Make a repeat once. Place it where the design needs it.

Build a reusable pattern from copied vector artwork, an image tile, or a procedural recipe. Apply that definition to selected objects, then adjust each fill’s tile scale, phase, and rotation in the inspector.

This pattern library is available in the current source build and is not included in a published Varve release yet.

Four things, kept distinct

Source, repeat, definition, and placement have separate jobs.

A copied motif or tile is the source. Its definition stores cell and repeat data. An object’s fill points to that reusable definition and owns its own placement values. Editing those placement values does not resize or move the original artwork on the canvas.

01 · SOURCEArtwork or tileCopied vector, raster image, or recipe

02 · DEFINITIONReusable patternCell bounds and repeat settings

03 · APPLICATIONOne object fillIndependent scale, phase, and rotation

Conceptual model — this diagram is not an application screenshot.

A reusable dotted vector pattern applied to a selected shape, with repeat and document-alignment controls visible in the inspector — A real pattern fill with its repeat settings and document-aligned placement

In the source-build preview

A practical start for reusable surface design.

Copy a vector selection

Create a definition from selected artwork in the Paint inspector. The selected source artwork remains on the canvas; the pattern keeps its own copied source data.

Bring in a raster tile

Import PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, or AVIF. The image is embedded as a document asset, so the definition does not depend on its original file path.

Start with a recipe

New pattern creates a checkerboard recipe that is saved with the document, alongside its generated preview.

Apply and make unique

Apply a library entry to selected objects. A fill can be made unique for one selected object, with its own definition identity for later source changes.

Adjust the fill in place

Set tile width, tile height, horizontal and vertical phase, and rotation for the selected fill. The current repeat preview helps inspect the applied arrangement.

Keep assets with the file

Pattern definitions and imported tile bytes are part of document data. The normal document save path carries their source and dependencies together.

Current boundaries

Vector source editing is compact; raster repair and some output paths remain limited.

Create, apply, rename, and make definitions unique from the Pattern Library. Definition settings control shared cell size and repeat arrangement. A linked fill keeps its own scale, phase, rotation, and Object or Document/page alignment. Choose Make unique before changing one use independently.

Vector source editing is a cancelable draft for copied top-level motifs: select and move a motif from any visible repeat copy, including across a tile edge, or use numeric translation and rotation. Done updates linked fills as one history action. The compact editor does not yet edit nested children, vector points, text, paint, or raster pixels; normal canvas tools are not available in this source-edit session.

Raster seam inspection cyclically offsets existing pixels into a new embedded PNG (up to 16 megapixels). It does not invent edge content or support wraparound painting. Export Tile saves one source cell; Export Supertile saves tested rectangular periods for grid and conventional half-drop or brick repeats with mirror parity. Applied-fill SVG uses reusable vector patterns for supported linked grid fills and warns when it falls back to raster. PDF supports axis-aligned grids with positive gaps and warns on unsupported transforms; PDF/X-1a omits transparent tiles or fills with non-opaque opacity. Finite expansion is not available.

Read the pattern workflow and limits →