PatternLab Mode Guide: Composable Grid Patterns

Mode guide · Updated 23 August 2026

In short: PatternLab is a GPU-powered composition engine that unifies geometric and ikat-style motif families into diamond grids, cellular layouts and stripe lanes, with real-time colour mapping — a more freeform alternative to GeoPrint's fixed archetypes.

Example diamond-grid geometric pattern generated in PatternLab mode — A real render from PatternLab mode — a diamond-grid composition.

What PatternLab mode is for

PatternLab sits alongside GeoPrint as a second geometric engine, but with a different philosophy: instead of picking a fixed procedural archetype, you compose a pattern from a grid system (diamond grids, cell layouts, stripe lanes) and motif families, with colour mapping applied live as you adjust the composition. It's the mode for designers who want more direct, structural control over a geometric layout rather than tuning a generative algorithm's parameters.

Pattern Lab's Settings panel in The Plaid Studio, showing layout presets, the motif picker and advanced grid controls like fill amount and diagonal flow — The Pattern Lab Settings panel — layout presets, motif picker, and advanced grid controls.

Key controls

Grid system — diamond grids, cellular layouts, or lane-based stripe structures as the underlying composition scaffold.
Motif families — geometric and ikat-style motif sets, unified in one shader pipeline for consistent rendering.
Colour mapping — assign colours to structural roles within the grid, with real-time preview as you adjust.

Who uses PatternLab mode

Designers who want geometric or ikat-inspired patterns with hands-on control over the grid structure itself — useful for rugs, kilim-adjacent textiles, and geometric apparel prints where the underlying lattice matters as much as the motif.

Try it live: PatternLab is a Pro-and-above feature, alongside Floral and GeoPrint.

Open PatternLab mode →

Frequently asked questions

How is PatternLab different from GeoPrint?

GeoPrint offers catalogued, fixed generative archetypes (mandalas, Voronoi, truchet); PatternLab gives you direct control over a grid system and motif composition, closer to manual layout than algorithm tuning.

What does "ikat family" mean here?

Ikat refers to a dyeing/weaving tradition with characteristic blurred, staggered motif edges; PatternLab includes motif families styled after that visual tradition, unified with geometric motifs in the same composition engine.

Is PatternLab available on Free or Creator?

No — PatternLab unlocks on the Pro plan.