Developer(s) Serif Operating system | Written in C++ Type Vector graphics editor | |
Initial release 1994; 23 years ago (1994) Stable release X8 / March 23, 2015; 23 months ago (2015-03-23) |
DrawPlus is a 2D vector graphics editor and animation software developed by the UK-based software company Serif, also responsible for PhotoPlus, PagePlus, WebPlus, Digital Scrapbook Artist, Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and other titles.
Contents
In addition to traditional vector drawing tools, DrawPlus provides realistic, natural-looking brushes that allow the user to paint with watercolours, oils and other media whilst retaining vector editing capability. DrawPlus is also able to produce Stop frame and Key frame animations, including output to Adobe Flash swf file format and support for ActionScript.
DrawPlus X8 and Starter Edition offer support for pressure-sensitive input devices such as Wacom's range of tablets. Both applications feature a Pressure Studio to allow calibration of the individual devices and allow functions to be mapped to the supported buttons on the tablet. DrawPlus supports pressure-sensitive vector lines and brushes to create a striking range of effects from manga through to painting in an array of media.
The latest version — DrawPlus X8 — will be the last. Serif have dropped further development of all "Plus" products to focus efforts on their Affinity products for Mac. Affinity Designer for Windows will soon be available for public beta testing.
DrawPlus is available both as a paid-for version, DrawPlus X8, or as a cut-down Starter Edition which is completely free. Both variants support SVG import and export to provide compatibility with other vector editing software.
Supported platforms
DrawPlus was developed for Microsoft Windows and is fully compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista (32/64bit), Windows 7 (32/64bit) and Windows 8 (32/64bit).
History
The first standalone version of the program, DrawPlus 2.0, was published in 1994. It coincided with the launch of PagePlus 3.0. New versions of the software have been released every 1 to 4 years, but since then, Serif stopped developing it.
Full list of versions:
Object creation and editing
DrawPlus provides a range of object creation and editing tools which are common in other editors, and also offers additional tools
Import/Export
DrawPlus X8 exports EPS, and this version and the free Starter Edition both support the SVG file format in order to allow cross-application document exchange. Both versions also support PNG, JPEG, GIF, Microsoft HD Photo and TIFF export. DrawPlus also opens and exports PDF documents, CAD drawings, and is also able to open EPS documents and Adobe Illustrator files (version 9.0 onwards). DrawPlus can be used to create Adobe Flash swf files and WMV/AVI movies from user animations. DrawPlus can also be used to create GIF animations. Output from both DrawPlus and Starter Edition can be automatically supersampled to create very high quality exported images.