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Import an SVG, PDF, or Illustrator file

Boldbobbin can trace vector artwork into editable vector objects, which then generate stitches. It reads SVG, PDF, and Adobe Illustrator (.ai) files that were saved with PDF compatibility (the default when saving from Illustrator).

  1. File → Import → Import SVG / PDF…, or click Import in the tool rail's Automation section and pick Vector graphics from the chooser. (You can also drag a file onto the canvas: see drag-and-drop below.)
  2. The Import SVG / PDF dialog opens with two columns: drop or pick your file on the left (or Replace… to swap a loaded one), and a live preview of the imported objects on the hoop on the right, with a summary like "12 paths → 14 objects · 80 × 60 mm source" and any parser warnings.
  3. Set the options and click Import N objects.

Multi-page files​

If a PDF or .ai file has more than one page (artboard), an Artboard picker appears: choose which page to import as "Artboard N of Total." Only one artboard imports at a time.

Illustrator files that won't open​

  • Older Illustrator files (EPS-based, Illustrator ≤ 8) can't be read at all: re-save from Illustrator as SVG, or with "Create PDF Compatible File" enabled.
  • A modern .ai saved without PDF compatibility holds only Adobe's private format, which Boldbobbin can't parse either: re-save with that same option enabled, or export as SVG.

Boldbobbin tells you which of these happened rather than showing a generic parse error.

Options​

  • Size: set Width (mm) and Height (mm), or click Fit to hoop to scale the design to the largest size that fits your current hoop. The aspect ratio is locked by default; unlock it to stretch axes independently.
  • Center on hoop: place the import centered in the hoop (on by default).
  • Optimize entry & exit points: after importing, place where the thread enters and leaves each shape so neighboring same-color shapes connect with the shortest travel, causing fewer jumps and trims (on by default). Only the connection points move; the fill itself is unchanged. You can re-run this any time from the selection toolbar or the Layers panel. See Entry and exit.
  • Resolve overlaps: where filled shapes stack (common in layered art like flowers), stitch each area only once instead of twice (on by default). Turn it off to keep every shape's full fill, which may increase stitch time and thread build-up but keeps each shape independent.
  • Replace palette with SVG colors: discard existing palette entries the SVG doesn't use (off by default).
  • Merge adjacent regions: union same-color tatami fills that touch or overlap into one region, so a shape split across several paths (or cut apart by Resolve overlaps) stitches as one fabric area instead of leaving a seam. A real gap keeps shapes separate; tiny leftover slivers from a mismatched curved seam are dropped automatically.
  • Match close colors: fold perceptually near-identical fill colors into one shared thread (measured in OKLab; Distance (ΔE), default 0.08), so layered art with many subtle shades of a hue doesn't become a dozen barely-different threads. Each merged group becomes its area-weighted color blend, so the biggest fill barely moves and small patches snap to it. A larger distance merges more aggressively. Strokes are left untouched.
  • Advanced → Stitch settings → Pull compensation (mm): expands filled shapes and satin rails outward to counteract the fabric pulling stitches inward. It starts from your active fabric preset; change it to override that for this import (both tatami and satin). Use fabric default appears once you've overridden it, to put it back. You can still fine-tune each shape afterwards.
  • Advanced → Stroke-width classification: sets how stroke thickness maps to stitch type: strokes up to Running ≤ become running stitch, up to Bean ≤ become bean, up to Satin ≤ become satin; anything wider becomes a tatami-filled outline. (Defaults: running ≤ 1.5 mm, bean ≤ 2.5 mm, satin ≤ 8 mm.)
  • Advanced → Filter: a Remove tiny & invisible paths switch turns the whole filter on or off. When on, it drops near-invisible or near-zero-area paths so source noise doesn't add stray stitches (Min opacity, default 5%; Min area (mm²), default 1 mm², measured at your target size).

If your design is bigger than the current hoop, the dialog warns you but still lets you import.

If you have a lot of thread colors after importing (not just from this dialog), see Color reduction to merge close colors across the whole design later.

How paths convert​

  • A filled path becomes a tatami fill; an open path becomes running.
  • A path that has both a fill and a stroke becomes two objects (the fill, then the stroke), matching SVG paint order.
  • Stroke thickness picks the stitch type using the thresholds above.

Known limits​

  • Bounding boxes use path anchors only (bezier handle overshoot isn't counted), so sizing/centering can be slightly off for very curvy art.
  • The dialog may show warnings from the SVG parser; expand them to read what was skipped.

Drag-and-drop​

When you drop an .svg file on the canvas, Boldbobbin asks how to bring it in:

  • Convert to embroidery: trace it into fill, satin, and running stitches (same as this dialog).
  • Use as reference image: place it to trace over by hand; no stitches are generated. See Import a reference image.

Dropping a .pdf or .ai file skips that choice and opens the vector importer directly: there's no way to use a PDF page as a raster reference image, so tracing it to embroidery is the only option.