Hi...I am new to this company and I am trying to decide which of the two programs would be better to buy. I can't decide between Dress Shop Pro and My Pattern Designer Pro. Can anyone offer me any advice.
Thanks

Dress Shop was developed over a period of time -with giant leaps in development. MPD is the next level stripping out what was not needed while taking advantage of new and more advanced technology.

DS is based on named patterns with pre-defined elements many of which can be user modified. The program with everything contains approx 700 patterns.

MPD is based on numbered patterns which can be purchased individually as well as in larger collections - the current pattern count is approx 120,000 patterns!

It may be a matter of preference Vanilla or chocolate - both programs have excellent support. I personally feel MPD has the “shorter” learning curve and many extra enhancements- it’s the program I use for my personal wardrobe and when making patterns for others.

Kaaren
Patrns4u@aol.com

Hello there, I am thinking to purchase MPD but I wonder if is possible to plot the patterns from MPD in single sheet or save it in pdf format in single page not multiple pages.
Thanks in advance
Sudar

You can use any printer you have available. I personally use an HP110Plus which has a paper roll that measures 24inches by 150feet. I set the page settings to the dimensions needed. Each pattern piece will display the dimensions needed for each piece... ie pants for me need a length (height) of 42". I set the paper size to 24" by 43" and thus print the entire piece on one page. A floor length gown or nightgown needs 53-54" and I make my setting 1 inch larger than the length defined. Just make sure your print set up under start>printers match the page set up in MPD under File>Page set up. Set to custom size paper and do a custom size for each pattern piece under preferences.
Kaaren

Thank you so much Kaaren
I am a professional fashion designer and expert in pattern making, when I worked for different companies I had chance to use different Apparel CAD programs like Gerber, Lectra and optitex . When I tried the demo from MPD I really liked but their patterns are not very professional and I need to modified before I will be able to use them! I send an email to their customer service and I ask some technical question unfortunately I was not able to get any current answer because I was talking from designer point of you and their customer service was talking from programmer point! since you are professional I wonder how you modify those pattern from MPD? is anyway that I could use any other CAD program to modify those patterns from MPD
Thanks again
Sudar

Hi Sudra,
I think we have to establish first what the program does. It drafts to the numbers for CUSTOM sized garments- one offs - NOT RTW sizes. It also does not have a master block that it grades to size but drafts solely to the chart numbers provided.

This focus on fitting to the individual rather than mass standard sizes has some limitations. It will not automatically average front and backs or reset armhole depths so the most number of users can be accommodated but drafts to what the user defines as their numbers in the desired fit level selected.

Since we aren’t in production for 5000 units of the same article in more than one fabrication or color way we discard the normal industry standards for notches and holes. We follow the most basic traditional home sewist standards.

While the Pro model offers many tools to use preset values for 5 fitting levels from form fit to unfitted- it also offers fit tools to individually modify ease at a large number of body points. Additional tools allow you to change the neck depth/pant set/lengths/seam allowances and etc. You can only select a standard *seam allowance for the body but can adjust neck and collar seam allowances.

*see file>settings and Options>pattern settings.

The miracle is that the preset standard code rules are very consistent in all garment types.

In Cad you can alter the armhole BUT then must also alter the sleeve cap...our program does that automatically- change the arm hole and the sleeve changes. Changes to the sleeve will not change the armscye.

I do not sew for others except for a few garments for family here and there and discourage that; but, I do make everything I wear and truthfully I do make fine tuning changes using the tools and an occasional **gasp** pencil though more for design changes than fit changes.

We do not yet have a mechanism to save a pattern in a recognizable Cad format so you can tweak away , add notes, notches, circles and etc. and frankly doubt we ever will.

But then again you aren’t paying $100,000PLUS for Gerber.

Cad/Cam and PLM are just not needed by our hobby sewists or even our one off dress makers.

Best regards,
Kaaren