Although tablets have opened up a whole new range of possibilities for architects and designers, using them for drawing and doodling is often a clumsy experience. In many cases there's far too little accuracy and far too much complexity when it comes to working simple operations. Archisketch, which was formerly known as Archipad, seeks to streamline this experience with a smooth, cleanly designed app for iPad that not only allows you to import drawings and doodle over them, but also draw to scale.
The team who designed the app describe it as "ideally suited to the early stages of the design process." You can freehand sketch your initial ideas before exporting your designs to CAD applications. Integrating features that we're all used to, such as snap to points and snapping guides, Archisketch responds to the instinctive creativity that an iPad offers.
This latest version includes a number of updates, refining the capabilities of the app. They're working to increase accuracy and improve features, the results of which are already quite impressive. Although it would be useful to be able to export as vector based drawings to PDF (something which they are currently working on), exporting is reliable and creates high quality images. Being both fast and responsive, as well as intuitive to use, Archisketch might just be the app you've been searching for. Incorporating the ability to doodle ideas to scale is something currently unique in the App Store.
Full list of the app's features:
- Measuring lines to either set scale or measure distances on a drawing
- Multiple layers
- Shape and freehand drawing tools
- Snap points associated with shapes
- Editing existing shales
- Duplicate a shape multiple time
- Zoom in and out without losing drawing quality
- Rotate or move a layer or the whole drawing
- Duplicate or flip layers
- Create layers from other drawings to generate different views of a project
- Scaled grids including isometric and axonometric grids
- Guide lines that can be subdivided equally or into specific distances
- Symbols
- Export and generate blueprints up to A3 size, at any scale, without losing drawing quality
Archisketch is available for free to try out on the iOS App Store and requires iOS7 or better.
