How to Auto Digitize Vector Art in Forte

In this video, we show how Forte enables users to auto digitize vector artwork with Drawings Converter. This tool takes vector art and converts it into stitches with just a few clicks. Auto digitizing is included in level PD and is optional in LE and ID.

To demonstrate the process, we begin with a simple vector art drawing from the CD. From the File menu, we click Convert Images to Stitches with Drawings Converter, select the bird design from the CD, and click Open. When the Drawings Converter window appears, we see that the artwork contains seven colors, so we set the Output Colors slider to seven. We then choose the fabric type the design will be stitched on. The available options are Heavy, Normal, Lightweight, Light, and Ultra Light, and in this example we leave the setting on Normal before clicking Stitch.

Drawings Converter generates the stitches and outputs them into the Forte program. The colors used in the design appear in the color sequence bar. To change a color, we Shift-click the color on the keyboard and then select a new color, just as we would with any other object. Before sending the design to the machine, we center it by first selecting the entire design. This can be done by pressing Ctrl+A, choosing Entire Design from the Edit menu, or dragging across the design area from the upper left-hand corner. Once selected, we click the Center Design icon.

To preview how the design will look on fabric, we click the Real View icon and the Real View window appears. We can drag the corners to enlarge the preview so the whole design is visible. Forte offers 114 fabric choices, and in this example we select Cotton Blue Black. This allows us to see what the finished design will look like on the material before embroidering.