Stained Glass Design Software: 4 Best Pattern Generators
Let your imagination flow using friendly tools for glass drawings
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Key notes
- Our stained glass software selection allows you to design the model of your dreams and edit it in real time.
- Create random patterns with stained glass generators suggested in the list below.
- There are simple-to-use tools that allow you to easily create nested patterns and raster images.
- Pick from lots of objects and symbols using our selected stained glass designer programs.
Through the ages, people have used different types of materials and mediums to represent different elements of their psyche.
Starting with some of the most ancient cave paintings found across the globe (made with ash and red ochre), art has evolved into a more refined subject in time.
Today we have a wide range of types of art to choose from – painting, writing, drawing, acting, singing, and dancing. Each of the types of art we mentioned above can be combined with a wide range of environments.
One of the most interesting currents of art evolution is to use stained glass to create beautiful patterns. In this article, we will explore some of the best software options that will help you create amazing art.
What’s the best stained glass design software?
Adobe Illustrator – Bold glass designs
There is no secret that Adobe does a remarkable job when it comes to keeping up with the ever-changing world of content creation.
Adobe Illustrator is the best proof that an industry-standard vector graphics software tool can be what stained glass design professionals are looking for.
Illustrator basically puts the power of Adobe’s famous design tools in the hands of those eager to create sketches, icons, flyers, product packaging, book illustrations, billboards, and so much more with ease.
Among the positive things about this program is the fact that it assures amazing results at literally any size you could think of.
Moreover, it offers you a wide range of templates and design presets to choose from. Also, keep in mind the major benefits coming from its integration with Adobe Creative Cloud.
You are no stranger to other popular Adobe apps, so you’ll find sharing your art projects extremely intuitive as well.
These are some amazing key features to consider before making a decision:
- Snap to Pixel feature allows precise alignment to customized pixel boundaries
- Layout customization features are here included too
- Seamless workflow with other Creative Cloud apps like Premiere Pro and InDesign
- Illustrator trial works on both Mac OS and Windows
- Illustrator is on its way to iPad; don’t hesitate to sign up and get early access
Adobe Illustrator
Create the most colorful, detailed, and amazing designs for your stained glass projects with Adobe IllustratorArtlandia SymmetryWorks – Affordable pattern design tool
Arlandia SymmetryWorks is not actually a computer program or a stained glass program per se. This is a plug-in designed for Adobe Illustrator that allows you to create an incredible amount of shapes and patterns to fit your stained glass project.
We have all heard about the endless capabilities of Adobe Illustrator, so in this article, we will focus on the features of the plug-in for creating stained glass patterns.
Even though this is not a stand-alone program in itself, SymmetryWorks contains an incredible amount of cool features that simplify the process of creating your stained glass pattern.
Here are some of the best features:
- Can create patterns with one click of the mouse
- Everything can be edited in real-time
- Drag-and-drop features for adding new objects to your project
- Has the ability to create replicas and multi-replicas
- Supports a wide range of Illustrator objects, symbols, compound shapes, etc.
- Can be used to create nested patterns including Guilloche
- Full support for blends, swatches, and also raster images
- Great harmonic growth designs – can create fractal-like patterns with ease
Glass Eye 2000 – Glass colors and texture
Glass Eye 2000 is a great software option that can simplify the process of creating beautiful stained glass models, offering you a wide range of capabilities under a user-friendly dashboard.
This software can be used both by professionals in the domain, but also by people that have no experience and want to start creating easily.
You can use Glass Eye to preview all your designs before building them and apply a wide range of glass colors and even different material textures.
Even more, it automatically calculates the number of pieces you need to build the model and can print the model pattern at 1:1 size.
If you are curious to see some patterns created by other people that used this software, you can visit the official pattern library.
Glass Eye 2000 was released in a few different versions, each with its own capabilities. This is the complete list.
American Bevel Designer – High-class glass artwork
American Bevel Designer is another great tool to have installed on your PC that helps you create an unlimited number of professional-looking stained glass designs.
This software can be used to create windows, doors, or for your own personal art projects. To be more precise, you can create pieces of stained glass by using built-in Pre-drawn Shapes.
Then, choose from different types of levels, can create lines, arches, and circles, and also allows unlimited multi-level undo’s.
This software also works on a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) type of text editing and different cool effects.
One of the best features found in American Bevel Designer is the fact that you can create custom pens that fit the needs of your current project, save them, and use them when needed.
In addition to this option, you can choose from a color gradient filled with 254 colors.
The patterns that create your design can be then printed in full size, allowing you to easily transform your model from a virtual environment to real life.
You can also find a good range of downloadable patterns on the official American Bevel website.
If you are not sure about how to get started using this software, you can access the official tutorials page.
In this article, we explored some of the best software options that can help you create amazing works of art using stained glass.
The features covered by these 4 top software options will surely help you get started in your art journey, or help you create a stained-glass project professionally.
We would love to find out what your experience with using this software was like. Please feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
