Overview

Software packages designed specifically for the Mac OS X operating system are beginning to be available in increasing numbers. OmniGraffle, a basic drawing tool, is an example. Written in native Cocoa for Mac OS X, OmniGraffle is designed to assist users in organizing and outlining information graphically. To my surprise, the program is much more versatile than I expected a basic drawing tool to be. OmniGraffle offers the most frequently used tools available in high-end drawing programs, but without the extra baggage. Tools, palettes, and info windows are intuitive to use. Dragging and dropping palette shapes simplifies placing a copy of any of the palette items into a document. Commonly used shapes are found in one of the four predefined-shape palettes - basic, flowchart, OODesign (object-oriented software design), and OrgChart (organizational charts). Shapes found in the flowchart, OODesign, and OrgChart palettes are labeled according to standard shape usage to assist novice users. Custom palettes can easily be created from any OmniGraffle document simply by saving and viewing the document as a palette from within the program. Shapes linked together with lines stay together when moved. Overall, OmniGraffle is an easy-to-use, compact yet versatile drawing tool that is sufficient for a wide array of day-to-day drawing tasks.

How Long Did It Take to Learn to Use It Productively?

It took approximately two hours to try all the features offered by OmniGraffle, and an additional hour to use productively all of the features available for customizing palettes and preferences.

Product Quality

Customizability

Users can customize general program preferences. These include preferences for remembering open documents or palettes upon program start-up, saving documents differently, depending upon whether or not they contain images, allowing for variable transparency of colors, and changing measurement units (inches, points, picas, centimeters). It is also possible to create your own shape palettes. Customized palettes can be placed in a library folder with the other palettes, if you wish to access the palettes from the tools menu.

Ability to Program in Scripts, Add Extension Modules, etc.

Not applicable.

Ability to Import and Export in Different File Formats

Files may be exported in standard graphics file formats such as JPEG, PDF, PNG, GIF, and TIFF for import into other commonly used drawing programs. Import options are limited to specialized formats that include Diagram II (an application similar to OmniGraffle for NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP), EOModeler (a tool for developers of WebObjects, DOT (a format also known as GraphViz), and OmniOutliner files. These formats are rarely used or encountered by biologists. Therefore, this aspect of OmniGraffle would restrict its usage to the creation of new documents only, as opposed to importing a file from another, more commonly used drawing program.

Useful or Unusual Features

OmniGraffle opens with an untitled document window with an attached vertical tool bar. From the vertical tool bar, the selection tool, shape tool, or text tool may be selected for use with a single mouse click or selected for indefinite use with a double mouse click. The Info window may be accessed from this vertical tool bar as well. Predefined-shape palettes are found initially under the tools menu, but open in their own window for easy access.

One noteworthy feature in OmniGraffle is its use of the Info window. The Info window houses the dashboard for the eight main drawing-tool preferences available in OmniGraffle: Style, Position, Shape, Line, Grid, Align, Layout, and Page. When using any of the preferences in the Info window, the highlighted object updates in real time. The final change is applied to the object much as with any other drawing program. The Position preference allows fast and easy rotation of a selected object by rotating an arm around a circular dial as opposed to typing in a particular angle of rotation or to setting a fixed point of rotation. I found this option easier and faster to use than the rotation options available in traditional drawing programs.

OmniGraffle makes drawing and changing arrowheads, line directions, and line thickness extremely easy. Line thickness is adjusted with a simple slider instead of by using the traditional scrolling menu. Objects may be locked so that their position cannot be changed within the document. Another time-saving feature is the manner in which text can be added to an object. This function only requires double-clicking on the object in order to have a text box appear within. Selected objects can be resized and reshaped or completely replaced with a mouse click in the "Shape Info" palette; text is retained in the altered shape. A variety of spell-checking capabilities also exist, which has become standard fare for high-end drawing programs. OmniGraffle takes advantage of Apple's drag-and-drop ability by allowing objects from the shape palettes to be dragged and dropped onto open documents. This ability is especially powerful for drawing flowcharts and diagrams. Objects can then be resized or shaped as needed.

Limitations

OmniGraffle does not have the ability to draw free-form shapes using the line tool. The addition of this feature would fill out the program's otherwise perfect set of basic drawing tools. For those using other drawing programs, such as Adobe Illustrator or Canvas from Deneba, file importing formats are sparse and limited to developer application formats such as Diagram II, EOModeler, DOT, and OmniOutliner files. A few known bugs still exist and are documented in the release notes at the Omni Group Web site.

Comparisons with Similar Software

Even though OmniGraffle's creators are billing this as a basic drawing tool, I was surprised at how well it stacked up against the most frequently used functions found in full-featured drawing programs such as Macromedia's Freehand, Canvas, and Illustrator. Common to all of these programs are features for shape, line, and arrow drawing, text addition, spell checking, text and shape alignment, rotation and flipping, line-thickness adjustments, magnification, and unlimited undo, to name a few. The most striking difference between OmniGraffle and the high-end drawing programs is that OmniGraffle tools offer greater ease of use and flow more naturally from the mouse when combining shapes and text. On the other hand, if your drawing needs are sophisticated, OmniGraffle is not for you.

Technical Support and Documentation

Documentation is strictly through the help menu. The contextual help for OmniGraffle is well written and is sufficient to guide even beginners through commonly used drawing features. Advanced features such as building customized palettes are not well documented for the novice Macintosh or drawing-tool user. Building and installing palettes requires some working knowledge of where to locate specific settings folders within the System folder. No additional guidance, such as a frequently asked question (FAQ) list, tutorial, or formal manual is available at the company Web site or packaged with the program. Technical support is available by email or phone at no charge.

Target Users

Anyone in need of an easy-to-use drawing tool. Biologists used to drawing in Macromedia's Freehand, Canvas, or Illustrator will find this tool adequate for basic drawing needs, but not sufficient for high-end drawing capability.