Introduction
Schemes are the groups of rules WeaveMaker uses to automatically generate threadings, peg plans, tie-ups, treadlings, and color arrangements (in what follows, the term weave element will be used to mean any one of these).

By using schemes effectively, you can rapidly create complex fabric structures and color arrangements which would be tedious (to say the least) to do by hand. As a result, you can create fabric designs which are unlikely to be created by anyone who is not using WeaveMaker. Moreover, you can create designs more rapidly with schemes than you could manually. Consequently, understanding and using schemes is important.

Because schemes are rules for generating a design element, there is no way to catalog all the designs a scheme can create. Schemes are by their nature open-ended. By way of contrast, if WeaveMaker had a dictionary of 200 threadings, for example, they could all be listed in this manual. But a scheme is not like a dictionary; a scheme is not simply a list. A single WeaveMaker threading scheme can generate thousands of distinct threadings.

And there are lots of threading schemes. So just listing all the threadings WeaveMaker can create would be challenging (the books would fill many shelves). Since WeaveMaker has schemes for color arrangements as well as fabric structures, all told there are millions and millions of designs which the WeaveMaker schemes can create.

Still, it is possible to give a general sense of the types of design elements each scheme creates. In the following pages you will find descriptions of each scheme. Each scheme is characterized by a general description (in words) followed by some examples of the types of design elements and fabrics which that scheme typically generates.

Schemes Window The Schemes window checkboxes (see illustration of the Schemes window below) and the Cornucopia tool control the WeaveMaker schemes. For more information on the Cornucopia tool, please see “Cornucopia Tool” in the Index. There are two ways you can have WeaveMaker generate designs. In “automatic” mode, WeaveMaker takes over operations and generates a new pattern every few seconds, until you intervene and stop it. Alternatively, “manual” mode lets you more explicitly use the spontaneous generation feature by clicking in any grid (threading, tie-up, treadling, or peg plan) with the Cornucopia tool, which then changes just that element of the design. In the latter case, you exercise complete control over where and when new patterns are generated. Turning Schemes On & Off When you click with the cornucopia tool, or when WeaveMaker automatically generates a pattern, one of the eligible schemes is chosen at random and its rules then do the actual pattern generation. Through the schemes window, you control which schemes are eligible for use. For example, when you click on “Threading” in the schemes window, the threading entry “opens up” and you will then see a list of threading schemes (please see illustration at left). Because schemes are constantly being added to WeaveMaker, your copy

Automatic Mode
Clicking on Automatic in the schemes window reveals a set of controls for handling automatic mode. Clicking in the “Automatic” checkbox starts (or stops) automatic mode. In this mode, a new pattern is generated once every few seconds. You can sit back and watch the patterns go by. If you see a pattern you like and want to “freeze” it, just exit Automatic mode. The pattern will remain on the screen, so you can edit it or save it. The patterns generated in automatic mode respect the scheme restrictions you specify through the other parts of the scheme window. Automatic mode normally alters all the design elements and the warp/weft color arrangements. Click on the padlocks (not pictured) to “lock in” design elements you want to keep as they are.

Scheme Examples
The next few dozen pages show examples of the “base” schemes (which are shipped with every copy of WeaveMaker) and optional schemes (which may be separately purchased).

There are also special-purpose and proprietary schemes (which are developed for the exclusive use of a particular customer) which are not illustrated here. Please contact the Sales department at Designer Software for the particulars.

All the examples are in black and white because these all show structure schemes (which determine the weave). Schemes for doing color arrangements are covered in the “Cornucopia Color Schemes” section (please see Section 23: “Color, Schemes”).

The early examples are all based on a straight draw threading on 8, 12, or 16 harnesses. More complex threadings are introduced later in the section.

Schemes based on tie-ups are illustrated separately (please see Section 18: “Tie-up Schemes” ). All tie-up fabrics can be automatically converted to peg plans for commercial mill weaving (please see “Tie-Up-Peg Plan Conversion”).

• Various peg plan schemes are shown, applied against a simple straight draw threading. These examples show how complex fabrics can be created which remain inexpensive to dobby weave, because they confine the complexity to the peg plan.
  • Vines Peg Plan;
  • Tied Down 4 Peg Plan;

• Various tie-up schemes are shown, applied against a simple straight draw threading. The treadling varies from example to example. These samples show how complex fabrics can be created which remain inexpensive to dobby weave, because they are based on a simple threading.
  • Huck Tie Up;
  • Dutch Tiles Tie Up;

• These show how a slight increase in the threading complexity (“straight draw with occasional reverses”) makes a large change in the fabric appearance. All use tie-up schemes applied against the threading shown below (entire threading is not shown).
  • Effects of a Threading Change;