3D printing is the process of making three-dimensional, solid objects from a single digital file. The process uses a 3D printer which is designed to lay down successive layers of material until an entire object is formed. Each layer of the process is a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.
The technology of printing physical 3D objects from digital data is called "additive manufacture". An object is constructed following a computer design – layer on top of layer. Using traditional 3D printing techniques, clothing has been somewhat abstract due to the rigid nature of materials which are currently being printed.