# share rhinestone art



## tshirtfundraiser (Jun 12, 2010)

Does anyone know of a website that shares rhinestone template designs? Simple items. Seems silly that all of us are duplicating hearts, piece signs, starts, etc.


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## GHEENEE1 (Jan 8, 2007)

Try www.winpcsign.com The forum there has a share section. Also, www.rhinestonedesignz.com forum has templates to share.


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## taricp35 (Dec 10, 2008)

Check out Rhinestone Exchange


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## tshirtfundraiser (Jun 12, 2010)

Thanks, I couldn't get the winpcsign.com link to work. rhinestonedesignz doesn't really have much, I look at their forum weekly.

I think the Rhinestone Exchange may be what I'm looking for, though I requested an account and it has to be approved by an admin and I'm hoping someone approves it soon. I hate waiting.


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## americanrose2 (Oct 1, 2007)

Were you successful in getting an account with Rhinestone Exchange? I have tried for weeks to get replies to messages with no luck. Getting "Download Error" every time I try to download designs. Love the idea of this site but when it doesn't work it is very frustrating.


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## tshirtfundraiser (Jun 12, 2010)

Kind of. I had to reply to the email that I was sent when I registered. Someone replied with a password, but then it didn't work. They did get it reset and now I am able to log in and download or upload.


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

It took me awhile to get approved as well on Rhinestone Exchange... I found it a little complicated as I really didn't understand all the rules in place... The design that are shared are good... But not what I would call "typical" everyday stuff.

Trust me I've looked and I've looked and then looked some more and there really isn't much standard stuff out there for sale or free...

I think the general consensus is the vast majority doesn't want to used "canned" designs as they want to be "unique"... I do get that... But how "Unique" can you be with I Love Baseball?... There's only so many ways to do it before it's been done... 

If I find something I will share...

I will say the Silhouette Studio store has a fair number of rhinestone designs in it...

Kevin


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

I think the design sharing is a great idea.....why can't we have a special page on here to do that? 

Why reinvent the wheel when you can just adapt it. 

I don't mean to say give away all your hard work, just some of the simple stuff.


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## tshirtfundraiser (Jun 12, 2010)

trixie said:


> I think the design sharing is a great idea.....why can't we have a special page on here to do that?
> 
> Why reinvent the wheel when you can just adapt it.
> 
> I don't mean to say give away all your hard work, just some of the simple stuff.


I think that is a great idea. It took me forever to just plot my own soccer ball, when we're all using the same soccer ball, it would be nice to have. Agree simple stuff, like sports emblems, piece sign, stars, hearts, etc. We can all do these things on our own, but would be much quicker to share.


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

tshirtfundraiser said:


> I think that is a great idea. It took me forever to just plot my own soccer ball, when we're all using the same soccer ball, it would be nice to have. Agree simple stuff, like sports emblems, piece sign, stars, hearts, etc. We can all do these things on our own, but would be much quicker to share.


What software are you using? I am using StoneCut Pro, DAS system. I just started about a month ago and I LOVE it. Wish I could have gone to the bling camp, but I just didn't have the time or $$ to go after all the $$ I just invested in everything.


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## tshirtfundraiser (Jun 12, 2010)

trixie said:


> What software are you using? I am using StoneCut Pro, DAS system. I just started about a month ago and I LOVE it. Wish I could have gone to the bling camp, but I just didn't have the time or $$ to go after all the $$ I just invested in everything.


I use OOBling Pro. I looked at what you have too, think it is a great system, but based my decision on the value for the money. They have been great to work with too.

Ultimately, I design all my artwork in Illustrator and then pop it in my rhinestone software and replace with rhinestones, and wala!


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

tshirtfundraiser said:


> Ultimately, I design all my artwork in Illustrator and then pop it in my rhinestone software and replace with rhinestones, and wala!


Are you saying you create your vector outlines and then create the stone pattern in Oobling or are you saying you actually create the dots in Illustrator and then bring into OObling?

There are so many rhinestone programs out there and they all seem to have one thing in common... Almost ZERO actual samples of a design start to finish... Or what very little demonstrations are available are so very, very basic...

So frustrating... I have a software I developed for another industry and have stiff competition and we all have exhaustive video and written instructions from every possible angle so people know what it is they are buying and more importantly when they get the software they know what to do with it... They don't even need to go to a camp to learn it... It's all laid out for them from the day they make a purchase.

Case in point I just got an email last night from a developer of a new piece of rhinestone software that on the surface looks really good...

_"Cheap softwares, like our basic level, can hardly be sold by dealers, because the margin is too tiny. There is not even the margin to give support service. For the first period, and till the software is not very popular I will give support for free. My idea is to produce tutorials and video trainings so customers will not need for our support and can learn how to use it on their own."_


So they have the right idea... But what they have currently available isn't going to cut it...


Kevin







Kevin


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## tshirtfundraiser (Jun 12, 2010)

I know, right! I was told that the software came with rhinestone clipart. NOT, there is clipart, but you have to still convert it to rhinestones. Would of been extremely nice to just have that included already done.

Besides using rhinestone fonts, I think doing the design in Illustrator is way more easy and flexible. I have created a stroke for various size rhinestones and then I can manipulate the spacing between the stones, so I have found that applying the stroke to the artwork is great on outline designs. I still have to fill them in and don't feel that the software does a wonderful job as there is so much overlap and I essentially have to manually move them anyway.


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

tshirtfundraiser said:


> I know, right! I was told that the software came with rhinestone clipart. NOT, there is clipart, but you have to still convert it to rhinestones. Would of been extremely nice to just have that included already done.


Hi there...
Who told you that OOBling came with already stoned clip art?
I'm always careful to let my customers know that the clip art included is because it's a SignLab program so the sign clip art comes with all of CADlink's programs but that it's just vector art and not pre-stoned clip art. 
I know the brochures say something about rhinestone clip art.


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

I know BlingIt Pro and Stone Cut Pro both have pre-stoned clipart... I just watch a demo on BlingIt Pro which is basically a scaled down version of Oobling with not as many features...

Rhinestone Software Create custom rhinestone designs - YouTube

It's funny in the very beginning he says he's going to show me how to create 3 designs and that he created them in about a minute...

Guess what... He doesn't show how to actually design any of them start to finish just a very, very basic concept...

So then I look at every other video he has as the software he's using is very similar to OOBling same company... All so very, very basic stuff... So I'm still at a loss as to where to begin...

I would think as a software developer I would want to show what my software can do... To me there is a huge market out there as those that I have talked to and it has been many, many people ... They are not totally happy with their rhinestone software but they use it because they can get by with it...

Kevin


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

Yes, I have Bling !t, too. You can actually purchase the pre-stoned clip art separately without having to buy the software.


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## hi-nrg-joe (Jul 19, 2008)

katruax said:


> ... But how "Unique" can you be with I Love Baseball?... There's only so many ways to do it before it's been done...


Me encanta el béisbol


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## hi-nrg-joe (Jul 19, 2008)

tshirtfundraiser said:


> ...Would of been extremely nice to just have that included already done.


That's a tough one. Having prestone designs are nice if they are exactly the size you need in the overall design and stones, but when they won't fit on the garmant, they are no use. It's nice to have the vector graphics and stone it yourself. It gives you the flexibity to create any size you want or tweak it before stoning it.

We've thought about offering prestoned designs, but then I figured we'd have to create at least 3 different sizes for chest logos, larger front chest, and full backs/fronts. And then, which stones do I use...ss6, ss8, ss10?

I agree that having something done already can save alot of time and makes things easier if it's exactly what you need, but as you start using whatever rhinestone software you own more, you get more efficient at it and stoning becomes second nature.


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## hi-nrg-joe (Jul 19, 2008)

katruax said:


> I would think as a software developer I would want to show what my software can do... To me there is a huge market out there as those that I have talked to and it has been many, many people ... They are not totally happy with their rhinestone software but they use it because they can get by with it...
> 
> Kevin


The hard part is making tutorials that people want. I started out making some basic tutorials for the software we use. It's enough for the new user to get the grasp of stoning a vector object. From there, I base any future tutorials on what the customers ask. I see you use a similar approach with your videos...If you think something is a cool or a value added feature, you create a video...then if someone asks a question on the forum, you create a video to help them. Even though this video is directed towards them, others who watch it learn from it as well. That's the approch I take as well. 

I can sit here and create a video on how to use tools to create graphics with the software, but sometimes all they want to know is how to stone an object. Some people prefer AI or Corel to create and then import it into a stoning application. Those people could care less how to design in the rhinestoning program.

And of course who wants to read a manual to see what all the tools do ;-)


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

hi-nrg-joe said:


> The hard part is making tutorials that people want. I started out making some basic tutorials for the software we use. It's enough for the new user to get the grasp of stoning a vector object. From there, I base any future tutorials on what the customers ask


I'm not a customer but I think I want to be! LOL

I think it's so great you offer a demo so that much is great... That said I'm at a loss on the automatic features of your software.

After watching the videos today that Sandy did with KNK Studio I can see that with what she showed the process in KNK is actually almost identical to what I currently use in CorelDRAW...

Now I know OOBling has very similar tools in it to do what I can do in CorelDRAW... But if the process is basically the same as what I'm doing now then I'm not sure why I would choose to use it instead of what I'm using now... And that's where you come in... You have to teach us...

I'll give you an example...

Digital Art Solutions... They have a few videos on their software on their website... They talk about for example how they programmed their software with a "feature" that will do a double cut on every circle for near perfect weeding... When I saw that I thought WOW that is cool I want that!... Little did I know that very "feature" was available in nearly every other software package out there! It wasn't in the cutting software I was using at the time but it's a very common "feature" in sign software I found out... But from a marketing perspective... I first thought wow how cool! Only because they showed me!... I didn't know any better now I do...

They also talk about stoning a "single line font"... Again I thought WOW! That is sweet! Certainly has it's advantages because we can scale the font and then stone it... Come to find out... Theirs is not the only program that has that feature.... But as someone who is just learning most aren't going to know any better...

They talk about the cutting method where they can optimize the cut to minimize the travel of the knife blade of the cutter... That was THE reason I wanted to buy the software... For me my cutter was traveling EVERYWHERE and it drove me crazy... Now with KNK Studio I don't have that issue and of course we don't have that issue in OOBling either but I only found that out in a round about way because that's why I got KNK Studio and when I got it I realized it was developed by the same company as OOBling so it's amazing my learning path in all this... But to me that is a real selling feature for OOBling... I know my sign software didn't have the optimize option like OOBling/KNK... I was ready to spend big bucks just for that one function... Only to get that function free with my cutter in KNK...

I bet there are all kinds of cool things in OOBling we don't know about... We look to you to show us...

Perfect example... Someone the other day I was talking to said how to you select stones of a certain size and color in CorelDRAW... Well there are certain macros that will help you with that...

Now translate that to OOBling... I know in OOBling we can select colors of a certain color... But I don't know if we can specify a certain color and a certain size both... I"m not even certain we can select all objects of a certain size? I'm pretty certain we can't specify a size and color both at the same time but I bet you have a nifty work around for that?

So say I have a design with ss6 and ss10 crystal stones and I want to do something to just the ss6 crystal stones... How can I isolate those? If I have other ss6 stone colors?... I can do that in a second in CorelDRAW... In OOBling??? I'm just a dummy... It's probably there... I just don't know where... And this is something I do very commonly in design ans my guess is others probably do too...

Anyhow I think you get some ideas... 

What I learned from watching the Rhinestone videos today for KNK Studio... The process is about the same as I do in CorelDRAW... So being I know CorelDRAW as well as I do I would probably just stick with it... KNK Studio for cutting...

But I know OOBling has something to offer me... I just feel it... I just don't know what that something is at the moment... 

Kevin


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## hi-nrg-joe (Jul 19, 2008)

Kevin,

I'll try my best to see what I can do with the images you sent me. Just to let you know, even though we sell equipment, software, etc. I'm not a salesman. My background is in Engineering. I'm a techie, geeky, comic-con attending, sci-fi watching, Star Wars-loving, costume-making, experimenting, do-it-yourselfer type of person. I'm not going to say that our software is the best, but from the ones I've played with, it's my favorite. I'm also not going to tell you it's the cure all answer to rhinestoning software. I enjoy doing this type of stuff and helping others do it as well. I don't know everything about the software because it has a lot of features I've never even played with...but that also goes with Excel, Photoshop, Coreldraw, etc. I probably only use about 10-20% of everything these applications can do. Everyday that I play with it, I learn something else. So as I mentioned at the beginning, I'll do my best with the graphics. By the way, with your quest to find a great software, how much tweaking is allowed? I've never seen a perfect rhinestoning application and all that I've played with, even Corel, I've had to move stones around. Are we trying to stone the object and leave it as is, or trying to make the best looking stoned graphic no matter what it takes?


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

Oh sure... No software if going to replace the human brain entirely I don't think... I'm like you... I actually am an engineer... I have an architectural degree and used to design commercial buildings for a living a few years back... 

The thing I really find interesting about designing rhinestone templates and finding "the" perfect solution is in the end... It's all about mathematics... All these rhinestone programs do is solve math problems... Those answers to the math problems they calculate for us... That's what yields our finished design for the most part...

With the right calculator and operator any math problem can be solved and that's what I look at these rhinestone programs as... Calculators... How good is one calculator compared to the next?...

I really look at this is kind of like Myth Busters... My "control" is how I would do a design in CorelDRAW... The Myth I'm trying to figure out is... Can these programs really produce a similar quality result with less thinking and in less time?... If yes they are worth the investment... If the process take about the same amount of time... Well then it's really a matter of personal preference how you like to design. 

There is one company out there that is selling Rhinestone software that claims their software will allow me to produce a design much quicker with their software than any other software or at least much better and faster than CorelDRAW... My challenge is I've yet to see that software actually do that... I'm just supposed to take their word for it I guess?

Pretty much any program out there can add stones to a path equally well because they are all calculating that process the same way... How long is the path. How big is the stone and what is the spacing?...

So why do I need a dedicated rhinestone program?... Rhinestone Fills? YES... CorelDRAW alone does not handle that well... Other special features the software might have?... Maybe? Tell me why I need those features... That's the angle I come from...

Worst case is we discover hey that's a cool feature in this software only to discover as I have in the past that what makes a program "special" may not be so special after all as this program and this program and this program all have a similar feature...

Then it goes right back to personal preference...

Kevin


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

Here's a video I just did on the letter X... Now it may seem a little silly but there is one important thing being demonstrated... And that is how when you have an overlap like in the letter X can you get the stones to line up at that overlap... 

JPG Rhinestone Conversion in CorelDRAW - Letter X - YouTube

In CorelDRAW of course there is no "easy" way that will allow that function... So I created a Macro for it so now with a click of a button... Bingo... Perfect overlaps....

So that is one challenge for any software out there... How do they handle a similar scenario with overlaps?... Is the program smart enough to deal with that scenario or do I need to step in and handle that in a similar fashion as I do in CorelDRAW?....

That's what I don't know?...

Kevin


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