What's New in Embird 2008

Embird 2008 has many new features. Scroll down the page to see what is new in Embird Editor, Embird Manager, Cross Stitch, Digitizing Studio and More.  Current Embird Users Click Here to find out how to upgrade to Embird 2008 New Embird Users Click Here to order Embird 2008 Click Here to download Embird 2008 Learning Embird Carolyn Keber has a comprehensive 440+ page tutorial for Embird. This tutorial is written in Carolyn's distinctive easy-to-follow and friendly style and is packed full of screen shots. Click Here to find out more about the tutorial.

EMBIRD 2008 - WHAT'S NEW ? Whats new in Embird 2008 Installation Embird 2008 can be installed to any folder on your hard disk, not only to C:\EMBIRD32 folder. If you decide to install to other folder than "C:\EMBIRD32", please do not forget to choose the same folder when installing plug-ins. General New languages added: Danish, Russian. New thread charts "Brildor AC", "Brildor CO", "Brildor MF", "Brildor NY" and "Hemingworth" were added. Support for new format was added: Pfaff .SPX Fixed bug in processing Pfaff .MAX, .9MM, .PCD and .PCQ files. Fixed bug with "default start-up folder" in Ultimate Explorer+ window. Manager New sub-menu "Bernina Artista Medium" added to "Right Panel > Input/Output Operations" menu, allowing to read/write files from/to media card for Bernina Artista 200/730, Bernina Artista 630/640 and Deco 330/340. New sub-menu "Create Designer 1 USB Medium" added to "Right Panel > Input/Output Operations" menu, allowing to read/write .SHV files from/to USB media for Viking Designer 1. Before you start using USB media written in Embird with Designer 1 machine, make sure that the machine has the latest firmware. If not, download and install the update from http://www.husqvarnaviking.com/us/3190_6597.htm.  When converting to .EXP format, Embird will now create also the .INF file containing the color information. The .INF and .EXP together form .EXP+ format. New option "Options > Documentation Options > Draw Color Layers Using Black Color" added to Manager, allowing you to choose between viewing/exporting/printing color layers in black color or in the layer's color. New command "Change Color Everywhere using Catalog" added to popup menu which appears when you right click the box with color, allowing to change the selected color and all identical colors in the design at once, using the color chosen from built-in thread catalogs. Editor When saving the Pfaff Grand Dream Hoop design into .VP3 format in Editor, it will create single .VP3 file containing both design parts. When saving the Pfaff 2140 Grand Hoop design into .VIP format in Editor, it will create also .ESQ file for embroidery machine. New command "Move" added to "Edit" menu in Editor. Use this command after selecting stitches in "Freehand Select Mode", or after selecting stitches via "Initial Stitch" and "Ending Stitch" boxes in "Select Mode". This menu will switch the mode to "Points Editing Mode" and automatically select points according to your stitch selection, so that you can move them across the Work Area. New command "Acquire (Scan)" added to "Image" menu, allowing to scan image for background. The rulers were added into Editor, it is possible to switch them off in "View > Rulers" menu. Studio (Digitizing Tools and Sfumato) Integrated lettering system   Trace Tool (auto-digitizing)  Integrated Sew Simulator Envelope Tool "Flat" Display Mode (tab at bottom part of the screen) Multiple Motifs in a Single Fill New shortcuts F2 - F12 for activation of object creation tools (Fill, Column ...) instead for clicking on the tool bar. New shortcuts Alt+F1 - Alt+F4 for activation of Transform, Edit, Zoom and Pan tools instead of clicking on the tool bar. Buttons 'Select Previous' and 'Select Next' in Parameters window to select another object(s) from inspector window without need to close the Parameters window ''Arrange Outline Parts" function modified to have less restriction: 1. parts may connect at any place (not just ending nodes, so there is no need to split outline to small parts), 2. parts may intersect each other, 3. if parts are too far one from the other, program automatically inserts connection Function to launch scanning software (main menu > Image > Acquire (Scan)...) Enhanced shaping (union, insersection, difference) functions Enhanced stitching algorithms of auto-column and Font Engine New Motif and Outline samples (thanks Francesca) New Column stitch sample (random stitch points in wide parts of column) for wide columns with satin look New 'Snap to Object Edges' option to snap edited nodes to edges of other objects. 'Save Selected As' function to save selected objects only Preview in Border creation mode. Preview is displayed directly on the work area. Enhanced stitches layout of freehand objects Enhancement to stitching italic fonts with autocolumn (also in Font Engine)  Fix to SHIFT+arrow keys and ALT+arrow keys functionality Fix to sliding out the second column node from first column node Fix to opening older .EPT (pattern) files Fix to scaling of very small objects Fix to scrolling of background image Fix to saving Reference Width and Height with user-defined borders Fix to displaying of connection parameters instead of outline parameters when splitting applique into layers Fix to issue with 'Sort Colors' function when sorting grouped objects. Fix to rotation of large images Fix to editing of saved files with user-defined outline samples Fix to motif fills Fix to underlay stitches of 'closed figure' column. Center and edge underlay of such column now also forms a 'closed figure'. Cross Stitch New command "Acquire (Scan)" added to "Image" menu, allowing to scan image for background. New command "Acquire (Scan)" added to "Chart" menu, allowing to scan chart for background. New option "Divide outline/back stitch line" allows to prescribe whether the outline or back stitch line will be divided along the cross stitch grid, or not. If OFF, the back stitch line or outline is not divided - use it for animal whiskers, etc.   New Hoops New hoops were added: * Brother Innovis Endless Hoop (100 x 180 mm) - Vertical * Brother Innovis Endless Hoop (180 x 100 mm) - Horizontal * Brother PR-600 Fast Frames Jumbo Hoop (overlap, 300 x 378 mm) - Vertical * Brother PR-600 Fast Frames Jumbo Hoop (overlap, 378 x 300 mm) - Horizontal * Super Double-Wide Hoop-It-All™ for Brother ULT 2000, 2500D, 1500D and  Babylock Ellageo, Essante 3 Series Tutorials Writing USB Memory Stick for Viking Designer 1 Trace Tool (Studio - autodigitizing)

EMBIRD - WHAT'S NEW ? (free upgrade for current 2006 owners, just download new installation files, no new passwords needed, existing ones will work) Whats new in Embird 2006 (Build 6.3) updated 24 July 2007 This Build was compiled in Delphi 7 instead of Delphi 2007 for Win32, to avoid bugs introduced by new development environment. Support for Janome 350E added to "Right Panel > Input/Output Operations > Output to JEF CompactFlash Card" dialog box. Whats new in Embird 2006 (Build 6.2) updated 17 July 2007 Fixed problem with "Access violation error" which appeared after merging designs in Editor and saving whole design to the disk, and also after conversion from format to format in Manager. Fixed bug which caused wrong colors when displaying some PES designs. Fixed bug in Admelody Rayon thread chart.   Whats new in Embird 2006 (Build 6) updated 9 July 2007 General New thread charts Admelody Rayon, Brildor Polyester, Thread Delight Poly and Madeira Burmilana were added. Thread charts Madeira Rayon, Madeira Polyneon, FuFu Rayon and FuFu Polyester were revised. Bug which caused freezing of Embird for a while after window maximizing fixed. Help is now based on .CHM files for better compatibility with Windows Vista. Routines for processing ZIP archives were revised, now it is possible to exctract files from password-protected archives, and also it is possible to create new password-protected archives. Several minor bugs fixed. Manager New type of documentation added to Manager's "Right Panel" menu:  "View Custom Thumbnails", "Print Custom Thumbnails", "Export Custom Thumbnails". This new type allows to specify the   number of rows and columns of design thumbnails per page. New command "Print Floating Template" added to Manager's "Right Panel" menu. It allows to print template containing a single design in 1:1 scale with corresponding hoop in the background anywhere on the paper. In case the design is too big to fit a page, it will print on multiple papers. New menu "Change Animation Color" added to "Color Palette" menu. It allows to change the color used for animation, default is red color.  New option "Show Main Hint" added to "Options" menu. It allows to enable/disable the displaying of big yellow rectangle with hint for Middle Panel. If OFF, and "Show Hints" option is ON, all other hints except big main hint will be displayed after several seconds of user inactivity. Insert Text and Font Engine Window Six new Alphabet plug-ins are available: Alphabet 34 ~ Alphabet 39.   The box with list of Alphabets and Envelopes was fixed for compatibility with Windows Vista. Now it is possible to cancel the process of inserting calendar, clock, and multiline text. Digitizing Studio Enhanced import of vector graphics (detection of holes). Faster drawing of 3D preview. Freehand tool fix. Fix in "Change column width" function. Fix in "Broaden thin parts of columns" function for joined objects. "Mirror Sides" check box in Parameters window/Outline tab for easier mirroring of sample, border or sketch outlines. "Apply" button in Parameters window. Fix in Create backward path function.  Fix in Sort Colors function. Fix in editing tools. Cross Stitch The "File > Design Name" command was replaced with "File > Design Notes"   command, which allows to insert multiple lines of comment. Iconizer Now it is possible to enable Embird Indexer for Google Desktop in "Options > Iconizer Settings" menu. Embird Indexer for Google Desktop is Embird Iconizer add-on which integrates with Google Desktop application. Google Desktop is free application developed by Google company http://www.google.com and it allows to search your computer as easily as you search the web with Google internet search engine. Starting with Embird 2006 Build 6, Embird Indexer is included in Iconizer plug-in. This means that it works in full mode only if you have registered Iconizer plug-in, otherwise it will work only in Demo mode. Embird Indexer allows you to easily search for your embroidery designs on your hard disk, it supplies important information about the designs to Google Desktop, e.g. stitch count, color count, design size, hoop size, design thumbnail, etc. Note: Before you start using Embird Indexer, you must install Google Desktop application on your PC, which is available at http://www.googledesktop.com Iconizer now displays also "Hoop Size" in popup menu which appears after right click on the design filename in Windows Explorer. It also diplays the design size in both millimeters and inches. If you "Enable Viewer for Total Commander" in "Iconizer Settings" menu in Embird Manager, you can use "Ctrl+Q" key for switching ON the "Quick View" of the selected file in Total Commander. Also, it is possible to add custom columns displaying "design width", "design height", "number of stitches", "colors", "thread changes", "hoop width" and "hoop height" via "Show > Custom Column Mode > Configure Custom Columns" command of Total Commander. New Hoops Janome Gigahoop was revised. Support for M2 and M3 hoops for Janome MB-4 added (when saving to .JEF+ format). Support for five Magna-Hoops(tm) for Janome added to "Custom" tab in "Hoop Size" dialog box. Support for "Super-Giant-L Hoop-It-All™ for Singer Futura CE-200" added. Tutorials New tutorials are now available at http://www.embird.com/sw/embird/tutorial.htm: Decapsulation of Floppy Disk Display Calibration Embird Indexer for Google Desktop Encapsulation of Floppy Disk Printing Templates of Multiple Designs on Single Sheet Writing Designs to USB Stick