View source for MacDraw

{{Refimprove|date=April 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox Software 
| name = MacDraw
| discontinued = yes
| logo = MacDraw-software-icon.png
| logo size = 32px
| screenshot =
| caption = 
| developer = [[Apple Computer]], [[Claris]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1984}}
| latest_release_version = 
| latest_release_date = 
| programming language = [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]]
| operating_system = [[System Software 6]], [[System 7 (Macintosh)|System 7]]
| genre = [[Vector graphics|Vector]]-based drawing<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Doyle|editor-first1=Susan|editor-last2=Grove|editor-first2=Jaleen|editor-last3=Sherman|editor-first3=Whitney|title=History of Illustration|publisher=Fairchild Books (Bloomsbury Publishing)|date=2019|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vVBDDwAAQBAJ&q=macdraw+vector&pg=PA534|page=534|isbn=978-1-5013-4211-0}}</ref>
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| website =
}}

'''MacDraw''' is a discontinued [[vector graphics]] drawing [[application software|application]] released along with the first [[Apple Macintosh]] systems in 1984. MacDraw was one of the first [[WYSIWYG]] drawing programs that could be used in collaboration with [[MacWrite]].  It was eventually adapted by [[Claris]] and, in the early 1990s, MacDraw Pro was released with color support.
MacDraw was the vector-based cousin of [[MacPaint]].

In the preface of the third edition of ''[[Introduction to Algorithms]]'', the authors make an emphatic plea for the creation of an OS X-compatible version of MacDraw Pro.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-bUBQAAQBAJ&q=introduction+to+algorithms+macdraw&pg=PR18|title=Introduction to Algorithms, Third Edition. 3rd ed.|last1=Cormen|first1=Thomas H.|last2=Leiserson|first2=Charles E.|last3=Rivest|first3=Ronald L.|last4=Stein|first4=Clifford|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-262-03384-8|page=xviii|authorlink3=Ron Rivest}}</ref>

== Early versions ==
MacDraw was based on Apple's earlier program, LisaDraw, which was developed for the [[Apple Lisa]] computer which was released in 1983. LisaDraw and MacDraw were developed by the same person, Mark Cutter.

The first version of MacDraw was similar to that of [[MacPaint]], featuring the same tools and patterns. However, MacDraw is vector-based, meaning that an object's properties and placement can be changed at any time. MacDraw includes features for printing and also integrates with [[MacWrite]] via cut-and-paste. MacDraw is more advanced than MacPaint, featuring a grid and the ability to change the drawing dimensions. However, MacDraw lacks support for using more than one document at a time and also lacks zooming capabilities. MacDraw is especially useful in drawing [[flowcharts]], diagrams and [[technical drawing]]s.

== Later incarnations ==
MacDraw II (1988) was a complete rewrite of the original MacDraw. It was developed at Apple by project leader Gerard Schutten and team members Amy Goldsmith and Marjory Kaptanoglu, and was released by [[Claris]]. MacDraw II introduced color and many other missing features and was also enhanced for the [[Macintosh II]]. MacDraw eventually evolved into [[MacDraw Pro]] (1991) and ultimately [[ClarisDraw]] (1993). The final version of ClarisDraw was 1.0v4 (1994). It runs without difficulties on [[PowerPC]]-based Macs under [[Classic Mac OS]] and the Mac OS X [[Classic Environment]] (which is included in [[Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger]] and earlier).

Dekorra Optics have a version of their EazyDraw software, EazyDraw Retro, that can open documents produced by the various incarnations of MacDraw, including ClarisDraw.<ref>{{citation |mode=cs1 |title=EazyDraw Support |website=EazyDraw |publisher=Dekorra Optics LLC enterprise |url=https://www.eazydraw.com/support.htm |accessdate=2020-03-09 }}</ref> Later versions of [[LibreOffice]] support MacDraw files as well, but only if the file type 'Legacy Mac Drawing' is manually selected.{{cn|date=March 2020}}

==Reception==
''[[MacUser]]'' in November 1988 rated MacDraw II 1.0v1 3.5 mice out of 5. The magazine approved of its continued "elegant simplicity" and much faster speed, but wished for a better object library, non-opaque fill modes, and [[.pict]] version 2 support. Noting that "Now $395, the price of MacDraw II has also accelerated quite a bit", the magazine concluded that "it doesn't take advantage of all the power that the Mac II has to offer, especially when it comes to color".<ref name="martinez198811">{{Cite magazine |last=Carlo Domingo |first=Martinez |date=November 1988 |title=MacDraw II |url=https://archive.org/details/MacUser8811November1988/page/n81/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=2025-05-25 |department=Quick Clicks |magazine=MacUser |pages=78–79 |volume=4 |issue=11}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Apple software}}
{{Vector graphics editors}}

[[Category:Classic Mac OS-only software made by Apple Inc.]]
[[Category:Classic Mac OS software]]
[[Category:Discontinued software]]
[[Category:1984 software]]


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