| Vector Graphics Software - Conclusions | - by Christopher B. Wright

  ou've read my opinions about all three applications on their own -- now, how do they compare with each other? In this section, I compare and contrast the various applications and give you my views about which ones come out ahead, and why they do.

  DrawCat is the weakest of the three in terms of features, but the strongest in terms of price. LogoArt and NeoN 2D Vector are roughly evenly matched feature-wise, but each has features the other lacks.

  LogoArt is significantly cheaper than NeoN 2D Vector, but depending on what you want to do, it isn't always going to be the best choice. LogoArt and its KVEC utility work very well on projects that mix bit-mapped and vector graphics, and tolerably well on vector drawing projects of moderate complexity. When it comes to complicated vector drawings that use many shapes and layers, however, I feel NeoN 2D Vector has the edge, both because it has a more complete tool set for modifying line shapes, and many of its functions are a bit easier to use. On the other hand, LogoArt is a lot more flexible when handling text -- NeoN 2D Vector has only one way to insert text into a document, and it may not be as flexible as you'd prefer.

  Ultimately, however, whether or not a program is "easier to use" is in the eye of the beholder. Both LogoArt and NeoN 2D Vector have demos available on the respective company's web sites (http://www.worklab.com/ for LogoArt, and http://www.neongrafix.com/ for NeoN 2D Vector). Download them. Try them both. Decide which one works most intuitively for you.

  If you're not really serious about graphics design, or just want to play around with vector graphics, I suggest DrawCat. It's inexpensive and has enough of the basic features to give you an idea of what it's like. If you're serious (or semi-serious) about using vector graphics in your work and you want to incorporate them with bit-mapped graphics, I suggest LogoArt. If you expect to be creating a lot of complex vector graphics, or will be requiring a program that can create multi-page graphics, or that can import and export to a lot of file formats, then I suggest NeoN 2D Vector. In truth, either of the latter two programs can probably handle most of your vector graphics needs unless you do a lot of technical drawing -- neither is well suited for that -- but each program has its strengths, and you might find one more convenient than the other depending on what you do.

  Christopher B. Wright is a technical writer in the Northern Virginia/D.C. area, and has been using OS/2 Warp since January 95. He is also a member of Team OS/2.

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