GENERAL
New language was added: Ukrainian
MANAGER
Now it is possible to convert designs to multiple formats at once.
Now it is possible to sort designs in Right Panel according to Name, Extension, Date and Size (length) of file, either in ascending or descending order.
When sending design as attachment of e-mail (Right Panel > Internet > Send Files as Attachment of E-mail), it is now possible to specify ten preselections of e-mail recipients. Also, Embird can automatically ZIP all selected files into single archive, or convert image files to .JPG format and shrink them to reduce the length of attachment. A new button for sending files in attachment of e-mail was added, it is located above the “Files:” box at the right side of Manager window.
Embird now supports also shortcut files (files with .lnk extension). This means that Embird is capable of displaying designs which are referenced by shortcuts. This way it is possible to sort designs – save the real design into one folder, and create shortcuts to this design in other folders. There is a new command “Paste Shortcuts to Files in Clipboard” in “Right Panel” menu allowing to create shortcut files for files which were copied into Clipboard via “Copy Files to Clipboard”. See also new tutorial “Using Shortcut Files (.LNK) to Sort Designs”.
New option “Show/Hide Summary Info Panel” added to “Options” menu. If you switch ON this panel, the boxes allowing to add the “Title”, “Subject”, “Author”, “Category”, “Keywords”, “Revision Number” and “Comments” will appear below preview area when displaying some design. This command works only on PCs with Windows 2000/XP/Vista, and only with hard disks formatted with NTFS file system (i.e. it does not work with FAT system). NOTE: The “File Summary Info” will be lost if you copy the design from
NTFS disk to e.g. FAT disk, because FAT disks do not support the streams required for storing the info.
Now you can export “File Summary Info” to TXT file. Select some file, click “Right Panel > File Summary Info” and click the new
“floppy disk” icon which is located at the left side of OK button in “File Summary Info” dialog box.
New option “Save Palette As Type” added to “Color Palette” menu, allowing you to choose how the color palette should be saved:
as Embird .EDR file (recommended), or as Color File .RGB or as Text File .TXT.
New option “Automatically Create Documentation Files (*.jpg)” added to “Options” menu. Switch ON this option if you want to create
.JPG documentation for every file which you save in Editor or which you display in Manager. This documentation file is stored in the
same folder as the corresponding design and it contains design image, color order, information about design size, stitch count and color
count. Use this option together with Google Picasa application to quickly browse through your designs – see also new tutorial “Embird Co-operation with Google Picasa”.
New option “Show Commands” added to “Options” menu. Set this option to ON if you want to display the marks on places where there is a code for thread trim, or for thread change (stop).
New option “Show Stitch Points” added to “Options” menu. Set this option to ON if you want to visualize the end point of every stitch.
New driver developed by Simon Owen (http://simonowen.com/) allows to read/write/format non-standard floppy disks (e.g. Barudan FDR, FMC, ZSK, Marco/Zangs, Melco SS, Tajima, Toyota, M-7000 Style, Pfaff KSM, etc.) via “Left Panel” of Manager even in Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista. This driver is automatically installed with Embird, you just need to switch ON the left panel in Embird via “Options > Show Left Panel” menu.
New command “Export Sew Simulator” added to “Right Panel” menu. Use this command to export selected design attached to the sew simulator. This will create a new executable (.EXE) file on hard disk, which may be sent in e-mail to customer who can check the simulation of design sewing.
New command “Export Printable Documentation” added to “Right Panel” menu. Use this command to export selected design attached to the routine, which is capable of printing the design. This will create a new executable (.EXE) file on hard disk, which may be sent in e-mail to customer who can print the design documentation on his/her computer.
Eight new “Quick” buttons (I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P) for switching folders added to Manager, you will find them at the Right panel above the “Folder:”
box.
Now you can predefine another (fifth and sixth) filter in Manager. You will find the new buttons at the Right panel above the “Filter:” box.
Now it is possible to specify the menu names When exporting designs to Designer 1 Floppy disk.
Support for new formats added:
* Tajima .TBF
* Barudan .PSF (only input, output to this format is not possible)
* Proel .PUM (only input, output to this format is not possible)
Embird is now capable of displaying icon from Janome .JAN files. It cannot display real stitches, only the preview icon which is contained in these files.
The “Print Custom Thumbnails” and “Export Custom Thumbnails” commands now create documentation which contains also color chips and names of colors.
New thread chart “Floriani Polyester” was added.
New quick buttons in “Right Panel > Preview Files” window are supported: If you are viewing designs the keys 1 ~ 7 will change the view mode (Normal, 1:1 Normal, Stitches, 3D, 3D Matte, 1:1, 1:1 Matte), and if you are viewing photos the keys 1 ~ 5 will rotate and mirror displayed image (Rotate left, Flip, Rotate right, Mirror Horizontally, Mirror Vertically).
EDITOR
Now it is possible to save design to multiple formats at once.
New option “Commands” added to “View” menu. Set this option to ON if you want to display the marks on places where there is a code for thread trim, or for thread change (stop).
New button “Send in attachment of e-mail” added to main toolbar located at the top of Editor window.
STUDIO (DIGITIZING TOOLS and SFUMATO)
New controls for adjustment of stitches direction in auto-column objects. Please see the help file > Controls > Direction Lines
New function ‘Auto Outliner’ to create double layered outlines of complex fill and column objects.
Enhancement to ‘Arrange outline parts’ function – forward path is always set to single stitch, even when original outline parts are of other outline type (satin or redwork, for example)
Fix to ‘Arrange outline parts’ function
New ‘Arrangle outline parts (no connections)’ function. Same as ‘Arrange outline parts’ function except it does not connect parts that are too far (like inner circle in ‘O’, for example). It creates a separate objects from them.
Enhancement to Font Engine and auto-column stitching algorithm
Enhancement to Font Engine nearest points connection to small objects like dot on “i”. Connection to such objects is now hidden beneath main part of letter (if possible)
Support of various combinations of lettering fill (plain fill, auto-column, redword), outline (outline, no outline), and nearest point connection options (everywhere, only inside letters, none). Options that were previously available as buttons are now moved to respective combo boxes.
New control (sizeable corners) to set text baseline size and position more conveniently. Especially suitable for setting circular or elliptical aseline.
Storage of recently created/edited texts (combo box in text mode) for easy return to editing of previously created text. This function also saves stored text sessions into the main design file (eof) so now it is possible to open design and return to text editing without use of .ltg files.
New function for conversion of object (fill, outline, column, …) selected in the work area into the text baseline. This function is accessible via main menu > Text > Text with Selected Object as Baseline, and via main menu > Text > FontEngine Text with Selected Object as Baseline. The first version works with alphabets and second with FontEngine lettering.
Import of text baseline .etb files is now available in Studio (main menu > Text > Import Baseline). Use 2 commands above this one to put text on imported baseline.
New global parameters to set min. and max. underlay stitch length (center, edge, zig-zag) for columns and fills. It affects also auto-column objects. These parameters are accessible via main menu > File > Paramaters > Length tab
If size of selected object is displayed in the status bar (bottom of the Studio window), click on the status bar opens the transformations window (object sizing, rotation, .. etc.).
Displaying of nodes direction in editing mode (arrow in the middle of selected element).
Fix to splitting of letters like o and O in alphabet lettering.
Fix to ‘Q’ in alphabet 22 – triple stitching on the left side instead of single stitching
Fix to objects shaping > Intersection
New commands to save and load color palette (main menu > Design >)
New command in editing mode “Reduce Nodes Number” to simplify edited edge. Intended mainly for editing of lettering with too much distorted edges.
New command in main menu > Transform > “Reduce Nodes Number” to simplify selected objects. Intended mainly for editing of lettering with too much distorted edges.
New function to create redwork object from fill or column (main menu > COnvert > Area to center line)
New option for Font Engine lettering – Redwork. If turned on, lettering is created as center line.
Highlighting contours of selected objects (to turn it off, use main menu > Edit > Preferences > Selection)
Displaying of Objects without stitches with semi-transparent fill for easier recognition.
Better selection of fancy outlines. Now selection works not only for outline center curve, but also for all stitches, i.e. it is much easier to select fancy outline in the work area.
Swedish translation by Monica
Ucrainian translation by Taras
Completed and revised German translation by Christine
Fix to freezing of trace tool.
Fix to disappearing image problem.
Added numbering of column stitch samples.
Highlighted selected text options (like bold, italic, other side …) with yellow glow to indicate which option is selected and which is not.
Displaying of object’s color number (in order of apeareance in the design) next to object index in the object inspectro window. This helps to identify objects of same or different color.
“Corner” function in Studio (main menu > Tranform > Corner …).
Fix to motif shift for fill objects.
Displaying of real size scale in percentage added to zoom info in status bar
Faster rendering of design at large zoom
Fix to sew simulator problem with stray stitches
Fix to problem with opening lettering project files (.LTG)
Fix to transfer of hoop info into Editor (if image is larger than selected hoop)
Fix to transfer colors of Sfumato Stitch objects into the Editor
Fix to checkboxes (like ‘Middle point first’) accidentaly switched on/off with space bar.
When using ‘Split Applique to layers’ function, the original applique object is erased.
Fix to displaying image behind stitches when starting sew simulator.
Preserving of user set parameters when installing new version.
Sizing in Transformations Window also in %.
Align commands in Transformation window now use first selected object as a reference, i.e. all align commands are performed relative to object that was selected as first.
Added possibility to mark multiple threads in catalog at once. Hold SHIFT or CTRL depressed to select a range of threads. Left mouse button selects threads and right mouse button deselects threads.
Added “Find” box, “Previous” and “Next” buttons to search threads in catalog by typing thread number of part of the name.
If color in palette is changed, all objects of this color are changed to the new color automaticaly.
Fix to problem with stray stitches in plain fill holes when object has both carvings and holes
Enhanced displaying of jump stitches in 3D. Tie-up stitches are now displayed (in green color) when jumps are displayed.
New function (main menu > Convert > to Editable Stitches) to convert stitches in selected vector objects to editable manual stitches. Create any object as a start and then use this function to access and edit individual stitches. This function can be used for precise adjustment of motif fill, for example.
New hoops Brother Cap Hoop 2 (130 x 60 mm), Brother Cylinder Frame (90 x 80 mm), Brother Square Hoop (200 x 200 mm), Janome MC200 (140 x 140 mm)
Fix to ‘Not valid Embird file’ problem.
CROSS STITCH
When importing image or chart, a dialog box will appear on the screen, allowing to crop the image or chart.
New button “Send in attachment of e-mail” added to main toolbar located at the top of Cross Stitch window.
FONT ENGINE
New option “Show sub-folder name as a part of font name in the list of available fonts” was added to dialog box which allows to specify folders for not-installed fonts. Switch ON this option if you want to have the folder name displayed before the font name. This is great if you have sorted fonts into folders, and want to see them by folders, not only in alphabetical order.
NEW HOOPS
New hoops were added:
* Pfaff Elite Hoop (200 x 260 mm) (find it in Viking hoop section)
* Janome MC200 (140 x 140 mm)
* Bernina Artista Small (oval, 72 x 50 mm)
* Bernina Artista Jumbo Hoop (oval, 260 x 400 mm)
TUTORIALS
Embird Co-operation with Google Picasa
Open Viking Majestic Hoop Design
Save Viking Majestic Hoop Design
Send Files in Attachment of E-mail
Using Shortcut Files (.LNK) to Sort Designs