Inkscape files for Embroidery Software

[rufie]

Hello, I'm new here and I hope I post in the ritght place.

As I saw there is even a whole community for using Inkscape with plotters in the web, I hope I can get here a hint to using it with embroidery software.
I use Inkscape since three years as a hobby. I use Embird as embroidery software which has one oft the largest range of embroidery file formats to open.

Embroidery software digitalizes pixel graphics, which is nothing else than vectorizing ist. Some allow to import vector graphics, emf-format is prefered, but also wmf is possible. The problem is, that the import function does not work so well. It is generally speaking a problem of embroidery software. Many vector points are crossed or lost.

So my idea is why not saving a graphic in Inkscape in an embroidery software format and then open it with the embroidery software. There are so many possible file formats:
.dst, .pes, .phc, .exp, .pcs, .hus, .vip, .shv, .jef, .sew,.csd, .xxx, .dhv, .fhe, ...
When a pixel graphic is digitized in Embird, you save it as .edf which has all informations in it, before you safe it as embroidery file format for your embroidery machine as .dst

Therefore my question: Is it possible to save an Inkscape file in one of this formats? Is there perhaps already a plugin for Inkscape doig this?

I hope you understand my question, as Englisch ist not my mother tongue.

Many greetings fom Bavaria,
rufie

[Moini]

Hi rufie (und Moin aus dem Norden ;-) ),

I'm personally not using Inkscape for embroidery, but I know that there are a couple of extensions and even LPEs being developed for making embroidery with Inkscape. In this forum, you'll also find other users (German-speaking, too), who use Inkscape for embroidery.

Some random links:
http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4776
http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Inkscape_Extensions
https://github.com/stesie/inkscape-embroidery
http://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php?topic=336.5;

[brynn]

Welcome rufie!
Yes, as Moini said, many people already use Inkscape for making machine embroidery files.  I don't know about the status of these projects, whether they work or not, but here are a couple more extensions:

http://svg2embr.wasbo.net/index.php
https://github.com/garfieldkass/embroidery

[rufie]

Ein frohes neues Jahr - Happy New Year

When reading theses answers it really starts happy. Thanks for all the links.
I did not expect so many people already thinking of doing emroidery files with Inkscape. Really interesting. 

[Moini]

Dir auch

Some more (in German):
https://wiki.raumzeitlabor.de/wiki/Rarity/Pony-Motive
https://wiki.raumzeitlabor.de/wiki/Schraffuren_in_Inkscape

[ha1flosse]

So my idea is why not saving a graphic in Inkscape in an embroidery software format and then open it with the embroidery software. There are so many possible file formats:
.dst, .pes, .phc, .exp, .pcs, .hus, .vip, .shv, .jef, .sew,.csd, .xxx, .dhv, .fhe, ...
When a pixel graphic is digitized in Embird, you save it as .edf which has all informations in it, before you safe it as embroidery file format for your embroidery machine as .dst

a file in "embroidery-format" contains different information in comparison to a svg-file or other graphic formats. the file formats you mentioned include stitch paths for different stitch types the embroidery machine reads out to generate the embroidery - pattern.

embird generates those stitches for filling areas and contours of your traced or imported drawing. in inkscape you have to use one of the embroidery - plugins for this. most of them generate a file in a format that is readable by a embroidery machine.

you said, embird digitizes a pixel graphic. inkscape does the same by "Path->Trace Bitmap" (https://inkscape.org/de/doc/tracing/tutorial-tracing.html)
by digitizing a pixel graphic with embird you're just tracing the graphic. after tracing you have to generate stitch paths for your embroidery machine with embird too or the embroidery - machine wouldn't be able to read and generate the pattern. you can do the same in inkscape by tracing a "pixel graphic" and then generate stitch paths with one of the embroidery plugins.

the plugins for inkscape are usable but in comparison to the functionality of embird in a very early state. here's another good one: https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery

if you use embird, you might already know you can import .wmf or .emf - files saved from inkscape into the studio workspace of embird, easily generate different types of stitch-paths for your machine and save them in the file format needed.

seems like some people are interested in working from start to end with inkscape regarding embroidery - design, so maybe it would be a good idea to establish a crowdfunding campaign or something for the embroidery-plugin-projects to push the development further. seems like there are different projects right now, would be cool if they also would collaborate developing a plugin that covers all the functionality of the different plugins.