Free online PEC to DXF converter

What the PEC format is

PEC is a machine-embroidery stitch format associated with Brother and older Deco embroidery systems. It stores stitch coordinates, thread-color changes, hoop information, and design commands needed to sew the pattern; it is not a general vector-graphics format.

Brother PE-Design, Brother Palette, and other embroidery-digitizing programs can create or export PEC files. You encounter PEC files when downloading designs for Brother-compatible machines, exchanging stitch patterns between embroidery applications, or loading older designs from embroidery archives.

What the DXF format is

DXF, the Drawing Exchange Format, stores CAD geometry such as lines, polylines, arcs, circles, layers, and text. In machine-embroidery workflows, it is mainly used to exchange design outlines with CAD, vector, and digitizing software before stitches are generated.

DXF is useful when the recipient program cannot edit PEC data but can import CAD geometry. It supports scalable outlines and measured coordinates, but it is not normally a machine-ready embroidery format: an embroidery application must assign stitch types, densities, underlay, thread colors, and trims before sewing.

How to convert PEC to DXF

For a one-off conversion, use the converter on 101convert.com without installing software:

1. Open the PEC-to-DXF conversion page on 101convert.com.
2. Select or drag the .pec file into the upload area.
3. Choose DXF as the output format and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting .dxf file and open it in the target CAD or embroidery application.
5. Set the drawing units and scale manually if the receiving program does not read the DXF unit metadata correctly.

For repeated work, use an embroidery-digitizing application that explicitly supports both PEC import and DXF export. Import the design through File → Import, inspect the stitch sequence, then use the program’s vector, outline, or DXF export command. The exact menu name varies by application and edition; many embroidery programs can import DXF but cannot export it.

After export, open the DXF in the destination program and verify the design dimensions, layer structure, thread-color separation, and object count before editing or re-digitizing it.

Quality and compatibility limits

PEC contains stitch instructions rather than the original vector contours. A PEC-to-DXF converter therefore has to derive lines or polylines from stitch positions. The result may show individual stitch runs, jump movements, or fragmented outlines instead of clean closed shapes.

DXF output generally does not preserve PEC-specific properties such as satin-column width, fill density, underlay, stitch angle, needle-bar assignments, trims, or machine speed. Thread colors may be exported as layer or entity colors, but color names and thread-brand information are not guaranteed to survive.

Use the exported DXF as a reference for geometry or as a starting point for redigitizing, not as a substitute for the original PEC file. Keep the PEC source unchanged, confirm the DXF scale in millimeters or inches, and regenerate machine stitches in the final embroidery software before sending the design to a machine.