Bandicoot Imaging

Bandicoot Imaging is a Sydney-based company specializing in fabric digitization technology. The firm was established in 2019 by a team of former engineers from Canon Australia's research and development division: Dr. David Monaghan (CEO), Dr. Matthew Arnison (CTO), Dr. Peter Fletcher (Chief Scientist), and David Karlov (Chief Engineer). Their shared background in advanced imaging and research at Canon led them to identify a significant issue in the textile industries: high product return rates for online purchases, often due to discrepancies between the product's appearance online and its physical reality. This insight spurred the development of their core technology, aimed at reducing waste and improving the digital shopping experience.

The company operates on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, providing a platform that creates high-fidelity digital twins of physical fabrics for the fashion, furniture, and interior textile industries. Clients use a digital camera, a flash, and Bandicoot's proprietary PRO chart to capture images of a fabric swatch. These images are then uploaded to Bandicoot's web application, which automatically processes them into 3D-ready, physically-based rendering (PBR) texture maps. This process ensures that the resulting digital materials are color-calibrated and accurately represent the fabric's texture, including how light interacts with its surface, which is particularly valuable for complex materials like velvet or those with metallic threads. The service is designed to be straightforward and rapid, with a turnaround time of approximately two hours.

Bandicoot Imaging's solution is engineered to bridge the gap between physical and digital materials, accelerating the adoption of Digital Product Creation (DPC) and 3D technologies within the textile supply chain. By enabling manufacturers and retailers to create photorealistic digital representations, the company helps reduce the need for shipping physical samples, which in turn lowers costs and waste. The business has secured funding to support its growth, including a $330,000 angel round in July 2020 and a $1 million pre-seed round in February 2024, led by Hong Kong-based qonvolv Ventures with participation from industry players like Precision Textiles and Mou Fung Ltd. This capital is being used to scale its services, enhance platform capabilities, and further solve technical challenges in digitization accuracy.

Keywords: fabric digitization, PBR texture maps, digital fabrics, 3D materials, textile technology, fashion tech, material scanning, digital twin, apparel technology, SaaS, e-commerce returns, Digital Product Creation (DPC), material visualization, textile supply chain, image processing, texture mapping, digital sampling, photorealistic rendering, color calibration, material capture