TruEmbroidery™ 3 Software Newsletter March 2016

Welcome to the TruEmbroidery™ 3 newsletter. This month we will look at the Get Length of Area tool and how to create a contour fill design.

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The Get Length of Area tool in TruEmbroidery™ 3 Software makes it easy to determine the distance between any two points on an embroidery. For example, you may use it to obtain the width of a column of stitches or the distance between lines of stitching.

The Get Length of Area tool is new to TruEmbroidery™ 3 software. It can be found on the Modify Window of the TruE™ 3 Studio application or the Design Window of the TruE™ 3 Modify application. The length is shown in millimeters or inches, according to the setting for Show Measurements in TruE™ 3 Configure. The alternative units are shown in parentheses.

To measure a section of an embroidery, first open a design. In the Modify window of the Control Panel, click Get Length . The pointer changes to the measure pointer . Left-click, then drag across the part of the design you want to measure. A line shows the length you are measuring, and a tooltip displays the distance. If desired, make a note of the number. Drag to measure any other distances, as required. Control-click, and choose "Finish Get Length" to deselect the function.

Tips and Techniques

This month we will see how to create a Contour fill design in the Create Application. Contour fill areas use stitch lines that follow the shape of the object and spiral inwards. You can vary the gap between stitch lines and the length of the stitches, use running, double or triple stitch, and add holes.

Contour Fill is available in both TruE™ 3 and TruE™ Create. The Hexagon pictured above uses a Double Stitch and a 3.0mm gap. To create a Contour Fill, in the Fill Area of the Create Window, select Contour Fill and Double Stitch the click the button with the ellipsis (3 dots).

Use Spacing to set the preferred distance between lines of stitching. The distance can be set from 0.2 to 5mm in steps of 0.1mm. It is initially set to 0.8mm. This is also the distance inside the area, between the edge of the area and the fill pattern. Click the Spacing up and down arrows, or enter a number.

Use Stitch to select the stitch type for stitching out the fill, and the length of the stitches used. Set stitch length from 1 to 6mm in steps of 0.1mm. The initial setting is 1.2mm. Select Running, Double or Triple stitch, and click the Length up and down arrows, or enter a number.

To create the design shown at the beginning of this section with just a few clicks you can select Shape 5, then click Shape as a Fill to create it. Shape as a Fill is only available in the TruE™ 3 Create Application.

Best wishes from TruEmbroidery™ 3 Software

P.S. Watch for the TruEmbroidery™ newsletter next month when we will learn how to reverse the stitch-out order in a design and create an echo fill.