AVA CAD/CAM vs Tiler
AVA CAD/CAM
avacadcam.comTiler
boxlab.ioSide by side
| Figure | AVA CAD/CAM | Tiler |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Pattern Design Software | 7.2 (#16) | 7.5 (#11) |
| Privacy | AVA's privacy policy says it may collect contact details, website browsing behavior, software version and crash reports, and anonymous statistics about software feature use. | The maker says artwork is read, drawn, and written in the browser and is not uploaded; no account is required. |
| Purpose | AVA is specialist software for decorative and textile printing, covering workflows from design through production. | Tiler creates seamless repeating patterns from artwork supplied by the user. |
Plans
In their own words
AVA CAD/CAM
AVA CAD/CAM is paid macOS software for decorative and textile printing, covering design through production. It provides colour separation tools for simple patterns, complex watercolours and textures, plus colourway development for digital and screen printing. Seamless repeat work supports drops, steps and mirrors, with vector editing and exports to PSD, PSB, ASE and TIFF. AVA is designed to complement Adobe Photoshop and exchanges PSD, PSB and ASE files. AVA Suite includes Magic Retouch, which fills removed areas from surrounding visual data, and an AI colourway generator driven by text prompts. Output can use PrintFactory, a dedicated driver or the AVA TIFF Driver with third-party RIP software. AVA Suite requires macOS 14.0 Sonoma or newer. Cloud Keys provide license access on a compatible Mac with internet; after launch, software can run offline for up to 24 hours. Modules, training and buy-versus-lease choices determine package pricing, which is available on request. The company is headquartered in Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK.
Tiler
Tiler creates seamless repeating patterns from artwork you supply. Set a field in millimeters, add SVG artwork, then place motifs by hand or scatter them using controls for count, size, size variation, rotation, mirroring, and spacing. Choose straight, half-drop, half-brick, or mirror repeats. Individual placements can retain their colors or use one ink, with separate opacity controls; backgrounds can be a ground or transparent. Export a true-size SVG tile, a PNG at 72–600 dpi, or a PDF sheet in several page sizes. The SVG stays vector, while the PDF sheet is rasterized at the selected resolution. SVG is the only supported input, so photographs and scans need tracing before import. Tiler runs in a web browser and requires no account. BoxLab says artwork is read, drawn, and written in the browser, not uploaded, and script-capable content is stripped from imported SVGs. It presents the tool for gift wrap, textiles, packaging, stationery, print, prepress, and screen backgrounds.