Graphics packages for Windows

Subject: Graphics packages for Windows
From: Carl Stieren <stieren -at- DEV -dot- SIMWARE -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 9 Aug 1994 14:14:38 -0400

Our group at Simware is in the process of migrating our hard copy
documenation from Word for Mac 4.0 to Word for Windows 6.0a. Christel Kurz
has been evaluating Visio; Art Johnson is scratching his head to remember
what Canvas was like on the Mac, and I'm trying out everything else.

We are now also developing more sophisticated Windows help files than we did
before. We are using segmented graphics files using SHED (thanks to
RoboHelp's easy front-end), and we find there is one thing missing: a
graphics package for Windows that's as good as ol' Mac Draw II was for the Mac!

I've tried Corel Draw (only version 3.0 so far) and it doesn't quite measure up.

We tried Visio and found it pooped out. (After about 50 nifty clip-art
pieces, it had nothing new to say).

I've heard about Canvas, but have no idea what it can do.

Has anyone out there found a good graphics package?

Here's out Graphics Criteria List Ver. 1.0:

Does it also do bitmap buttons (up to 64 x 64 pixels minimum)?
Can it produce Windows metafiles?
Can it add text to its draw files?
Can it add text to its bitmap files?
Can it combine vector (metafile) images and bitmap images as a bitmap image?
Can it combine vector images and bitmap images as a vector image?
Does it have layers?
Can it group and ungroup?
Can it enlarge and reduce easily for viewing?
Can it enlarge and reduce easily for the final image?
Can it round corners easily? (Corel Draw 3.0 could do it, but not easily -
try looking up round or corners in the Search list!)
Will its metafiles come apart like springs in an old mattress when imported
into Word for Windows? (Mac Draw II files tend to do this!)
Can Word for Windows edit its metafiles? (Mac Draw II files can be edited,
to some extent)
Are its metafiles actually disk space hogs? (Corel 3.0 seems to take a lot
of disk space for its nifty graphics).

Anybody have any insights?

Any good magazine review articles of graphics packages?






Carl Stieren.................Technical Writer.................Simware, Inc
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