Autodesk SketchBook 3.1.1

Overview

Autodesk SketchBook is a painting application that works on the iPad. The same painting engine is being used here as the desktop version of the software which shows how far mobile processors have come in the last couple of years alone. Use pencils and brushes in a fluid motion to sketch out or paint designs to your own satisfaction or for client approval. Use the software to put fun doodles down on paper in a quite moment during a lecture or to capture some of your best ideas when you are feeling inspired.

The entire screen becomes the canvas to work with with Autodesk SketchBook. Zoom in up to 2,500%. Use 100 preset brushes like markets, pens and pencils to create different stroke effects. Custom canvas sizes make it easy to create exactly what you want without compromising. The digital paper is also pressure sensitive. Organize sketches inside the SketchBook gallery with multiple album support and different viewing options. Save completed artwork in a Dropbox or iCloud account.

Installation

Autodesk SketchBook can be installed directly from the US iTunes store. The Pro version comes as an IAP, currently at $3.99.

Interface

The interface is very subtle in design. The canvas effectively takes up the whole of the iPad display in either orientation. Some basic controls appear at the top of the screen. Other main options display over the canvas as buttons that as clickable for items like Time Lapse Recording, Symmetry, Fill, and Styles.

Pros

• Draw whatever you like using markets, pens and pencils
• Over 100 preset brushes to pick from
• Manage several layers
• Copic Color library
• Adjust the user interface to make it how you want it
• Symmetry supported to allow mirroring of designs without a lot of painstaking work to do it
• Add text
• Import images and add them to the canvas
• Multi-touch support fully supported
• Use in either landscape or portrait orientation
• Record a time lapse image to show how the art came together
• Save to Dropbox or iCloud
• Alter which canvas is used when viewing artwork in the iCloud

Cons

• Can be laggy depending on what iPad model is used.

Conclusion

Autodesk SketchBook is a cool tool to get serious creating on-the-fly artwork. There are enough features to make most amateur digital artists happy, but it is unlikely that dedicated digital artists will also find enough here to support their visual ideas.