SVG images, label rotation, mockups gallery wizard

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Hi everyone!

I am excited to bring you a new release! A huge news in this version is the new support for SVG vector graphic images. There is also a new rotation property for Labels and a close integration with Mockups Gallery website. Read on for more details.

SVG images

This version adds a new SVG Image widget that can be used to load and display SVG images. I believe this opens up a lot of new possibilities and makes WireframeSketcher a much more flexible tool.

Unlike regular images, SVG images can be resized to any size without loosing the clarity of the image. SVG images also adapt to the current theme and render in sketchy style. When exporting to PDF, SVG images stay clear and you get high-quality documents with an excellent readability.

With a bit of work you can extend WireframeSketcher with custom shapes and clipart. There are a lot of excellent free resources that you can use to get new assets for your wireframes. For example you can add Iconic icons and Gesture symbols from Some Random Dude blog:

Iconic icons

You can also use Inkscape, an open source vector graphics editor, to create your own shapes and clipart. I encourage you to share your assets with other users via Mockups Gallery.

Please note that some SVG images may not load or not render correctly. Please send them to me and I’ll test them and add the necessary corrections. Generally I designed the SVG renderer to handle a basic subset of SVG standard and ignore the rest. For example text won’t work. To add text to your images just convert it to path. Another example are gradients which are automatically converted to a solid color.

I think the addition of SVG images is a huge improvement and I’d love to have your feedback on it. I think there is a lot of potential here and I’d love to hear your ideas.

Label rotation

There is a new Rotation property that solves a long requested demand for vertical text. It’s available for Label widget and lets you rotate it in 90 degrees increments:

Label Rotation

Mockups Gallery integration

Mockups Gallery can now be accessed directly from application by selecting Help > Add Assets from Mockups Gallery…. This launches the website in a separate tab and lets you browse available components. Clicking a download link launches the Mockups Gallery wizard that lets you select a project and then downloads and installs the asset in the “asset” folder.

Mockups Gallery Wizard

Updating

To update to the latest version of WireframeSketcher go to the Help menu and select Check for Updates.

The version number of this release is 3.0.0.

Enjoy!