FAQs

This page covers quick answers to the questions that come up most — formats, USB transfer, browsers, fonts, satin, sizing, sharing, and billing.

Which format should I export for my machine?

Brother and Babylock machines → PES. Anything else (Tajima and most commercial machines, plus many others as a fallback) → DST. Those are the two formats bisect exports today; see Exporting for the full rundown.

Why does my PES file show as 0 KB on my machine?

The USB stick is almost certainly exFAT. Reformat to FAT32 and re-copy. If the machine still rejects it, check the file is at the root of the stick, not inside a folder, and the name is 8 ASCII characters or fewer.

Which browsers does bisect support?

Anything Chromium-based (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera) on desktop. Firefox works for editing but the 3D preview pop-out is degraded. Safari is mostly OK but has been known to drop large pastes — refresh the editor and retry if a paste vanishes.

Can I use my own fonts?

Yes — two ways:

• System fonts (whatever is installed on your computer) work via the Text tool with the Aa chip set to Native.
• Custom embroidery fonts — upload your own .ttf or .otf file. With the Text tool active, open the Native Text panel and use Upload Font (or just drag a .ttf/.otf onto the drop zone). bisect injects it as a live @font-face so the canvas renders in your typeface, and the outlines are converted to stitches at export.

What's the difference between Native fonts and Design fonts?

• Native fonts are system, web, or uploaded fonts. bisect converts the outlines to fills at export time, the same way it would for any SVG path. They look like the font on screen but sew like a fill — fine for large lettering, fragile under ~10 mm.
• Design fonts are purpose-built embroidery fonts shipped with bisect. Each glyph is already a hand-tuned satin column (or a mix of column + fill). They sew cleanly down to roughly 5 mm and the Stitchability inspector will warn you when you're below the safe range.

How do I rotate a satin column?

The direction of stitches in a satin column is set by the two paths that define it — stitches always run perpendicular to the column's centre line. To change direction, redraw the column with the S tool, or Edit Points on the existing path and drag the nodes.

Why did my overlapping satin disappear?

By default each element's Overlap mode is Auto (remove hidden) — where two shapes overlap, the stitches hidden underneath are trimmed away so you don't double up thread. If you wanted the columns to overlap (common where two satin arms meet at a sharp vertex), select the element and, in the Properties → Advanced section, set Overlap to None (keep overlaps). bisect already does this automatically for its own satin and design-font exports.

Why did my SVG outline become a thin running stitch?

On import, every stroke becomes a running outline (the default). For a heavier outline, select the shape and change the outline type to Satin (border) or Triple in the Properties panel.

How big can a design be?

The hoop you've picked is the practical cap — if the design pokes outside it, bisect warns you before export and tells you which sides overflow and by how much. (Pick No hoop to turn that check off.) If a design comes out unexpectedly heavy, the usual causes are density set too high, tatami fills with zero offset, or duplicate objects stacked on top of each other — check the Outliner for two of the same name.

Does bisect run offline?

No. bisect is a web app. The editor itself loads once and works locally, but exports run on our server (stitch generation is heavy and we want to keep the in-browser app light).

Can I share a project with someone else?

Not yet — there's no project-file share or export. Your projects are saved to your account automatically (watch the Saving… / Saved indicator in the top bar) and you re-open them any time from your dashboard. If you need to hand a design to someone, export the PES or DST stitch file and send that, though they won't be able to re-edit it as a project.

What do the view modes (Design / Wireframe / Sew Preview / Realistic) show?

The pill at the top-right of the canvas switches what's drawn:

• Design (1) — clean shapes only, no stitches. What you drew.
• Wireframe (W) — outlines only, no fill (satins draw as rails and rungs). The structure view; it also lets you click through overlapping shapes.
• Sew Preview (2) — the exact Python stitch plan: fills, outlines, underlay, routing, jumps, trims, sequence numbers, and stitch points. This is the stitch truth — what the machine will actually do, and what gets exported.
• Realistic (4) — a photo-real thread preview rendered on the canvas (shaded like real, sheen-y thread). Appearance only, not the exported stitches. Ships on by default; if it's missing, it's been disabled for your build.

Can I see a realistic preview?

Yes, two ways. The Realistic view mode (4) shades your design like real thread right on the canvas — fastest for a quick gut-check. For a full 3D render, click 3D Render in the top bar; it opens a separate window with a photo-real thread simulation, recompiling the latest stitches each time so the render always matches the canvas.

My fill looks patchy in Sew Preview — what gives?

Most likely the density value is too low (fabric showing through) or the spacing is too wide. Most fills sit at 3–5 on the density scale. Lower the density number (lower = denser) in the Fill panel, then re-check in Sew Preview.

How do I preview the stitch order?

Use the stitch simulator — the scrubber along the bottom of the canvas, shown whenever stitches are visible. By default it shows the finished design; hit ⏮ to jump to the start (nothing shown), then ▶ to play the sew from beginning to end, or drag the slider (0 = beginning → max = finished) to scrub to any point. The counter reads current / total, the speed pulldown sets 1× / 5× / 20×, and All snaps back to the whole design. To see sew-order numbers and travel links on the canvas instead, press Q or use Sew-order numbers on canvas in the Order panel.

What does the Check panel block me on?

Before export the app runs a preflight, and error-level issues block the export — when you hit Export with one standing, a Before you export dialog lists exactly what to fix and won't let you continue until it's cleared. The blocking errors are: a shape outside the hoop, an object with no stitches, and broken connectors (one pointing at a deleted shape, or joining two shapes that are no longer next to each other in the sew order). Everything else — very long or very tiny stitches, cross-color or exposed running connectors, draft (unpinned) connectors, low/high density, missing underlay, excessive jumps — is surfaced as a warning or info note but never blocks. You can watch the live status in the Check tab's badge (ready / blocked / checking…).

What's underlay and do I need it?

Underlay is hidden stitching laid under the visible top stitches. It stabilizes the fabric and lifts the top layer so it sits crisp instead of sinking in. For fills, leave it on — large fills without underlay pucker (the Check panel will warn you). For satin columns, the Underlay pulldown offers Center-walk (recommended) or None: center-walk runs a single line straight down the column center, sewn first and hidden under the zig-zag, which keeps the band from sinking into the fabric. Keep it on Center-walk unless you have a specific reason not to.

What does it cost?

bisect is a free beta right now — design as much as you like, with a generous monthly export allowance. Paid plans will come later; there's nothing to buy today.

I found a bug — how do I report it?

Email hello@bisect.studio with steps to reproduce. Screenshots are gold; videos are platinum.

See also

Getting started · The editor · Drawing & stitch types · Importing artwork · Exporting · Keyboard shortcuts