Overview
VS Marker is a complete marker-making workflow inside VStitcher. It extracts pattern pieces from the open garment, nests them against a fabric width using bin-packing, calculates fabric consumption and cost, and exports the result to PDF, DXF, or HPGL.
Multi-material garments produce separate, independent markers for each material.
Requirements
VStitcher 2025.3.0 or newer (BwApi 3.25+ )
How to Create a Marker
Step 1: Open a Garment and Launch the Plugin
Open a garment in VStitcher, then click Plugins → VS Marker.
Step 2: Choose Sizes and Settings
Select the sizes to include and set the quantity ratio for each (e.g. 1×S, 2×M, 1×L).
Setting | Description |
Size quantities | How many of each size to include |
Fabric width | Width in cm for the nesting area |
Seam mode | Sew line or cut line boundary |
Grain tolerance | Rotation allowed for better nesting (degrees) |
Shrinkage % | Applied to each piece before nesting |
End loss | Extra fabric allowance at the ends |
Direction | Two-way, One-way, or Same Direction — see Direction below |
Size layout | Mixed sizes or Bundle by size — see Size Layout below |
Step 3: Nest and Review
Click Nest — pieces are packed and the marker canvas renders. Review the efficiency and cost figures in the summary panel.
Step 4: Export
Export the finished marker to PDF, DXF, or HPGL.
Direction
Controls whether pieces may flip during nesting:
Option | Behaviour |
Two-way | Pieces may flip 180° for tighter packing. Use for non-directional fabric. |
One-way | All pieces face the same direction — no flipping. Use for napped fabric where flipping would show wrong-way nap or sheen. |
Same Direction | All pieces within each size face the same way, preventing sheen/nap variation within a single cut bundle; adjacent sizes may still alternate direction from each other for better overall nesting. |
Size Layout
Controls how different sizes are arranged relative to each other in the marker:
Option | Behaviour |
Mixed sizes | All sizes nested together for the best fabric efficiency. |
Bundle by size | Each size's pieces are kept in a contiguous zone, trading slightly more fabric use for easier cutting-room handling (each bundle can be cut and separated as a block). |
What Happens During Nesting?
Piece Extraction
VS Marker reads every pattern piece from the open garment, including boundary coordinates per size, per-edge seam allowance values (varying allowances, e.g. 2.5 cm hem vs 1.0 cm side seam, are supported), and grain direction.
Nesting Modes (Standard vs Interlock)
Pieces are grouped by material (fabric, lining, etc.) and packed using bin-packing.
Standard — rectangle-based bin-packing.
Interlock — denser nesting via a solver
Symmetric pieces are stored as half-pieces and mirrored on the fold axis. Grain rotation is applied within the tolerance set in Step 2, in 15° steps.
Seam Allowance and Grain Rotation
Per-edge seam allowance is inset before packing, so pieces with different allowances on different edges (hem vs side seam vs facing) nest correctly rather than using one uniform margin.
Efficiency and Cost Calculation
Fabric area = marker width × length
Efficiency % = piece area ÷ marker area
Cost = area × rate per m²
Export Formats
Format | Use |
Printable marker for manual cutting | |
DXF | CAM cutting machines (AutoCAD-compatible) |
HPGL | Plotters and older cutting systems |
Troubleshooting
Issue | Fix |
Pieces not appearing | Open a garment before launching the plugin |
DXF export fails | Check the debug log for the error |
Efficiency very low | Increase grain rotation tolerance or reduce end-loss |
Wrong material grouping | Check material assignment on pattern pieces in VStitcher |