What you need
A current desktop browser. Chrome or Edge give the best experience: they can save straight back to your project file. Firefox and Safari work too; there, saving downloads a copy of the file instead (see Files and saving).
Nothing is installed and nothing is uploaded: your drawings, irons, threads, leathers and templates are kept in your browser on your computer.
The welcome screen
When PatinaCAD starts, the welcome screen offers:
| Choice | What it does |
|---|---|
| Carry on where you left off | Shown when your last drawing was reopened. Closes the welcome screen. |
| Open the demo card holder | A stitched card holder to explore (try F6 to see the stitches as thread). |
| Start a new pattern | An empty drawing. |
| Open a project… | Opens a .pcad file from your computer. |
| Watch tutorials | Coming soon. |
At the bottom:
- Show at startup: untick it to skip the welcome screen. It still appears once when new tutorials are published.
- Open the demo card holder at startup: opens the demo every time you start, unless your last work was reopened (it never replaces your work).
You can bring the welcome screen back with Help ▸ Welcome screen.
A first project in ten steps
- Start a new pattern.
- Press R (Rectangle), click one corner and then the opposite corner. For an exact size, tick Width and Height in the tool options first.
- Press X (Beveling), set Bevel radius to 5 and drag a box around the whole rectangle: all four corners are rounded.
- Press A, drag a box round the whole piece and press Ctrl+G to group it. Then press O (Offset), set Offset width to 3.5, and click just inside the outline: a stitch line appears 3.5 mm inside, all the way round.
- Choose an iron in the side panel's Pricking irons list, for example Diamond 3.85mm.
- Press P (Stitching) and double-click the stitch line to prick the whole loop.
- Press F6 to see the stitches as thread.
- Press F7 to see where the printed pages fall on the drawing.
- Ctrl+S to save the project to a file.
- Output ▸ Print… to print the pattern at true size, or Output ▸ Export SVG… for a laser cutter.