Sketch/Drawing program to test paint layouts

[Dennis Toth]

Has anyone found a sketch/drawing program for a PC based computer that can be used to sketch out a ship and try different paint schemes? I have a MS Surface tablet and would like to be able to try different trim treatments and colors to without having to re-draw the whole ship. I would like a simple cheap (free would be great) program. Any suggestions?

Best,   DennisT

[Avaiojet]

Dennis,

You might find some information on this at the CAD section of the forum?

There are guys there with programs, I believe you could download for free, that will do just that.

Charles

Edited for more photos.

[Randy Powell]

Coral Draw is popular. I use Inkscape.

[Tim Wescott]

I use Inkscape.

+1

Inkscape (and probably Corel Draw) has a pretty steep learning curve.  It's very useful and satisfying if you want to get professional-quality results, but it can be frustrating to start out on -- I found that I just had to sit down and hit the books to use it.

One plus to Inkscape (and Corel Draw) is that it is a vector graphics program, which means that you can either export cut files directly for import to a vinyl cutter.  For that matter, if you print to PDF it'll be stored in a format that can easily be extracted by most vinyl cutter software to make a cut file.  This is nice when you want to cut masks or letters.

[Mike Haverly]

I use the Student version of Corel.  It's pretty easy to learn and like Tim said it is a vector program, easily transferred to vinyl cutter.  Saving to a .PDF allows viewing by others.

[Dennis Toth]

I did a little searching and found a free program call Sketchbook that works well on the MS Surface Tablet (also would work on the iPads). This is a true sketch program and works pretty simply. I found a YouTube video on using it and was able to do a sketch of the ship and try a couple color/trim schemes first try.

I agree that Coral Draw would be better, but Sketchbook is like have a paper drawing that you save as a base then just keep doing color schemes and saving them with different names. They also have a layer feature but I think you might need to buy the full version to get the this and other advanced features to work.

Best,    DennisT

[PerttiMe]

Inkscape would be very good because it is vector and free.
Among free pixel graphics programs, my choice is "paint.net" ( http://www.getpaint.net/index.html )
Layers is included.

[Mike Haverly]

Corel will make more layers than you will ever need, in fact, for my cutter at least, the files need to be layer free.  The cutter may or may not read all of the layers and will double cut in places.  One of my last checks before going to the cutter is to make sure all the lines are connected and everything is on the same layer. 

[PerttiMe]

Corel will make more layers than you will ever need, in fact, for my cutter at least, the files need to be layer free....

Of course. I see layers mainly as a means for keeping the drawing easier to manage while drawing.

[Avaiojet]

Of course. I see layers mainly as a means for keeping the drawing easier to manage while drawing.

If the layers are in different colors, can you "select" the color you want for cutting?

Charles

[Mike Haverly]

Charles, short answer is probably yes.  If I was making vinyl stickers, known by others as "decals", that would work because you are hiding one color with another with the vinyl.  With my airplanes I only deal with paint masks for my applications.  I've made boat registration numbers, but is a different story since I'm not trying to keep the weight down and a smooth painted finish isn't required.

My only CAD training was in CAD/CAM for CNC machines.  We had no need for layering, though Mastercam will do that just fine.  With Corel I find it easier just to open another file and compare one with another rather than confuse limited brain cells with layers. 

The original question was about sketching/drawing.  I'm not very creative but I can manipulate art and trace bitmaps with Corel.

Just like many other things we all have our approaches.  This is just mine.

 

[PerttiMe]

If the layers are in different colors, can you "select" the color you want for cutting?

I know nothing about cutting but you can hide layers or copy the content of one layer to a separate file if the cutting machine cannot read the layers separately.