Interestingly, Autodesk say of the mobile version, “It uses the same engine as Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro painting and drawing software delivering much of the same power and functionality as the desktop application.” This suggests the guts behind the software has been worked on for years meaning it’s tried, tested, (relatively) bug free, and proven. With this in mind, it makes particular sense to produce a version that Artists can carry around with them for those times when inspiration strikes. I have to admit I’m unfamiliar with this software (never even heard of it before now) but a look at its description on the Autodesk website suggests it’s somewhat like Corel Painter but tailored more for Artists and Designers to use for electronic sketching as opposed to full blown Painting. SketchBook Mobile is a cut down version of the desktop ‘ SketchBook Pro’. In the interests of full disclosure I should start off by mentioning that I worked for Autodesk several years ago but I no longer have any affiliation with them and nothing to gain by giving them a favourable (or unfavourable) review if it isn’t deserved. Not only did it boast “a variety of customizable brushes, including pencil, paint, texture and airbrush” but “all the tools simulate pressure sensitivity, giving each variable width and transparency that takes mobile sketching to a new level.” Third, a couple of the listed features sounded particularly interesting. Secondly, the screenshots suggested a slickly designed interface – something I always look for. I was curious to see how they’d apply their experience to the iPhone OS. Although they dip their toes in retail with a few consumer packages, pro’ level software costing thousands is very much their business. 3DS Max is software used by hundreds of games developers and special effects houses. AutoCAD is one of theirs, the first choice of architects and engineers all over the world. Not just that but it makes its money producing professional grade software. Autodesk, on the other hand, is a big corporation. No offence to the developers of the previous apps but they are small (often one man) teams.
To begin with, it’s the first iPhone app I’ve tried that’s been produced by a grown up company. This caught my eye for a couple of reasons. But wouldn’t you know it, just as I was dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s on the review, Autodesk released SketchBook Mobile. I had expected to come to the end of the road with the last of what I considered the big four, ‘ Inspire’, especially as I loved its realistic painting simulation and thought I’d be ending the series on a high note. I didn’t set out to write a series of reviews on one particular genre of app but after looking at PhotoForge, it happened that I became aware of one interesting app after another. This will be the fifth Painting app I’ve taken a detailed look at.
0 kommentar(er)
