Tony Zilles

Micrografx, Inc. has consistently produced some very innovative and powerful software over the years. Yet it has never seemed to get the awareness or acceptance of a broad base of technical users.

Perhaps the biggest problem for Micrografx is that it has always been ahead of its time. When Micrografx introduced Technical Designer 5 years ago many technical professionals could not accept that design and drawing software did not have to be fancy, expensive, flexible and affordable.

One of the aims of  Design-drawing is to debunk these myths. iGrafx is a key example of a powerful package that is both appropriate and for certain tasks, the ideal tool for the job.

Micrografx promotes the iGrafx Designer suite as the technical graphics solution that bridges the gap between CAD and camera-ready, meaning artwork ready for print publication. However I find this description and the other that the suite is "technical graphics publishing" somewhat limiting in how it might be perceived. Being able to prepare technical drawings to this level of quality is a great feature, but no the only purpose to which the toolset can be applied. Let's consider the iGrafx Design suite from its basics and you'll see what I mean.

The package is forged from a combination of vector-based drawing application IGrafx Designer and image-editing iGrafx Image applications. These are the latest upgrades of the award-winning Designer and PicturePublisher applications.

iGrafx Designer
Designer is a vector-based drawing program that very comfortably straddles the gap between CAD vector graphics and illustration vector graphics. Any one with a CAD background who has tried to work in an illustration package will appreciate the read/write support for diverse file types, precision drawing capability, ease of drawing creation and the extensive technical content library that comes with Designer.

The  key features of iGrafx Desigenr are...

• Create technical drawings, micron-precise CAD or mechanical drawings, graphics, artistic illustration, interactive web graphics, business diagrams of all types and more
• 55 Import/Export filters including support for DWG/DXF, CGM, DGN, PDF, CDR, IGES, EPS
• Printing and Plotter support including PostScript level 2 and level 3
• Comprehensive annotation including dimensioning, angles, diameter, area, volume and perimeter with dynamic snap points and gridlines - fast, precise and automatic
• Transparency for any type of fill as well as gradual transparency and cyclical transparency
• Dynamic blending of shapes and colors
• Object Explorer makes it fast and easy to manage large numbers of pages, unlimited objects and over 30,000 layers
• Robust text handling - includes margins, tabs, word and character spacing, text on paths, text across multiple containers, and much more

iGrafx Image
This application is the latest upgrade to PicturePublisher. It is an image (bit-map) editing program On a personal note, Picture Publisher is an application that survives all my system and hard disk upgrades. Frankly, it's a product I just can't do without. But that just means I like it. The real question is "how will it work for you".

By their very nature, bit-map images are not highly attractive if you're looking for design precision and line drawings. However they do work extremely well in all kinds of applications that we might use to present our designs and ideas. Word processing and page layout applications can handle bit-mapped images with far greater ease and reliability than any CAD format.

The ability to work with photographs, logos and imagery sourced from scanned materials gives you a very versatile and useful toolset. The caliber of image handling tools in iGrafx Image is comprehensive in scope and first class in execution. For the average technical user  I would say that the facilities provided were in excess of what most users would normally need, but a bit of extra power up your sleeve is a welcome situation for anyone, especially for that special project that needs it.

The key features of IGrafx Image are...

• Scan, correct, or enhance up to 48 bit RGB and 64 bit CMYK images for precise pixel manipulation
• Direct Color Channel Editing with the new Channel Manager
• Interactively blend and combine color channels with the new Channel Mixer
• Export or Import the Photoshop® (.psd) file format with layer and mask preservation
• Industry unique workflow with the exclusive Command Center along with multiple Edit/Redo on the Edit Menu
• New Multiple Color Probe Tool and Measure Tool make it a snap to determine distances and angles
• New Vector Path Tool for creating complex bezier or line masks that can be saved to disk for later use
• Over 140 special effects, macro effects, and Wizards that make iGrafx Image the one stop solution for the creative professional who needs original, artistic outcomes

The iGrafx Design suite has its roots in illustration and imaging and these facilities are strongly supported without compromise. Micrografx has created an application suitable for technical use by including amazing file format support and precision that technical users simply must have to be able to fit in to the CAD-centric information technology regime of design offices.

Check back at www.design-drawing.com for more information on iGrafx Designer in coming weeks.

Tony Zilles