Astute Graphics Plugins Elite Bundle V2.0 Mac OSX

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Vaniria Setser

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Jun 28, 2024, 8:57:28 PM6/28/24
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I got an email from Astute Graphics this morning. Quite something, really. I can see it allows a benefit for both AG and other graphics application developers. The same applies to AG as it does for developers. That is, AG also doesn't have the time and capability to develop for other specific applications and it would take developers years to natively develop such technology--if they could even do so. I also think that as Adobe continuous to erode away third-party developers plug-ins by making native support for some of the functionality, this is a smart move on AG's part and I hope it works out well for them.

I'm a believer in AG's products. They very much extend Illustrator's capabilities and make the thing actually (and easily) usable. They would make a good fit for AD. Of course, another option would be to work with AG and have them port the plug-ins to AD, but me thinks Serif would rather keep control. So this option of licensing the product technology seems a good possibility.

I have many of the Astute Plugins for Illustrator and it would really allow Serif to catch up and fill in glaring problems with Designer if they were able to license some of that tech. You look at the various forums and users pleading for offset path, better point reduction, improvements to the expand stroke, better more consistent booleans, users wanting something like the shape builder tool from Illustrator, the list goes on and on.

Yes, Illustrator is some 30 years old but Designer doesn't need to go 30 years to catch up to some of their features. Please, please make this happen. I would gladly pay more for Designer if it had these missing features, especially if it was powered with some of this AG tech.

Also, this is a smart move on Astute's part. There are so many vector apps popping up now, not just Affinity Designer, but other apps like Sketch, Gravit, Figma. I wonder too if their tech could be incorporated in some vector animation apps as well, like Harmony or Moho? Before they had just one revenue stream which was Adobe Illustrator users, but now, it could increase significantly.

Ah yes, I remember using DynamicSketch from Astute Graphics when I used Illustrator. It was a very handy tool, though it did take a lot of learning. I definitely recommend people looking that one up. I liked it because I could trim overshooting areas of open paths, and then those paths would automatically join and create a closed shape.

Would be amazing if Affinity Designer implements their tech. This will seal the deal for me moving to Designer completely as I rely heavily on some of the Astute plugins. It doesn't matter if the upgrade requires a payment, it will be worth it.

I would guess Affinity/Serif would just need to contact Astute and work out integration, but then let Astute provide the plugins. That way Affinity can stay the same price, and people can choose what plugins they want to buy from Astute.

At present there is no indication from Serif (the developers behind Affinity) of interest even though there is a good level of interest from others. It may be something to suggest to them?

If I remember correctly in my first forum post I said that Affinity should develop in the path of Astute Graphics. However, the price of their plugins is way too high which would increase the AD product price many times over. I just checked the price of the AG 'elite bundle' and it is $483 with discount. Having this mind, I'm thinking the implementation of such an expensive technology would be somewhat counterproductive to what Serif has been trying to achieve here, which is affordable but powerful software.

I did say that I would love for Affinity to collaborate with Astute Graphics, but I admit, I wonder if it may not be the right move at this time. Not for a bad reason, but for reasons of competition. As the software's awareness is getting out there, people will be interested in the tools it has to offer. And to top Adobe, the new industry standard would have to be proven by the tools in the program itself. If people use the plugins, it might hurt the purpose of competing. Who knows? Maybe similar Astute Graphics features will come to Affinity. The pull-on-the-string similarity was already implemented.

Firstly, thanks to all for the interest from a user's level and kind comments about our products. We've had an amazing response since first posting the Astute Graphics Tech sneak peeks on YouTube a month ago.

Full disclaimer - I am the founder and MD of Astute Graphics, so my opinions are bound to be biased. But here's my thoughts and responses based on my personal experience in the market for years which includes considerable hours behind Affinity Designers since its original release:

After checking the video from Pcote's link, that part was an eye catcher for me. It's nice to see that the suite has more integration now. I'll be watching this topic to see where things go from here......quietly if possible.

Other extendable design software, existing online services and formats will be catered for in the near future. It's very quick and easy to implement and we'll be open-sourcing the XD, Sketch and Illustrator plug-ins to demonstrate this.

Whilst the Affinity suite effectively remains closed to 3rd party extensions, the best we can offer users in the near future will be the SVG web-based file optimisation with the new Astui service. Details to come. Initially, this will encompass our Smart Point Removal and Move Points to Tangencies features, but will quickly expand with web APIs to more of our vector AG Tech.

I can only add my voice here again, as I have elsewhere before I found this thread. If Designer really wants to take on Illustrator, Astute Graphics technologies will do that. Whilst Designer does have some of this functionality, none do it better than AG! Period. To ignore it may be folly. Why can't Designer also use plug-ins? Of the trio of products now released (including Photo and Publisher), Designer has the hardest battle with Illustrator. I know Serif has been developing the tablet apps, but they will never be the choice of professionals. The desktop apps are king now and will be for some time. Like many, I will use a tablet for doodling and ideas, but never for production. Please ramp up Designer to the next level.

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