Editing Seam Properties

You can configure various properties for each seam in the application. However, you must use external software to edit seam texture. For more information, refer to Editing Seam Texture.

To edit a seam:

1. If the Materials tab is not already open, on the Resources tabs, click Materials.

   

2. If not already open, click the Garment tab.

   

3. In the Seams section, click the seam you want to edit. The seam properties are displayed in the Context view.

4. Edit the properties as required.

   Vector Seam Properties	Seam Properties

    

   Label	Description
   1	Seam type (regular or vector) and name. Click to rename the seam. The Rename Material dialog box is displayed. Type in the new name. Select or clear Apply to all Colorways according to whether you want the new name to be applied to all colorways. Click OK. Note: The Physics property is not applicable for seams, and is disabled.
   2	Image of the face and the back of the seam. The selected image is highlighted in blue. The selected image determines which visual properties are displayed in the relevant sections. Note: The arrowhead icons are only enabled if the face and back are different. Click to copy the properties of the face to the back. Click to copy the properties of the back to the face. Toggle to hide or show the selected side. Hide means that the side is invisible in 2D and 3D. Shown Hidden
   3	Note: Only available for vector seams. Colors - one set of thumbnails for each color in the graphic. Each thumbnail set has an upper and lower image and a label. Upper: current color in VStitcher. Click to display a color picker. If required, select the color you want to change to. Lower: original color in source file. Not clickable. The label is either the RBG values of the current color, or the name of the color if it is from your own color library. You can double-click the label and type in your own text. Note: If you change the color in VStitcher, the color in the source file is not changed. If you change the color in an external editor, both thumbnails reflect the changed color. Each set of thumbnails with different top and bottom colors has a reset icon: . Click to reset the current color to be the color in the source file and hide the reset icon. Reset also causes the RGB values to display.
   4	Material Blending and Transparency Material Blending The blending mode. Blending mode determines how a material blends with the material beneath it in the stacking order. For more information, refer to Material Blending. Transparency The amount of transparency the seam is to display, expressed as a percentage. Note: If the selected side is hidden, Transparency is automatically set to 100%.
   5	Seam Properties Offset - the distance between the seam material and the edge of the pattern piece. The default and minimum value are 0. Tip: Each layer of a multilayered seam material has a value for Offset. For example, if all have a value of 0, they are stacked on top of one another. This replicates the legacy behavior of seams. Line Count - the number of lines repeating the seam. For example, in the above image, Line Count is 2. If Line Count is greater than 1, all property or material changes to the seam are replicated in each line. The default and minimum value are both 1. The maximum value is 10. Distance - where Line Count is greater than 1, this property is the distance between each line. The default value is 0.1 (cm or inches). The minimum value is 0.1mm or 0.02in. Note: If Line Count is 1, Distance is disabled. For a deep dive look at enhanced seams and stitch construction, check out the video: Enhanced Seams and Stitch Construction
   6	Thread Properties Note: A thread (or stitch) is one repeat of the seam material. Length The length of the seam material texture image measured in one of the following: Stitches per inch (SPI) Stitches per centimeter (SPC) Inches (if selected in preferences) Centimeters (if selected in preferences) Millimeters (if selected in preferences) For example, a setting of 5 SPI means there are 5 repeats of the seam image every inch. A setting of 1cm means each seam image is 1cm long. Click the unit of measurement to display a menu of the available units, then click the unit of measurement you want to use. Width The width of the seam material texture image. The default value is the diffuse image’s original width. Toggle the link icon to set whether you want the Length and Width properties to be linked. If linked, a change in one property is automatically and proportionately replicated in the other. The default setting is unlinked. Linked Unlinked   Space The distance between each thread. The default and minimum value are 0. Note: If Length uses SPI or SPC, the Space value can affect Length as it may result in more or less repeats of the thread per cm or inch. Thickness Note: Only available for vector seams. The thickness of the seam’s line. The following image shows three threads, each with different thickness. Click the unit of measurement to display a menu of the available units, then click the unit of measurement you want to use: Tex Ticket Metric Denier Centimeters, millimeters, or inches - depending on your preferences 3D Thickness (Legacy) A legacy property, formerly called Seam Thickness, required to support seams created in earlier versions of the software.
   7	Diffuse Map representing the flat, solid color aspect of the material. Includes a texture (image file) and a color. Vector Seams The left thumbnail is an image. Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. For more information, refer to Image Editor. Click Reset to reset the color and size back to the color and size of the source vector file. Non-Vector Seams The left thumbnail is an image. Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. For more information, refer to Image Editor. The right thumbnail displays the diffuse color. Click the thumbnail to display the color picker. Click to reset the diffuse color so that it no longer has any effect on the diffuse image. Note: If you reset the material color, depending on your preferences, the blending mode may also be changed. Resetting the material color automatically sets the blending mode to the mode specified in your preferences. For example, if the material blending mode is Multiply, and the default blending mode in your preferences is Overlay, when you rest the material color, its blending mode is changed to Overlay. If the blending mode specified in your preferences is: Multiply, the color resets to white Overlay, the color resets to 50% gray In Color Blending, click to select the color blending to apply. For more information, refer to Color Blending Modes. Select Hide Background to hide the seam background.
   8	Use Lower Layer Maps You can use this feature to blend materials to underlying materials. For example, to add a special finish effect to jeans, or for realistic display of knitted pieces. Select this option to: Disable all the material maps other than diffuse. Inherit the maps of all the materials that are under (a lower z-index) the selected material. Auto Generate Depth Maps You can use this feature to automatically generate depth maps (normal and displacement) for the material if required. If the material has normal and displacement maps which you want to use, ensure this option is not selected. Note: If selected and you make a change to the material, the software automatically regenerates the depth maps.
   9	Specular Map representing the shininess aspect of the material; how reflective it is. Includes a texture (image file). The thumbnail is an image. A specular map image is a gray level image. Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 10 (maximum) to set how reflective the material is.
   10	Roughness Map representing the roughness aspect of the material; the surface irregularities that diffuse light. Includes a texture (image file). The thumbnail is an image. A roughness map image is a gray level image. Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set how much roughness the material has.
   11	Normal Map representing the bumpiness of the material. Includes a texture (image file). The thumbnail is an image. Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. In Depth, drag the slider or type in a number from -3 to 3 to set the bumpiness of the material. A value of 0 is not bumpy and values of -3 and +3 are most bumpy, in different directions.
   12	Displacement (Ray Trace Only) Map representing the 3D geometrical aspect or thickness of the material, and is used to create realistic depth effects. Includes a texture (image file) and depth. Effective in ray trace renders. Note: There must be a texture for the displacement map to have any effect. The thumbnail is an image. A displacement map image is a grayscale image. Medium gray (RGB of 128,128,128 or 50% gray): no effect Darker gray: concave depth as shown in the following image: Lighter gray: convex depth as shown in the following image:   Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. In Depth, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 3 (maximum) to set the depth of the material. 16-bit grayscale files are now supported for displacement maps. Such files may be JPEG, TIF or PNG format. For an introduction, check out the video: Displacement Maps
   13	Advanced Options Toggle to display additional visual properties. For more information, refer to Advanced Options.
   14	Information Toggle to display the information text box. You can add additional production information here, if necessary. Text entered here is available as JSON data when a tech pack is created. The data is not available by default, and requires creation and operation of an external script to extract it.
   15	Fur (V-Ray Only) Select Use Fur to display fur properties. For more information, refer to Fur.

   Advanced Options

   

   Label	Descriptions
   1	Metalness Map representing the metallic aspect of the seam. Includes a texture (image file). The thumbnail is an image. A metalness map image is a grayscale image. Black: no effect (Intensity of 0) White: maximum effect (Intensity of 1) Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set the metallic amount. Note: If Metalness Intensity is set to 1, the specular map has no effect.
   2	Specular tint Map that adds the diffuse color to reflective areas on the material. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set the amount of specular tint.
   3	Sheen Map that adds the natural behavior effect of light coming from behind the material. It is used to create a velvet like appearance of materials. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set the amount of sheen.
   4	Sheen tint Map that adds the effect of reflections set by the sheen coming from behind the material. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set the amount of sheen tint.
   5	Subsurface Map representing the effect of light scattering inside an object, being an additional diffuse channel. Useful for translucent materials. Includes a texture (image file) and a color. Use of this channel is the only way to achieve a diffuse color that is different from the specular color. The left thumbnail is an image. Click the thumbnail to display the image editor. The right thumbnail displays the subsurface color. Click the thumbnail to display the color picker. The color and the texture combine using Multiply blend mode. For more information, refer to Color Blending Modes. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set the strength of the effect.
   6	Clear coat Map representing another level of shininess, being an additional shininess/specular channel. Useful for 3D trims and especially shiny materials. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set the amount of shininess.
   7	Clear coat roughness Map representing the level of roughness of the clear coat channel. This is a very precise, fine tune effect which is not as readily visible as other channels. In Intensity, drag the slider or type in a number from 0 (none) to 1 (maximum) to set the amount of roughness.

   Converting Existing Vector Artwork in Garments

   When you open a file with an existing Ai graphic, you are prompted with the option to convert to vector format.

   To convert existing Ai/SVG seam material to vector:

   1. If the Materials tab is not already open, on the Resources tabs, click Materials.

      

   2. If not already open, click the Garment tab.

      

   3. Go to the Seams section.

      

   4. Hover over the seam you want to convert and click . A menu is displayed.

   5. Click Convert to Vector. The graphic is converted to vector format.

   You can also convert vector back to raster using the same procedure but clicking Convert to Raster on the menu.