This study investigated the sensory and emotional perceptions of pleated polyester pants by comparing their real-world representation with virtual representation under identical lighting conditions. Using CLO 3D simulations and controlled physical recordings, this study examined how variations in digital rendering affect viewers’ interpretations of gloss, texture, and material properties. Both expert and non-expert participants evaluated two pleat types, knife and box pleats, through semantic differential analysis. The results indicated significant perceptual discrepancies between actual and virtual formats, with non-experts being particularly susceptible to surface-level exaggerations in digital visuals. The emotional responses also varied, with virtual garments often perceived as more luxurious or dynamic than their physical counterparts. The expert participants showed greater perceptual stability, highlighting the importance of familiarity with materials. These findings emphasize the inherent limitations of digital garment visualization, which leads to perceptual distortions even under controlled conditions, underscoring the need for more emotionally reliable and perceptually aligned virtual representations.
임수진 et al. (Fri,) studied this question.