How do I turn my clothing design into a DXF pattern?
Have a pattern maker convert it into flat pattern pieces exported as AAMA/ASTM DXF-2, the file factories import. Drop your design, sketch or garment photo below: the page reads it and quotes the pattern, $29, $59 or $129 by complexity, and a professional pattern maker cuts it.
Two free renders, shared across all our tools. No account.
Drop a garment photo here
or choose one from your phone or computer
JPEG, PNG or WebP. Any phone photo works.
Your photo is stored for 30 days, then deleted. It is used to make your image, and by the studio if you continue there. If you order a pattern from it, a copy is kept with your order.
Three routes from a design to a pattern
A design is an image; a pattern is cutting geometry. Something has to convert one into the other, and that something is still a trained pattern maker, whether you hire one, become one, or buy their work as a product.
| Route | What it costs you | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Commission a freelance pattern maker | Their rate per style, and their queue | One signature style has to be right, or the relationship is worth building |
| Learn pattern software and draft it yourself | A software license and months of practice | Pattern making will be an in-house skill across many styles a year |
| Order the pattern as a product (this page) | $29 to $129 per garment, fixed before you pay | You have a design, a deadline, and no drafting background you want to acquire first |
The productized route removes the scheduling, not the person: a professional pattern maker still drafts every piece. What you give up is the back and forth while they draft, which is why one revision is part of the fee.
How the order works here
- Drop the design: a flat sketch, a render, a photo of a garment you are adapting. The page draws the flat and reads the garment, and counts the pattern pieces it needs.
- Read the quote. The tier is classified by the system from the garment, never chosen by you, and the order confirms it before you pay.
- Confirm the details a pattern maker would ask for in a first email: fabric and how it behaves, the base size, your size range, any artwork placement. Then pay.
- A pattern maker claims the order, drafts it in production pattern software, names and annotates every piece, and the DXF files land on your Projects page.
What it costs, and what is priced separately
One fee per garment, set by how many pattern pieces the garment needs:
| Tier | Pattern pieces | For example | Fee | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | 2 to 6 | T-shirt, tank top, basic skirt | $29 | 48 hours at most |
| Standard | 7 to 15 | Hoodie, dress, trousers | $59 | 72 hours at most |
| Complex | 16 and more | Tailored blazer, coat, lined gown | $129 | 5 days at most |
The fee buys the production DXF pattern files in your base size, and one revision for fit and detail corrections. Four things are add-ons you attach to the order: grading across your size range with its grade rules at $15, the factory tech pack at $10, the marker layout at $10 and seam allowances in the files at $5. A first order is usually a fit sample in one size, where none of the four is needed yet.
The service is for clothing. Shoes, bags, hats, gloves, socks, belts, ties and scarves call for specialists in their own craft, from lasts to knitting programs.
What a factory means by a DXF pattern
AAMA/ASTM DXF-2 is the apparel interchange profile of the DXF format. It stores each piece as a closed outline with its internal lines and pattern data, and it imports into the cutting systems factories already run without anyone redrawing your garment. A plain DXF from a drawing program opens, but carries lines and no pattern data, so a factory has to rebuild it, and most decline. Six things separate a pattern a cutting room can run from a drawing of one:
- Closed piece outlines: an open contour is the most common reason a file is rejected on import.
- Notches that correspond, so a sleeve head and an armhole join where the ease belongs.
- A grainline on every piece, so the garment does not twist on the body after the first wash.
- Piece names, cut quantities, fold and mirror marks, and the material each piece is cut from: shell, lining, interlining.
- A stated seam allowance convention, because a 1 cm allowance cut where the maker assumed 1.5 cm changes the finished measurement.
- The right standard: DXF-2 for apparel, not a generic drawing export.
Why a person cuts it, and not an image model
A render shows how a garment looks on a body. A pattern encodes how flat fabric becomes that shape: ease, grain, seam behavior, how the fabric stretches. None of that can be recovered from a picture, and a factory rejects pieces that do not close or notches that do not match. On this platform the AI does the design and the read, and a human pattern maker cuts the pattern. That split is deliberate.
What the factory does with your files
- Import and check: a technician runs the file through their pattern system for closed pieces, matched notches, names and grainlines.
- Sample: the base size is cut and sewn as a fit sample. The revision in the fee exists for this round.
- Grading and marker: once the fit is signed off, the pattern is graded across the size range and a marker is laid to save fabric.
- Bulk cutting: from here the pattern is a production asset, and every unit in the run comes from it.
When this is the wrong route
- Bras, corsetry and structured swimwear, which need a specialist and several fittings.
- Bespoke tailoring to one person: that is a tailor, and no factory is involved.
- You already own a graded block that fits: adapting it is cheaper and safer than a new pattern.
- You iterate fit every week: at that pace, a retained pattern maker or your own pattern software serves you better.
Questions
Can AI generate a DXF pattern straight from an image?
Not to production standard. An image model makes renders, not cutting geometry: ease, grainlines and matching notches are not in a picture. Here the AI reads your image and quotes the pattern, and a professional pattern maker cuts it.
How much does a DXF pattern cost here?
$29 for a simple garment of 2 to 6 pieces, $59 for a standard one of 7 to 15, $129 for a complex one of 16 and more. The system classifies the garment; you never pick the tier, and you see the fee before you pay.
What do I receive, and what costs extra?
The production DXF pattern files in AAMA/ASTM DXF-2, in your base size, with one revision. Grading ($15), the factory tech pack ($10), the marker layout ($10) and seam allowances ($5) are add-ons.
Do I need a tech pack as well as a pattern?
For a first fit sample, often not: a small workshop can cut from the pattern and a conversation. A factory quoting bulk production wants the specification as well. The factory tech pack is an add-on at $10, written by the pattern maker who cuts your pattern.
How long does it take?
Delivery counts from the moment a pattern maker claims the order: 48 hours at most for a simple garment, 72 hours at most for standard, 5 days at most for complex.
Is the read free?
Two free renders, shared across all our tools, no account; each includes its read and quote. Then 5 credits ($0.50) a render; a free account opens with a one-time welcome of 50 credits, then gets 15 credits a month.