CLO3D is built around draping and simulating a garment in three dimensions, but the pattern that feeds a cutting room or a home printer is still a flat 2D file. Getting a reliable DXF or PDF out of CLO3D is a routine but exacting task, because a small setting in the export dialog changes whether seam allowance, notches and internal lines travel with the shapes.
This guide covers the practical export path from the 2D window, the difference between the DXF and PDF outputs, and the checks that catch scale and unit errors before a file leaves your machine. The same principles apply whether the destination is a plotter, a fabric cutter or a customer printing at home.
Preparing the 2D pattern before export
Everything you export originates in the 2D window, so tidy it first. Confirm that every pattern piece is a closed shape, that seam allowance is applied where you want it, and that internal shapes such as darts, pockets and drill points are present as true internal lines rather than stray segments. CLO3D distinguishes between the piece boundary and internal graphics, and both need to be correct.
Check that grainlines are set on each piece and that piece names are filled in. Names carry through to the DXF as piece identifiers and to a PDF as labels, and unnamed pieces produce a file that is painful to sort in the cutting room.
The DXF export dialog
CLO3D exports DXF through a dedicated dialog, usually offering an AAMA-flavored option alongside plain DXF. Choose AAMA when the receiving system is a professional pattern CAD or cutter that understands apparel layers, because it preserves notches, grainlines and internal lines on their correct layers. Plain DXF flattens more of that meaning.
Set the unit deliberately. If the downstream system expects millimeters and you export in inches, every piece arrives at the wrong scale, and the error is easy to miss because the shapes still look plausible. Decide whether seam allowance is included in the export and record that decision, since a net export and an allowance-included export look almost identical at a glance.
What each format is good for
- DXF AAMA: the choice for handing pieces to production CAD, plotters and automated cutters that read apparel layers.
- Plain DXF: a fallback when the recipient only needs outlines and does not read AAMA extensions.
- PDF at true scale: ideal for proofing and for customers printing on A0 or tiled A4 and Letter.
- PDF as reference: quick to open and annotate, but never cut from a PDF that was not verified at 100 percent scale.
Pro tip
Export both a DXF for production and a true-scale PDF for proofing; the PDF is the fastest way to catch a scale error before anyone cuts fabric.
Getting PDF scale right
A PDF is only useful for cutting if it prints at true size. Export with a defined page size and confirm the document carries a real-world scale rather than a fit-to-page setting. Include a test square, ideally a labeled 10 cm by 10 cm box, on the sheet so the recipient can measure it after printing and confirm calibration.
When the pattern is larger than the target page, CLO3D can tile the output across multiple sheets with overlap and registration marks. Verify the overlap is generous enough to align reliably, and that page order is obvious, before sending a tiled PDF to someone who will assemble it by hand.
Verifying the exported file
- 1.Reopen the DXF in a neutral viewer or a second CAD package and confirm every piece is present and closed.
- 2.Measure one known dimension against the original to confirm scale and unit.
- 3.Check that notches, grainlines and internal lines survived on their correct layers.
- 4.Print the PDF test square at 100 percent and measure it with a ruler.
- 5.Confirm piece names and cut quantities are legible in both outputs.
Common export failures
The most frequent problem is a unit mismatch that halves or doubles every piece. The second is exporting with seam allowance when the recipient expected net, or the reverse, which shifts every seam by the allowance width. Both are avoidable by writing the unit and allowance convention into the delivery notes.
A subtler issue is internal lines exported as separate open segments that a cutter cannot interpret. Confirm that darts and drill points are true internal entities in the 2D window before export, because CLO3D will faithfully export whatever state they are in, correct or not.
Frequently asked questions
Should I export AAMA or plain DXF from CLO3D?
Export AAMA when the recipient uses professional pattern CAD or a cutter that reads apparel layers, because it preserves notches, grainlines and internal lines. Use plain DXF only when outlines alone are needed.
Why does my exported PDF print at the wrong size?
The printer is scaling to fit the page. Print at 100 percent with no fit-to-page option, then measure the test square to confirm true scale before cutting.
Does CLO3D export seam allowance?
It exports whatever is set in the 2D window. Decide whether allowance is included, apply it deliberately, and state the convention in your delivery notes so the recipient cuts correctly.
Minerva Patterns
Made-to-measure digital patterns, ready to cut
Every pattern is graded to your measurements and delivered as DXF AAMA, PLT and PDF files for cutting, plotting and 3D workflows.
Browse the catalog