{"id":3414,"date":"2026-08-28T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/?post_type=knowledge-base&#038;p=3414"},"modified":"2026-08-28T12:53:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T12:53:51","slug":"how-to-use-view-modes-stitch-preview-alignment-tools","status":"publish","type":"knowledge-base","link":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/knowledge-base\/how-to-use-view-modes-stitch-preview-alignment-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use View Modes, Stitch Preview &amp; Alignment Tools in Embroidery Software"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The View menu in eXPerience 8 controls how your embroidery designs and workspace appear on screen, allowing you to inspect stitch structure, analyze density, and align elements with precision.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_26939\"  width=\"1290\" height=\"725\"  data-origwidth=\"1290\" data-origheight=\"725\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iVb68gs0IbA?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"YouTube player\"  src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/iVb68gs0IbA\/maxresdefault.jpg\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Accessing View Options<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can access display controls through two primary locations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click the <strong>View<\/strong> icon located on the main toolbar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open the <strong>View<\/strong> dropdown menu from the top menu bar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Switching Between Stitches, Artwork, and Outlines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Show Stitches:<\/strong> Enable the <strong>Stitches<\/strong> option to display the actual embroidery stitches. When unchecked, the software hides the stitches and reveals the underlying vector <strong>Artwork<\/strong> (shapes and fill colors).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Filled Outlines:<\/strong> Disable <strong>Filled Outlines<\/strong> when in artwork mode to show only the vector wireframes\/contours and their assigned outline colors without the solid color fill.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Turn off <strong>Stitches<\/strong> when reshaping or adding vector nodes to focus on line geometry without visual clutter from stitch textures.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Previewing 3D Stitches and Stitch Points<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>3D Realistic Preview:<\/strong> Check <strong>3D Preview<\/strong> (or press the <strong>P<\/strong> hotkey) to render stitches with realistic thread luster, texture, and depth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2D Stitch Lines:<\/strong> Turn <strong>3D Preview<\/strong> off to view stitches as thin technical lines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stitch Points:<\/strong> With 3D Preview turned off, enable <strong>Stitch Points<\/strong> to display small square markers representing every needle penetration point.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adjusting 3D Light Direction:<\/strong> In 3D Preview mode, click and drag the <strong>Light Direction control handle<\/strong> in the preview settings to change where the virtual light hits the embroidery surface.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Use <strong>Stitch Points<\/strong> view to diagnose tension issues, spot erratic jumps, or manually adjust individual needle penetrations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Inspecting Stitch Density with Thickness View<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enable <strong>Thickness View<\/strong> to evaluate overlapping stitch layers and prevent overly dense embroidery that could cause thread breaks or fabric damage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Green:<\/strong> Standard single-layer stitching (no overlapping).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Orange to Red:<\/strong> Multiple overlapping stitch layers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dark \/ Saturated Tones:<\/strong> High density areas indicating heavy stitching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> If complex designs show dark red overlapping zones, use software editing tools to remove underlying stitches before sending the file to your machine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Utilizing Workspace Guides and Alignment Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Crosshair:<\/strong> Enable <strong>Crosshair<\/strong> to attach a full-screen alignment cross to your mouse cursor for precise visual positioning against design elements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grid:<\/strong> Toggle the <strong>Grid<\/strong> on for structured visual measurements, or toggle it off for an unobstructed view of your design.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guidelines:<\/strong> Toggle <strong>Guidelines<\/strong> to show or hide your custom horizontal and vertical placement guides.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Snap to Grid &amp; Guidelines:<\/strong> Enable <strong>Snap<\/strong> so the cursor automatically locks to nearby grid lines or guidelines while drawing and moving objects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hoop View:<\/strong> Toggle the <strong>Hoop<\/strong> view on or off to check your design placement and boundaries relative to your selected embroidery frame.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Temporarily disable <strong>Snap<\/strong> when drawing freehand curves or positioning fine details to prevent the cursor from jumping to grid intersections.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>6. Customizing the User Interface (UI) Colors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open the UI customization section in the <strong>View<\/strong> menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the color swatch next to any interface component you wish to change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select your desired color, then adjust the <strong>Brightness<\/strong> and <strong>Transparency<\/strong> sliders to suit your workspace preference.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The View menu in eXPerience 8 controls how your embroidery designs and workspace appear on screen, allowing you to inspect stitch structure, analyze density, and align elements with precision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3415,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":""},"categories-kb":[333,337,336,334],"class_list":["post-3414","knowledge-base","type-knowledge-base","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-kb-how-to-training","categories-kb-how-to-training-advanced","categories-kb-how-to-training-operator","categories-kb-how-to-training-pilot"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"categories-kb":[{"value":333,"label":"How to Training"},{"value":337,"label":"How to Training - Advanced"},{"value":336,"label":"How to Training - Operator"},{"value":334,"label":"How to Training - Pilot"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/how-to-use-view-modes-stitch-pre-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"eXPerience embroidery software","author_link":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/author\/experience-embroidery-software\/"},"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledge-base\/3414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledge-base"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/knowledge-base"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categories-kb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wingsxp.com\/embroidery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories-kb?post=3414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}