Computer Aided Design is used at various stages in the apparel and textile industry. The fashion design CAD/CAM software can be broadly classified into following categories, each relating to a different design and manufacturing stage.

Designing/ Range Planning – before the start of any fashion season, all apparel manufacturers plan the range of garments which they are setting up to manufacture. Most of the designing and range planning is still done by the buyer or the owners of the brand because they are closest to their actual clients; it is easier for them to understand the specific needs of their target market. To some extent, this has now changed with more and more manufacturers allowing vendors to dabble a bit in designing, based on their specific inputs in terms of colors, yarns, fabrics, prints, silhouettes etc.