Digitizing Studio - Creating Fill Objects

Embird Embroidery Software Tutorial

In the Digitizing Tools plug-in, the design is digitized so that the user creates outline (vector) objects either on a blank background or on an image (template). An image imported to the background of the Work Area usually has to be edited before digitizing. Read the Digitizing Studio - Importing Image tutorial to find out how to edit an image—crop, rotate, resize, and add a blank border to the image. This tutorial explains how to create filled objects—the main building block of the design.

1 - Run Embird and click the "Editor" menu to switch to the Editor window.

2 - Select the "Insert -> Studio or Sfumato Design" menu to open the Embird Studio window.

3 - Import the image to the background and adjust it for digitizing using the steps explained in the Digitizing Studio - Importing Image tutorial.

4 - Select the proper tool for digitizing the "girl's head" object (Picture No. 1). Long, narrow objects are mostly created with the use of the column tool; round, broad objects are created with the use of the fill tool.

Select the fill tool

and create the "girl's head" object with a slight overlap to the "hair": Move the mouse pointer to the place on the Work Area where the first point should be created and click the left mouse button. A point will be created on the Work Area. Move the mouse pointer to the place of the second point and click the left mouse button again. Another point will be created on the Work Area, connected to the first point by a line. The midpoint of this line is another point, whose position can be adjusted to create a curve (instead of a line) between the first and second points. Use this process to add as many points as necessary for the creation of fine object edges. Finally, press the ENTER key on the keyboard to close the object—this will connect the last point with the first point and draw a selection rectangle around this new object (Picture No. 1).

Tip: See also the Digitizing Studio - How to Create Curve Objects tutorial.

Picture No. 1

5 - Use the fill tool again and create two "hair" objects. Neighboring areas should overlap one another slightly to prevent gaps caused by the pull effect of the thread during the sewing process (Picture No. 2).

Picture No. 2

Understanding Fill Objects:

The edge of a fill object is composed of lines and curves (Picture No. 2). Small rectangles are end points of lines and curves. Small circles are middle points of curves. The fill edge must form a closed loop, which means that its last point must be placed on top of its first point. The cross at the top is the beginning of the edge. The diagonal line at the bottom indicates the place of the last fill stitch and the angles of cover stitches (longest line) and zig-zag underlays (short and medium length lines). A small cross in the object is the 'Focus point' for effects like Circular fill.

Studio automatically generates edge underlay and two zig-zag underlays as well as overlays and connections. A fill object can contain openings (Opening Tool). The user can adjust various parameters of the Fill object, including gradient-stitch density at the beginning and end of the object and effects like the wave, contour, or circular fill. Fill objects may be filled also with automatic column (satin) stitches.

A fill object may be followed by a Carving object.

6 - Use the Carving tool

to carve the "hair" fill object into stripes (Picture No. 3). Carving objects have to be drawn directly after the fill objects. Draw each carve object using the technique explained above for the fill tool. Before drawing a new carve object, finish the previous carve object by pressing the ENTER key on the keyboard.

Picture No. 3

7 - Select all carving objects together with the fill object (e.g., by depressing the CTRL key on the keyboard and clicking the items in the Object Inspector list at the right side of the screen). Then, click the right mouse button and select "Generate Stitches" in the menu which appears on the screen (Picture No. 4).

Picture No. 4

8 - Check the 3D preview of the carving effect on the fill object by clicking the "3D Matte" tab below the Work Area (Picture No. 5). Compare the right part of the "hair" with the left part, which does not have the carves yet.

Picture No. 5

Understanding Color Palette:

To select a color for new objects, click the left mouse button on any color in the palette located at the right side of the screen.

To change the color of an existing object, depress the left mouse button on a color and drag it to either the Work Area or to the Object Inspector window and release the left mouse button when the cursor is on top of the object (i.e., drag & drop the color from the palette either to the selected object in the Work Area or its icon in the Object Inspector).

To mix your own color, click the right mouse button on any color in the palette.

To pick a color from an image, pick the color with the pipette directly from the image in the Work Area.

To add an object's color to the palette, depress the right mouse button on the object's icon in the Object Inspector and drag the mouse pointer to the Palette. Release the right mouse button to drop the color into the Palette.

9 - The colors of existing fill objects ("girl's head", "hair") were mixed in the palette and transferred to objects in the Object Inspector with the drag & drop function (Picture No. 6).

Picture No. 6

Understanding Opening Object:

An opening can be used only after a Fill object, Sfumato object, or previous Opening object. It does not appear in the Object Inspector as a separate object and cannot be selected directly on the Working Area. To select the Opening object for transformation, use the Part Inspector. The same thing applies to the Appliqué opening object.

Opening can be added only to the last object in the Object Inspector. To add an Opening to an existing Fill or Sfumato object that is not the last created or listed in the Object Inspector, drag & drop the object so that it is the last object. Then add the Opening and drag & drop the object to its original position in the list.

10 - A Fill Opening is usually placed in the lower fill in case one fill overlaps another to prevent bulking. The opening in the "girl's head" fill will be created in the next steps, because the new fill—the "mouths" fill—will be placed on top of the "girl's head" fill. (The opening in the "girl's head" fill should be smaller than the overlapping "mouth" fill to prevent gaps caused by the pull effect of the thread). Change the position of the "girl's head" fill using the drag & drop function to have this object as the last object in the Object Inspector (Picture No. 7).

Picture No. 7

11 - Create an opening for "mouths" in the "girl's head" fill using the Opening Tool

(Picture No. 8).

Picture No. 8

12 - Drag & drop the "girl's head" fill with the opening to its original position in the Object Inspector, generate stitches (see step 7 above), and check the 3D preview of the design (Picture No. 9).

Picture No. 9

13 - Create further fill objects: "hands", "shoes", "mouths", "shirt", "trousers", etc. Use the carving effect for the "mouths" fill, generate stitches, and check the 3D preview of the design (Picture No. 10).

Picture No. 10

Tip: Select the "View -> Sew Simulator" command from the main menu to check the simulation of the sewing of the design.

14 - Click the "Design -> Save As" menu to save this digitizing project into a file on your hard disk. Specify the file name and location in the dialog box which appears on the screen.

15 - Click the "Design -> Compile and Put into Embird Editor" menu to compile the digitizing project into stitches and return back to the Editor window.

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