InkSim can visualise the same embroidery design in several different ways. The goal is the same in every mode: show the stitch sequence, thread colours, and jumps clearly. Some modes are fast, others are more realistic, and a few are specialised overlays for checking the design before production.
Switch renderers with the R key, or pick one from the File → Renderer menu. Toggle overlays with the single-letter shortcuts shown below.
The fastest renderer. Each stitch is drawn as a thin line. Use it for very large designs or slow machines.
A CPU raster renderer that draws stitches with simple directional shading. Faster than the volume renderers but still gives a sense of thread direction.
The default CPU renderer. Stitches are drawn as small shaded volumes, so the design looks like a stack of stitches rather than flat lines.
A variant of Shaded Volume with more natural-looking lighting. Good for screenshots and previews that should look close to real thread.
Adds a twist-like texture to each stitch. Useful when you want to see how the thread might look under side lighting.
The most realistic renderer. Draws each stitch as a normal-mapped ribbon quad with Blinn-Phong lighting. Requires OpenGL 3.3; InkSim falls back to a CPU renderer automatically if the GPU renderer is not available.
Overlays do not change the stitch renderer; they add extra information on top of it.
| Key | Overlay | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| X | Density map | Highlights areas with too many stitches per square mm |
| J | Jumps | Shows jump stitches and trims |
| N | Needle crosshair | Shows the current needle position and direction |
| G | Measurement grid | Adds a millimetre / centimetre grid behind the design |
| E | Bottom view | Draws later stitches under earlier ones, as seen from the back |
The density map highlights places where stitches are packed too tightly. Dark red areas should be reviewed before production.
Jump stitches are shown as thin connecting lines. Press J repeatedly to cycle through off, all jumps, and risky jumps only.
The needle overlay marks the current stitch position with a crosshair and an outlined circle. It is especially helpful during playback.
The grid shows millimetre, centimetre, and major 5 cm lines, plus the X and Y axes. It is drawn behind the stitches and is useful for checking real-world sizes.
Bottom view reverses the draw order so later stitches appear under earlier ones. It simulates looking at the embroidery from the back side of the fabric.
- Press Z to toggle the GPU textured renderer quickly.
- Press 1 to see the design at its physical size for the current display.
- Use + / − to zoom in and out.
- Combine renderers and overlays freely: for example, use Shaded Volume with the density overlay to review both appearance and stitch density at once.