[Nick Rocco]

I am currently using Corel X4 with rstones.

When I attempt to resize a design that I have stoned, I grap a corner and pull or push to resize my drawing. The problem is that it resizes the stones as well.

Can any rhinstone software resize a drawing without resizing the stones? I would love for the software to keep the same stone size but increase or decrease the quantity of the stone as needed as the design is resized.

Do I just have a very active imagination or is this actually possible?

 

[idelements]

There are none that I am aware of. WinPC will keep the stone sizes the same and increase/decrease the spacing between the stones if you resize while holding down the SHIFT key. But to add stones...seems like that would be a big feat for any software.

 

[Nick Rocco]

Chris,

Do you use WinPC? If so, which version, how do you like it?

 

[idelements]

I do use it...and have 2012. I like it much better since the upgrade...but I am a Corel Draw user and I find some of the functions in WPC to be cumbersome. I wish it had an distribute function...it will align objects but you can't distribute them. I also wish it was easier to toggle between inches/mm (like Oobling and some of the others do). I find it difficult to trim objects to one another in WPC. The outline/inline function seems to be working much better since the upgrade.

I do like the way WPC handles fills...especially block lettering. I also use rStones and I don't think it does a very good job on fills on letters.

But overall, for the price of the software, I think it is a decent program. I have resigned myself to the fact that there isn't a program out there that will do it all.

 

[SandyMcC]

Artistic Crystals will add or subtract stones as you resize the pattern. It's pretty cool!

 

[BlingItOn]

Is there a trial version of the software available.

 

[SandyMcC]

Not that I'm aware of. They really should provide one so that customers can try it out.

 

[SierraSupport]

I am currently using Corel X4 with rstones.

When I attempt to resize a design that I have stoned, I grap a corner and pull or push to resize my drawing. The problem is that it resizes the stones as well.

Can any rhinstone software resize a drawing without resizing the stones? I would love for the software to keep the same stone size but increase or decrease the quantity of the stone as needed as the design is resized.

Do I just have a very active imagination or is this actually possible?

Just to make sure I understand... I create an area with SS6 stones at whatever spacing I selected, say 1 mm apart between them. It comes out to, say 250 stones.

Then I just resize that area and make it larger, either by hand or by typing a specific new size or whatever. My new area still has SS6 stones, still spaced at the same 1 mm as before, but because the area itself is larger, it now comes out to 325 stones or whatever the new count may be.

if this is what you're looking for, our Hot Fix Era does it and I'd imagine most programs would?

 

[katruax]

I'd imagine most programs would?

Actually not many programs do at least not in any meaningful way in my opinion.

In a perfect world it would be great if a program could do what you ask but really you have to remember what rhinestone programs really are... They are just calculators... You have a 6" line with 3.3mm stones and it will automatically calculate the number of stones to fit on that line given the amount of spacing specified between stones.

You take a 3" circle with 3.2mm stones and .5mm spacing and the program calculates how many stones will fit inside your 3" circle...

Now lets say in that 3" circle we have 150 stones... We export as EPS... We then import those 150 stones into our rhinestone software of choice... If we were to resize those 150 objects to twice their size it would be great if the stones would stay the same size and maintain the same spacing but to do that we need more stones.

For example in WinPC Sign 2012 with the circle to stone conversion tool we can import an EPS file, convert the circles to stones and then scale all we like and the stones will maintain their size.

There is a but though... When I resize the design the stones stay the same size but the spacing between stones grows. Ideally we would want the spacing to stay the same just fill in with more stones...

Say I take a 2" rhinestone font... I scale the font to 4"... I need a lot more stones for the extra height and maintain the original spacing... It's that kind of scaling that would be cool... AMAZING! But with the calculations that are required it's really almost impossible to have that kind of capability.

Here's a little video that I think does a better job explaining what I think Nick was asking about...

http://youtu.be/yS81O3CJWQw?hd=1


Kevin

 

[SierraSupport]

Thanks for the video Kevin, that helps understand better the limitation Nick is running into. And I'll retract my statement about "most programs" then.

 

[Nick Rocco]

Thanks for all of the great information!
Please keep it coming.

Kevin,
Can Artistic Crystals produce a random scatter patter around an object?

Also, can it stone a picture?

Kevin, one last question. Is their a difference between Janome Artistic Crystals and just plain Artistic Crystals? The Janome version is less than half the pice.

 

[katruax]

Can Artistic Crystals produce a random scatter pattern around an object?

Hello Nick,

By no means am I an expert on Artistic Crystals... I've only had the software for a little over a month and honestly only in the last week have I had a chance to look at it...

Its like a lot of rhinestone software.... It does some things well... some things not so well...

On the scatter cross... Can you create such a look.. Yes... But there is no magical button to "auto magically" do it for you... Not that I'm aware of... Let's just say it would be a fair bit of work in Artistic Crystals.

Now you can actually create this look fairly easily just using CorelDRAW and it's Artistic Media Brush if you have CorelDRAW? If you don't have CorelDRAW older versions can be purchased on the cheap on eBay and the like.

Here's a video I did awhile back on creating a scatter effect in CorelDRAW with the Artistic Media Brush. It's a fun little project... You can also download a free 30 demo of CorelDRAW at Graphic design software, photo editing software, video editing software and try it out.

CorelDRAW with rStones - Rhinestone Scatter Effect - YouTube

As for stoning a picture... I get this question a lot!

Don't quote me on this but I don't know that it has that function?... I know many programs do have such a function... I just don't know what real use they are?... The results you get are generally not pleasant.

As I understand it Janome USA is the main US distributor for Artistic Crystals. There's actually a few versions...

I have DRAWings Pro v6.0 and it's rhinestone features are the same as those in Artistic Crystals... DRAWings Pro though is a full fledged embroidery software too...

Then you have Creative DRAWings... Same thing... Full fledged embroidery software with rhinestone functions of Artistic Crystals...

Then you have the Artistic Suite... Janome's version of DRAWings Pro/Creative Drawings... Full fledged embroidery software and Artistic Crystals...

and then finally Artistic Crystals whew! CONFUSING!

All by the same developer in Greece.

The reason I point all this out is I was going to buy Artistic Crystals until I saw the software and said hey I have that! See I've been using DRAWings since it first became available so then I just needed to upgrade and got Artistic Crystals and my embroidery software upgraded as well.

So if you have the old DRAWings or Creative Drawings... You can upgrade and get the rhinestone functions.

That said if you just want rhinestone functions then the less expensive $299 Artistic Crystals is all you need.

Kevin

 

[allhamps]

Artistic Crystals will add or subtract stones as you resize the pattern. It's pretty cool!

Sandy, that sounds pretty time saving. Not much info on the software, though. It says you can export for heat press, but does not indicate what types of files can be exported and or imported. Do you have any info on the export/import file types?

Thanks

 

[katruax]

Do you have any info on the export/import file types?

Thanks

I know, I know can I answer?...

On the export... You can cut directly form the software which is nice... I've never done it though I have to admit...

It will export to a cutter in the following formats...

HPGL, SVG, DXF, KNK Zing ( Love my little Zing!), Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette SD, eCraft, Foison, RedSail ( I miss my cheapo REDSail cutter, she was good to me all those years), GCC

Its cut options are so simple and actually are very sweet the way they work... Now that said I have to see how it cuts once... If it will cut the nearest circle when it cuts the template I may just start using this as my cut software for cutting templates... I have to do a little more research on that...

Now importing... That's what drives me bananas! As for file types it will import everything we need... EPS, AI, CMX (Sorry no CDR) JPG, PNG blah blah blah...

But we can only "import" when we first start a design?... HUH?... GOOFY!

So say I'm working on a design and I want to add a vector clipart to it... I have to start a new design point to my EPS or whatever.... Then I have to copy and paste into the design I was already working on... DUMB yes... But it works so it's not a real deal breaker... It's just kind of backwards...

As far as exporting the file... You can export to PNG, JPG, BMP, TIFF... Vector output is limited to SVG...

That's what I know about it... Now I have to try and cut something to see if it's cut functions are a go no go for me...

Kevin

 

[allhamps]

Thanks Kevin. I won't be exporting to a cutter, so I should have been specific and asked if I can EXPORT as a .plt, cmx or eps?

It looks good from the import side. I'd really like to see/test out the fill capabilities.

 

[katruax]

Thanks Kevin. I won't be exporting to a cutter, so I should have been specific and asked if I can EXPORT as a .plt, cmx or eps?

It looks good from the import side. I'd really like to see/test out the fill capabilities.

On the vector side it can only export to SVG... It will export to a PLT file though as well... Which I guess technically is a vector file as well...

It doesn't export native EPS or CMX

If you have a few EPS shapes you think would make for a good demo on it's fill capabilities I would be happy to run them thru...

Kevin

 

[allhamps]

Thanks Kevin I'll send a few. It would be a greater help if you had a small file/design you could export as a .plt and send to me. That way I could make side I could open them in my machine software. For some reason that Ioline hasn't quite figured out, certain plt files exported from other software will not open in the software for the Crystal Press

Thanks again

 

[katruax]

No problem Slick try this one out...

http://www.EasyStoneTemplates.com/downloads/TFACCheer.zip

I will be interested to hear if the Ioline software can open the PLT file...

 

[SierraSupport]

... produce a random scatter patter around an object?...

While it's true that Corel can do just about anything, it's also true that you'll have to import that into your rhinestone software, so you're still tied up to the same limitations as far as not scaling the way you'd expect it to - that is, increase or decrease the number of stones with your scaling, *not* the stone size or the spacing.

So, I think it would be even better if you can create the scattered pattern in the software itself, so when you do have to scale, change shapes, whatever edit it is, then the number of stones will change accordingly.

For the record, Hot Fix Era does have the scattered fills with controls like the ones on this pic, so it's not magic but it's pretty darn close. Again, it's all done in one application, so you don't have the limitations of scaling because of data from two different programs.

The scattering around an object is just a matter of digitizing the outside with the "empty" object being the hole. Which also answers the second question - yes, it'll stone a picture, as long as the artwork is traceable. It does export PLT as well.

 

[Heatpressinc]

We use WinPC sign 2010 and 2012 it's great for cutting and rhinestone designs. Really user friendly