Optitex to Audaces: How to Export and Convert DXF Patterns

To move patterns from Optitex to Audaces (or the other way around), the bridge is the DXF/AAMA format: there is no direct conversion between the two programs, only an export to an intermediate standard and an import on the other side. The result depends on choosing the correct unit when exporting, on the notch and grainline layers mapping properly on import, and on confirming with a real measurement against the tech pack that the scale did not shift.

Modeltex production guide. Updated on Oct 12, 2026.

DXF/AAMA as the bridge between Optitex and Audaces

Optitex and Audaces each have their own native format (PDS in Optitex, ADS in Audaces Moldes) and neither reads the other's directly. The way to move a pattern from one to the other is to export it to DXF/AAMA, the pattern-exchange standard (ASTM D6673, successor to AAMA-292), and import it on the receiving side.

DXF/AAMA stores each kind of information in a numbered layer: outline, notches, grainline, internal lines, text. Those layers are exactly what can be lost or mismapped in the trip between programs, so converting a pattern means exporting, importing and then checking that every layer arrived where it should.

Exporting from Optitex: File > Export > DXF/AAMA

In Optitex PDS the export is under File > Export > DXF/AAMA (in some versions, Export > DXF). The dialog asks you to choose the output unit, centimeters, millimeters or inches, and that choice must match the unit Audaces will work in: the DXF stores numbers in the unit you indicate, not in a universal unit.

Before exporting, confirm in the piece properties that the grainline and the notches are loaded as such, not just drawn by eye. If the pattern has a full size range, you must tick the export of all sizes or generate the .rul grading rules file along with the DXF; otherwise only one size comes in on the other side.

Exporting from Audaces Moldes to DXF/AAMA

In Audaces Moldes the export is in the File menu, with the option to export to DXF or the AAMA export wizard depending on the version. Audaces works in centimeters by default, so if the destination will read the file in inches you must say so right there, not fix it afterward by scaling the piece by hand.

Audaces lets you choose which layers to export: outline, notches, grainline, text, seam line. Leave ticked all the ones the destination program will need; if you will keep editing in Optitex, exporting the seam line separately from the outline saves you from rebuilding it later.

What to check on import on the other side

When you open the DXF with File > Import > DXF in the destination program, first confirm in the import dialog the unit of the source file, not the one in your default setting. If Optitex exported in inches and Audaces imports assuming centimeters, the piece comes in 2.54 times smaller; the other way around (exported in centimeters and the destination reads inches), it comes in 2.54 times larger.

Second, check the layer mapping: that the notches came in with type and depth and not as loose lines, and that the grainline came in as a line with direction. If you see little loose lines where there should be a notch, convert them with the notch tool before you keep working on the piece.

File unit (cm, mm or inches): confirm it in the import dialog, do not assume it.
Notches: with type and depth, not as loose lines.
Grainline: as a line with a defined direction.
Full size range (or .rul file) if the pattern has several sizes.
Seam allowance: confirm whether the outline already includes it before adding another.

Confirm the scale did not shift: measure against the tech pack

The real check is with the measure tool, not by eye. Take two or three known measurements of the piece in the base size (chest width, total length, sleeve length) and compare them with the pattern's tech pack. If they match, the scale came through fine; if there is a fixed proportional difference, the problem was the unit.

Example with round numbers: if the tech pack says 52 cm of chest width and the imported piece measures 20.47 cm, the file was read in inches instead of centimeters (52 ÷ 2.54 = 20.47). If it measures 5.2 cm, it was read in millimeters. Re-importing with the correct unit fixes both cases; scaling the piece by hand afterward does not work, because the error carries over unevenly in the internal details.

Typical problems when converting DXF between Optitex and Audaces

Besides the unit error, other problems show up often in this conversion and have nothing to do with scale.

Loss of text and annotations: piece names, fabric notes and cutting instructions do not always travel the same way, because each program handles text layers in its own way. Rename the pieces by hand in the destination instead of trusting that the text arrived legible.
Curves converted to polygons: if the DXF was exported with a high curve tolerance or few points per curve, an armhole or neckline that was a smooth curve comes in as a string of short straight segments. You can see it by zooming in on a tight curve.
Notches that arrive as loose strokes, when whoever exported them put them in the internal-lines layer instead of the notch layer.

How to ask for a better-quality DXF from whoever exports

If a pattern arrives with curves converted to polygons, the fix is not to smooth them on the receiving side, because precision was already lost there, but to ask whoever exported to regenerate the file with a higher curve resolution: the lower the tolerance (or the higher the number of points per curve), the more faithful the curve is to the original.

Ask specifically for: the exact unit used when exporting, all the necessary layers ticked (notches, grainline, text, seam line), the full size range or the .rul file, and the finest curve tolerance the source program allows. A DXF requested this way saves half the corrections after importing.

Frequently asked questions

How do I move patterns from Optitex to Audaces?

Export the pattern from Optitex to DXF/AAMA, with the correct unit and either all sizes or the .rul file, and import it in Audaces Moldes indicating that same unit. Then check the notches and the grainline and measure one piece against the tech pack.

How do I export or convert DXF files between Optitex and Audaces?

From Optitex you export with File > Export > DXF/AAMA, choosing the correct unit and ticking the export of all sizes or the .rul file. From Audaces Moldes you export with the DXF or AAMA export function in the File menu, ticking the notch, grainline and text layers. On the receiving side you confirm the unit on import, check the layer mapping and measure one piece against the tech pack before cutting.

Which unit should I choose when exporting a DXF from Optitex or Audaces?

The one used by the program that will receive the file, explicitly confirmed in the export dialog instead of leaving the default. If in doubt, the safest option is to export in centimeters and confirm it again in the import dialog on the other side.

Why do pieces come out 2.54 times larger or smaller after converting a DXF?

Because inches and centimeters got mixed up: 1 inch is exactly 2.54 cm, and that factor is the typical signature of a unit error. Re-import indicating the correct unit; scaling the piece afterward does not fix the problem because notches and allowances are not corrected evenly.

Why do my curves look like polygons after exporting to DXF?

Because the DXF was generated with a low level of detail: a high curve tolerance makes the program store a smooth curve as short straight segments. To avoid it, ask whoever exports to lower the tolerance in the DXF export dialog, rather than trying to fix it afterward in the program that receives the file.

Are text and annotations lost when converting a pattern from Optitex to Audaces?

It is one of the most common problems of this conversion: piece names, fabric notes and cutting instructions do not always travel legibly, because each program handles text layers in its own way. Check and rename the pieces by hand after importing.

How do I confirm that the scale of an imported pattern is correct?

With the measure tool: take two or three known measurements in the base size, such as chest width and total length, and compare them with the pattern's tech pack. If there is a fixed proportional difference, such as 2.54 or 10 times, the problem was the unit chosen when exporting or importing.

More guides

Sewing patterns ready for production, with the full size range, in the Modeltex catalog.