Getting your art out there has never been easier than it is today. Just a few decades ago, people needed sophisticated tools and other expensive methods to show others their creative talent. Digital platforms have revolutionized this landscape and a lot of artists are getting recognized every day. However, if you’re looking for drawing apps for Mac, you can find a ton of options and it can be a little overwhelming.
In this article, we are going to streamline that list so that you can choose the best drawing app for you. Let’s jump into it.
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Whether you're a pro designer animating 3D objects, a beginner experimenting with drawing apps, or someone in need of a PDF editor or converter, find the best graphic design software for the job here. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is an open-source drawing software that is free to use. It is one of the best free drawing software in the market. GIMP can be used in Windows OS, Mac OS as well as Linux OS. It is a powerful and flexible tool for creating your imagination live on screen.
- 1 10 Best Drawing Apps for Mac
- 2 19 Free Drawing Software For Macbook 2021
10 Best Drawing Apps for Mac
We have compiled a list of 8 best drawing apps for Mac that you can get today. The list is ranked based on which app we think is the best, but you can choose whichever app suits your art style.
1. Adobe Photoshop
What can I say about Adobe Photoshop that hasn’t been said already? Photoshop has been around for a long time and it gets new updates every year. It’s one of the most sophisticated drawing apps for Mac and will be a lot of help for a creator. You can create your own image and also edit other images to your liking. This software has a lot of love and support all over the world and it’s easy to understand why. There are a lot of videos online that’s going to help you learn Photoshop and there’s a large online community who’d be happy to help you. The newest version, Photoshop 2020, has an AI called Adobe Sensei that will help you get better selections.
Photoshop is great, but it is expensive. You will have to pay a subscription fee of $20.99/month if billed annually and you can do so here. So if you’re new to the creator scene, then I’d recommend checking out other entries.
2. Autodesk Sketchbook
If you want a professional drawing app with a lot of bells and whistles and if you want it for free, then Autodesk Sketchbook is for you. This app is so versatile and feature-rich that it will appeal to a lot of people. It has a minimalistic design and is preferred by a lot of content creators. There are over 140 brushes and you can even import brushes created by other artists. You can also get custom perspective guides among other things.
You can check out more features and download the app by clicking on this link.
Best Drawing App Mac
3. Corel Painter
Corel Painter is an app that’s designed by creators for creators. It has a wide variety of tools you can use to propel your art to the next level. With over 900 brushes, this app is loved by many artists. Corel Painter also supports GPU acceleration so that you can get your work done much faster. Their website has hundreds of videos that will help you perform better.
Corel Painter costs $339.99 and there’s no subscription. You can download the app here.
4. Rebelle 3
If you are into realistic painting, then you will find Rebelle 3 appealing. It’s a unique app that uses realistic watercolor, acrylic paint simulations. The resulting image will look like it was made on paper with real colors and if this suits your art style, then you should definitely go for it. It makes the colors seem extremely realistic and you can even get simulated watercolor drops. This app was supposed to be an experimental software designed by Peter Blaškovič and it is popular among watercolor painters and CG artists.
You can check out Rebelle 3 and its features on its website. You can get Rebelle 3 for $89.99.
5. FireAlpaca
If you are new to digital drawing or if you have older Macs, then FireAlpaca should be a nice fit for you. It doesn’t have as many features as the earlier entries on the list, but that’s why it’s recommended to beginners. You won’t find the options overwhelming and you can worry about getting a more powerful Mac later on. It’s a small app that’s simple, easy and free to use.
You can check out the feature list of FireAlpaca on their website.
6. Preview
Preview comes pre-installed on a Mac and it can do much more than sign PDFs. If you want a simple drawing app for random doodles, the Preview should be good enough. You can open up any image on Preview and click on the Markup icon (pictured above) to access a lot more menus. It can help you doodle, make notes and even select shapes with the lasso tool. Since this is an in-built app, you don’t have to download anything.
7. Clip Studio Paint
If your dream is to become the best mangaka on Za Warudo!(means “the world” for all of my readers who are not JoJo fans), then you deserve a great manga illustrator. Clip Studio Paint is highly recommended if you draw a lot of manga panels. You can decide panel layouts and customize the tools for your art style pretty quickly. This drawing app for Mac also works great if you want to draw comics.
Clip Studio Paint is available for the free trial and you can get the standard version for $49.99. You can get the full-featured version for $219.99.
8. MediBang Paint
MediBang Paint, just like Clip Studio Paint is aimed at anime and comic-book artists. It has over 50 brushes and a large number of backgrounds that you can choose from. They have tons of tutorials for you on their website and you can snap grids and arrange the panels easily. This app is also available on iPhones and iPads. Medibang Paint is available for free and you can download it here.
9. Inkscape
Inkscape is an app that will appeal to a wide variety of creative people. It can help you create anything from sketches to website designs. It’s a versatile app that’s open-source and free to use. Inkscape also has a very helpful community that will help you use the app.
You can download Inkscape for free by clicking on this link.
10. Patina
Patina is another simple app that lets you create sketches to your heart’s content and simply moves everything else out of the way. It has a simple layout and it’s extremely simple to use. you can use it to make a lot of sketches and doodles on other images too. Patina has a lot of essential features but misses out on stuff like multiple layers. This app is, however, perfect for beginner artists.
Patina is a free app available on the App Store and you can download here.
19 Free Drawing Software For Macbook 2021
Here is the total list of top Drawing tools and Apps for your Macbook.
- Adobe Photoshop
- Autodesk Sketchbook
- Corel Painter
- Rebelle 3
- FireAlpaca
- Preview
- Clip Studio Paint
- MediBang Paint
- Inkscape
- Patina
- Adobe Illustrator
- Leonardo
- Affinity Designer
- Krita
- Tayasui Sketches
- Paintbrush
- Tayasui Sketches
- Sketch
- Sip
Final Take
These are some of the best drawing apps for Mac. I hope that this article was helpful to you. If you have any doubts or if we missed your favorite app, then please let us know in the comments section down below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Today, the market is stocked with a wide range of products in a never before seen scale. One of the reasons behind this is the evolution of modeling or technical drawing software. Using such software we can create 3D models which will aid in the tooling, prototyping, and the manufacturing of the above-mentioned products.
However, this is easier said than done and product engineers should have the right combination of the perfect skill and software. Hence in this article, we will be looking at the best free technical drawing software currently available in the market.
Contents
- 1 Best Technical Drawing Software
Best Technical Drawing Software
1. Solidworks
| Official URL: | https://www.solidworks.com/ |
Free Drafting Program For Mac
Solidworks is probably one of the more well-known members of this list. This software is available in three versions to cater to users needs. Solidworks basically converts your sketch geometry into 3D geometry. you have a wide variety of features like Extrudes, Revolves, Fillets, Chamfers etc.
Solidworks Standard: This is the basic version and can produce the 3d design for machine parts, assemblies, and two-dimensional drawings.
Solidworks Premium: This has got advanced features like reverse engineering and pipe routing functionality.
Solidworks Professional: It comes with features like automated design and drawing checking, file management tools, advanced photorealistic rendering, and automated cost estimation.
2. Tinkercad
| Official URL: | https://www.tinkercad.com/ |
Tinkercad is a 3D modeling tool which has something in it for everyone. This is completely free software. This is very useful for creating home designs. If you are a beginner who has just started beginning the fundamentals of CAD, then Tinkercad should be your go-to software.
If you are into circuit design then Tinkercad has the facility to allow simulations in the circuits to obtain the results. Moreover, you can also 3D print the designs you have created. The only flaw with this software is that you might not be able to get very creative in terms of the geometric shapes you can create.
3. QCAD
| Official URL: | https://www.qcad.org |
It is an open source free technical drawing software for especially construction of 2D designs. Starting form plans, schematic diagrams to buildings, interior etc. can be easily built by QCAD. If you are about to 2D CAD system, QCAD can’t be the optional choice.
The amazing part about this software is you don’t need experience before working with QCAD. It includes 35 CAD fonts, 40 construction tools, 20 modification tools along with 4800 CAD parts library using which you can construct powerful 2d CAD designs. Give a try to this simple 2d drawing software.
4. Freecad
| Official URL: | https://www.freecadweb.org/ |
Freecad is an open source software which has its main uses in the fields of mechanical engineering and product design. Despite being a freeware, Freecad has some great features makes it a great alternative to other popular drawing software.
Freecad is handy for architectural projects and other areas which makes use of 3d modeling. Freecad can create networks, 2d drawings, and other complex 3d solids. Despite being an impressive software with a wide array of features, Freecad is not easy to use and may slightly trouble beginners.
5. SketchUp
| Official URL: | https://store.sketchup.com/ |
Sketchup allows users to create standout 3D models of almost everything ranging from interiors to landscapes. however, what really makes sketchup a cut above the rest is the fact that despite boasting of powerful professional quality features, using the software is a breeze.
Some of these features include high-quality lighting effects, textures, a layer manager, and animations. While it does not have a wide range of built-in models, it provides access to Trimble’s 3d Warehouse which has the all the 3d models and symbols a designer could possibly want in a free techinal drawing software.
6. NanoCAD
| Official URL: | https://nanocad.com/ |
If you are looking for a software to create top quality 2D designs at a fairly good pace then NanoCAD will act as butter on your bread. The best quality of free technical drawing software is the ease of use. One of the main features is the support of the DWG format which is also used by Autocad.
Hence migrating from nanocad to AutoCAD is a very easy process. All you need to do is to send the created DWG to people with Autocad and they can open the file without the need for conversion. The interface is quite simple and easy to work with.
7. TurboCAD
| Official URL: | https://www.turbocad.com/ |
Turbocad is a powerful 3D/2D free technical drawing software with features for drawing, modifying, dimensioning, and annotating.
This product is quite popular among software Engineers due to its lighting effects and photorealistic rendering. You can also share your work with Autocad or Sketchup. The designs you created can also be brought into reality by 3d printing.
8. Catia
| Official URL: | https://www.3ds.com/ |
Catia is a software used by many leading companies around the world for 3D designing. Using catia, you can design, simulate, analyze, and manufacture products for industries like Aerospace, automotive, and industrial machinery.
Catia is very powerful and has no limits in terms of the functionalities it offers. It is not free and you can get it for around 100 dollars.
9. IronCad
| Official URL: | https://www.ironcad.com/ |
This is a software which is known for its simplicity. Ironcad helps you to create designs more quickly and easily. Regardless of how complex the 3D models are they only require one file.
Another key aspect is that you only need to use one tool to bring the design from conceptualization to reality. The interface is intuitive and the triball visualization feature is great as well.
10. LibreCAD
| Official URL: | https://librecad.org |
LibreCAD is a free technical drawing software available for Windows, Mac and, Linux. It has a vast community to help you with any of the issues. Availability in 30 different languages covers a wide user base. With continuous updates, new features and bugs are being solved.
Construction, simulation, innovative designs can be developed perfectly with the help of LiberCAD. Any of the questions can be solved upon asking in the community.
11. BricsCAD
| Official URL: | https://www.bricsys.com |
Drawing Apps On Mac
This is a software with a good combination of 2D drawing and 3D modeling. BricsCAD can save you a lot of time for creating designs owing to its unique features.
Free Technical Drawing Program For Mac
The familiar interface style is another plus point. However, to use this software you need to pay. The amount varies depending on the version but the minimum cost comes at around 600 dollars.
12. Autocad
| Official URL: | https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/autocad |
Free Technical Drawing Software For Mac Os X
AutoCAD by Autodesk is one of the most powerful 3D CAD tools available in the market. You can create almost any 3D design with 3D modeling and visualization tools. Some of the key features available in AutoCad are Ribbon interface which presents commands in an organized manner.
Viewcube is another cool feature which allows you to see a 3D model from any orientation. AutoCAD is the standard for every other CAD software. Unfortunately, this is not a freeware and requires a subscription fee of 185 dollars per month. You may be able to get a cracked version.
Conclusion:
Free Technical Drawing Software For Mac 2020
In this article, we have provided you with the list of best free technical drawing software according to us. You won’t go wrong with any of them but if money is not the problem of yours, then opting for one among Solidworks, AutoCad, and Catia would be a good idea.