Aug 23 2003
Canvas 9
Technical Illustration for Every Application
Veterans of Canvas, will be pleased to see this version’s new features. Those new to Canvas will be surprised with its flexibility and power. And those looking for a one-stop-shop for technical illustration will be in heaven.
Canvas has long been an under-the-radar contender with the most powerful graphics applications. After its recent acquisition by ACD Systems, Canvas has built on a strong past and come out with a very nice new version.
Canvas meets the industrial needs of engineers and designers with support for multiple color systems and a slew of file formats. Color management is built in, so you won’t have any problem generating high quality print files. Canvas’ import and export engine provides you with quite a list of file types, and we’re not just talking .jpg or .gif, we’re talking .dxf, .ico and .cgm (whatever that is).
Canvas’ drawing tools are quite adequate. The tool pallet is tidy but expands to reveal all the tools you’ll need, both vector and bitmap. The dynamic Properties bar provides you with relevant tools and information and speeds design greatly. Fly-out pallets on the right give you quick access to tool settings and give you back some valuable screen real-estate.
This precision layout and design application has some brilliant hidden features. The extrude tool, for example, is tons of fun. Web export will turn your layout into a nice webpage (though Canvas exports complete web pages, it can not reimport them from HTML).
You can export presentations as PDF’s, QuickTime movies and even Flash complete with transitions. On the fly Sprite effects and AppleScript support are also slick. All this is above and beyond the call of duty for a design application. In truth, Canvas is really a design suite.
One complaint I’d like to see fixed is support for Microsoft Office formats, if only to export presentations to PowerPoint. Beginners may find the interface different than what they are used to, but in the long run will appreciate the well used economy of space.
The Verdict
Canvas 9 isn’t cheap, but for those in technical illustration, it is well worth the cost due to it’s broad capability. Hard-core graphic designers may pass on Canvas in favor of more specialized applications.
Canvas 9 is $399
