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If you noticed MacDraw Pro's absence from our last business drawing software comparison (Dec. 13, 1993, page 56), it was missing because Claris Corp. was busy revamping it. The makeover of this venerable Macintosh drawing program spawned two new products: ClarisImpact, a business charting package based on MacDraw Pro's modest charting tools (see review, April 4, page 82), (omitted) and ClarisDraw for the Macintosh, Version 1.0, the upgrade of MacDraw Pro that we review here.
ClarisDraw is a no-question purchase for businesses that have MacDraw Pro experience but want modern productivity features. ClarisDraw keeps MacDraw Pro's clean, straightforward interface but enhances it with "smart" drawing tools similar to the ones introduced in Aldus Corp.'s innovative IntelliDraw. ClarisDraw further differentiates itself from the simpler, template-based ClarisImpact with special text effects and even a paint environment that make it possible to create more complex drawings.
In addition to working on traditional Macintoshes, ClarisDraw is optimized for the Power Macintosh. When we tried out ClarisDraw on an older Mac, it seemed a little sluggish compared to MacDraw Pro. Slower performance is usually the price you pay for added features. According to Claris, a Windows version of ClarisDraw will ship in the second quarter of 1995.
We based this review on the task-oriented scoring criteria used for the December 1993 comparison. We performed the task-oriented tests on the same platform as before: a Centris 650 with 8MB of RAM, a 270MB hard drive, and a display set to 256 colors. We upgraded our printer platform, however, from an Apple LaserWriter Pro 630 printer to an Apple LaserWriter 16/600 PS configured with 8MB of RAM.
Features
ClarisDraw's default interface is based on older drawing packages, which open with blank slates on which you create your drawings from scratch using a plethora of tools.
You can access libraries of premade shapes grouped according to tasks, but ClarisDraw isn't as limiting as ShapeWare Corp.'s Visio for Windows, for example, which tends to make assumptions about the types of tools you need for particular drawings, such as organization charts. ClarisDraw is well equipped for tasks that require a synthesis or flexibility that is lacking in template-based programs.
ClarisDraw includes the usual drawing tools, plus a number of productivity tools, some new with...