Brunold Software

dbweave · DB-WEAVE Manual · Tutorials

Tutorials

The following tutorials walk you step by step through small example designs. Together they cover the most important everyday features of DB-WEAVE. Working through them is by far the fastest way to become productive — and small enough that you can do all of them in an afternoon. The Menu reference covers every individual command in detail.

Basics — first steps

This chapter assumes you work with the mouse, but every command described can also be triggered from the keyboard.

After starting DB-WEAVE you see the program window divided into four large areas: the pattern, the threading, the tie-up and the treadling, plus the warp and weft colour bars.

Enter a small pattern in the bottom right of the pattern area. As soon as you set even one binding point, DB-WEAVE generates a matching threading, treadling and tie-up automatically. This is fundamental: pattern on one side and threading / treadling / tie-up on the other are always in sync. You never have to "update" the threading.

The status bar at the bottom right shows the current pattern size and the size of the repeat; just to its left, the current cursor position.

Open Repeat → Repeat and enlarge the pattern to 2×2 repeats. Click OK to apply.

Now switch view modes:

Recap. Enter the pattern with the mouse. Threading, treadling and tie-up follow automatically. Switch between the three views with View → View. Enlarge with Repeat.

Basics — selecting and editing

This tutorial introduces selections, the cursor, and the most useful editing commands.

Open Extras → Options → For this pattern, switch to the Grid tab and set the horizontal and vertical grid emphasis to 5 (so a 5-binding satin will line up with the grid).

The blinking white square in the pattern is the cursor. Move it with the cursor keys, or click anywhere while holding Ctrl to jump there. Place it in the bottom-right corner of the pattern.

Insert a 5-binding satin via Insert → Satin → Satin 5. The newly inserted satin is automatically selected — surrounded by a thin white outline. While selected, you can transform it with the edit menu:

To create a selection by hand: click one corner of the area, hold the left mouse button and drag to the opposite corner. To remove the selection, click anywhere inside the pattern.

Select the whole pattern, Edit → Copy, move the cursor to the first pick at the right edge, Edit → Paste, then Edit → Invert and Edit → Mirror vertical to mirror the second half.

Recap. Adjust the grid to your binding. Insert standard patterns via Insert → Satin and Insert → Twill. Make a selection (mouse drag, or Shift + cursor keys) and edit it with the Edit menu.

Ranges

DB-WEAVE provides nine independent ranges that you can use to colour-code different parts of a pattern. Each range has its own colour in the pattern and the tie-up. Switch the active range with Range → Current range → Range 1…9 (Shift+1…Shift+9); use 0 to clear a binding point. The currently active range is shown in the status bar.

Two extras: the lift-out range (Shift+0) and the binding range (Ctrl+0) — both used for double and multiple weaves (see below).

Block substitution

A block substitution replaces every set point of the tie-up with one pattern and every unset point with another.

Enter a small structural pattern. Open Range → Substitution → Block substitution. In the substitution window:

  1. Choose a base pattern — for example Edit → Predefined patterns → Satin 5.
  2. Apply Edit → Make central symmetric (Z) to the base.

  1. Switch to Pattern 1 (Shift+1), copy in the base via Edit → Copy from → Base pattern (Shift+Ctrl+0), then Edit → Invert (I) and Edit → Mirror horizontal (H).
  2. Apply with Pattern → Apply (Ctrl+Enter).

The result is a single design built from two related sub-patterns. You can use up to nine ranges this way.

Range substitution

Range substitution lets you assign each used range its own pattern.

Activate the tool palette with View → Tool palette (F10), pick the ellipse tool, switch to filled mode and draw a filled circle. Switch to range 2 (Shift+2) and draw a second circle.

Switch back to the pointer, select the two circles plus a small border, and open Range → Substitution → Range substitution. Enter a tabby as the base pattern, a twill as Pattern 1 (Shift+1) and a different twill as Pattern 2 (Shift+2). Apply with Ctrl+Enter.

Recap. Draw the ranges with the tool palette or point by point. Each used range gets its own pattern in the substitution. If you want to substitute only part of the design, select that part first.

Double and multiple weaves

A simple double weave

The threading of a double weave is normally arranged in two choirs to keep the tie-up simple. Enter the threading in two choirs, and arrange the treadling the same way.

Now enter the patterns into the tie-up:

  1. Make sure range 1 is active (Range → Current range → Range 1, Shift+1) and enter the first pattern (e.g. a warp-faced twill) into the tie-up.
  2. Switch to range 2 (Shift+2) and enter the second pattern (e.g. a weft-faced twill).
  3. Switch to the lift-out range with Range → Current range → Lift out (Shift+0) and add the lift-out points that separate the layers.

That completes the double weave. Switch to fabric view (Ctrl+3), enlarge with Repeat → Repeat, and colour the warp and weft alternately so the two layers become clearly visible.

Building from the pattern down

Sometimes it is easier to build the design directly in the pattern field, without entering threading and treadling first.

Switch to range 1 and enter the expanded base satin; switch to range 2 and overlay the twill; switch to the lift-out range (Shift+0) and enter the lift-out points pick by pick — for this it helps to set the cursor movement to left with Extras → Cursor → Movement (Ctrl+Alt + cursor keys).

The threading and treadling that DB-WEAVE generates may not be the prettiest, but they are perfectly weavable. If you need a specific threading, build the design starting from threading/treadling/tie-up instead.

Switching layers

Double weaves can swap their top and bottom layers. After entering a basic double-weave tie-up, repeat horizontally and vertically with Repeat → Repeat (F8), then copy and paste the tie-up to expand it. Reset the lift-out points appropriately.

To swap the layers in the warp: select a section of threading and Edit → Cut (Ctrl+X), then Edit → Paste (Ctrl+V) at the desired offset. To do the same in the weft: Treadling → Treadling as threading mirrors the change. The result is something like a hollow pillow — you can visualise the structure by colour-coding warp and weft and switching to fabric view.

Binding and unbinding points

The binding range (Range → Current range → Binding, Ctrl+0) sets explicit binding points; the unbinding range (Range → Current range → Unbinding, Shift+Ctrl+0) removes them. Both are used to fine-tune how layers attach to each other in a double or multiple weave.

Lancée weaves

Warp lancée

Enter one repeat of tabby and repeat it 4×4 with Repeat → Repeat (F8). Insert empty lancée warp ends via Edit → Lancée → Warp lancée. Switch to range 2 (Shift+2) and fill in the lancée threads. Switch the threading to two choirs with Threading → 2 choir. Done.

Weft lancée (not 1:1)

Enter a tabby and repeat it 4×4. Insert empty weft lancée picks via Edit → Lancée → Weft lancée; in the dialog enter the desired ratio (e.g. 2:1, so two ground picks for each lancée pick). Switch to range 2 and fill in the lancée picks pick by pick — set the cursor movement to left (Ctrl+Alt+Cursor keys). Repeat as needed.

Colours

DB-WEAVE has up to 236 simultaneous colours per pattern, picked from a palette of 16 million. The palette window opens with Color → Palette (Ctrl+F); the active colour is shown in the status bar.

A simple colour effect:

  1. Enter a small structural pattern and switch to colour view (Ctrl+2).
  2. Repeat 2×2 with F8.
  3. Set the warp colour with Color → Set warp colour — for example a deep crimson.
  4. Set the weft colour with Color → Set weft colour — for example a soft cream.
  5. Click in the warp colour bar and paint individual ends in alternating colours; do the same in the weft bar.

The result is a stripe-on-stripe colour-and-weave effect. Color → Color blending creates smooth gradients between two palette entries.

Weaving

If you have a computer-controlled loom (ARM Patronic, ARM Designer electronic, or generic LIPS / SLIPS — experimental) DB-WEAVE can drive it directly.

Setting up the loom interface

Connect the loom to the computer following the instructions from the loom manufacturer. Start DB-WEAVE, enter or open a small test pattern and switch to weave mode with Extras → Weave (Ctrl+W).

The weave-mode screen shows three areas: the pattern on the left, the pegplan in the middle (with the current pick marked in blue and a triangle marking the last actually-woven pick), and the braces on the right.

Open Options → Loom and pick your loom type from the list — click Info for help on a specific model. For port-based looms, set the correct port. Save with OK.

Test the connection: switch the loom on, start weaving with Weave → Start weaving (F5) and open the shed. The shafts named by the first pick should lift. Open and close the shed to "weave" through the pattern; the current-pick indicator advances on screen as you go.

If the loom does not respond, check that it is switched on, correctly connected, and configured under Options → Loom.

Weaving with braces

Braces decide what is woven, when, and how many times. With one brace covering the whole repeat and a repetition of 1, the repeat is woven endlessly — and that is the default DB-WEAVE sets up for you, so you can start weaving immediately.

For more elaborate sequences you have nine braces. Set or move a brace by dragging it with the mouse, or select it (click) and press 0…9 to set its repetition. The selected brace's data appears in the status bar.

Example: brace 1 = first 4 picks (×1), brace 2 = next 8 picks (×2), brace 3 = next 8 picks (×2), brace 4 = last 4 picks (×1). Active braces are woven left-to-right.

Before starting the actual weaving, jump the position to brace 1 with Position → Goto → Brace 1 (Shift+1), then Weave → Start weaving (F5). While weaving, the cursor keys move the current pick — the next woven pick will be there. To weave backwards, switch with Weave → Weave backwards (F4), or — for looms that have one — the direction switch on the loom controller.

Recap. Use braces to define what is woven and how often. Jump to a brace with Position → Goto → Brace … or Shift+1…9. Move the current pick with the cursor keys. Switch direction with Weave → Weave backwards (F4).