ArahWeave

Overview

ArahWeave is specialist textile design software for dobby and jacquard weaving. It is best suited to textile designers and mills that need to develop woven structures and carry them toward loom production. Its strength is a close fit with weaving workflows; its editions impose meaningful limits on weave size and loom compatibility.

Key features

Fabric simulation represents cloth at actual size using thread pattern, weave structure, density, yarn composition and yarn color. That makes it useful for judging a design in the context of its construction and materials, rather than as general-purpose illustration software. Seamless repeats and colorway tools support iterative textile work, but there is no vector editing.

Weaving-focused tools include double-fabric decomposed editing, thread-pattern generation, automatic long-float correction and crêpe weave generation. CIE Lab-based colorimetry and simulations of overprint, chiné, ikat, seersucker, raised finishes and wrinkles offer control over color and surface effects. These capabilities make the software a stronger fit for fabric development than for artwork that depends on vector drawing.

The Weft Blanket combines samples with different patterns in one file, allowing them to be woven without stopping the loom. ArahWeave supports major industrial dobby and jacquard loom formats and can save cards ready for weaving, although actual compatibility depends on the edition. DobbyPro and JacquardPro add XML import and export for ERP interfacing. Arahne recommends Dropbox for sharing CAD data and cloud backup; that is a suggested workflow, not a built-in cloud service.

Pricing

The Demo is free. It saves images but not ArahWeave projects; ArahPaint works fully. It is useful for exploring image output, but not for retaining a project for later editing.

Personal Edition costs 2500.00 EUR once. It supports weaves up to 2048 × 2048 and handloom jacquards from AVL and Digital Weaving Norway. XML technical-data saving is disabled. This is the lower-cost paid option for those handloom formats, but not for industrial loom interfaces or ERP-linked technical data. It includes one year of phone, email and TeamViewer support, plus one year of software updates.

Selvedge Edition costs 3850.00 EUR once. Its maximum weave size is 1024 × 8192, and it is limited to Stäubli JC5, JC6 and JC7 selvedge jacquard looms. It supports TIFF and PNG, while XML technical-data saving is disabled. This is the targeted option for those looms, not a general industrial edition. It also includes one year of phone, email and TeamViewer support and one year of updates.

DobbyPro and JacquardPro have custom pricing. DobbyPro supports weaves up to 65000 × 65000, industrial dobby loom interfaces and XML import/export for ERP; it includes one year of support and updates and 2 to 3 days of training. JacquardPro supports the same maximum weave size, industrial jacquard and dobby interfaces, and ERP XML import/export, with one year of support and updates and 2 to 5 days of training. These are the production-oriented choices for mills needing industrial interfaces and ERP exchange; the published package descriptions do not give a purchase price.

Platforms

ArahWeave is Linux-based and runs natively on Linux or in a virtual machine. Mac support is also described, while Windows use is through Linux virtualized in VMware or VirtualBox. This makes it an option across the three desktop operating systems, but Windows users need a virtualization setup rather than a native Windows version.

Who it's for

ArahWeave suits designers and mills whose work centers on dobby or jacquard fabric construction, material-aware simulation and loom-compatible output. The edition range spans handloom and specific selvedge-loom work through industrial dobby and jacquard production. It is a poor fit for someone seeking a vector editor or a free demo that saves editable ArahWeave projects.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Actual-size simulation incorporates weave structure and yarn properties, making it relevant to construction-led fabric design.
• Pros: The Weft Blanket can group differently patterned samples for weaving without stopping the loom.
• Pros: Industrial editions combine loom interfaces with ERP XML exchange and include training.
• Cons: The free demo cannot save ArahWeave projects, limiting its usefulness for ongoing design work.
• Cons: Personal and Selvedge Editions have narrow loom compatibility and disable XML technical-data saving.
• Cons: Windows requires Linux virtualization, and the software has no vector editing.

Alternatives

For a broader set of pattern-design options, browse Pattern Design Software.

Choose Repper instead if a mobile or web app and a free option matter more than ArahWeave's weaving-specific production workflow; its free mobile plan has simplified exports and image upload limited to the first two weeks.

JUMI PatternMaker is a web-based free option with no sign-up or watermark and SVG and PNG exports up to 8000px, making it a better fit for pattern work that does not require loom interfaces.

Loocie Design offers a free web-based Studio beta for desktop, tablet and phone, but files auto-delete after a short time and its tools may change.

Raspberry AI Prints & Patterns may suit readers looking for a web or API service with a free 50-credit allowance and a paid Individual plan at $49 a month; that is a different proposition from loom-oriented weave design.

Texloom Studio is a web and extension alternative with 100 starting credits and 27 free tool pages without signup, for readers who prefer that credit-based workflow to ArahWeave's desktop editions.

AVA CAD/CAM is another paid option for macOS.

KXStitch is a free Linux option.

Seamlessify is a freemium web option.

Verdict

ArahWeave is the right choice for textile professionals who need weave-specific design, technically grounded fabric simulation and a path to compatible loom output. The strongest reason to choose it is the combination of construction tools and production-oriented editions; the main reason to look elsewhere is the cost and workflow constraint of the paid tiers, especially if you need editable projects from a free demo, vector editing or native Windows support.