Fiberworks → TempoWeave Cross-Reference

A migration guide for weavers moving from Fiberworks Silver to TempoWeave. Covers both editions of Fiberworks Silver:

• Fiberworks PCW4.2 Silver — Windows (manual dated 2010)

• Fiberworks Silver — Mac (manual dated 2012)

The two are the same product family but different applications with different menu layouts. This guide is organized by feature; where a command lives in a different Fiberworks menu on each platform, the note says so. Most weaving features exist in both — only the menu home (or a few extras) differ.

Notation ▸ means tab ▸ group ▸ command in TempoWeave.

Legend: ⚠️ partial / different approach · ❌ no direct equivalent · 🔒 TempoWeave PRO tier · ✨ TempoWeave addition · [Win] Windows-Fiberworks only · [Mac] Mac-Fiberworks only. Unmarked rows apply to both.

Some ⚠️ rows are best-guess from the TempoWeave source and may need a final check in the running app (noted inline). Sources: the two Fiberworks Silver manuals named above and the TempoWeave ribbon (MainWindow.axaml).

✨ TempoWeave opens your .dtx files directly

You do not need a working copy of Fiberworks to migrate. TempoWeave opens Fiberworks .dtx files natively — Home ▸ File ▸ Open (or Browse Drafts on mobile), pick the .dtx, and the full draft appears: threading, tie-up, treadling or liftplan, colors, and per-thread spacing. The first Save creates a TempoWeave project (.twa); your original .dtx is never modified. WeavePoint .wpo files open the same way.

This matters because the Mac edition of Fiberworks (last updated 2012) no longer runs on current macOS, so many weavers cannot launch it to export WIF files. With TempoWeave the export step disappears: just open the .dtx.

Native .dtx/.wpo reading was built with reference to Russell Owen's open-source dtx_to_wif converter (MIT license), with our thanks.

Where the menus live: Windows vs Mac Fiberworks (quick orientation)

The Mac edition reshuffles the Windows menus. If you used Mac Fiberworks, look here first:

Feature area	Windows menu	Mac menu
About / Preferences / Quit	File & Help	Fiberworks (app) menu
Drawing tools (straight/point/line/freehand/network)	Edit ▸ Drawing mode	Drawing menu (own menu)
Pickup Color, Shaft Shuffler	Edit / Tools	Drawing menu (treated as tools)
Modify colors, color palette	Cloth menu	Colors menu (Mac Color Panel)
Interleave	Edit ▸ Interleave Paste	Warp ▸ Interleave Threading / Treadling ▸ Interleave Treadling
Treadling commands ("Weft" on Windows)	Weft menu	Treadling menu
Multipedal / skeleton tieup	Tieup menu	Treadling menu (+ Tieup ▸ Convert to Skeleton Tieup)
Turn Draft	Tieup menu	Tools menu
Sketchpad	integrated	separate app (Export/Import to Sketchpad)

File menu

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
New / Open	Home ▸ File ▸ New / Open	Ctrl/Cmd+N, +O. Opens WIF and Fiberworks .dtx directly
Save / Save As	Home ▸ File ▸ Save / Save As
Close	File backstage ▸ Close
Duplicate [Mac]	File backstage ▸ Duplicate to New Tab	✅ near-exact match
Revert to Saved [Mac]	Snapshot/version history	No one-click "revert to last saved"; closest is version history
Preview and Print / Print	File backstage ▸ Print (Page Setup + per-component buttons)	TempoWeave prints Threading/Treadling/Tie-Up/Drawdown/Color Card/Project Report separately
Print Setup / Page Setup	File backstage ▸ Print ▸ Page Setup
Preferences [Win: File · Mac: Fiberworks menu]	File backstage ▸ Settings	See Settings section
Recent files / Open Recent	Home ▸ File ▸ Recent Files
Exit / Quit	File backstage ▸ Exit
(WIF import/export)	Open = WIF or .dtx; File backstage ▸ Export ▸ Export to WIF	TempoWeave is WIF-native and opens .dtx without conversion
New/Open Sketchpad	Image Center

Edit menu

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Undo	Home ▸ Edit ▸ Undo
Redo [Mac]	Home ▸ Edit ▸ Redo	✨ Both have it; Windows Fiberworks lacked Redo
Cut / Copy / Paste	Home ▸ Edit ▸ Cut / Copy / Paste
Transparent Mode [Win] / Paste Transparent [Mac]	Home ▸ Edit ▸ Paste Overlay	⚠️ Closest equivalent (note: Win=toggle, Mac=command)
Interleave Paste [Win: Edit]	Design ▸ Warp Advanced ▸ Interleave Warp 🔒 (weft: Combine Weft)	⚠️ PRO tier. On Mac this is Warp/Treadling ▸ Interleave
Transform	Design ▸ Warp / Weft / Tie-Up popups (Invert, Reverse, Mirror, Shift, Rotate)	Split across the three Design popups
Drawing mode: Straight/Point/Line/Freehand [Win: Edit · Mac: Drawing menu]	Home ▸ Drawing Tools ▸ Straight / Point / Line / Freehand	Direct match
Drawing mode: 1:3 Network [Win] / Network Left + Network Right [Mac]	Design ▸ Warp Advanced ▸ Plot on Network Warp 🔒
Select / Select All (Mac: "Select Drafts")	Home ▸ Select ▸ Select / Select All (+ Select Special)
Pickup Color [Win: Edit · Mac: Drawing menu]	Edit Yarn - eye dropper and camera (use Yarn Catalog / palette
Copy Image	Print / Export or via Image Center. Can also get image from Cloth View	Or Image Center
Insert / Delete threads	Home ▸ Add/Remove Threads ▸ Insert Thread / Remove Thread
Link / Unlink	Home ▸ Sync Operations ▸ Sync Color / Sync Thickness	Inverse toggle: unchecking = unlinked

View menu

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Zoom in/out (Mac: Make Larger/Smaller)	View ▸ Zoom group
Color View (color ↔ structure)	View ▸ Cloth View ▸ Structure Only	Inverse toggle
Back View / View Back	View ▸ View ▸ Front / Back View
Grid in Cloth	Settings ▸ Grid Overlay
Compact / Expand [Win]	Scale / Compress
Show/Hide Toolbar & Status Bar	Window ▸ Screen ▸ Focus Mode
Ruler Units / Set Scale [Mac]	Settings (Imperial/Metric); rulers in Fabric Viewer
Draft Layout [Mac] (draw up/down, threading L↔R, shaft-1 / treadle-1 placement)	Settings ▸ Draft Style / Origin Side / Shaft 1 / Treadle 1 placement	✅ strong match
Info / Thread Numbering [Mac]	Project ▸ Project Info; Settings ▸ Show Thread Markers

Cloth menu (display modes)

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Normal Cloth / Color Drawdown	Project ▸ Cloth Type ▸ Normal
Interlacement	View ▸ View ▸ Show Interlacement
Rep / Warp Faced	Project ▸ Cloth Type ▸ Warp Faced
Weft Faced	Project ▸ Cloth Type ▸ Weft Faced
Bound Weave	⚠️ closest: Weft Faced	No dedicated bound-weave mode
Double Weave	View ▸ Cloth View ▸ View Fabric (Double Weave + "Structural" option)	Color-free structural doubleweave engine
Warp / Weft Drawdown (structure)	Structure Only + Draft Style
Notes and Records	Project ▸ Project Info; counts → Print ▸ Project Report / Color Card

Colors (Mac: own Colors menu · Windows: in Cloth menu)

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Modify Colors [Win] / Show Color Panel [Mac]	Yarns tab / Yarn Catalog	Mac uses the macOS Color Panel
Select Color Palette / Open New Color Group	Yarns ▸ Yarns and Palettes (+ Settings ▸ Default Palette)	You can also save/import a palette or create your own yarnline in MyYarns
Save / Remove a Color Group [Mac]	Yarns ▸ Export Yarns / Import Yarns
Create Gradient [Mac]	Gradient on the Palette sidebar
Colorways (store ≤6 colorways) [Mac]	MyYarns / Also you can save your Palettes

Warp menu (the Weft/Treadling menu mirrors these)

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Fill Threading (Win: 4 fills · Mac: 11 fills)	Design ▸ Weave Explorer ▸ Common Weaves	⚠️ library-based, not a fill dialog
Fill Warp Colors (Win: 2 colors · Mac: up to 4)	Design ▸ Warp ▸ Randomize Warp Colors / paint	⚠️ no A-B-C-D fill dialog
Fill Thickness	Thickness Repeats or paint thickness directly
Repeat	Design ▸ Repeats ▸ Design / Color / Thickness Repeats	Good match
Parallel Repeat (Mac adds Three-way parallel)	Design ▸ Warp Advanced ▸ Echo / Warp Amalgamation 🔒	⚠️ double-weave / shadow effects
Make Symmetrical (Mac: Flip Sequence)	Design ▸ Warp/Weft ▸ Mirror All
Reverse Sequence (Mac: Flip Sequence)	Design ▸ Warp/Weft ▸ Reverse
Redraw on Network	Design ▸ Warp/Weft Advanced ▸ Plot on Network 🔒

Tieup menu

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Twill Repeat	Design ▸ Tie-Up ▸ Diagonal	⚠️ auto-twill; not full step dialog
Repeat by Quarters	Tieup Group Operations
Change Face	Design ▸ Tie-Up ▸ Change Face
Turn Draft [Win: Tieup · Mac: Tools]	Tools ▸ Transform ▸ Turn Draft
Sinking Shed	Project ▸ Mode ▸ Sinking Shed (or Settings default)
Multipedal / Skeleton tieup (Win: Tieup ▸ Allow Multipedal · Mac: Treadling ▸ Allow Multipedal Action + Tieup ▸ Convert to Skeleton Tieup)	Project ▸ Project Info ▸ Setup ▸ Multi-Treadle	✅ supported (per LoftyFiber)
Tie-up ↔ Liftplan mode	Tools ▸ Conversions ▸ Convert to Tieup / Convert to Liftplan
Shafts and Treadles (count)	⚠️ Settings new-project defaults; Tools ▸ Optimize ▸ Shaft/Treadle Reducer / Expander	Verify "resize current draft" in-app

Weft / Treadling-specific

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Weave As Drawn In / Tromp as Writ	Tools ▸ Conversions ▸ Tromp as Writ
Add Tabby / Insert Tabby	Tools ▸ Tabby ▸ Add Tabby
Remove Tabby	Tools ▸ Tabby ▸ Remove Tabby

Tools menu

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Float Search	Project ▸ Project ▸ Float Check
Block Substitution	Design ▸ Assembly ▸ Block Substitution
Fold Double	Tools ▸ Transform ▸ Double Cloth	⚠️ verify fold/tubular/separate options
Namedraft	✅ Design ▸ Weave Explorer ▸ Name Draft (#279) — text → 4-shaft overshot; Alphabet/Reverse/Zigzag/Random encodings, Star/Rose tie-up, symmetrical assembly, float-limiting incidentals. One-repeat output works as a Block Substitution profile draft.
Shaft Shuffler [Win: Tools · Mac: Drawing menu]	Tools ▸ Optimize ▸ Arrange Shafts / Arrange Treadles
Export to Sketchpad	Image Center (copy/paste/load)

Window & Help menus

Fiberworks	TempoWeave	Notes
Open Windows List / Cascade / Tile	Tabs + Window ▸ Layout	TempoWeave is tab-based, not MDI/floating windows
Help Topics / Fiberworks Help / Search	Help ▸ Help ▸ Help
About	Help ▸ Help ▸ About

Whole Fiberworks subsystems with no TempoWeave equivalent

• Sketchpad + the Image and Analysis menus (Windows) / Sketchpad as a separate Mac app: bitmap design, regrid, color reduction, photo→cartoon, fabric analysis, Make Drawdown. TempoWeave has no bitmap/sketchpad pipeline.

TempoWeave features Fiberworks lacks (worth highlighting to migrators)

Reed & Raddle calculators · Warp Winding / Sectional Warping plans · Yarn Catalog & rich palette sorting · 3D Fabric Viewer / Cloth Sim · Color Weave Explorer · Krokbragd · AI / Math draft generation 🔒 · snapshot version history · Cloud share · Duplicate to New Tab. (Mac Fiberworks independently added Redo, Duplicate, and Revert to Saved — TempoWeave has the first two.)

Settings / Preferences mapping

Fiberworks Preferences → TempoWeave File backstage ▸ Settings (Default Settings + Settings tabs). Highlights: default shafts/treadles, loom type (tie-up/liftplan), units, initial zoom, default palette/colors, rising vs sinking shed, shaft-1 / treadle-1 placement & origin side (matches Mac's Draft Layout), grid overlays, theme, and file locations.

Reference

• Using Fiberworks PCW4.2 Silver — Windows edition, © 2010 Fiberworks (FiberworksWindowsSilver Manual.pdf).

• Using Fiberworks Silver for Mac — Mac edition, © 2012 Fiberworks (Fiberworks for Mac Manual 2013.pdf; incl. its "Switching from Windows to Mac" section, pp. 68–69).