Question for PC EQ6 users?

Hi Connie, as you say, this will not be your main machine so your specs should be OK for EQing - memory upgrade is definitely something to consider unless you use an external storage device for designs, etc. once you have built up your libraries. cd-rom drive and sound card are also required plus monitor resolution of 1068x??? or greater. If you are planning to use a lot of photos in your designs, that will use up a lot of available space on your computer but otherwise, just keep a check on properties for the system to know if it causing your laptop to slow down to much. jennellh (change the mail to news)

You will definitely need more RAM. You have to have 950MB of available hard-disk space, a CD-ROM drive, a monitor with a screen resolution of

1024x768 or greater, and a sound card for the demo videos.

Sherry Starr

Thanks, Sherry!! :)

I figured I'd have to upgrade the RAM ... do you think 512 MBs would be enough?

It's coming with a 20-30 GB (can't remember, LOL) drive, and the only apps on it will be EQ6 and Outlook (maybe the rest of Office) so I think I should be good on HD space?

But I'm sure I'll upgrade the drive VERY soon - on my Mac the smallest drive I have is 250GBs! Such a small drive will "drive" me nuts!! :)

Again, thank YOU!! :)

Thank you, Jennelh!! :)

It's a decent little lappie - 15 inch screen (my eyes ain't what they used to be!) and it does have 1024 x 768 screen res. I think my biggest concern is the processing speed (1 GHz) and RAM it comes with. Although I'll be upgrading the RAM (ASAP), I'd still like to be able to play with it while it ships (I always buy my RAM online - so much cheaper!!) ... which would probably be about 4 or 5 days. :/ In the meantime, I'll only be running EQ6, Outlook - and maybe Word. I'll scan with my Mac and just pull things over the network and probably store the majority of my files, there, too.

Can I also ask if you know if you can "back-save" EQ6 to be compatible with EQ5? With my eZine, I'm planning on including downloadable links for subscribers to download EQ project files for my patterns and I don't want to leave EQ5 users out (but don't want to have to buy or run EQ5).

Again, thank you so much, Jennelh!! :)

Connie, I don't see a way to save an EQ6 file as an EQ5 file. While there's a Save As ... option, there isn't any way to select EQ5 as the file type.

Oh ... well .... crud. I was really hoping not to "leave anyone out." It looks like I'll be buying EQ5, too.

Do you think most quilters use EQ5 or EQ6 (obviously, that is if they use EQ at all)??

I'll put up a poll at my blog and see how many use EQ 5 or 6 or at all.

As always, thanks, Sandy!! :)

I think that EQ6 is new enough that it's hard to tell. Going by what I see on the info-eq list, though, I'd say that the majority have updated. That's a skewed sample, though, since it obviously doesn't include most of the EQ users.

Connie, instead of buying EQ5, why don't you ask someone who subscribes to your blog if they'd be willing to trace the patterns into EQ5 from the versions you make? Someone -- or a few someones -- might be able to do that, if they have both versions, and save you having to buy more software.

Hi Connie, the file types for #5 & #6 are different and while #5 files can be used by #6, the reverse is not possible. Alternatively - use #5 for your needs??? Is it possible to use word program or pdf format to accomplish what you want to do?? jennellh

Yeah, I guess the only way to find out if my subscribers are using either version is to ask them ... I put up a poll and sent out a (pathetic, begging) e-mail for votes on what they've got.

*sigh* I just really don't understand why EQ isn't backwards compatible ... :/

That's a great idea, but I'd feel bad about asking for someone to do that. I probably sound silly saying that.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know I'm putting a LOT of work into this thing and I'm just really hesitant about asking for anyone else to put the same amount in. :/

Does that make sense??? :/

Ugh. I don't think so ...but then, I'm not THAT familiar with EQ yet (still waiting for it). What I want (and again, this probably shows how UNfamiliar I am with it) is to upload project files to my web site and give my subscribers the option to download and use those files themselves - thinking that they could take Applique Pattern A and modify it or use it in another quilt setting.

Does that make sense?? Like I said, I'm not familiar with what CAN be done and what CAN'T. :/

Thank you, though, Jennellh!! :)

512 MBs will be fine. That is what I have on my desktop, but it is 5 years old. When I get a new computer, I'm going to get 2 GBs. My husband has a laptop, and he said he is definitely going to get 2 GBs.

Sherry Starr

Good. I had thought as much but wasn't sure. Since I've never used EQ before, I had no idea how much resources it'd need! :)

For all I knew, nothing less than 1GB would have been reasonable!! :)

I have no idea how old this lappie is ... It's only 1 GHz so it can't be too new. But I figure it's a Gateway and I've heard they're decent?

I'm guessing about .... 6 years old??

FWIW, though, usually, a desktop is better quality than a laptop - meaning, you get more bang for your buck. What they don't have to spend on a monitor (not to mention cramming all those parts into that tiny box). When I bought my Mac desktop, I bought a G4 1.6 GHz machine - for the same money, all I could have bought lappie-wise would have been a

300MHz iBook!

Oh, absolutely!! When you go to 2GBs from 512MBs you can TOTALLY feel the difference. My Mac started out with 512 and the first thing I did was upgrade it - it booted in 1/4 of the time afterwards!!! :)

Connie, there is a process to export an image or metafile from eq6 to your notepad and then into a computer file - whether this would work for you, I don't know - I haven't had to export info. I'm still taking photos of stash to import into the libraries but I am way behind in this task, way way behind! You'll have lots of fun learning all about your eq when it arrives - you won't know until you try the export process whether this is going to work for you or not. jennellh

Sigh I figured as much ... I was really hoping that EQ would allow back-saving. Almost all of the apps I use do, and I still can't wrap my head around why EQ would be different in that respect.

But honestly, thank you VERY much, Jennellh!! You HAVE been a HUGE help!! Once it gets here, I'm going to try what you've outlined ... hopefully, there's a workaround!!

And BTW, hubby is out of country for the next week - which is a good thing! Once EQ gets here, I KNOW I'll be so obsessed with it that he'll get ZERO attention! Last thing I need is for hubby to know where he stands when it comes to quilting (at least, any more than he knows now! LOL!)!

Again, Jennellh, thank you SEW very much!! :)

Connie, I've missed most of this thread (don't get all posts) so I hope I am not repeating what has already been posted, but - did you know there is a group for rctq EQ users? We have been REAL quiet lately, but any questions usually get a quick answer, and there are a couple of real wizards in the group who are very helpful. Tutu really keeps us on our toes! lol

When you say you want to upload "project files" to your site, do you mean EQ .prj files to be used by other EQ users, or files that have quilting project details? EQ refers to their file format "project" (.PJ5 for EQ5, and .PJ6 for EQ6)

EQ will export images of your designs (quilts, blocks, or sections of either - whatever you highlight) and you can save them in any format you want. There are also other features that help with writing design instruction, rotary cutting plans, notes, etc. If I remember right (?) EQ6 allows you to export meta files that can be broken down (eg. sections of a block to show assembly of piecing).

EQ6 info on exporting ____________________________________ For image files, there are a number of different file formats. EQ6 will export the following file formats: a.. bmp This type of file displays an image using thousands of small dots or pixels of light. In the case of EQ, the image can be a block or a quilt. You can export them as drawings or filled with color or fabric. Many software applications can open a bitmap file and display the image just as it looks in EQ6. When you place the file using another application, it will be treated as a single unit.

b.. jpg This type of file is commonly used for photos. Because it will compress nicely to a very small file size, this format is widely used over the Internet. We recommend the jpg format, if you're unsure which file format to select.

c.. gif This type of file is commonly used for images that are line drawings or grayscale. It is not recommended for photographs or images with lots of colors. It will compress to a nice small file size.

d.. tiff Almost every graphics application can read and write TIFF files. Files can be large if no compression is selected. You can choose to compress the tiff files using LZW compression which is a compression scheme that will create a smaller file size.

e.. png This format was developed to be portable and for online viewing. You'll want to make sure the application you plan to use to import images will accept this format.

f.. Metafile This type of file displays an image using lines, arcs, rectangles, ovals, etc. Metafiles are actually a series of drawing commands, not pixel data. Metafiles are resolution independent, so they can be resized without loss of quality. In EQ6, you can export a metafile for a block, but not a quilt. The file created consists of the line drawing and solid fill color if you've chosen to export both line and fill. When you place the metafile in another application, you can manipulate the block by pulling it apart one patch at a time. Windows metafile format is understood effectively by many graphic, illustration and word processing programs although some applications may be happier manipulating the image as a single unit than as individual patches. ______________________________________________________

I have EQ2,3,4,5 and 6. Didn't like EQ6 when it came out, but Tutu says that the recent upgrade has made it better so I am promising to go back and give it another try. But I have so many applique designs in EQ5 I have little incentive to make more in EQ6 right now lol. I usually put designs I buy into EQ to allow me to resize, rearrange, test layouts and colours, etc. It takes a little time to draw them out, but the design options - once drawn out - are worth it. It is so much fun to take designs and test them out in different layouts with just the click of a key.

No! I didn't know that ... I'd really be interested in at least listening in (I certainly have nothing to share yet - haven't gotten my copy yet - still waiting!). Could you give me more details on how to find the group?

Well, what I was hoping (which I've been told I can't do) is be able to provide links to actual project files (?) ... let me see ... since I haven't actually stuck my nose in it yet, I'm not sure what the lingo is .. I want my subscribers to be able to download the files that I use to actually create the designs. Like if I use such-and-such fabrics from say, Moda, I'd like them to be able to open the files with all those sorts of settings intact. I'd like them (if this IS possible) to open the file and maybe import(?) the blocks I've designed into their library(?).

Now, I know I can do that going EQ6 to EQ6 (which is what I bought) but I wanted to do that going EQ6 to EQ*5*. And from everything I've been told, it won't work that way (I even asked Penny @ EQ).

Did all that make sense?? Like I said, I'm not familiar with the terms so I don't think I can describe what I'm looking for without sounding like a complete idiot! :/

Okay, now when you say "images" do you mean that EQ5 people will be able to import EQ6 images? (Yeesh, that really didn't make sense, did it?) Meaning, if I create design A, and export it to a EQ5 compatible file, could a EQ5 user open it in EQ5 and modify it or add it to their library?

See!? That's what I want people to be able to do with my designs!! That is the BEST description to describe what I'm looking to do!! But I want them to be able to do it with designs that I've created in EQ6 in their EQ5 app!

Did that make more sense?? Like I've said many a time, this ol grey mare ain't what she used to be! :/

Now on EQ5 vs EQ6 - I've been told (mainly the reviews, which of course are done by people SELLING the software) that EQ6 is THE best app for designers. Supposedly it has more geegaws and gidgets to make designing easier ... is that not the case??? And I really need help with creating the instructions - as you can see, writing is not my forte, so I was hoping that EQ6 would make it easier to create instructions, too. :/

Or am I asking for miracles???

Thank you SEW much, Cheryl!! You've really helped a lot!! Have you thought about writing a text book on EQ? You seem to be MORE than qualified! :)

Connie - slow down! rofl

To begin with, most software will not be backwards compatible, so you shouldn't be surprised that EQ6 won't save to EQ5 format.

GENERALLY it is not hard to make an EQ5 file over into EQ6, so my answer would be create the file in EQ5 format, then open that file and save it in EQ6 and just do some minor tweaking if anything changes. HOWEVER . . . I have EQ5 AND EQ6 so I can do that. If you only have (or will only have) EQ6 then you cannot create a file that can be read in EQ5. EOS!

If you are planning on making files available with a large fabric library, your file size will blow out quickly. It might be worth creating your designs in plain colours and giving a link to the EQ free pallettes so people can download the fabrics themselves. But you should talk to EQ about using their site link in association with your designs.

If you export an image of your design in EQ6 it is no longer anything more than an image/picture, so it cannot be "imported" to EQ5. EQ5 users would have to use the picture as a guide to create their own file from scratch.

As to how much help EQ6 gives for writing instructions - I can't comment as I haven't used it at all. I am still using mostly EQ5 because my special interest is applique and I prefer the drawing tools in EQ5. I haven't even opened EQ6 since the recent update, so I don't know what has changed.

My recommendation would be wait until you have you software and get to know it for a while before leaping into creating any massive files and trying to give links to them on a web site.

As for the group - we have been VERY quiet lately so there hasn't been much to listen in on. But if you want to contact some other software users I have sent you an invitation to join.

There isn't really any help from EQ for writing instructions. For blocks that can be rotary cut, there are rotary cutting instructions, but you need to know basic quilt construction to write proper instructions. I design small projects for my group in Florida, and I use EQ to do my designing, but then write the instructions in "Word". There is a learning curve to EQ, but if you have been using other art/drawing programs, you should not have any trouble.