3D human body modeling for clothing ergonomics: a review of techniques and applications in human–garment interaction

3D human body modelling offers new opportunities for advancing ergonomic assessment in clothing design, particularly in evaluating fit, comfort, and human-garment interaction. This paper provides a systematic review of recent developments in 3D body modelling with relevance to ergonomics and apparel applications. Five major approaches are examined, including scanning-based, parametric, implicit, generative, and modelling based on large language models (LLMS). and summarises their principles, limitations, and representative achievements. Applications in garment customisation, virtual try-on, and comfort evaluation are discussed, highlighting the potential of digital human models to reduce physical prototyping, improve size accuracy, and enhance user experience. Key challenges remain, including realistic modelling of dynamic human-garment coupling, soft tissue deformation, and data diversity. Based on this, this paper reviews the research progress and proposes future research directions, providing a systematic reference for researchers and practitioners in ergonomics, human factors, apparel engineering, and digital human modelling.