This study explores how fashion design students perceive using 3D garment simulation to create their
 design ideas. As a part of an elective course taught in Fall 2022, twelve students were given a project to
 prepare virtual and physical garments of their design. The study had two parts: First was understanding
 students' expectations about 3D garment simulation before starting the project, and second was
 understanding students’ experience after completing the project and comparing their before and after
 project experiences. Accordingly, a structured questionnaire measured on a seven-point Likert scale was
 applied to the students before starting their project to see their self-confidence of using 3D garment
 simulation, and after the project to understand their self-evaluations of their performance and difficulties
 they encountered during the project. The first part of the study presented here shows that students had a
 high self-confidence (M=5.16) that they will successfully apply their project digitally and it will be
 similar to their physical garment (M=5.50). Still, they were not so confident if the digital garment would
 be visually satisfying (M=4.92). Students were highly convinced that using 3D garment simulation is
 very useful (M=6.42) to visualize their projects before starting to work on it and they had high intention
 (M= 6.00) to use it in the future. After project results showed that students self-evaluated their
 performance higher than before project expectations. Students' evaluations for the perceived usefulness
 of 3D garment simulation to visualize their project and intention to use it in the future dropped after the
 project (M= 6.17 and M=5.75, respectively). Finally, students had the most difficulty creating the
 patterns and achieving the correct digital fit.