weaving software

More info on weaving programs on WeaveZine http://weavzine.com

Marg Coe wrote an article about free/cheap software programs a few weeks ago.

Cheers,

Laura

A few good and reliable weaving programs are:

1. PCW Fiberworks

Bronze or silver - because weavers tend to learn quickly and progress to more complex projects, the silver version is nice to hve.

\2. Pixeloom

3. Weavepoint

All are reliable (won't crash your PC and all the functions are in good working order).

All design your weaving project in terms and visuals that most weavers understand quickly.

All contain special design features for copy/edit/repeat/mirroring/profile drafting etc. Check the web pages for details.

The most helpful thing about using software for weave design and drafting is the ability to visualize the fabric to some extent before starting, and the ability to save that file and reuse components at a later date.

However, as with all computer programs - there needs to be a seminal idea there to begin with or you'll sit in front of a blank piece of graph paper.

I recently went through that.  I downloaded as many demo versions as I could and tried them all. Finally decided that Fiberworks Bronze best fit my needs.

I have WeaveIt Pro - I like it and use it often. It does not have as many features as Fiberworks - but it's fine for my purposes and I'm happy with it.

 Interweave press  has a free article by Judie Eatough on their resources page.   www.interweave.com/weave/weaving_equipment.asp.  It's from 2005, but the general idea of the article is still very sound.

I found this article was very useful when I was looking for software, to get an idea of what the software might do, and what to look for.  I have a Mac, and use Weavemaker, which is designed for the Mac.  Works fine, I've also tried several of the Windows products too.   Most l of them have demo versions- give them a try!

 I second the motion for Weavemaker. Not only is it useful for designing but it also runs my Colonial II loom. For fast, 'dirty' designing Pixie loom is great. Easy to use and very intuitive.

rosearbor and Biologica, thanks for the comments on Weavemaker.  I also have a Mac and was looking for some software. I will start there.

Is Weavemaker only for a dobby loom?

I like ProWeave. You can start from a blank page if you want, but it comes with a twill databank which is useful both as a place to start and as a way of seeing your design as many warp and weft repeats. You can check warp and weft floats, see how many heddles you need on each shaft, see thread interlacement, and lots more. It is also for both PC and Mac. It does lots more than this, but I haven't found it to be overwhelming.

There is no weaving software that is "only for a dobby loom". Graph paper is for any kind of loom, and so is weaving software.  We use the software for making drafts.

There are a lot of advantages to using software instead of paper. You can see what the cloth will look like from a distance by zooming out. Most programs let you see front and back faces of the cloth. You can check the float length. Different programs do the float check in different ways so it is good to compare this.

Printing is a huge advantage. Each program has different print capabilities. Compare these if you can. I find that FiberworksPCW is especially strong on print options.

I have a question about Weave Design. This program saves files as .wvd files. Is there any way to convert a .wvd file to a .wif file?

Deflected weave: does anybody know of a program or utility which will show the deflected weave effects of a draft? I cannot get Laceweave to work on my Vista PC (it was written for Windows 3.1).

I'm using Weavepoint and find it easy to use, but it came with my AVL so I ddn't do a comparison.

Before using any "real" weaving software I used Microsoft Excel to design profile drafts by copying and pasting blocks.  I then tried some of the free weaving programs like WinWeave and Weave Design and they were great as starter programs.  I made the leap into the fancier programs about 2 years when I got Fiberworks PCW and I love the printing options and how easy it's to copy and paste the image of a drawdown or parts of it into other applications.  I used to enjoy the pencil and graph paper drafting and I learned a lot about weave structures but the speed and variety of ways of seeing what the actual weaving might look like using weaving software is really great.

Eva

Yes, with the file open, click on "export file" and then it will let you save it as a wif file.

Eva

I have used Weave It and Weave It Pro for a number of years and I really like it. I find it easier to use than Fiberworks but both are good products.

I am trying to choose between WeavePoint & WeaveMaker to run with my AVL CompuDobby Loom. Does anyone have advice on the better way to go? I am a professional weaver (worked in the textile industry for many years). I have been told that WeaveMaker is more "professional" yet WeavePoint is more user-friendly. Possibly WeavePoint is better for those interested in double-weave and jaquard-like dobbies. In running both demos, both look to be excellent options but there are differences and I would love to hear from people who have used each. Thanks.

 I have Weavemaker (Mac) but always fall back to Weaveit (IBM) because it is easier for me to use.  For me Weavemaker isn't intuitive.  I am getting closer (funds limitation) to having a mac that can have an ibm environment on it so I'll be able to just use Weaveit on just one machine instead of switching back and forth.  I had Weaveit Basic for years to just plan projects before I bought my AVL WDL so it was a no brainer for me to upgrade to Weaveit Pro since I was used to that software.

I bought Weavemaker because my mac laptop was portable and I could take my mac laptop to drive my loom in a studio.  My desktop which had Weaveit was not located anywhere near my loom.  So I Wif between the two.

I guess what I am trying to say is that really test drive the software OR go see folks that already have and use it to see the nuances.  Take a current project you are working on and run it thru both softwares, change your mind and try to move things around and use the choices.  The nuances might be bigger than you think.  

I thought I'd be able to figure out Weavemaker but it just is not that easy for me.  Frankly it seems geared to mills and designers flipping thru variations of threadings and treadlings.  regards  Deb

I use Weavepoint for my Toika dobby - it also feeds into the Comlex Drafting module that is there for double harness looms. The fabric simulation capability is quite nice, though it doesn't do thick and thin.

I toggle back and forth between Weavepoint and Pointcarre (use the dobby modules for simulation and color effects) bitmapping the lift plans from one to the other as there are no Pointcarre drivers for the Toika. Weavepoint has worked well for me - I do a lot of damask, doubleweave, etc. The Weavepoint loom driver has been completely accurate.

There are demos available for all the programmes and it's a great way to "test drive" as Deb puts it.   I have gotten used to Weavemaker and often design my taquete motifs directly on the drawdown.   I have made, or am making,  "templates" for all the tied structures, in all shafts and variations of the basic tieups.  I open one of these, rename it, and enter my design manually.  I have usually "mapped" it beforehand in my notebook, so I know which shafts are being raised on any one pick.

I haven't tried opening and using one of these in the PC programmes (I have Pixeloom,  Weavepoint, Weaveit,  and Fiberworks.  (what can I say?  I got a windfall and went berserk!  Being able to run Windows on the new Macs offer so many more opportunities to spend all your discretionary funds on software!!!!!)

Just my 2¢

Nancy C.

PS I tried "ProWeave" several times and just did not like it very much.

For the trad taquete and S&W I find the graph paper to be indispensable for the preliminary drafts.  I am totally with you about the software, though.  I love it that I can so easily vary this or that element and see immediately how it works.  design software is the greatest thing since fire, IMHO!

The way the graph paper is useful is that I can plan out which thread goes to which shaft before I start entering it into the computer.  I also keep a permanent record of my "charts" in one compact little notebook.

Nancy C.

I never use graph paper anymore, but I did start that way decades ago.  Mostly I start with the SketchPad tool in FiberworksPCW, which is sort of like graph paper on the computer.  Working on a design for my 16-shaft loom and a tied weave, I make the sketchpad 14 squares wide and long enough to include several variations or additions because length is unimportant in a liftplan design for computer-assisted loom. 

When I use WeavePoint, I draw directly in the liftplan with the mouse. What's the difference? FiberworksPCW has a bunch of mouse options under drawdowns but none allow completely free movement for drawing. I get that in SketchPad. WeavePoint lets me draw freely in the liftplan, so that is easier for simple images. However, SketchPad also has other tools because it is a small graphics program included in the weaving software package. It has simple shapes, fill image tools, color reductions, and makes it fairly easy to separate colors for polychrome taquete liftplans. It is nice to be able to draw in different colors in SketchPad.

Some weavers now use a Wacom tablet to start drawing images for weaving drafts. I don't have a tablet yet.

Bonnie Inouye

Is there any software that would be suitable for tapestry weaving designs? I can get whats in my head on to paper but not go from there so something that would work on a simple large loom would be great.

For tapestry weaving, you are best off with something like a cross stitch program like StitchPpainter from Cochenille or using Photoshop with a grid.

To translate the pattern to a loom, you need only determine how many warp ends and passes equate to one square on the grid.

You could try gridit, designed by Sally who is the programmer for Weaveit.  She is a tapestry weaver and programmed gridit for her use.  Here is her link: http://www.weaveit.com/GridNWeaveIt.aspx

I prefer to use Stitchpainter since I've used it for years and am comfortable with it.   Stitchpainter has several different versions, you can adjust the grid size to match your warp ends and tapestry pack...you just need to sample to get the right perspective...here is their link:  http://www.cochenille.com/stitch.html#gallery  Here is a link to my webpage that shows how I've used stitchpainter to design my rugs....you can see how one can get a very good match between your plan you give your client and what actually comes off the loom. I use split shed pickup to design my rugs, no reason why this could not work for tapestry as well.  http://web.me.com/debmcclintock/Site/Stitchpainter.html

happy software journey  Deb Mc

Patternland, from Jyoti Coyle in VT, also has this capability.  It is a very good, sophisticated program, but probably overkill for someone wanting to do only tapestry or pickup.  Not sure if it is still being updated.

Laurie Autio