An apparatus in one embodiment comprises a multi-stage processing pipeline configured to generate a procedural yarn model by fitting procedural yarn model parameters to input data comprising computed tomography measurements of one or more actual yarn samples. The apparatus further comprises an image rendering system configured to execute one or more procedural yarn generation algorithms utilizing the procedural yarn model and to generate based at least in part on results of execution of the one or more procedural yarn generation algorithms at least one corresponding output image for presentation on a display. The multi-stage processing pipeline comprises a first stage configured to perform ply twisting estimation and ply cross-sectional estimation, a second stage configured to classify constituent fibers into regular fibers and flyaway fibers, and third and fourth stages configured to process the respective regular and flyaway fibers to fit respective different sets of parameters of the procedural yarn model.