# View Fabric

### What It Does

View Fabric renders a realistic visualization of your woven cloth, showing how the threads interlace and what the finished fabric will look like. You can view both the front and back of the cloth, zoom in to examine thread-level detail, toggle rendering options like proportional scaling and yarn bloom, and save the image to a file.

This is one of the most important tools for evaluating a draft before you start weaving. The drawdown grid shows the structure, but View Fabric shows you the actual appearance of the cloth — with thread colors, thickness, and interlacement all rendered realistically.

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### Opening View Fabric

* **Ribbon**: View tab > View Fabric button
* **Keyboard**: V

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### The View Fabric Window

#### Toolbar (Top)

**View Toggle**

* **Front** — Shows the face of the cloth (the side that faces up on the loom)
* **Back** — Shows the reverse side

**Zoom Controls**

* **Fit** — Scales the image to fit the window
* **+** / **-** — Zoom in and out (also available with Ctrl/Cmd + mouse wheel)
* The current zoom level is displayed as a percentage

**Rulers**

* **Rulers checkbox** — Show or hide inch/centimeter rulers along the top and left edges
* **Imperial / Metric** dropdown — Switch between inches and centimeters

**Save** Saves the current view (front or back) as a PNG or JPEG image file.

#### Options Panel (Left Side)

**Proportional** When checked (default), thread widths and heights are scaled according to your EPI (ends per inch) and PPI (picks per inch) settings. This gives you a realistic sense of the fabric's proportions — a rug at 8 EPI will look very different from a fine cloth at 30 EPI.

When unchecked, all threads are rendered at the same size regardless of sett.

**Deflected Threads** When checked, threads that float over multiple threads in the opposite direction are rendered with a slight dome or swell. This simulates how real yarn deflects outward when it floats — longer floats produce more visible swelling.

**Double Weave** For drafts that use double cloth construction, this option adjusts the rendering to show the integrated double-weave structure.

**Variegated Yarns** When checked (default if your draft uses variegated yarns), threads that have variegation profiles are rendered with their color changes. When unchecked, variegated threads show as their base color only.

**Yarn Bloom** A slider (0–100) that adds a fuzzy fiber texture over the threads, simulating the hairy surface of real spun yarn. At 0 (Off), threads are rendered as smooth, solid colors. As you increase the value, individual fibers appear, giving the fabric a more textured, realistic look.

This is a subtle effect best appreciated when zoomed in. It's particularly effective for woolen yarns where fiber halo is a significant part of the fabric's character.

#### Image Area (Center)

The rendered fabric image. You can:

* **Pan** — Click and drag to move around the image
* **Zoom** — Ctrl/Cmd + mouse wheel to zoom in and out
* **Scroll** — Mouse wheel to scroll vertically

#### Status Bar (Bottom)

Shows three pieces of information:

* **Filename** — The name of your draft file
* **Dimensions** — The fabric size in inches or centimeters (based on your EPI/PPI and thread count)
* **View side** — "FRONT of Cloth" or "BACK of Cloth" (for tubular cloth: "OUTSIDE of Tube" or "INSIDE of Tube")

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### How to Use It

1. Open your draft and make sure your EPI and PPI are set correctly (these affect proportional rendering and the dimension display)
2. Go to **View tab > View Fabric** (or press **V**)
3. A progress indicator appears while the fabric is rendered
4. The front of the cloth is shown by default
5. Click **Back** to see the reverse side
6. Adjust rendering options on the left panel — each change re-renders the fabric
7. Use **Fit** to see the whole fabric, or zoom in to examine details
8. Click **Save** to export the image if needed

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### Step-by-Step Example: Evaluating a New Draft

You've just finished designing a twill pattern and want to see how it will look:

1. Press **V** to open View Fabric
2. The fabric renders showing your thread colors and interlacement
3. Check **Proportional** is on — this shows the fabric at your actual sett
4. Click **Back** to see if the reverse side is acceptable (some weavers use both sides)
5. Try turning on **Deflected Threads** to see how the floats will look in real cloth
6. Zoom in to a detailed area and try increasing **Yarn Bloom** to 40–50 for a more realistic preview
7. If everything looks good, you're ready to warp

### Step-by-Step Example: Saving a Fabric Image for a Client

A client wants to see what the finished fabric will look like before you start weaving:

1. Open View Fabric
2. Check that **Proportional** is on and your EPI/PPI are correct
3. Turn on **Yarn Bloom** at around 30–50 for a natural-looking render
4. Toggle **Rulers** on so the client can see the scale
5. Click **Save** and choose PNG for the highest quality
6. Send the image to your client

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### Special Cases

#### Double Cloth / Tubular Fabric

When viewing a draft with double cloth or tubular construction:

* **Folded double cloth** — The fabric is shown "unfolded" (opened flat) so you can see both the top and bottom layers side by side
* **Tubular cloth** — The tube is shown unrolled flat, with a dashed fold line marked down the center and a "FOLD" label on the ruler
* The status bar shows "OUTSIDE of Tube" / "INSIDE of Tube" instead of "FRONT" / "BACK"

#### Warp-Faced and Weft-Faced Fabrics

If your draft uses warp-faced or weft-faced cloth settings:

* **Warp-faced** — Warp threads are rendered wider and overlapping, simulating how they pack together to cover the weft in fabrics like inkle bands or warp-faced rugs
* **Weft-faced** — Weft threads are rendered taller and overlapping, simulating tapestry-style fabrics where the weft covers the warp

#### Structure Only Mode

If **Structure Only** is checked in the View tab before opening View Fabric, the rendering uses black warp threads on a white weft background instead of your actual colors. This is useful for studying the interlacement structure without the distraction of color.

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### Tips

* **Set your EPI/PPI first** — The proportional rendering and dimension display both depend on these values. If they're not set, the rendering won't accurately represent the fabric proportions.
* **EPI/PPI limit** — For performance reasons, EPI and PPI must each be 200 or less.
* **Zoom in for detail** — The interlacement shading, deflected threads, and yarn bloom effects are best appreciated when zoomed in. At full-fabric zoom, they may not be visible.
* **Re-renders on option change** — Each time you toggle an option, the fabric re-renders. For large drafts this may take a moment — a progress indicator appears during rendering.
* **Front vs. Back** — The back view is the mirror image of the interlacement. Where the front shows warp over weft, the back shows weft over warp. This is useful for weft-faced designs or for checking that the back of your fabric is acceptable.
* **Save both sides** — If you need images of both the front and back, switch views and save each one separately.
* **Yarn Bloom is subtle** — Start with a value around 30–50. Too much bloom can obscure the pattern. The effect is most noticeable on woolen or textured yarns.

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### Quick Reference

| Setting           | Default            | Options                     |
| ----------------- | ------------------ | --------------------------- |
| View              | Front              | Front / Back                |
| Rulers            | On                 | On / Off, Imperial / Metric |
| Proportional      | On                 | On / Off                    |
| Deflected Threads | Off                | On / Off                    |
| Double Weave      | Off                | On / Off                    |
| Variegated Yarns  | On (if applicable) | On / Off                    |
| Yarn Bloom        | Off (0)            | 0–100 slider                |
| Zoom              | Fit to window      | 10%–1000%                   |