File formats
Native project: .vemb
Boldbobbin saves projects as .vemb files. A .vemb is a ZIP archive
containing the design document and any reference images. It preserves everything:
your vectors, stitches, palette, and reference pictures.
- Open: File → Open (.vemb)… (Ctrl/Cmd+O), or drag a
.vembonto the canvas. On desktop, double-clicking a.vembopens it in Boldbobbin. - Save: Save (Ctrl/Cmd+S) or Save to this computer (.vemb)… / Download (.vemb) (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+S).
Only files with a .vemb extension open as projects: "Boldbobbin projects must
have a .vemb extension."
Boldbobbin 1.2 writes a newer .vemb format (2.2.0), and every design it
saves uses it, whether or not the design contains digitized text. Boldbobbin
1.1.x and earlier will refuse to open those files, and because those versions
predate the check, the message they show looks like a corrupt-file error rather
than a version mismatch.
This is deliberate: an older build would otherwise open a design with digitized text, silently discard the stitching it didn't understand, and show you mangled lettering with no warning. Refusing the file is the safer failure.
Going the other way is fine: 1.2 opens older .vemb files normally, and tells
you plainly if it ever meets a newer one ("This design was saved by a newer
version of Boldbobbin. Update Boldbobbin to open it."). If you share designs
with someone on an older version, keep them on a matching version.
Older .vemb files
A .vemb from an older version of Boldbobbin prompts to convert: "This file was
created by an older version of Boldbobbin. It will be converted to the current
format." The conversion happens in memory: your original file isn't changed
until you save. Click Convert and open.
Opening machine files from your desktop
On desktop, Boldbobbin registers itself for twelve machine-file types (DST, PES, EXP, JEF, PEC, VP3, U01, XXX, TAP, HUS, 100 and 10o), so your operating system offers it in the "Open with" menu. Double-clicking one imports it through the same preview flow the Import menu uses. They come in as stitches rather than as projects, because a machine file has no project structure to restore.
.vemb and .bbf are registered the same way, and those do open as a project
and a font.
Importable files
| What | Extensions / types | How |
|---|---|---|
| Embroidery (stitch) files | DST, PES, EXP, JEF, PEC, VP3, U01, XXX | Import an embroidery file |
| Vector | SVG, PDF, AI (PDF-compatible) | Import an SVG |
| Reference image | PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, BMP, SVG | Import a reference image |
| Cross-stitch (from image) | PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, BMP | Import as cross-stitch |
| Photostitch (from image) | PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, BMP | Auto-digitize a photo |
| Auto-Trace (from image) | PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, BMP, SVG | Auto-Trace an image |
| Fonts to digitize | TTF, OTF, TTC (Latin only, up to 32 MB) | Import a font |
| Digitized fonts | BBF | Import a font |
.bbf is at format 2, which carries a face's own connection routing (where
the thread sews and where it cuts) and treats its size ranges as claims rather
than a partition.
For what Boldbobbin can export, see Export formats.
Some embroidery extensions (JEF, EXP, XXX, U01, VP3, PEC) can't be verified by file content, so a dropped file with one of those extensions is accepted on the extension alone: any error appears after it's processed. Dropping an SVG asks whether to convert it to embroidery or use it as a reference. Holding Shift while dropping an image imports it as cross-stitch.