Why convert an .fcm file
An .fcm file is the cut file Brother's ScanNCut machines and CanvasWorkspace use. Only Brother's software opens it, so a design made for a ScanNCut is stuck there: you can't take it to a Cricut, a Silhouette, a laser or Inkscape. SVG is the format all of those understand, so converting to SVG frees the design. Common reasons:
- You changed machine, or have a second one from another brand.
- You bought or were sent a pattern as an .fcm file and want to edit it in Inkscape or Illustrator.
- You want to cut the same design on a laser, which needs SVG or DXF.
- CanvasWorkspace isn't installed on the computer in front of you, or you don't want to sign in.
What you get in the SVG
An .fcm file stores every line as straight steps and Bézier curves, in hundredths of a millimetre. Cutpeek writes those same curves into the SVG, so nothing is traced or redrawn and a 50 mm circle stays a 50 mm circle.
- Size. The SVG's width and height are in millimetres, and so are its coordinates, so software that respects units imports it at the true size.
- Position. By default the SVG is the size of the ScanNCut's cutting area (296.7 x 298.8 mm for a 12 x 12 in mat), so each piece keeps its place. Choose Just the design to trim the SVG to the lines.
- Cut and pen lines. Lines meant for the blade and lines meant for the pen go into separate groups, which Inkscape shows as layers. Untick one before downloading to leave it out.
- Pieces. Each ScanNCut piece stays together, so a letter with a hole in it is still one shape with a hole.
Pick a style for where it's going
- Colours as saved draws cut lines dark and pen lines blue. An .fcm file has no colours of its own, so these are Cutpeek's, chosen so you can tell the two apart.
- Filled shapes, for Cricut fills each closed shape, which is how Cricut Design Space expects cut pieces to look. Holes stay open.
- Thin black cut lines draws every line thin and black, for cutters and lasers that ignore colour.
What isn't in an .fcm file
Some things you see on the ScanNCut aren't stored as lines, so they can't come across. A print-and-cut file holds the cut lines and where the registration marks go, but not the picture you print. A seam allowance for fabric is added by the machine when it cuts, so the SVG has the sewing line. Rhinestone positions are drawn as small circles the size of the stone. The notes beside the mat say when a file holds any of these.
Check the size after importing
Measure one shape whose size you know after importing the SVG. If it is off, the program has assumed a different number of pixels per inch; look for a units or DPI setting in its import options.