Autodesk's Sketchbook Pro 7 and Sketchbook Pro 2015

Earlier this year, Autodesk released Sketchbook Pro 7 and Sketchbook Pro 2015. Autodesk's Sketchbook has long been an excellent program for getting your design ideas down, as well as creating fantastic works of art. And this time around there are some really exciting new features that will have you seriously considering an upgrade if you have the previous version, or looking for something new to push your ideas further.

Now, both products have all the same features, with the only difference being that Pro 7 is for individuals, while Pro 2015 is for businesses, as it includes maintenence subscription and network license management for enterprise deployment. There are new subscription models to choose from as well. You can purchase the standalone Pro 7 for $65, or go with $2.99 monthly, or $24.99 per year. There is now even a "starter" version which is completely free, and if you sign up for a free account, you get Sketchbook Essentials, which adds a little bit more to the Starter edition...and still free.

 

Sketchbook's "clean" interface

 

First, I must say that I really love Sketchbook's clean interface. There's no clutter in your way, and you have an open canvas to get down to work. The clean interface does not mean it lacks tools, however. On the contrary, there are plenty of tools and features, but they are smartly tucked away and accessible without much of a learning curve to get the hang of where and how to access them. There is even a description in the splash screen that displays upon opening the program.

 

Splash screen tutorial

 

There are enhancements across the board in the new Sketchbook, but the biggies are two new features: Flipbook and the Perspective Tool. Flipbook allows you to create animation within Sketchbook and is really a lot of fun to play around with. I will spare you my horrid drawings with it, though.

 

 

The Flipbook feature brings up a timeline in the bottom of the interface and a dialog box allows you to set the parameters for your animation, including dimension presets and frame rates. Onion-skinning is available, too. You can only export your animation to a PNG sequence, but this could be useful for modification in another software, if you wish.

 

 

The new Perspective Tool is fantastic. This tool allows you to use one, two, three-point, and even fisheye perspective to start and guide your work. Just draw in the guides you need using a selected perspective and get to work. It is really simple to use and a huge help if you need it.

 

 

There are more than one hundred tools and brushes to choose from, and you can even create your own brushes easily. You can also create your own colors, and work in multiple layers. Also, Sketchbook works fine with a mouse, but I would certainly suggest a pen tablet, where you can take advantage of pen pressure and get the real feel of drawing/painting.

 

 

All in all, I enjoyed looking at Autodesk's new Sketchbook software. It is stable, easy to work with, and the new features are great. If you are in the market for an application with which to sketch out your ideas, or for creating digital artwork with a traditional look/feel, Autodesk Sketchbook is a good way to go. The low price of Sketchbook 7 makes this all the more enticing. And, of course, there is also the free 'Starter" option that you can check out to see if it will serve your needs.

System Requirements

PC Workstation 

• 1 GHz CPU
• 1 GB of RAM  
• Microsoft® Windows® 7 SP1 or Windows®8    
• Graphics card capable of 1024 x 768 display, 128 MB RAM    
• We recommend that you use a pressure-sensitive tablet and pen for basic features.

Click here for the latest PC Workstation Readme.

Apple Macintosh

• Mac OS X, Version 10.8 and greater
• 1GB of RAM
• Graphics card capable of 1024 x 768 display
• We recommend that you use a pressure-sensitive tablet and pen for basic features. 

Mac App store version

• Mac OS X, Version 10.8 and greater
• 1GB of RAM
• Graphics card capable of 1024 x 768 display
• We recommend that you use a pressure-sensitive tablet and pen for basic features.

Pricing and Availability

Sketchbook Pro 7 - $65 (USD)

Sketchbook Pro 2015 - $210 (USD)

Links

• Sketchbook Pro
• Sketchbook for Desktop (options)
• Sketchbook for iPhone/iPad

Nick C. Sorbin is a digital artist, sculptor, writer, musician, and Managing Editor for Renderosity's CG Industry News.
Renderosity Homepage

 

 

 

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