Could this free, open-source vector design program offer ScanNCut users a more direct route from designing to cutting?
If you use a Brother ScanNCut, you’ll probably be familiar with the process of creating a design in your favourite vector software, exporting it as an SVG, and then importing that file into CanvasWorkspace to convert it into the FCM format used by your machine.
It’s a workflow that works, but wouldn’t it be useful to create your designs and export them directly as FCM files?
That’s exactly what an interesting new development for VectorCraft promises to do.
A community-developed plug-in now allows VectorCraft to export designs in Brother’s native FCM cutting-file format. Better still, both VectorCraft and the plug-in are available free of charge.
Let’s explore what this means for ScanNCut users.
What is VectorCraft?
VectorCraft is a free, open-source vector illustration application developed by the ArtCraft team.
It’s designed to provide a familiar working environment for anyone who has used Adobe Illustrator, with many of the tools you’d expect from a vector design program.
These include:
- Pen and shape-drawing tools
- Node and path editing
- Pathfinder operations for combining and subtracting shapes
- Layers and object organisation
- Text tools
- Gradients and appearance effects
- SVG and PDF import and export
VectorCraft is available for Windows, macOS and Linux, with a browser-based version also available.
For digital crafters, the appeal is fairly obvious. Vector design software gives us the freedom to create our own cutting files, rather than relying entirely on ready-made designs.
Whether you’re creating greeting cards, vinyl decals, scrapbook embellishments, stencils or decorative shapes, being able to work accurately with vector paths is enormously useful.
And now there’s another reason for ScanNCut owners to take a closer look.
Exporting directly to FCM
FCM is the native cutting-file format used by Brother ScanNCut machines.
Traditionally, when creating designs in external software such as Affinity or Illustrator, one common workflow has been to export an SVG file and then use Brother CanvasWorkspace to convert it into FCM.
However, a developer using the name plasticbugs has created a VectorCraft plug-in that adds FCM to the application’s export options.
Once installed, you can design your artwork in VectorCraft and export it directly as an FCM file.
That file can then be transferred to your ScanNCut using a USB memory stick, without first converting it in CanvasWorkspace.
It’s a relatively small addition to the software, but potentially a significant one for anyone who regularly creates their own cutting files.
How does the FCM exporter work?
The exporter is supplied as a WebAssembly plug-in, in a file named scanncut-fcm.wasm.
You’ll need VectorCraft version 0.16 or newer.
Installation is straightforward:
- Download and install VectorCraft.
- Download the FCM exporter plug-in from its GitHub project page.
- Open VectorCraft.
- Choose File > Open and select the downloaded
scanncut-fcm.wasmfile. - VectorCraft recognises and installs the plug-in.
Once installed, ScanNCut FCM becomes available as an export format.
To export a design, choose File > Export > Export As, select ScanNCut FCM, and choose your export settings.
The exporter offers options for:
- Mat size: Choose between 12 × 12 inch and 12 × 24 inch cutting mats.
- Line operations: Set lines for cutting, drawing or selection on the machine.
- Object grouping: Preserve groups as movable pieces or export individual paths separately.
- Artboard selection: Choose which artboard determines the design’s position on the cutting mat.
The exporter uses the top-left corner of the selected artboard as the top-left corner of the cutting mat, preserving the dimensions of the original vector design.
For example, a shape measuring 3 inches in VectorCraft should also measure 3 inches when opened on the ScanNCut.
That’s particularly important when creating projects that need to fit together accurately.
Preparing your designs for cutting
As with any vector-to-cutting-machine workflow, there are a few things to consider before exporting.
Convert text to outlines. Fonts need to become vector paths before they can be cut. In VectorCraft, use Type > Create Outlines. Text that hasn’t been converted will be skipped by the exporter.
Check your shapes and paths. The exporter processes visible vector paths. That means a decorative background rectangle could become an unwanted cutting line if you leave it in your artwork.
Expand effects where necessary. Some live effects, blends and repeats need to be expanded into actual vector geometry before exporting.
Check the cutting mat boundaries. Make sure your artwork fits within the selected mat size and is positioned appropriately.
These are familiar considerations for anyone who already creates their own ScanNCut files, but they’re particularly worth remembering when experimenting with new software.
Does this replace CanvasWorkspace?
Not necessarily, and that’s an important distinction.
CanvasWorkspace remains a useful part of the Brother ScanNCut ecosystem, particularly for working with Brother-specific functions and transferring designs to compatible machines.
However, for straightforward vector cutting projects, direct FCM export could remove an extra conversion step.
Instead of:
Vector software → SVG → CanvasWorkspace → FCM → ScanNCut
You could use:
VectorCraft → FCM → ScanNCut
That’s a simpler workflow, particularly if you’re creating lots of individual cutting files.
You can also import the exported FCM into CanvasWorkspace if you want to inspect or edit it before sending it to your machine.
What about Print & Cut?
This is where we need to make an important distinction.
Although the exporter can create FCM cutting files, that doesn’t automatically mean it provides the same functionality as Brother’s dedicated ScanNCut Link plug-in for Adobe Illustrator.
ScanNCut Link supports a more specialised, automated Print to Cut workflow involving registration marks and compatible ScanNCut DX machines.
The VectorCraft FCM exporter currently documents the export of vector paths, mat settings and cutting or drawing operations. It does not document an equivalent registration-mark generation and Print to Cut workflow.
So, while this is an exciting development for creating ordinary cutting files, we shouldn’t assume it can replace ScanNCut Link for accurately cutting around printed artwork.
That’s an area worth watching as the project develops.
Is VectorCraft ready for everyday crafting?
VectorCraft is still relatively new and under active development.
Although it already offers an impressive range of vector tools, it shouldn’t yet be considered a fully mature replacement for established applications such as Adobe Illustrator or Affinity.
Likewise, the FCM exporter is an independent, community-developed project. It isn’t an official Brother product, and compatibility with every ScanNCut model or type of cutting project hasn’t been established.
For that reason, we’d recommend beginning with simple designs, checking the resulting files on your machine, and keeping your original editable artwork.
A few test shapes are a much better starting point than a complicated, multi-layer project.
Why this matters for digital crafters
At Go Create Craft, we’re particularly interested in helping crafters understand how their designs work, rather than simply following instructions to reproduce a finished project.
Learning to work with vector paths opens up an enormous range of creative possibilities.
You can design a card aperture to fit a particular greeting, create custom stencils, develop your own decorative borders or build coordinating elements for an album.
The software is simply the tool that helps turn those ideas into something your cutting machine can understand.
The arrival of an FCM exporter for VectorCraft is interesting because it gives crafters another possible route between designing and making.
It also demonstrates what can happen when open-source software and independent developers respond to the needs of a specialist creative community.
Where can you find VectorCraft?
You can explore the software and FCM exporter using the following links:
VectorCraft:
https://getartcraft.com/apps/vectorcraft
VectorCraft source code:
https://github.com/vectorcraft-app/vectorcraft
ScanNCut FCM exporter and installation instructions:
https://github.com/plasticbugs/vectorcraft-scanncut
The FCM exporter is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Brother.
Our thoughts
For ScanNCut users who already enjoy creating their own vector artwork, VectorCraft is certainly worth exploring.
The ability to export directly to FCM is particularly appealing, even if the current plug-in is best approached as an experimental addition to your design toolkit.
We’re interested to see how both VectorCraft and the exporter develop, especially whether future improvements could provide more advanced functionality for ScanNCut owners.
In the meantime, if you’re curious about vector design or simply enjoy discovering new creative tools, this could be an interesting one to try.
Have you experimented with VectorCraft, or would direct FCM export make a difference to your ScanNCut workflow? We’d love to hear what you think.
Inspired by many. Created by you.
Go Create Craft