings in every engine, the basis for 3D, AR and e-commerce.
Specular vs. Metalness workflow
Term- Two PBR workflows for describing reflection and material.PBR materials can be described in two common workflows: specular/glossiness keeps diffuse, specular and glossiness maps explicit and is common in classical product design and film pipelines. Metalness/roughness combines base color, metalness and roughness and is the standard in game engines and real-time renderers (Unreal, Unity, Babylon, three.js). Both produce the same visual result when converted correctly, but they cannot be mixed arbitrarily. DMIx exports validated materials in both workflows so design, e-commerce and marketing render consistently in their respective engine.
Digital Twin (material)
Term- Validated digital representation of a real material.A digital twin in the DMIx sense is the validated digital representation of a real material: spectral color, PBR maps for look and feel, physical properties and metadata on supplier, composition and compliance. It is not just a pretty 3D sample but a versioned source of truth that production, QA and communication build on. The same twin can be reused in design (3D tools), sales (showroom, AR), e-commerce and the Digital Product Passport. DMIx creates, validates and distributes these twins across the entire tier chain.
3D Material Library
Term- Central library of validated, reusable digital twins.A 3D material library is a central, curated collection of digital materials (digital twins) shared across design, 3D, marketing and sales teams. It prevents the sprawl of inconsistent silos where every tool maintains its own materials. It requires an engine-agnostic data structure (spectrum, PBR in both specular and metalness variants, metadata) plus versioning and access management. DMIx runs the library as a collaborative platform and delivers materials into all common 3D, configurator and e-commerce tools.
Phygital
Term- Seamless link between physical and digital product reality.Phygital describes workflows in which physical product and digital twin measurably match and reference each other. It depends on objective data: spectral measurement instead of visual check, PBR materials instead of beauty shots, validated master data instead of spreadsheets. Only then can digital samples for approvals, virtual showrooms and 3D commerce stand in for the physical product in a binding way. DMIx provides this phygital layer by validating color, material and supplier data once and serving them identically everywhere.
Lab Dip
Term- Physical color sample submitted for approval before bulk production.A lab dip is a dyed sample produced at the supplier and submitted for approval against a brand standard. Classically it takes 3–5 rounds, costs time and delays seasons. Digital color management replaces the majority of lab-dip loops with spectral data approval, only the final physical confirmation remains.
Bulk / Bulk Approval
Term- Approval of mass production against the lab-dip standard.Bulk refers to the running mass production after lab-dip approval, bulk approval to the ongoing release of its lots against the stored standard. Natural fibers, dye baths and machine variation cause deviation between lots, which is why bulk tolerances are typically a bit wider than lab-dip tolerances (tight-to-loose). Without objective measurement, color shifts between suppliers and costly reworks creep in. DMIx BulkControl measures and monitors bulk lots spectrally, checks them automatically against defined tolerances and provides a complete audit trail.
CMC Tolerance
Term- Perception-based color tolerance formula (CMC l:c).CMC (Colour Measurement Committee) is a tolerance formula that weights color deviations the way the human eye actually perceives them, more accurate than plain ΔE values. CMC 2:1 is the common setup for textile. DMIx stores CMC tolerances per standard and automatically checks lab and bulk measurements against them.
Color Quality Control
Term- Objective, tolerance-based quality control of color along the supply chain.Color Quality Control (Color QC) checks lab and bulk color spectrally against a binding standard, with defined tolerances, a continuous audit trail and trend monitoring. DMIx replaces spectrophotometer-only islands with a cloud-based, collaborative platform: MatchBox automates approvals, BulkControl monitors running production. The validated data is reused in 3D, e-commerce and the Digital Product Passport.
Color Management
Term- End-to-end control of color, from design to production.Digital color management ensures a color matches objectively and within defined tolerances across all materials, suppliers and media. Instead of subjective physical approvals, design, QA and production work from the same spectral reference data, measured, validated and versioned. This eliminates color shifts between suppliers, bulk deviations and costly reworks.
DPC (Digital Product Creation)
Term- End-to-end digital product creation process.Digital Product Creation (DPC) describes the fully digital product creation process, from first idea through design, 3D sampling and virtual fitting to production release. The goals are fewer physical samples, shorter seasons, smaller footprint and better decisions based on realistic renderings. DPC only works when the underlying data (color, material, supplier) is reliable, otherwise it produces beautiful 3D images with no link to the real product. DMIx provides the validated data foundation (spectrum, PBR, digital twins) on which DPC tools such as Browzwear, CLO, ICAD or VStitcher can produce results that are actually manufacturable.
Tier chain / Tier-N supplier
Term- Tiered model of suppliers along the sourcing chain.The tier chain describes the layered supplier structure of a brand: tier 1 are direct cut-and-sew partners, tier 2 fabric and component suppliers, tier 3 spinners and dye houses, tier 4 the raw material sources (fiber, leather, hides). Compliance regimes like DPP, EUDR, LkSG and CSRD require material and origin data down to tier 3 or 4, which classical ERP and PLM systems do not capture. Without structured tier-chain data, due diligence stays a paper exercise. DMIx captures suppliers, materials and color standards across the entire tier chain and feeds them to DPP and compliance systems.
DPP (Digital Product Passport)
Term- Digital EU product passport with material, origin and compliance data.The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a digital product passport mandated by the EU under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and will become mandatory for textiles from 2027. It bundles structured data on material composition, origin, repairability, recyclability and carbon footprint and makes it available to brands, retailers, authorities and end consumers. It depends on reliable master data from the tier chain, exactly what DMIx supplies via validated color, material and supplier data. DMIx is not a DPP system itself but the data feeder for DPP, EUDR and CSRD workflows.
EUDR
Term- EU regulation against deforestation-related products (EU 2023/1115).The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) prohibits placing products on the EU market that are linked to deforestation after 31 December 2020. It covers, among others, cattle, soy, rubber, wood, cocoa, coffee and their derived products, particularly relevant for fashion via leather and viscose. Companies must provide geolocation data of the plots of origin, due diligence statements and a complete supply-chain trace. DMIx supports EUDR conformity by capturing tier-chain data, material origin and supplier attributes in a structured way and feeding them to DPP or compliance systems.
CSRD
Term- EU sustainability reporting obligation (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive).The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires around 50,000 EU companies to provide detailed, audited sustainability reporting under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Reporting covers ESG data on climate, environment, social aspects and supply chain, also at product and material level. For fashion brands this means: material, color and supplier data must be available in a structured, versioned and auditable form. DMIx supplies the product-level master data that CSRD reports and upstream DPP systems rely on.
LkSG (Supply Chain Due Diligence Act)
Term- German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act.The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) obliges German companies with 1,000 or more employees to fulfil human-rights and environmental due diligence in their supply chain, including risk analysis, prevention measures, grievance mechanism and an annual report. Penalties reach up to 2% of annual turnover. For fashion supply chains this means: suppliers, materials and production sites must be transparently documented. DMIx provides the structured tier-chain and material data that LkSG, EUDR and DPP workflows build on.
PIM / PLM / DAM
Term- Classic product-data systems.PIM distributes, PLM versions, DAM stores assets. DMIx adds validated product reality on top.
PRM (Product Realization Management)
Term- Data layer between PLM and real production.Product Realization Management (PRM) is the data layer that ensures a product specified in PLM is actually produced as specified: same color, same material, same finish, same supplier. PIM distributes finished product information outward, PLM manages development states, DAM holds assets, but none of these systems objectively verify that the manufactured part matches the standard. PRM closes that gap with spectral color standards, validated materials, tolerances and an audit trail across the tier chain. DMIx is built as a PRM platform and delivers validated product reality as a data source for PLM, PIM, DAM, DPC and DPP.
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