EazyDraw
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EazyDraw: A hidden OS X gem of an app
We last covered EazyDraw back in 2006. Flash forward to 2013, and the age of Mountain Lion -- and this can-do app is still roaring. Selling for US$140 for a full license from the developer's website or $95 from the Mac App Store, EazyDraw is now shipping in version 5. In a world where customers complain about $2.99 apps being "overpriced," does this app have a place on your Mac? I'm happy to report that yes, it may indeed. You can think of EazyDraw as MacDraw on steroids. It offers a wide range of vector drawing tools, it supports layers, offers calibrated colors, supports SVG and PDF and more. For an interface that at first glance appears quite simple, it hides an enormous feature set. When I sat down to test the app, I kept finding hidden gem after hidden gem. Each tool I needed was there, was easy to use and offered fine detail tweaking. Each inspector appeared in conjunction with the task I was performing and fit the job. If you're looking for a highly featured drawing app, you should certainly consider EazyDraw. It's perfect for anyone building logos, creating web graphics and designing illustrations for books. In terms of flow charts, I think I'd still give the nod to Omnigraffle, but for any other kind of free-form geometry-based drawing, I feel comfortable recommending EazyDraw.
TUAW Faceoff: Low-cost vector design apps
While I'm not a hard-core professional illustrator or cartoonist, I do use vector design tools almost every day. Designing logos, playing with type, and creating quick layouts are things every vector design tool should do well. Adobe Illustrator CS3, of course, is the 800-pound gorilla in this field, and it's my tool of choice. But there are plenty of people who don't need the extensive functionality that Illustrator provides. Plus, Illustrator is something of a resource hog (right now, it's using 176MB of real memory and 1.21GB of virtual memory on my system). Today, I'm going to review four leaner, lower-cost (or free) options from four high-powered indie Mac developers: DrawBerry, EazyDraw, Lineform, and VectorDesigner. Unlike Illustrator, all of these use Mac OS X's built-in Core Image foundation, which makes them very easy to compare to each other. It's high noon for vector apps, after the jump.
EazyDraw 2.0 - illustration and drawing for Mac OS X
EazyDraw dubs itself as a "balanced vector drawing application," and from browsing its feature list, that sounds just about right. It looks like it has a nice array of illustration tools and abilities including some CAD-related features like wall and window tools, as well as drawing on a grid. EazyDraw can even import and edit old school files from Claris Draw, Mac Draw II and Mac Draw Pro.EazyDraw is a Universal Binary, and a demo is available. Licensing the app, however, is a little strange: a full download license can be had for $95 (CD in the mail is $115), but you can also purchase a nine month license for a mere $20. Take that as you will, but if you've been looking for a solid and feature-rich illustration app, EazyDraw probably has you covered.
