Quilting Systems

Long Arm Quilting Systems

How to draw in Pre-Design for Longarm quilting systems

With Pre-Design you can save your designs in the AutoDesk DXF-format*, which makes Pre-Design an easy to use tool to digitize your own quilting designs, to be used in computerized longarm quilting systems which can work with DXF-files, such as CompuQuilter^TMand IntelliQuilter^TM

Below are links to download slide shows showing how to draw in Pre-Design for computerized quilting systems, plus a demo slideshow how to draw and print your own pattern rolls in Pre-Design!

Click Here to Download How to Draw Motifs & Repeatable Patterns (for CompuQuilter*)
or view the written directions further down the page.
Download How to Draw Corner Patterns (for CompuQuilter*) or view the written directions further down the page.
Download How to record a freemotion pattern (for APQS, CompuQuilter, IntelliQuilter)
Download How to draw and print a pattern roll in Pre-Design (for laser guided machines)
Download How to open and convert a Pre-Design DXF in AutoSketch
(Useful to add First and Last commands for Statler Stitcher*, or to merge multiple designs and connect those with dashed lines for IntelliQuilter*, or to add a WMF notes file for CompuQuilter*).

1) How to draw in Pre-Design - Motifs & Repeatable Patterns for CompuQuilter

Click Here to Download Slideshow showing How to Draw Motifs & Repeatable Patterns or follow the written instructions below.

CompuQuilter "Rules" for Motifs:

Pattern must be drawn in a continuous line, following the same path as you want your machine to sew.
The center of the total design must be on the zero postion of the horizontal and vertical ruler in Pre-Design (X=0, Y=0).

Draw your design in the same sequence as you want the machine to sew.
After finishing the design, take the Select Tool, select all (Ctrl+A), right-click, choose Size, and enter the desired size for the quilting pattern. Click OK.
While the design is still selected, move it so that the center of the design is on the zero positions of the horizontal and vertical rulers of Pre-Design. Now it will be recognized as a Motif in CompuQuilter.

CompuQuilter "Rules" for Repeatable Patterns:

Pattern must be drawn in a continuous line, following the same path as you want your machine to sew.
The first point of the pattern must be exactly on the zero postion of the horizontal AND vertical ruler in Pre-Design (X=0, Y=0).
The last point must be exactly on the zero position of the vertical ruler in Pre-Design (Y=0)

If you want to create a repeatable pattern (pantogram), then be sure to move the entire design so that the first point is on the zero position of both horizontal and vertical rulers, and the end point at the zero position of the vertical ruler.
Then fine tune the location of the start and end points: De-select the design by clicking outside the selection. Activate the Snap-to-Grid function, take the Select tool and move the first point to the zero position: it will automatically snap to the exact X=0 Y=O coordinate. Repeat for the end point: let that point snap to the 0-position of the vertical ruler.
This will make the design "repeatable" in CompuQuilter.
Watch the slide show below to see the above in action.

2) How to draw in Pre-Design - Corner Patterns for CompuQuilter using Pre-Design

CompuQuilter "Rules" for Corner Patterns:

The first original base for the corner must be drawn in a continuous line, following the same path as you want your machine to sew. First and last point preferably at the same horizontal level, like in a repeatable pattern.
Copy and paste twice, for a total of 3 patterns.
Select and rotate the three patterns and move them to create the corner, one rotated and placed vertical, one pattern rotated 45 degrees and placed above the first one, in the corner, and the third one placed on the right of the one in the corner.
The center of the pattern in the corner must be at the zero postion of the horizontal and vertical ruler in Pre-Design (X=0, Y=0).
The first point (= first point of the object at the bottom left) and the last point (= last point of the object at the top right) of the entire pattern must both be at the same distance from zero.

Click Here to Download Slideshow showing How to Draw Corner Patterns

The following is shown in the slide show:

Draw or open an existing repeatable pattern
Seleft All and Copy and Paste twice
Move one pasted copy up, above the original (keep some distance, so that you can easily select and rotate it without touching the other objects).
Move the second pasted copy up and to the right, next to the previous copy. Keep a little distance here too.
Select the original base pattern and rotate it counter clockwise 90 degrees.
Select the copy in the corner and rotate counter clockwise 45 degrees.
Move the various copies so that they all touch each other.
Open the Corner_Template.jpg as background image for easier placement: Decide the size of your corner pattern. Then enter one quarter of that size in negative values in the boxes for Top and Left. If you set the size of the background template to 12, then you should enter -3 in the top and left boxes. This will set the center of the corner (which is one quarter of the corner template) exactly at the zero positions in Pre-Design, which is the position where the center of the corner in the pattern should be. Click OK.
Select All and resize to the final desired pattern size.
Select and move the patterns: The middle of the vertical and horizontal pattern should run over the dotted line in the background image.
The center of the corner part must be on the zero position of the horizontal and vertical ruler in Pre-Design (X=0, Y=0).
Save as Corner---.pre in Pre-Design (for later use and editing). Export to DXF.
Start DXF to CQ.exe and open the saved DXF-file.
You can click the button "Corner/Off" to turn it to "Corner/On" but even if you don't, the pattern will be recognized as a Corner pattern in CompuQuilter.
Click Save to translate into machine language. Open this saved *.cmd file in CompuQuilter. Play if necessary with the size and margin settings.
If you want to change something: open the original *.pre-file in Pre-Design, edit points by moving them, save and export to DXF again. Do not delete or add line-parts/sections of the pattern, because this will change the sewing sequence and might cause jumps! So only edit by selecting and moving points.

Right-click this preview image and choose "Save Link Target as..." to save the file called "corner_template.jpg"

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