Notches

In PatternSmith, notches are positioned relative to the start, midpoint, or end of the selected element. In addition, notches include properties such as style, placement, size, and the tool to be used for cutting. Each time you enter the editor, notch properties will start with your default values. You can change the default values from File > Preferences.

Single Notch

Select the Single notch tool from the Notches drop-down on the ribbon or press the Ctrl + Shift + N.

Single notch creation has two modes: Click on elements to place notches and Select element and enter notch distances. You can select modes with the drop-down at the top of the tool window.

Click on elements to place notches: Hover over an element, then click on it to place the notch. Alternatively, hover over an element and press Tab and enter the Distance from Start, Middle, or End and press Enter. Note: Depending on where your mouse is on the element determines the From point. Hovering over the 1st third of the element will set From to Start, 2nd third to Middle, etc.

Select element and enter notch distances: Select the element and then hit tab. That will shift focus to the Distance field in the Geometry section and highlight the existing text, ready for entering a new value. When you hit enter, it will refocus on the same field with the existing text ready for the next value. The From value may need to be set the first time you use the tool. Choose either Start, Middle, or End. Your selection will be remembered the next time you use the tool.

Use the Show label toggle to show/hide the information about the notch you are about to create.

Midpoint Notch

Select the Midpoint notch tool from the Notches drop-down on the ribbon or press the Ctrl + Shift + M.

Hover over an element, then click again to place a notch at its midpoint.

Evenly Spaced Notches

Select the Evenly Spaced notches tool from the Notches drop-down on the ribbon or press Ctrl + Shift + E.

There are two modes for the Evenly Spaced Notches tool: Repeat Evenly Between… and Repeat Starting…

Repeat Evenly Between… will create notches starting at the distance from the element’s start point to the element’s end point. You can specify how far away from the Start point the first notch will be, and how far away from the End point the last notch will be. The Count is how many notches will fit between that distance.

Repeat Starting… will create notches starting at where you specify. The starting points can be the Start, Middle, or End. You can specify the Position to start at, and how much space is in between Every notch. With Middle selected, the Both Directions option will be available and notches will be created evenly from the Middle point of the element.

You can also enter notches by selecting an element and then using the Element Tool Window. You can add or remove notches by clicking Add or Remove.