BuzzSize User's Manual
Copyright 2000-2004 by Buzz Tools®, Inc. All U.S. and international rights reserved. BuzzSize™ User Manual for Windows®. This manual and the software described in it, are furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. The content of this document is furnished for informational use only and is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Buzz Tools Incorporated.
Welcome •••••• On behalf of all of us at Buzz Tools, I am pleased to introduce to you BuzzSize™, our embroidery design resizing software. With BuzzSize™ you can easily resize your designs and adjust stitch density! The number of stitches is re-calculated and fill patterns retained to give you the best results possible. You can use BuzzSize™ as a standalone program or with BuzzEdit® V2 and/or BuzzXplore Embroidery Edition for even more capabilities.
• • • • • • BuzzSize Copyright © 2004 Buzz Tools, Inc.
Contents •••••• Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Chapter 1 - Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Installation ...................................................................... 9 System Requirements ...........................................
Chapter 3 - Editing Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Selecting What to Change ............................................ 27 Selecting Complete Colors ....................................28 Design Editing Tools .................................................... 28 Changing Thread Colors .......................................29 Move ..................................................................... 29 Rotate ........................................
Introduction •••••• With BuzzSize™ you can easily resize your designs and adjust stitch density! The number of stitches is re-calculated and fill patterns retained to give you the best results possible. BuzzSize™ is an add-on module that is shipped and incorporated into BuzzEdit® V2 Lite which has been renamed to BuzzSize™ to avoid confusion with the full version of BuzzEdit® V2. However, because BuzzSize™ is distributed this way, the version of the product starts out at version 2.
What can I do with BuzzSize™? With BuzzSize™, you can enlarge or shrink an embroidery design or change its density. The program automatically recalculates the stitches of the design to provide you with the best results possible. You can also make simple changes, such as modifying design colors or flipping and rotating designs. But that's just the beginning. The patented Stitches-in-Time® display shows your design as it is stitched out over time.
Chapter 1 - Getting •••••• Started Before you use BuzzSize™, you must install it onto your computer’s hard drive. This chapter include In this chapter: Learn how to install and update BuzzSize™. Learn how to set your computer to high color. Learn how to start BuzzSize™. Find out how to trouble shoot BuzzSize™ if you have problems installing or starting the software. • Find out about software registration. • Learn how to get technical assistance. • Find out how to un-install BuzzSize™.
Install BuzzSize™ from Installation CD To install BuzzSize™ onto your hard drive: 1 Place the BuzzSize™ installation CD in the CD-ROM drive. Wait a moment for the CD to settle down in the drive. 2 From the Windows Desktop, double-click on the My Computer icon and then double-click on the icon for your CD-ROM drive. 3 Locate the file Setup.exe in the root folder of the CD and double-click on it to launch the installation CD browser.
Set Your Display to High Color NOTE Windows XP users do not need to adjust their display settings as they are already running high color mode. For the best display, set your computer to high color. 1 Using your alternate mouse button, click on your computer desktop away from any program icons. Usually, the alternate mouse button is the right mouse button. 2 From the Popup menu, choose Properties. The Display Properties dialog box opens.
Trouble-shooting Installation or Startup If you have trouble, try the following: • See the BuzzSize™ ReadMe file, installed in the same folder as BuzzSize™, for important late breaking information that became available after this manual was completed. • Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements listed at the start of this chapter. • CD-ROM Installations ONLY: Check the back of the installation CD and clean off smudges or fingerprints with a soft cloth, if required.
Video Tutorials Numerous video tutorials have been provided to speed your learning of BuzzSize™. The video tutorials require 1024 by 768 or greater resolution. To access the video tutorial menu, choose Help > Tutorials. If your software was installed from a CD, you will be prompted to insert your installation CD where the tutorials are located. If your software was delivered by download-only, your web browser will open to the Buzz Tools web page where you can download the Video Tutorials onto your computer.
Remove BuzzSize™ To remove BuzzSize™ from your hard drive do the following: • • 14 •• • • BuzzSize 1 2 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings > Control Panel. 3 Using the scroll bar, locate the program name BuzzSize™ and click on it to select it. 4 5 Click Add/Remove…. From the control panel, double-click the Add/Remove programs icon. The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box opens. On the Confirm File Deletion dialog box, click Yes. Copyright © 2004 Buzz Tools, Inc.
Chapter 2 - BuzzSize™ Basics •••••• We know you are anxious to get started using BuzzSize™. But before you begin, it is important for you to become familiar with the BuzzSize™ workspace as it has many unique features and tools. In this chapter: • • • • Get an overview of the BuzzSize™ workspace. Learn how to zoom in the various windows. Learn how to select stitches in the various windows. Learn many of the terms used in the rest of the manual.
together to allow you to select and manipulate your design. Although you have three separate views of your design, you are still only working on one design per workspace. Stitches-in-Space Reference Window Stitches-in-Space Window Stitches-in-Time Window Figure 2-1 BuzzSize™ Workspace. You can change the relative size of the three windows by dragging the vertical and horizontal bars separating them.
shown in the Stitches-in-Space window. The area of the design that is currently being displayed in the Space window is surrounded by a dotted line. Space Reference Window Figure 2-2 Use the Space Reference window as a visual reference for your design. Stitches-in-Space Work Window The Stitches-in-Space Work window (or Space window) is the spatial work area. It contains tools for manipulating your design in space, such as tools to move and rotate. (Figure 2-3).
Zooming In Space You can use the scroll bars on the Space window to move the area of the design that is displayed. The zoom buttons located in the upper right corner of this window cause the current selection to zoom in or out. In addition, you can use the Space Reference window to zoom in on a portion of the design in the Work window. To zoom in, hold down the primary mouse button, which is usually the left mouse button, and drag out a rectangle around the region of interest (Figure 2-4).
The Stitches-in-Time window is made up various graphs which display some of the properties of the stitches (Figure 2-6). From top-to-bottom the Time window is composed of the Stitch Color bar, the Stitch Length graph, the Stitch Angle graph, the Time Scroll bar, and the Time Reference bar.
Stitch Selection BuzzSize™ only allows you to modify complete color breaks or the entire design. You can select individual runs of stitches but if you need to modify them, you will need to purchase BuzzEdit® V2. A selection always consists of one or more consecutive needle points and stitches. Your selection can be anything from a single needle point (does not include the associated stitch) to the entire design. The last needle point of your selection is called the stitch cursor.
BuzzSize™ selects the longest run of contiguous stitches within the lassoed area, which often turns out to comprise just the element you want to select (Figure 2-8). Figure 2-8 Drag around an area (left) to select the longest contiguous run of stitches (right). After you select some of the stitches in the design, the selected stitches are shown in color, whereas the unselected stitches are shown in a faded ghost color.
Selecting a Single Needlepoint You can select a single needle point in the Space window by clicking on or near the needle point with the Lasso tool. If the wrong needle point is selected, click the Select Next Lassoed button until the desired needle point is selected, or use the left and right arrow keys to move forward and backward needle point by needle point. When a single needle point is selected, all of the stitches are drawn in color in the Stitches-in-Space window.
Selecting between Long Stitches Using the Stitch Length graph, you can easily see the length of your stitches. Each stitch is displayed as a vertical line whose height is proportional to the length of the stitch. The longer the line, the longer the stitch. Depending on the number of stitches shown, the vertical lines may touch each other. [The top of each vertical line is marked with a dot so that short stitches can be detected even if the lines touch.
Select by Dragging Select a run of stitches in the Stitch Angle graph by holding down the primary mouse button and dragging the mouse cursor horizontally along the graph. Base your selection on the appearance of the graph. For example, to select a run of satin stitches look for a region where the run of stitches hug the top of the graph and then select those stitches by dragging the mouse across them.
Each section starts with a Section Break flag and is followed by a description of the section. You may need to zoom in on an area of the Stitches-in-Time® window before you can read these descriptions (see “Zooming In Time” on page 19). Select by Double-Clicking To select an entire section, just position your cursor between two section flags and double-click. Your selection will snap to these boundaries. You can click directly on top of the descriptive text.
Desired Action Do the Following To adjust the last stitch Hold down the shift key and press the left or of a selection right arrow keys (marked by a small triangle in the OR hold down the shift key and click the mouse Stitches-in-Space window) in the Stitches-in-Time® window. To move to next needle point Press the right arrow key. To move to the previous needle Press the left arrow key. point To move to the last needle point Press the end key.
Chapter 3 - Editing •••••• Designs Although BuzzSize™ is primarily a design resizing program, you can also use BuzzSize™ to adjust stitch density and to perform simple design editing. Specifically, BuzzSize™ allows you to change thread colors, or move, flip, rotate or resize a specific color break within a design. These operations work only on entire thread break or on the entire design. All of the commands and tools introduced here are covered in the BuzzSize™ online help.
Selecting Complete Colors The Stitch Color bar shows the thread colors of your design in the order in which they are sewn. The length of each color bar is proportional to the number of stitches in the color break. The easiest way to select a complete color is by double-clicking its thread color on the Stitch Color Bar. You can also drag your mouse on the Stitch Color bar and the selection will “snap” to the nearest color break. (Figure 3-1). Figure 3-1 Drag along the graphs to select stitches.
Changing Thread Colors Use the Change Thread Color button on the main toolbar (or choose File > Change Thread Color) to change the color of the selected color break. The Choose Color dialog box (Figure 3-2) displays a color palette of all of the available thread colors for the design file type you are currently editing. To change colors, click on the new color and click OK. (Or just double-click on the desired color to change it quickly and at the same time close the dialog box.).
Rotate You can rotate your selection using the Rotate tool located on the Stitches-in-Space toolbar. BuzzSize™ allows you to change the center of the rotation. By default, you rotate your selection on its own center. However, perhaps you want to rotate your selection away from another object, or around the center of the design. Move the center of rotation Figure 3-4 Drag the cross to change the by dragging the cross to the desired location center of rotation. (Figure 3-4).
Flip You can flip your selection using the Flip tool located on the Stitches-in-Space toolbar. You can change the center of the mirror during a flip operation. Move the center of the mirror by dragging the cross to the desired location (Figure 3-6). The numeric value of your custom center is displayed on the bottom status bar. Figure 3-6 Drag the cross to change the center of the mirror.
Resize When a design or a selection is resized with BuzzSize, you can choose if you want the number of stitches to be recalculated or not. In order to maintain the density of the original design, you will want to choose to have the number of the stitches recalculated. Optionally, you can choose not to use stitch recalculation when resizing a design. This means that the resized design or selection will contain the same number of stitches as the original (Figure 3-9).
Resize your selection by dragging the circular boundary of your selection. The percentage enlargement is displayed on the bottom status bar. In the example shown, the design moves away from the resize center; that is, the bird's beak (Figure 3-11). If you exceed the maximum Figure 3-11 Resize your selection by recommended resize percentage of twenty dragging the percent, the cursor will include an exclamation boundary. point to alert you of a potential problem and the Resize dialog will open.
Just as with the resize operation, you can stretch selections up to ten percent without any adverse stitching affects. You may be able to stretch by a value greater than ten percent if you also change the thickness of the thread used to sew the design area. Use a finer thread for areas you have reduced and a thicker thread for areas you have enlarged. Stretch your selection using the Stretch tool located on the Stitches-in-Space toolbar.
Stretch your selection by pulling on the dashed portion of the selection boundary (Figure 3-14). When your cursor is positioned correctly, your cursor will look like the one in the example to the right. You can also stretch your selection using specific values for the stretch percentage, angle of stretch and the center of stretch (choose BuzzTools > Stretch…). For help on this Figure 3-14 Stretch selection by pulling on command, click on the Stretch Selection dialogs Help button.
In the example (Figure 3-15), the PCS file was converted from a DST that contained only color stop information. Therefore the colors displayed represent stops and not the colors you would choose to sew.You will have to change the thread colors in BuzzSize™ to get an attractive picture. Figure 3-15 Conversion from DST to PCS. Like all Buzz Tools programs, when BuzzSize™ converts a design that contains color values into an EXP or a DST file, BuzzSize™ preserves the color information in an auxiliary file.
Chapter 4 - Multiple-Section •••••• Designs Most embroidery machines have file restrictions such as the number of stitches or the number of color breaks a design can contain. In BuzzSize™, you can create multiple-section designs that exceed the file restrictions. Multi-hoops are not supported in BuzzSize™. If you need multi-hoop support, you will need to purchase BuzzEdit® V2.
design. When you are ready to sew the design, you sew each of the design files in sequence onto the same piece of fabric in order to create the full design (Figure 4-1). Figure 4-1 Sew each design file in sequence onto the same piece of fabric in order to create the full design. BuzzSize® Manager File Most multiple-file designs created in BuzzSize™ and BuzzEdit® V2 take advantage of a manager file.
When you open a multiple-file design that uses a manager file, you should choose the manager file name from the Open Design dialog box. This causes all of the associated design files to be opened and ensures that they are positioned correctly (Figure 4-2). Figure 4-2 This multi-section design is opened easily by choosing the manager file, the file without a -a, -b, etc.
This action brings up the Open Multiple-File Design dialog box that allows you to specify a series of files to open and which hoop to use (Figure 4-3). Figure 4-3 The Open Multiple-File Design dialog box helps you open existing multiple-file designs. Multiple-Section Bar When BuzzSize™ displays a design with multiple sections, the Stitches-in-Time® window displays the Multiple-Section bar. This bar displays a series of section breaks.
selection will “snap” to the nearest section break, making it easy to select all of the stitches in an entire design file. You can also select all of the stitches in a design file by double-clicking between section break flags. You can click directly on top of the descriptive text. Embroidery Machine File Limitations As we have already mentioned, each embroidery file format comes with certain file limitations and restrictions.
A.pcs, then Heart-B.pcs. The result is a design containing more than 16 color changes. The manager file Heart.pcs is used by BuzzSize™ to allow you to read the multiple-file design back into the program. That is, when you open the manager file Heart.pcs with BuzzSize®, it automatically reads back in all the design files, which in this example, are Heart-A.pcs and Heart-B.pcs. The manager file is not sewn.
Appendix A - Shortcut •••••• Keys General To Do This Shortcut Help F1 What’s This (Context Sensitive Help) Shift + F1 Open Design Ctrl + O Save Design Ctrl + S Exit Alt + F4 To Do This Shortcut Undo Ctrl + Z Redo Ctrl + Y Select All Ctrl + A Select None Escape Select Next Lassoed Ctrl + L Select Previous Lassoed Shift + L Editing Copyright © 2004 Buzz Tools, Inc.
Space & Time • • 44 •• • • BuzzSize To Do This Shortcut Go to start of design Home Go to end of design End Select next color Tab Select previous colors Shift + Tab Cancel mouse action [applies to space tools and drag / drop in Time] ESC while dragging Restrict Space Move tool to horizontal Shift while dragging Restrict Space Move tool to vertical Ctrl while dragging Copyright © 2004 Buzz Tools, Inc.
Appendix B - Additional •••••• Information Command Reference The BuzzSize™ online help provides additional information about the BuzzSize™ workspace and includes a detailed command reference. You can access the BuzzSize™ online help by choosing Help > Contents. In addition to the subject based help, BuzzEdit® includes context sensitive help.
Multi-hoops are not supported in BuzzSize™. If you need multi-hoop support, you will need to purchase BuzzEdit® V2. For information on BuzzEdit® V2 multi-hoop support, please see the BuzzEdit V2 manual which is included on your installation CD or download it from http://www.buzztools.com/updates/downloads.asp. • • 46 •• • • BuzzSize Copyright © 2004 Buzz Tools, Inc.
Glossary •••••• This glossary contains both terms that are specific to BuzzSize® and others that are general embroidery terms. Density Density refers to how tightly packed are the alternating lines of stitches in a fill. In BuzzEdit®, you specify density by entering the distance in millimeters between adjacent lines. Design Area The design area is a rectangle within which you can place stitches. For single-hoop designs, the design area is the same as the hoop rectangle.
Hoop Frame The hoop frame is the physical hoop with mounting bracket. It may be a multiple-position hoop and it may mount on more then one side. Hoop Indicator The hoop indicator shows where your can place stitches in the Stitches-in-Space window. It is shown in BuzzSize® in black for a single-hoop design and in red for a multiple-hoop design. Hoop Section The hoop section is that part of a multiple-hoop design that sews into a particular hoop position.
Satin Stitch A satin stitch is made up of zigzag stitches that are sewn very close together. A satin stitch can range in thickness from just over 1mm to usually a maximum of 12mm. A satin stitch is normally used for nice detail, thicker outlines and for most normal size lettering. Stitch A stitch is one needle penetration and the thread laid down to get to the next needle penetration. Stitch Angle The stitch angle is the angle of the stitches in an area.
• • 50 •• • • BuzzSize Copyright © 2004 Buzz Tools, Inc.
Index •••••• B D Buzz Tools® Mailing Address 13 Web Site 13 BuzzSize Authorizing 11 Computer Color Settings 11 Installing 10 License Agreement 53 Overview 7 Removing 14 Software Registration 12 Supported File Types 45 Supported Hoops 45 System Requirements 9 Windows Overview 16 Designs Colors 35 Converting 35 File Restrictions 41 Object Data 7 C Colors Computer Settings 11 During Conversions 35 Palettes 29 Copyright Information 2 Custom Center During Flip 31 During Resize 32 During Rotate 30 During Str
Rotatating 30 Selecting By Stitch Types 24 Selecting In Space 20 Selecting In Time 28 Selecting On Multiple Section Bar 25 Stretching Selected 33 Stitches-in-Space Flip Tool 31 Move Tool 29 Reference Window 16 Resize Tool 32 Rotate Tool 30 Scrolling 18 Stretch Tool 33 Zooming 18 Stitches-in-Time Multiple Section Bar 40 Scroll bar 19 Stitch Angle Graph 23 Stitch Color Bar 28 Zooming 19 Stretch Tool 33 Angle of Stretch 34 Custom Center 34 Resize Maximum 34 System Requirements 9 M Main Tool Bar Context Sensit
License Agreement •••••• IMPORTANT-PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY This End User License Agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into by and between the user of this software (“You” or “Licensee”) and Buzz Tools, Inc. of San Ramon, California (“Buzz Tools” or “Licensor”). By installing or using this software, You acknowledge that You have read this Agreement, that You understand it, and that You agree to honor and be bound by the terms and conditions contained herein.
Tools retains all title and ownership interest in the Licensed Products and Documentation and any intellectual property embodied therein (such as copyrights or patents). Any attempt by Licensee to transfer any ownership rights in the Licensed Products or Documentation shall (a) be null and void; (b) constitute a material breach and grounds for immediate termination of this Agreement; and (c) trigger an immediate obligation on Licensee to return of all Licensed Products and Documentation. 4.
SUCH AS COMPATIBILITY, REVERSE COMPATIBILITY, OR INTEROPERABILITY REQUIREMENTS. LICENSEE ASSUMES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR DECISIONS MADE OR ACTIONS TAKEN BASED ON INFORMATION OBTAINED USING THE LICENSED PRODUCTS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL LICENSOR BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF LICENSOR HAS BEEN APPRISED OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGE OCCURRING.
• • 56 •• • • BuzzSize Copyright © 2004 Buzz Tools, Inc.
