Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!mcgill-vision!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!ganymede!terre.DMI.USherb.CA!mazu From: mazu@terre.DMI.USherb.CA (Marc Mazuhelli) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps Subject: canvas is good enough (was:Re: Suggestions - Good drawing program?) Message-ID: <1990Nov16.143640.11017@DMI.USherb.CA> Date: 16 Nov 90 14:36:40 GMT References: <1990Nov14.213128.1204@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> <2300.2743cc90@waikato.ac.nz> Sender: usenet@DMI.USherb.CA (Pour courrier Usenet) Organization: Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec Lines: 98 Nntp-Posting-Host: terre.dmi.usherb.ca In article <2300.2743cc90@waikato.ac.nz> phil@waikato.ac.nz writes: >The main contenders, IMHO,are MacDraw II and SuperPaint 2.0. There are others, >but they are usually a bit short on features. > >Both allow you to "group" objects, so that they are then treated as a single >object for all operations. Canvas also has a GROUP command... >MacDraw II has an "arc" object, but it's very difficult to get exactly the >curve you want out of it. Canvas also has an ARC command >SuperPaint 2.0, on the other hand, has a "Bezier curve" >which can be edited in a similar fashion to FreeHand 2.0 and Illustrator 88 Canvas 2.1 also has a Bezier Curve tool, and individual points can be moved/deleted and new points can be added at will. >It also has "Auto Trace", like FreeHand and Illustrator, which has >adjustible sensitivity. Canvas has auto trace, but I haven't used it so I can't comment... >Text handling is pretty similar in both, and I don't know how Canvas compares. Canvas handles text pretty well. I particularly like the shortcuts to get at the font, size and style menus (you shift-click on the text tool to get a pop-up menu of sizes; option-click gives you style and alignment and command-click gives you fonts). The only thing I don't like is the fact that once you use special effects like sqew, perspective or distort, the text becomes a bitmap and doesn't print very well on the LaserWriter... >Both have a variety of line styles, including arrows of adjustable shape at >either end, and dashed lines. Same for Canvas. >Both have an option to display cursor position and object size and orientation >in the current units. Ditto for Canvas >MacDraw II has the ability to scale rulers, and haas some other features which >make it a better choice for *simple* drafting (e.g. maps, house plans). Canvas has variable rulers, and a versatile SCALE command with an option to scale the line widths of the lines. >SuperPaint has the advantage of being an integrated "Paint" and "Draw" package, >and, at least over here, is cheaper as well. I like its interface better than >MacDraw. Canvas has "bit maps objects" that are fuly editable, and at variable resolutions (from 72 to 2540 dpi, including 300) but you need a lot of memory to do 1270 or 2540 dpi. Any object can be turned in a bit map and edited. It's a different approach than SuperPaint with it's 2 different layers, and I think it's more versatile. >MacDraw handles colour much better than SuperPaint (which is limited to the 7 >standard QuickDraw or ImageWriter colours). But if you are printing on a >LaserWriter, and/or don't have a colour screen, then this is not a problem with >SuperPaint. Canvas supports a lot of colors, at least 266 but I think it even does 32bit colours. I have a Mac Plus, so I can't really say... Another big advantage of Canvas since version 2.1 is the fact that it opens native MacDraw II documents. It also has and a very versatile layer manager and macros (you can define any object as a macro that is added in a menu and inserted with just a menu command. You can also ressize the object when you insert it). A DA version also comes with the package, although with memory prices dropping and MultiFinder, it's less useful now as it was before. All in all, I think that Canvas has most of the advantages of both MacDraw II and SuperPaint and it costs a lot less than MacDraw II (I'm not sure about the price or SuperPaint, but I suspect they're in the same range). I didn't like the interface of SuperPaint 1 (in fact I hated it; palettes took too much space on the Plus screen). I have never tried version 2 and probably never will, as I'm satisfied with Canvas 2.1. Moreover, we have standardized on Canvas at work (I was the one who had to make the choice...). We bought a few copies of Canvas when it was still at version 1.? and received version 2.0 at no (or almost no) cost. Disclaimer: I have no connection with Deneba Software except for being a satisfied customer . -- { Marc Mazuhelli | professeur } { internet: mazu@dmi.USherb.CA | Departement de math-info. } { | Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada }