Element Attributes

You can add special attributes to any element. Select an element and then press the arrow to the right of the attribute icon on the Toolbar to view your options. Click on the desired option.

Open/Closed Geometry

Polylines, polygons, or arcs can be Open or Closed. If you close a polyline, you will fill in a line segment between the first and last points. If you close an arc, you will make a circle. When you open a closed polyline or polygon, the last segment is removed. You can also perform this action in the element’s Properties Window.

Spline/Polyline

Polyline converts the element into a Poyline which is made up of straight lines connecting a series of points. A Spline converts the element into a Spline which is a smooth curve passing through the same series of points. You can create both directly, but it is sometimes more useful to view a spline as a polyline during the patternmaking process and then have PatternSmith convert it to a spline.

Group/Ungroup Elements

Grouping elements together allows for easy selection. When you select one element, you’ve selected them all. Ungroup when you are finished.

Primary/Secondary Alignment

Any element in a pattern can be used for alignment while nesting. The nesting screen will allow you to rotate a pattern so that its Primary or Secondary alignment element is either horizontal or vertical. If you don’t have an element to use for alignment, insert a reference line for that purpose.

To assign a line to be either the Primary or Secondary alignment, select the element and select the alignment you want it to be. To cancel the alignment, hover over the button and press the red X. You can select all elements for an alignment by pressing the arrow on the right of the button.

Register Markers

Register Markers are used in PrintShot to map the pattern to circles found in the image. To create a register marker, first create a circle. Select the circle and press the Set Register Marker button. If a circle is already assigned to be a register marker, you can press the button again to clear the register marker status.

You can also change the register marker status from the dropdown menu under the “PrintShot” heading in the elements tool window.