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Digitizing Studio - Creating Fill Objects

Embird Embroidery Software Tutorial

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

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

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

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

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

Select the fill tool

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

Tip: See also 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 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. 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 beginning of the edge. Diagonal line at the bottom indicates the place of last fill stitch and angles of cover stitches (longest line) and zig-zag underlays (short and medium length line). 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. Fill object can contain openings (Opening Tool). User can adjust various parameters of Fill object, including gradient-stitch density at beginning and end of object and effects like the wave, contour or circular fill. Fill objects may be filled also with automatic column (satin) stitches.

Fill object may be followed with Carving object.

6 - Use Carving tool

to carve fill object "hair" to 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 fill tool. Before drawing a new carve object, finish previous carve object by pressing ENTER key on the keyboard.

Picture No. 3

7 - Select all carving objects together with fill object (e.g. by depressing CTRL key on the keyboard and clicking the item in the Object Inspector list at the right side of the screen). Then click 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 carving effect on 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 color for new objects, click left mouse button on any color in the palette located at the right side of the screen.

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

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

To pick color from Image, pick color with pipette directly from image in Work Area.

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

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

Picture No. 6

Understanding Opening Object:

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

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

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

Picture No. 7

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

(Picture No. 8).

Picture No. 8

12 - Drag & drop the "girl's head" fill with opening to it's original position in 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 carving effect for "mouths" fill, generate stitches and check the 3D preview of the design (Picture No. 10).

Picture No. 10

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

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

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Embird is modular software for computerized machine embroidery digitizing, quilting and customization

Developed by BALARAD, s.r.o. company since 1997