Custom Outline Samples

Samples are used to create fancy outlines. They are aligned along the outline in a continuous sewing.

Samples are made so that they allow seamless, continuous connection.

Sample aligned continuously along the outline.

There is a number of pre-defined samples included with Studio, but user can also create up to five custom outline samples that are saved with the design. Studio contains a built-in editor of samples that facilitates this task.

Sample Editor

Use main menu > Gadgets > Fragment Editors command to open window with available editors. Switch to Sample Editor.

The meaning of controls in this window is following:

Editor list. Sample editor is one of the custom editors available in Studio.

Buttons : Reset , Cancel or Apply changes made to the sample

Combo box to select any of 5 custom samples for editing

Work Area . Draw your custom sample here.

Sample Parameters : Width , Length , Minimum Length , Transformation necesarry to Project sample along outline

Information Area : Cursor coordinates, warning messages, etc.

Name of the Sample

Pop-Up Menu Button . Click this button to access pop-up menu with additional commands: Open and Save Sample, Undo / Redo Changes, Import backgroung image , Clear Sample , Show / Hide background image , Snap to Grid , Flip Vertically , Start / Stop simulation of sample stitches

List Splitter

Splitter with Tools : Undo or Redo changes, Zoom-in and Zoom-out buttons, Insert Node and Delete Node buttons

Splitter

Controls

While meaning of many controls in editor window is self-explanatory, some require further clarification:

Start Simulation . Use this command from pop-up menu to run slow simulation of how sample stitches will be sewn.

Save Sample . Use this command from pop-up menu to store sample to the disc in order to transfer it to other design.

Open Sample . Use this command from pop-up menu to load sample saved previously from other design.

Clear . Use this command from pop-up menu to reset selected custom sample to a single stitch.

Import Background Image . Use this command from pop-up menu to open an image and use it as the template when drawing the sample.

Snap to Grid . Switch ON this option in pop-up menu if you want to nudge nodes and align them to the grid when moving them in the work area.

How to Draw New Sample

Samples are small formations of stitches. They are made from single stitch by inserting nodes (needle points) between the first and last point and moving them on the work area.

To examine pre-defined Studio samples Open sample from PATTERNS folder.

To make a new sample, use combo box (C) to select some custom sample to edit. Initial form of custom sample is a single stitch.

Preserving position of the first (S) and last (E) points ensures seamless connection of samples.

New sample - initial stitch.

Insert new node by clicking the work area.

A node inserted between first and last point.

Insert another new node by clicking the work area. New node is added after the focused node.

Another node inserted. Sample is finished.

The new sample is finished. When you close the editor window, new sample will appear in the list of available samples in parameters window for outlines . It will look like shown on picture below.

How to delete node? . Node can be deleted with long click or tap (about 1 second), with right mouse button click, by hitting the Delete key on the keyboard, or by clicling the Delete Node button on the vertical splitter. The first and the last node cannot be deleted as sample must consist of at least one stitch.

Continuous formation of samples projected along the line.

This sample is saved with current design. If you need to copy it to another design, use Save Sample command from the pop-up menu to store it and when you open another design in Studio, load this sample from the storage.

Parameters

Samples are used by Studio so that they are projected into virtual cells along the outline or inside the fill. The size of these cells is defined by Min. Length , Length and Width parameters.

Samples are projected into virtual cells of constant width and constant or variable length. Variable length allows better fit to curve of outline.

Length is normal length of sample.

Min. Length defines the smallest cell length in curves. Set min. length to the same value as Length if you want constant length of samples.

Width is width of sample.

Projection . When Studio projects samples into virtual cells, the sample is adjusted to place the first and last sample point exactly onto the cell front and back edge. There are multiple ways of how to do this adjustment. User can select which method will be used:

Stretch - whole sample is deformed (stretched) to fit into cell.
Add Jump - sample is not deformed, but jump stitch is added to its end.
Add Stitch - sample is not deformed, but running stitch is added to its end.

Stretch , Add Jump and Add Stitch methods to fit sample into cell.

Most of outline samples use Stretch method. Special outlines like "Candlewick" that should be composed of some not deformed objects connected by jumps or running stitches use Add Jump or Add Stitch methods.