-
Choosing Weaving Software
I have a subscription to handweaving.net and so far have used it sparingly. I’ve been collecting WIFs from a variety of sources, and I’m looking for software that would allow me to import some of those WIFs and play with them. I don’t see that as an option among handweaving.net’s videos. I presume that means importing files from outside the site isn’t possible. That leads me to ask: Where can I find weaving software that will work under Windows 11, that accommodates 4 -8 shafts, and that has an easy-to-use professional looking interface? So far, I’ve taken a quick look at: pixeloom, quickdrawweaving, weaveit, and weavepoint. If you use one of these apps or one not on my list, please share your experience. (Note: I crossed fiberworks off my list because its site is not secured. IMO, the Internet can be dangerous enough without visiting unsecured sites.)
-
17 Replies
-
You can absolutely upload .wifs from your local computer to Handweaving.net’s Draft Editor (or the version we have here on the Academy site), then manipulate it and save the new version(s). You need “Upload WIF” under the Draft menu.
-
Also, though I understand and respect your concerns about unsecured websites, I will point out that you don’t need to enter any information into the Fiberworks website to purchase their software. Payment is (or can be) done through PayPal, which has its own security. Communication re: licenses, etc. is all done via email.
You DO need to download the application from the Fiberworks website, but I have done that MANY times (so many times) and never had an issue. I’ve never heard of any of the other thousands(?) of FW users having an issue either.
Might not change anything for you, just putting that out there. :)
-
I, too, have downloaded software for the Fiberworks website (and weaving drafts) with no problems. I like the way it works. I also use Weavepoint a bit–don’t like it as well as Fiberworks, but there’s a few things I can do using it easily.
-
Another voice chiming in for Fberworks. I have downloaded the software quite a few times (you need to redownload when you replace devices, in my case, I have had several laptops that thought they could swim, alas, they could not, so I needed to purchase a new one). There is no charge for the additional downloads, you just send an email, download the program, and enter the number that is sent to you via email.
I am more comfortable with Fiberworks because I was using it long before I knew that handweaving.net existed, and have been eminently happy with it, and while I used the free version for quite some time, I happily paid for the upgraded version that allows you to save your drafts. It is a huge time saver for me, particularly when I alter drafts many times to different variations, and want to save them all, then go back and play with them some more.
-
Kathy, what ever gave you the idea the computer might want to take a swim. I have tried to get my laptop to like coffee, it doesn’t so I stopped trying. lol.
I love FW, and I have 2 more maybe 3 by the end of next week. I figured if I got WinWeeft I could learn how to do echo designs. Well, FW does it too, and so does TempoWeave. WinWeef is not user-friendly at all. TempoWeave is and just came live last weekend. Great program.
-
-
Just chipping in here in support of Fibreworks. I began with the bronze level and have moved to silver as it had more to offer me. I download WIF’s from Handweaving.net and add it straight into Fibreworks to play with it at a later date. Handweaving.net is an excellent site to get WIF’s and play. Fibreworks is to download your drafts and continue to play later. You can also add notes and get added information from Fibreworks, such as the amount of threads in each shaft and the overall amount of ends. These two sites are the ones I go to.
-
Thank you for starting this thread! I am a raw beginner with the computer software understanding—So—I have used handweaving.net inside the HA and love what doors it opens to design drafts. I don’t understand about the WIF software. How do I get this set up independent of HA? Why is it necessary to have 2 suppliers (handweaving.net plus Fiberworks or other supplier)?
-
Hi Kathie,
You need to have a second weaving software to download your drafts to if you are using handweaving.net. There is a box in handweaving.net that asks if you want to download your draft. You click the box and it will offer to download as a WIF, but you need to have somewhere for it to to go so you can open it. Opening in Fibreworks (that’s what I use) means I can open the draft and continue to play with it and I can save it to continue later at my convenience.
You can sign up with handweaving.net on their site. Cost is minimal and sooo worth it! Start off there first and get to know what the buttons do. Handweaving.net also has tutorial videos to show you how to use the tools.
Hope this helps.
-
You can actually design everything in the Draft Editor, and just download the drawdown image when you want to print the draft for treadling/threading. Fiberworks has some features that the Draft Editor doesn’t, likewise the Draft Editor has some features that Fiberworks doesn’t.
But it’s a good idea to download the WIF file even if you don’t have Fiberworks, because it saves your work and you can reupload it to Handweaving.net or our version of the Draft Editor any time you want.
-
I’ve saved the drawdown image at times. I like having Fibreworks as well because I can add notes.
-
-
-
Of the other apps that you mentioned, the only other one that I’ve heard much if anything about is PixeLoom. I haven’t used it myself but I know others who do. I’ve heard of others you haven’t mentioned but I think they’re pretty much defunct, with no new development being done.
Others you might want to check out include TempoWeave, which is being built by the folks who make the TempoTreadle, and WinWeef which is the app that Marian Stubenitsky uses for all the drafts in her books. I don’t find their user interface very intuitive, but I also haven’t put in the time to figure them out since Fiberworks and the Draft Editor fulfill all my needs.
-
TempoWeave, is now live, it was released this week, very user-friendly I love it. WinWeef, is a whole other bird. It works left to right, I like to work in numbers it does not, but what it does do, is color each thread in your draft and I think it has a gradient feature of sorts. TempoWeave has one in the works for this next year I believe . I have them both and FW. I am such an old geek, when it comes to software.
-
-
I love the combination of handweaving.net and Fiberworks. I upload and download between them all the time. I use handweaving.net for a lot of my color designing as well as inspirational wifs. I use Fiberworks for some design detail work and easy printing. I haven’t used any other local software, but I couldn’t do without these 2 together.
-
I’m back. I decided that I couldn’t really judge weaving software without using the save and print features, so I bought both fiberworks bronze and pixeloom (Windows versions). I decided that I would play with pixeloom first and set up a simple turned twill draft–something that I could turn into a tea towel in 8/2 cotton. Then I uploaded the WIF into handweaving.net, and the results were surprising. The colors were QUITE different. I’ve attached a PDF that shows just how different. In handweaving,net’s defense, it makes it much easier to shrink a draft into a view of the fabric. I had to do careful cutting and pasting and then resizing to get a good sense of what the pixeloom version of the towel might look like. Of course, I have no idea how easy it would be to get 8/2 cotton in colors like the ones I chose. This was just meant as a test.
-
Most (all?) weaving design applications will give you the option to display the drawdown with or without the edges of the threads outlined. Without shows you the drawdown and the colors just as they are, but with shows you a good approximation of how they interlace – which way floats go, which thread is on top, etc. In the Draft Editor, that’s the “lines” option you can toggle on and off. In Fiberworks, it’s Cloth > View > Interlacement (on) or Cloth > View > Normal (off).
They all (AFAIK) outline the edges of the threads in black. That skews the appearance of the draft, making it look much darker. This is why we almost always have lines turned off by default in the Draft Editor exercises in any of Tien’s lessons about working with color. Fiberworks edges one side thread in white AND black, which offsets the darkness a little, but still messes with the overall value of the drawdown.
All this to say, see if you can turn off the lines in WeavePoint and then reevaluate the color of those drawdowns. They might be closer to your intention than you thought. :)
-
Thanks! I’d noticed the edging of the threads in the drawdown, of course. But it never occurred to me that it would affect the hue of the drawdown when I shrank the image to get a better sense of what the woven fabric would look like.
-
-
-
I like software, I have 3 different programs, Fiberworks, Tempo Weave, and Win Weef. I have been considering PhotoShop Elements. My sister has it for her photos, but it does not do what she needs. She said maybe I might like it. I can check it out anyway.
Win Weef I purchased recently and for one reason. I am learning about Echo, and Parallel threading, and Win Weef is the only program that can make the blocks in your draft a different color while you are working on the draft. If FW and TW do that I am yet to find it. and I have suggested it to Tempo Weave. Win Weef also works from left to right, I guess in Europe they do things a bit differently. But if Marian Stubenitsky can design with it I can. Maybe not as good. Win Weef has color features that make a range of colors not sure how it works yet just figuring it out.
Tempo Weave is relatively new software, it does about anything FW does, but since I am always looking for something better I went ahead and started using it as a beta tester, love it and go back and forth with FW. It’s a great program, and at some point, you will be able to do color gradients with it, if I remember correctly it’s one of the coming features. Tempo weave is very user-friendly, I saw a YouTube weaver Andy Lasky using it and I contacted him regarding the software he said it was easy to use, has great features, and is still in beta testing so I jumped on board and started using it. It came fully functional this week and my beta program stopped working, I have been so used to using it I signed up for the Pro version that comes with all the classes. I can not say its better than FW, they both have features the other does not. Just simple things. But I can usually go faster in working with Tempo Weave than Fiber Works.
Now, Fiber Works, it does just about everything you could want weaving software to do. I have been using it for several years and with no problems. The only problem is finding the time to learn all the features. But some classes I have taken have helped with that and I have found a lady by the name of Marg Coe, who is a wiz at it. Marg is one of the Mods for the Facebook group and has books she has done on teaching how to use it. And classes on her website. She is also and expert on Elements as well.
I know who needs 3 or 4 computer programs that do the same thing, well I do. I am a gadget person in the kitchen, so why not a gadget person on the computer, I like designing part of weaving about as much as any other part.
I know PixleLoom is not being supported anymore. I got this from a couple of people who use it and have tried to get help but have failed. IWeaveIt, is rather complicated but has one feature that I find useful if I can manage to get it to work. It will keep track of you treading and threading for you. Mine is Android, so I have to do it all manually. Andriod version is no longer supported and I put it on my tablet just before it was shut down. But the Apple Version is available and if you have a tablet all you need to do it talk to it. This is my take on software. I do use handweaving.net too.
Log in to reply.