subject: Quick Review of Vector Art Software [print this page] Quick Review of Vector Art Software Quick Review of Vector Art Software
Want to start designing custom-made items through Ponoko? Maybe you're inspired, but not yet an experienced designer, or well versed in graphics software. It could scare you off, but it absolutely shouldn't! Ponoko have recently completed their first round of closed beta testing, and there were quite a few non-technically minded users absolute beginners, to say the least with vector art software packages. They've produced some very unique and personalized products and you should know you can too :)
So, if you're excited about creating and designing, here's a quick guide to the basics of graphic software that you'll need to draw up your designs. While this by no means covers absolutely everything, it's a good start. There's also links to some other more substantial and detailed reviews of the mentioned graphics software out there.
To start with, make sure you're using a Vector Program. These are software programs that allows you to draw and edit technical drawings, and generate EPS files which are particularly important for Ponoko users as they're needed to use the system. There are industry standard shrink-wrapped graphics suites you can purchase with all sorts of bells and whistles, and free various open-source programs you can find online.
If you're hoping to use Ponoko, you'll be able to use any vector program (packaged, online, licensed or open-source) that can generate an EPS file to upload onto our platform. The following is a list of some of the more popular vector editor programs that we're familiar with.
CorelDRAW
CNet's review gave CorelDraw Graphics Suite 3X an 8 out of 10, calling it "a powerful and feature-rich bundle appropriate for home, business, and professional graphics".
Adobe Illustrator
The buzz around this industry standard is that it's the top of the line graphics program. Check About.com's Adobe Illustrator Tutorials for Basics and Tools for a list of free online tutorials to help you get started.
Macromedia FreeHand/Adobe FreeHand MX
Sadly, as of May 2007, Adobe is no longer continuing development for FreeHand. But for those who still love it, and continue to use or have access to Freehand, user resources for tutorials, downloads, tips and help can be found here at About.com.
Inkscape
A free Linux based vector program, Inkscape was given 5 out of 5 and "Excellent" from Softpedia.com's review.
Q-Cad
A multi-platform 2D CAD program that can be downloaded from download.com
Xara Xtreme
From About.com: "Xara Xtreme is a top-notch graphics tool, no matter what your level of graphics experience. With its amazing speed, small size, reasonable system requirements, moderate price, and powerful feature set, it's hard to go wrong with Xara Xtreme. Although it's currently only for Windows, Xara has announced plans to make Xtreme open source and to develop Macintosh and Linux versions."
Aviary - Raven Vector Editor
This free online tool is coming soon this year from Aviary (see earlier post). It's part of a design platform consisting of 13 other tools that can work together. To get updates on when these tools will be released check their blog.
Google Sketchup
This is a great product to use if you've never worked with 3D modelling before. As with many of their products, Google provides a lot of support through their Sketchup blog, with tutorial videos and podcasts available from Go-2-School. There's a free version you can download as well as a pro version for $495. It's important to note that the free version of Sketchup will NOT export .EPS format, but you can still use it to get the hang of things.
