How about a Vector application?

[Soquili]

How about getting back to a Vector application without the HTML, Live Effects, and Photo Editing mishmash the application has become over the past few versions?

I would like a Professional Vector Application with updated Pantone and CMYK support, Import and Export filters for current versions of vector formats. Include the ability to define custom stroke shapes and arrow heads/tails. A spiral feature would also be welcome.

Rather than the current four apps that overlap and confuse people, you could have Xara Vector and Xara Web & Photo. End the confusion and have two applications dedicated to specific audiences.

[mwenz]

Or three apps for the 3 main divisions (vector, web, photo). I any case, I fully agree.

And I am pretty certain if we combed this forum, we could pull in a few more vector-related enhancement requests (and other new additions) pretty easily. You know, to make it easy for Xara to make a punch-list.

Take care, Mike

[StevenWWinters]

Hi Bill,

I agree with your request for additional vector tools and improvements. However, for clarification, does the inclusion of non-vector features interfere with your work flow, or is it simply that you prefer not to pay for features you don't use? If the former, specifically how may be of importance to the developers. In my case, I generally do not use the web features, but neither does their inclusion present a problem for me.

Given that Charles Moir has been on record as essentially saying that the software should work such that the user should not care whether he is using vector or raster objects, I seriously doubt you'll see the raster features removed.

Regards,

Steven...

[Soquili]

Hi Steven, the increased occurances of "Out of Memory" errors with each updated version seems to indicate the vector features are being over crowded by the non-vector features.

Before the inclusion of all the Live Effects, raster editing, and HTML, older drawings with many nodes did not slow down a machine or have "out of memory" errors. Now a file that worked flawlessly in Xara X¹ has problems in XDP4 and newer.

Perhaps my conclusion that the added features has caused the change in the application's behaviour is incorrect?

Try this google search http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...&aqi=&aql=&oq= and take note of the dates when the problems were posted.

[covoxer]

Now a file that worked flawlessly in Xara X¹ has problems in XDP4 and newer.

Can you provide an example file please?

Perhaps my conclusion that the added features has caused the change in the application's behaviour is incorrect?

Yes, not quite correct.

Try this google search .... and take note of the dates when the problems were posted.

Please also notice that most of these new out of memory errors reported happened on HTML export. So if you don't do HTML export, you wouldn't encounter it. Besides, people are now creating much larger documents, which sometimes can reach memory limits. Especially websites.

Actually, recent version of the program are supposed to work faster than XaraX1. Now it can utilize multiple CPU cores and some code was optimized since then. New non-vector features are not supposed to noticeably influence performance or memory usage if not used. For example, mentioned web features are almost entirely implemented as UI and export filter code. So it is only executed on demand when you use these features.

[Soquili]

John try the file from
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34967107/26356.xar

The file updates slowly in Xtreme 3.2.4 and is very much slower to respond in Designer Pro 7. Both apps are on the same machine. Intel Core2Duo with 4GB RAM running 32-bit Vista Ultimate.

I tried to upload the file to TG but received a "file too large" error.

[ShapeShifter]

Yes I came across the file size limit recently, but this is only due to the vbulletin 4 updated attachment manager. You can still upload a maximum 10Mb .xar file if you edit your profile and disable the new enhanced attachment manager. In other words, use the older attachment manager UI and you won't have the 'File too large' error.

Your file uses 26356 objects, most of which are the very densely drawn strands of hair which all seem to have 5.0 graininess 'repeat inverted' fractal cloud transparency applied as well. This is a huge redraw task for so many strands of hair don't you think?

On my dual-core W7 64bit machine with 4Gb RAM your file caused my DP7 to white screen when I tried to re size it.

I opened it in X1 but was warned that it contained non-essential and non recognized 'flash' properties which will be ignored.



Although it opened without any visual differences, it was also impossible to work with in X1 which froze completely (I had to close it via task manager).

Xtreme 4 was the same story - impossible to work with so from this experience, all versions acted the same with your file on my machine.

As a vector illustration application it runs rings around the others, but personally I don't believe a drawing such as yours is a suitable ask of it.

I agree that the added raster and web features make no difference to the program unless you actually use them in your file.
As some point in any vector application you are going to want to use some raster objects, even if it is just to trace them.

[Soquili]

Thanks for the tip about the old attachment manager, but I have been using it since the last forum upgrade. The new attachment manager was too confusing.

There is no flash involved with the file I created, not sure why you would get that error message.

Very odd that you were not able to resize the drawing in X¹. I can resize and work (although slowly) with it in Xtreme 3.2.4 and older on my Vista machine. Designer Pro 7 does White Screen (not responding) when the older versions do respond more quickly.

I don't have an issue with the ability to import raster images. Having tools to edit that image is not needed in my opinion, that is why I have several dedicated raster image editors which are more comprehensive in that respect.

It is true that the drawing I posted is complex and most users will never get into drawing so many lines and convert them to shapes just to accomplish the look of human hair. As for the fractal cloud transparency that is the closest I could come to how a strand of hair looks under a microscope.

[ankhor]

I didn`t dare to ask, and nobody brought it up, until now.
So now I dare to ask, what has there been added or improved for
the vector side of the new version???
Can somebody please telle me, have I missed something?

[Soquili]

Hi Dennis, no new vector tools in version 7.