Projects/Liberty/File Formats/Viking Pfaff

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Viking/Husqvarna Pfaff/Singer 3 VP3

The VP3 file format appears to be series of nested tagged sections. The files seen so far, start with a header of signature bytes and "Produced by..." string; followed by a tagged embroidery-summary packet. Like Russian dolls, the embroidery-summary packet contains a tagged hoop-centred packet after some information about stitched area, stitching time, etc. The hoop-centred packet expresses a centred stitch extent and contains several tagged thread packets. Each thread packet has colour and weight information, also containing one stitch-rum packet.

The file format could logically contain several embroideries, and each embroidery contain more than one hoop, but this has not been seen. Perhaps to contain a library of patterns, or to split a large design over several hoops.

The tags seen, so far, are,

  • 0 2 0 - Embroidery-summary packet
  • 0 3 0 - Hoop-centred packet
  • 0 5 0 - Thread packet
  • 0 1 0 - Stitch-run packet


In the style of Backus–Naur Form,

File = File-header Embroidery-summary

Embroidery-summary = Summary-details {Hoop-centred}

Hoop-centred = Hoop-details {Thread}

Thread = Thread-details Stitch-run

File-header

Offset Length Type Description
0 6 ASCIIZ Signature = "%vsm%"
6 N1 N-WStr Producer-string 16 bit big-endian length in bytes followed by 16 bit characters
6+N1

Embroidery Summary-details

Offset Length Type Description
0 3 Tag embroidery-tag 0 2 0 three bytes
3 4 Length embroidery-len remaining bytes in this packet
7 N2 N-WStr settings-string human readable debugging notes
7+N2 4 MicroM extent-right right edge of stitching in um starting from 0,0
11+N2 4 MicroM extent-top
15+N2 4 MicroM extent-left
19+N2 4 MicroM extent-bottom
23+N2 4 Count stitch-time-count time estimate in stitches
27+N2 2 Count thread-change-count
29+N2 1 Byte unknown = 12
30+N2 2 Count unknown = 1 may be hoop-count

Hoop-details

Offset Length Type Description
0 3 Tag hoop-tag = 0 3 0
3 4 Length hoop-len
7 4 MicroM centre-x of summary extent above
11 4 MicroM centre-Y
15 3 Bytes unknown = 00 00 00 may include empty string
18 4 MicroM hoop-left
22 4 MicroM hoop-right
26 4 MicroM hoop-bottom
30 4 MicroM hoop-top
34 4 MicroM hoop-width
38 4 MicroM hoop-height
42 N3 N-WStr settings-2 second copy of settings-string
42+N3 1 Byte unknown = 100
43+N3 1 Byte unknown = 100
44+N3 4 int unknown = 4096
48+N3 4 int unknown = 0
52+N3 4 int unknown = 0
56+N3 4 int unknown = 4096
60+N3 1 Byte unknown = 120 or 'x'
61+N3 1 Byte unknown = 120 or 'x'
62+N3 1 Byte unknown = 80 or 'P'
63+N3 1 Byte unknown = 80 or 'P'
64+N3 1 Byte unknown = 1
65+N3 1 Byte unknown = 0
66+N3 N4 N-WStr producer-2 second copy of producer-string
66+N3+N4 2 Count thread-count

Thread-details

Offset Length Type Description
0 3 Tag thread-tag = 0 5 0
3 4 Length thread-len bytes to next thread
7 4 MicroM start-x move needle
11 4 MicroM start-y
15 1 Count colours-per-thread
16 N5 Table colour-table = {colour-detail}
16+N5 1 Byte unknown = 0 or 10 for multicoloured
17+N5 1 Code thread-type-tension (5 rayon, 1 metallic)
18+N5 1 Byte thread-weight (km/kg)
19+N5 N6 Record thread-description human readable thread description
19+N5+N6 4 MicroM total-displacement-x sum of stitches and jump stitches
23+N5+N6 4 MicroM total-displacement-y
27+N5+N6 N7 Record stitche-run
27+N5+N6+N7 1 Byte unknown = 0

Colour-detail

Offset Length Type Description
0 1 Byte unknown = 0 or 20 for multicoloured
1 3 RRGGBB colour-RGB
4 1 Byte unknown = 0 or 10 for multicoloured
5 1 Byte unknown = 0


Thread Tension Code

Code Description
5 Rayon
1 Metallic

Thread Description

Offset Length Type Description
0 N6a N-Str Thread-code 16 bit length followed by ASCII characters part-number
0+N6a N6b N-Str Thread-name human readable name of thread
0+N6a+N6b N6c N-Str Thread-manu maker, material and weight

Stitch-run

Offset Length Type Description
0 3 Tag stitch-tag = 00 01 00
3 4 Length stitches-len
7 1 Byte scale-x = 10
8 1 Byte scale-y = -10 the y displacement is negative
9 1 Byte unknown = 0
10 N8 Table Displacement | disp-x | disp-y}


Escaped-command

Offset Length Type Description
0 1 Byte Escape = -128 or 0x80
1 1 Byte Command-code


Command-code Description
0 Deleted or null stitch
1 Move followed by 16 bit displacement-x and 16 bit displacement-y
2 End-move preceded by 16 bit displacement-y and 16 bit displacement-x for reverse stitching
3 Deleted or null stitch

Displacement

Offset Length Type Description
0 1 Byte displacement-x -127 to 127 in 0.1 mm
1 1 Byte displacement-y -127 to 127 in -0.1 mm


Other References

The VP3 File Format external page contains an overview of this format.