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PatinaCAD user guide
How every tool in PatinaCAD works, and how to draw, stitch, check and print a leather pattern, one chapter at a time.
Start here
Getting started: your first leather patternWhat you need, the welcome screen, and a first pattern in ten steps.PatinaCAD is a pattern-design program for leathercraft that runs in your web browser. You draw the pieces of a project, prick stitching holes along them with virtual pricking irons, check the result, and send it to a printer, a laser or cutting machine, or a 3D printer.
This guide describes every feature (open it from the app with Help ▸ User guide): what it does, how to use it, and its options.
Every tool and its shortcut
Each one links straight to how it works. In PatinaCAD, press a tool's key to pick it up and Esc to go back to Select. On a Mac, Ctrl is ⌘ Cmd unless its section says Control.
Construction
Selecting and editing
- SelectA, Ctrl+B
- Transform handlesView menu
- Group and ungroupCtrl+G, Ctrl+U
- SymmetryCtrl+L
- Move or copy by distanceCtrl+Shift+C
- Extend or trim two lines to meetZ
Stitching
- Pricking irons dialogCtrl+H
- StitchingP
- Stitch previewF6
- Thread catalogueStitch menu
Measuring and checking
- Measuring rulerhold S
- Dimension#
- Pattern checkRuns by itself
Templates and tracing
- Template libraryTop bar
- TracingW
Printing and output
- PrintCtrl+P
- Export PDFOutput menu
- Print calibrationOutput menu
- Print areasF7
- Export SVG and DXFOutput menu
- Export STLOutput menu
Every other shortcut, from files to layers, is in the keyboard shortcuts chapter.
Chapters
Start here
Your first pattern, the window, finding your way round, and saving your work.
- Getting started: your first leather patternWhat you need, the welcome screen, and a first pattern in ten steps.
- The workspace: canvas, tools and side panelThe menu bar, tool rail, canvas, side panel, memo and status bar.
- Moving around the drawing: pan and zoomPan, zoom, the grid and rulers, and what the View menu shows.
- Numbers and units: millimetres or inchesMillimetres or inches, and sums typed into any number box.
- Saving and opening your pattern filesPattern files, how saving works in each browser, and importing SVG.
Drawing
Draw the pieces, edit them to size, and keep a pattern organised.
- Shapes and line typesLines, curves, arcs and holes, and the 40 line types that style them.
- Selecting shapesClick, add, box-select and pick up whole chains of lines.
- Editing shapes: move, scale and rotateDrag, nudge, type exact sizes, align, group, lock and hide from print.
- Snapping to ends, crossings and the gridWhere points snap, in order, and how grid snapping works.
- Drawing tools: lines, curves, circles and textDot, line, curve, circle, oval, rectangle, arc, text and dimension.
- Construction tools: round corners and offset stitch linesRounded corners, offset stitch lines, centre marks, tangents, trims and notches.
- The Shape menu: flip, mirror, scale and alignFlip, mirror, rotate, scale, align, split, smooth and proportion guides.
- Layers for pattern pieces, lining and notesAdd, hide, lock, merge and reorder layers, and move shapes.
Stitching
Stitching holes from your pricking irons, and the stitches as thread.
- Stitching holes and pricking ironsPricking irons, auto and manual pricking, stitching order and gussets.
- Thread colours and stitch previewThe stitches drawn as thread, and the catalogue of colours and gauges.
Sizing and tracing
Size pockets against real cards and banknotes, or start from an old pattern.
- Template library: cards, banknotes and coinsCards, banknotes, coins and studs to size against, and your own shapes.
- Tracing images: photos, scans and PDF pagesPhotos, scans and PDF pages under the drawing, at real size.
Printing and cutting
Check the pattern, then print it at actual size or export it for a machine.
- Check a pattern for gaps before you cutTiny gaps, overlaps and crooked lines, found and fixed.
- Printing and PDF exportPrint and PDF options, printer calibration, and placing pages yourself.
- Exporting SVG, DXF and STL filesFiles for laser and cutting machines, and 3D-printed templates and jigs.
Reference
Settings, keyboard shortcuts and the words this guide uses.
- Options and default settingsEvery setting in File ▸ Options, with its default.
- Keyboard shortcutsEvery shortcut, by tools, file, edit, transform, view and layers.
- Glossary of pattern and stitching termsPitch, pricking iron, stitch line, gusset and the app's own terms.
Further reading
Articles on the leatherworking behind the tools, useful whatever software you use.
- How to space stitching holes evenly, even at cornersEven at corners, and on curves.
- How to print a leather pattern at actual sizeWhy it prints wrong, and how to fix it.
- How to make gusset stitch holes line upMatching hole counts on panels and gussets.
- Leather wallet dimensions for cards and cashSizes for card slots and cash pockets.
Free to use
Try it as you read.
Open PatinaCAD in another tab and follow along with the demo card holder, or start a pattern of your own.