Canvas X Draw

I am a longtime user for Canvas for Mac dating to the 1990's. It has long been for me the best option for engineering drawings and annotations. I use Canvas for generating block diagrams, patent illustrations, and generally drawings that don't require a full CAD package like Autocad, but beyond what a Powerpoint can do. I also use it for imaging editing. It is still the best option on the Mac even after these years. It's important to me to have a standalone product on my Mac rather than a web based product like a SmartDraw for sensitive drawings I don't feel comfortable with in a web based environment. For many of my drawings I need precision and Canvas has always done a great job with that.

This latest version of Canvas X Draw for Mac is still super fast, still easy to use, excellent quality. I use it all of the time, important part of the overall tools I use to generate customer product. I also appreciate that they do offer a non-subscription version of the product. So far the customer service has also been excellent and very responsive.

Canvas has gone through many owners (Deneba, ACD, now Canvas GFX). One of the things lost since the Deneba days were the excellent tutorial products. The current owners are trying to rebuild the tutorials through some very good videos, but they have a ways to go given the tremendous number of detailed tools that Canvas possesses. Sometimes there is a particular look I'm trying to achieve and historically these tutorials have been super valuable in helping me figure out how to achieve that look.

This software compares very favorably with CorelDraw but is less expensive and in my opinion much easier to use!

In my business I do graphics or applique's for athletic and travel bags requiring multiple layers. I find the "Offset Path" function sadly lacking. "Offset Path" can only be used for what I consider very simple polygons and not more complex figures such as lettering or anything that has multiple edges/rounded curves, and punchouts. As a result, I also need to use CorelDraw to apply their "Contour" function. Also I find the "Extrude" function in Canvas X Draw unwieldy! In my bag design I like to create a 3-D effect to show clients what their end product looks like! Unless the operator has a good feel for 3-D coordinates this is problematic. I like the "Extrude" function from CANVAS in the '90's where not only could you apply a 3-D effect, but the individual panels could be ungrouped, color applied, and then reassembled into a finished product. Also there is a typo in the "Arrowhead" attributes editor under "Full". It says "Buttom" rather than "Bottom".

CAD file import and postediting in Canvas X Draw document is the most "welcome" in vector illustrating tools market. Canvas open numerous different CAD formats, and you can easily integrate that illustrations in you design.

Canvas X Draw did not support UNICODE ... and it is the greatest problem with all standalone versions till now.

I have used various iterations of Canvas since the late 1990s. It is hands down the most powerful, versatile, and user-friendly software product for scientists. I have used it throughout the years for image construction, figure arrangement, and scientific poster creation. It is my go-to solution for all of my publication needs. I have used this software to open files created with previous versions of Canvas that were more than 15 years old.

There is very little that this software cannot do.