LF - Free drawing Program like MacDraw

[krs]

I'm looking for a very simple free drawing program along the lines of MacDraw.

All I need is a way to draw simple dimensioned lines and angles.

Doing a search here on the forum brought up suggestions from 2015 and earlier - I'm sure there are better options now, and when searching on google "free" apparently doesn't mean "free" -it's either free for a 15 day trial which might be OK if the add is very simple to use and I can complete what I need to do.
The other "free" is a free download but then a subscription service which I definitely do not want.

 

[ferrarr]

I usually search for "alternative" or "open source" apps. Here's one for MacDraw, SmartDraw | Open Source Alternative - osalt.com

 

[krs]

Thanks - I just looked at SmartDraw
Subscription based - $9.95 per month billed annually.
This is $120.- per year every year - are they crazy????

Thanks, but not my cup of tea.

I have to check the current Bundle Hunt again, but I don't think there was a drawing program included.

 

[ferrarr]

Sorry, the open source alternatives were also listed in my link.

 

[krs]

Sorry, I was a bit too hasty...let me check them out.

 

[NSMacGuru]

Is this something you could possibly do in Keynote (free from Apple), with Export to JPG / TIFF / PDF?

In the old days - and I mean Keynote from Pages '09, not the iOS-ified, dumbed-down version that followed, we used Keynote to create simple animations and title graphics with Alpha channels for overlay on videos... Much more flexible and useful than people realized.

 

[krs]

I was actually just thinking to try PowerPoint (or Keynotes)

Of the open source alternatives in the link above, Apache Open Office sounded like the most promising, but when I downloaded that and opened the Draw program, it turned out to be the same as Libre Office and the first thing I wanted to do - change the dimensions from cm to feet, had me stumped, even after consulting the help menu.

Trouble is that PPT or Keynotes I don't think let you draw lines of specific dimensions.

 

[krs]

I think Keynotes may actually do the trick.
Unfortunately I can only select pixels, cm or inches as the ruler units, feet would have been better for what I need to work on - an area about 20 x 20 feet.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I'm looking for a very simple free drawing program along the lines of MacDraw

I have an entire Web site devoted to really useful free Macintosh apps that includes a number of suggestions:

Free Macintosh Software
Free Or Inexpensive Macintosh Software

Check out:

DrawBerry (free)
DrawBerry

PaintBrush (free)
Paintbrush | Home

Pinta (free)
http://pinta-project.com/

Seashore (Free)
The Seashore Project download | SourceForge.net

 

[NSMacGuru]

On a hunch - perhaps you could use something like SweetHome3D? It's open-source, works in feet or whatever unit you wish to employ, and you can use it just as a 2-D planning app to add blocks, etc.

 

[krs]

I have an entire Web site devoted to really useful free Macintosh apps that includes a number of suggestions

Thanks Randy, I will check them out.

I use Seashore a fair bit for simple clean up of images.
But I have not tried any of the others you posted.

 

[krs]

On a hunch - perhaps you could use something like SweetHome3D? It's open-source, works in feet or whatever unit you wish to employ, and you can use it just as a 2-D planning app to add blocks, etc.

Thanks - I had used that app years ago and it is still in my application folder.
However the name didn't ring a bell when I scanned the apps I already have.
There is a new fairly recent version I just downloaded - I'll try that

 

[krs]

SweetHome3D is a bit of a strange app - at least not a type I have run into before.

When I download it, I end up with a disk image, ie a Sweethome.dmg file. So far so good.
Normally when I double-click on those it is suggested I copy that file to my application folder with authorization.
This time double-clicking on the disk image, a new folder opens with a bunch of different "license" folders and a SweetHome icon that looks like the type that will run through an install process.
But not this one - when I double-click on that SweetHome3D icon, the application opens ready for me to use.

Hmmm....

So next I decide I would rather have the app in my application folder rather than my download folder, so I try to move the icon app to my application folder. Now I need to authorize that (which is fine), but then when I try to open that app after it moved to the application folder, I now get the message - this is downloaded from the net - do you really want to open it?.....after I had already opened it several times from my download folder with no warning.

Somehow this doesn't seem totally kosher.