Digitize

Digitizing is the process of using a digitizing tablet and cursor to enter a handmade paper pattern to the computer. A digitizing tablet is an electronic board. Optitex software supports many different brands and sizes of digitizing tablets.

Icon & Location

  • Menu: File> Digitizer > Digitize

  • Toolbar: General

  • Toolbox: Window Tools

To use the digitizer:

  1. From the main menu, go to File > Digitizer > Digitize



    The Digitizer dialog is divided into three sections.

The left-hand section contains digitizer commands used with a four-button digitizer.

The right-hand section is a scaled down view of the digitizing tablet.

The lower section assigns a number to each button on the digitizer cursor.

View the fields as follows:

Field

Description

Panel Position

 

The digitizer panel contains all the piece attributes and information found in the Piece Properties. Using the digitizer panel eliminates the need to enter the relevant attributes and information into the Piece Info dialog box. You can customize the digitizer panel using the Edit Panel option in the Digitizer Setup dialog .

  1. Tape a print-out of the Digitizer Panel onto the Digitizing tablet. You can print the digitizer panel using the Edit Panel option in the Digitizer Setup dialog box.

  2. Select Digitize from the File menu, or click on the Digitize icon on the toolbar. The Digitizer dialog box is displayed.

  3. Click the Panel Pos button in the Digitizer dialog box.

  4. Move the digitizer cursor to the lower left-hand corner of the digitizer panel and click button number 1 (Point).

  5. Move the digitizer cursor to the upper right-hand corner of the digitizer panel and click button number 1.

A colored rectangular area is displayed in the Digitizer dialog box; this area illustrates the panel position on the digitizer tablet.

Menu Position

If the digitizer cursor has only four buttons, attach a digitizer menu to the digitizer tablet. The digitizer menu enables you to define the location of various point types, notches, buttons, internal lines, etc. When using a sixteen-button cursor, the digitizer menu is not needed.

  1. Make a rectangle with 11 equally sized rows. The rectangle (digitizer menu) should consist of the following 11 rows; Point, Grade, Notch, Button, Line, Circle, Grd/Crv, Ngrd/Crv, Dart, Contour and Baseline.

  2. Tape the newly created Digitizer menu onto the digitizing tablet.

  3. Select Digitize from the File menu, or click on the Digitize icon on the toolbar. The Digitizer dialog box is displayed.

  4. Click the Menu Pos button in the Digitizer dialog box.

  5. Move the digitizer cursor to the lower left-hand corner of the digitizer menu and click button number 1 (Point).

  6. Move the digitizer cursor to the upper right-hand corner of the digitizer menu and click button number 1.

A gray rectangular area is displayed in the Digitizer dialog box; this area illustrates the menu position on the digitizer tablet.

 See also: Digitizer Menu