MAX

Status

Field	Value
Extension(s)	.max
Common ecosystem	Pfaff lead
Format family	Unknown embroidery lead
Satin Studio status	Researching
Open / import	No
Export	No
Confidence	Low.

What it is

MAX is tracked as an older Pfaff-related embroidery lead. The extension collides with many non-embroidery formats, so it needs strong identification before support.

Satin Studio direction

Research lead only.

Versions and variants

Unknown.

File identification notes

No trusted byte structure is documented here yet.

Observed structure notes

• Observed MAX readers seek to offset 0xD5, read a little-endian 32-bit stitch count, then read absolute points.
• Observed point layout is 24-bit little-endian X, one control byte, 24-bit little-endian Y, and one control byte. Coordinates are signed 24-bit values scaled by an observed factor near 1.235.
• Observed readers treat the records as absolute stitch points; command semantics remain weakly documented.

Structure sketch

Observed MAX files use absolute 24-bit coordinates after an offset header:

struct MaxCandidate<'a> {
    prefix: [u8; 0xD5],
    stitch_count: u32,
    records: &'a [MaxPointRecord],
}

struct MaxPointRecord {
    x_le24: [u8; 3],                   // signed 24-bit little-endian
    control0: u8,
    y_le24: [u8; 3],                   // signed 24-bit little-endian
    control1: u8,
}

What we still need

Known Pfaff MAX files, signatures, and reader validation.