Simple technical illustration software/tools?

[EPAIII]

And while such cartoon drawings may help the novice at first, they ultimately are an impediment to the continuation of that process. In fact, IMHO, they actually set that novice backwards in the process of understanding electronics or other technical subjects. The sooner they are introduced to professional methods, the better.

I am quite addicted to color (depends on the audience and target medium of course, but I think a general audience appreciates color, not everyone is into black-and-white technical drawings for information!). Sometimes to restrain myself, I'll chose a palette of just 2-3 colors and hammer them repeatedly. And sometimes (I hate it but it makes sense) I'll ask myself "what would Apple do" and re-do an entire diagram just to simplify even further if I can, to strip out further stuff, rearrange with hindsight, etc.

[shabaz]

And while such cartoon drawings may help the novice at first, they ultimately are an impediment to the continuation of that process. In fact, IMHO, they actually set that novice backwards in the process of understanding electronics or other technical subjects. The sooner they are introduced to professional methods, the better.

What, introduced to professional methods like KiCad for schematics?
I have produced a video that has (hopefully) helped at least a few hundred people do just that; it has 79k views. I think I've done as much as the next person to help regarding schematics.



Not everyone wants to immediately see deep schematic detail, some would prefer to see a block diagram or high-level sketch. I eat my own dogfood, many of these diagrams are also for my personal reference, I rely on their legibility and usability too, I'm not foisting things on others that I have not used myself. And if a color-blind person (or not! - some may have issues understanding other aspects) has a problem with it, I'm more than happy to help them.

Also, regarding color, it's a bit silly to keep caveating things, but like I stated, it depends on the audience and target medium. Diagrams for professional consumption are usually done using corporate library symbols and conventions obviously. They spend a lot of time getting their branding right, and they stick with conventions.

[tggzzz]

Not everyone wants to immediately see deep schematic detail, some would prefer to see a block diagram or high-level sketch.

The author must present the information necessary for the audience to understand their point.

Anybody who thinks that rules out high-level sketches is, um, very inexperienced. Anybody that claims high level sketches are bad per se, is a person that should be ignored.

I eat my own dogfood, many of these diagrams are also for my personal reference, I rely on their legibility and usability too, I'm not foisting things on others that I have not used myself. And if a color-blind person (or not! - some may have issues understanding other aspects) has a problem with it, I'm more than happy to help them.

What you do for personal consumption is your business.

If you really do want to help color blind people, then avoid colour.  Then there's nothing to discuss! Job done.

If you think you can help a red-blind person and a blue-blind person and a green-blind person all at once, then I'd like to see your colour palette!

[Nominal Animal]

If you really do want to help color blind people, then avoid colour.  Then there's nothing to discuss! Job done.

If you really do want to help color blind people, then avoid relying on color, or using unnecessary color effects like gradients that can distract.

Many old diagrams and schematics were black and white, because their reproduction could not support color (or would have been very expensive).  Or, if you're even older, blue and white.  There is a reason corrections to proofs (or homework) are made in distinct colors.

There is nothing wrong in using color to convey useful additional information, if it does not detract from the content/intent/message.
Although the colors in my EasyEDA schematics are mostly primary colors, in diagrams I prefer less garish pastel colors, often testing if their grayscale versions look useful too.

Curve plots are the hardest, because colors give the best discernment; different line styles all reduce the information content (dashed/dotted lines omit parts of the curve, and markers overlap with curves).  In cases where the curves have a specific order, having the key/legend list them in the same order is good backup technique; even better is to also label each curve in the plot itself.

Visualization is all about controlling the information conveyed.  If you limit to the simplest set of tools, most will perceive the images as dull and information-sparse.  The trick is to ensure the most important information is clearest to all, and use the tools that do not work for all viewers for the less important but still mostly useful information.  (Also, even if one knows all the rules and tricks, applying them and getting nice results is still a different thing.  Just look at mine: I know more about visualization than most, and yet mine are just adequate, nothing special.)

[shabaz]

Not everyone wants to immediately see deep schematic detail, some would prefer to see a block diagram or high-level sketch.

The author must present the information necessary for the audience to understand their point.

Anybody who thinks that rules out high-level sketches is, um, very inexperienced. Anybody that claims high level sketches are bad per se, is a person that should be ignored.

Well then you agree. It's a good thing to show high-level sketches or diagrams. My comment was to EPAIII's quoted text regarding drawings being an impediment eventually. You cannot get in the mind of all readers to know if they are novices or eventual experts who might not need the high-level diagrams!

I eat my own dogfood, many of these diagrams are also for my personal reference, I rely on their legibility and usability too, I'm not foisting things on others that I have not used myself. And if a color-blind person (or not! - some may have issues understanding other aspects) has a problem with it, I'm more than happy to help them.

What you do for personal consumption is your business.

If you really do want to help color blind people, then avoid colour.  Then there's nothing to discuss! Job done.

If you think you can help a red-blind person and a blue-blind person and a green-blind person all at once, then I'd like to see your colour palette!

At first glance, the colorations you applied have not caused any noticeable text or lines to disappear in those diagrams. They seem legible.

It may take longer to comprehend them with color-blindness issues, which, of course, is regrettable. But your solution is not the only one, otherwise it would be rare to ever see any diagrams in color. What you think sucks, others may think otherwise. Everyone doesn't just want technically accurate black-and-white diagrams in all contexts. Some people prefer seeing color and they don't have to justify it, they might not even know the reason themselves, but it might help them follow things better. What you think sucks, others might think of completely differently.

If one truly wants to help _all_ people, then one can try to stand by one's work and address others' needs when they ask because you can't predict everyone's problems. Some may have difficulty understanding a shape or a technical term. Others may be doing something slightly different and a diagram might not fully apply to their scenario, and they might ask for help.

Also, being polite helps; otherwise, people just switch off. That might not bother everyone, but it does mean one is helping less people than they could, perhaps affecting more than the small percentage of the 8% that are color-blind that unfortunately hit a part of a diagram that they couldn't follow and didn't ask for further help.

[CatalinaWOW]

Saying not to use color because color blind people cannot see them well or at all is somewhat like saying to not use pictures and diagrams at all because blind people cannot see them, or not to have advanced math or physics texts because they are beyond the comprehension of many.

Rather than reducing all communication to the lowest common denominator of human capability, we should be able to use all of the tools available when they are useful.  Use of color for mere decoration should be avoided, and back-ups are welcome when available. 

Colored lines are useful in identifying wires, but backing them up with labels is also helpful.  And we should also beware of situations where color is harmful.  Use of only an approximate color, or worse a color that seems approximately right on a poorly adjusted monitor, combined with wires that also have a weird initial hue that has further drifted with time can actually be worse than no color.

[tggzzz]

If you really do want to help color blind people, then avoid colour.  Then there's nothing to discuss! Job done.

If you really do want to help color blind people, then avoid relying on color, or using unnecessary color effects like gradients that can distract.

Modification accepted

There is nothing wrong in using color to convey useful additional information, if it does not detract from the content/intent/message.

Colour - when used judiciously - can enhance the content/intent/message.

Too often it is used poorly; either the colours are irrelevant or detract from the content, or in extreme cases they obscure the content.

It is usually possible to avoid using colour to convey information. Graphic designers may not like the result, but then they are responsible for far too many dismal web pages

Visualization is all about controlling the information conveyed.  If you limit to the simplest set of tools, most will perceive the images as dull and information-sparse.  The trick is to ensure the most important information is clearest to all, and use the tools that do not work for all viewers for the less important but still mostly useful information.  (Also, even if one knows all the rules and tricks, applying them and getting nice results is still a different thing.  Just look at mine: I know more about visualization than most, and yet mine are just adequate, nothing special.)

Spot on!

I use the RSS feeds to follow the daily posts on these sites, which are directly relevant to the topic.
https://flowingdata.com/
https://informationisbeautiful.net/

[tggzzz]

Saying not to use color because color blind people cannot see them well or at all is somewhat like saying to not use pictures and diagrams at all because blind people cannot see them, or not to have advanced math or physics texts because they are beyond the comprehension of many.

Agreed - and nobody has advocated that.

Rather than reducing all communication to the lowest common denominator of human capability, we should be able to use all of the tools available when they are useful.  Use of color for mere decoration should be avoided, and back-ups are welcome when available. 

Colored lines are useful in identifying wires, but backing them up with labels is also helpful.  And we should also beware of situations where color is harmful.  Use of only an approximate color, or worse a color that seems approximately right on a poorly adjusted monitor, combined with wires that also have a weird initial hue that has further drifted with time can actually be worse than no color.

Agreed.

Now, exactly what is the colour of "the dress that broke the internet"?



For the answers, start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dress "The study, which involved 1,400 respondents, found that 57 per cent saw the dress as blue and black, 30 per cent saw it as white and gold, 11 per cent saw it as blue and brown, and two per cent reported it as 'other'"

[Tation]

The wiring schematics of a motorbike I owned were drawn in colours so that each connection matched the colors of the real wire in the bike, and there were no repeated color combinations. All wires in the schematic were in two colours, say a green "core" with yellow "sides".

Always wondered about what tool did they use to draw such schematics.

[RAPo]

if you want some programming control over vertices/edges diagrams, take a look at yEd.

[5U4GB]

Visio is just a PITA licensing wise and it isn't really what I'm looking for.

Before you give up on it, look at older versions that you can get on eBay for next to nothing.  Like most of the rest of the Office suite they haven't really added anything of value in at least 20 years so using older versions is just fine.  I'm using Visio 2003, I'm not going to go so far as to say it's good but it does suck a lot less than anything equivalent that I've tried, and cost me $0.

[nctnico]

Visio is just a PITA licensing wise and it isn't really what I'm looking for.

Before you give up on it, look at older versions that you can get on eBay for next to nothing.  Like most of the rest of the Office suite they haven't really added anything of value in at least 20 years so using older versions is just fine.  I'm using Visio 2003, I'm not going to go so far as to say it's good but it does suck a lot less than anything equivalent that I've tried, and cost me $0.

Agreed, Visio is a simple to use tool and the older versions are just as good. I'm using the version from 2000 myself but since I'm moving away from MS Office, I use it less and less.

[Ranayna]

For the answers, start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dress "The study, which involved 1,400 respondents, found that 57 per cent saw the dress as blue and black, 30 per cent saw it as white and gold, 11 per cent saw it as blue and brown, and two per cent reported it as 'other'"

I remember that thing But i haven't seen it for a long time, and don't remember that particular image.
I instinctivley said to myself: white and gold.
Then i read your listed responses, and i can definetly see why some say blue and brown. Blue and brown are the actual colors i see there, but i assume seeing that bit of bright background caused my mind to color correct my impression. I still think in proper light the dress is white and gold.

[forrestc]

I appreciate everyone's responses as I've learned about some tools I didn't know about, and I'm going to try a couple of the tools for real drawings over the next little bit.

But... Based on the responses, I think I still haven't conveyed what I'm looking for.

I'm literally talking about taking two images and putting text and "wires" on them.   I timed one I did a couple days ago.... 2.5 minutes total.

Here's the entire workflow:

1) grab internal stock images of our products.
2) if necessary grab a picture of the product that we're hooking to
3) paste both pictures into a canvas.
4) use line or marker tool to draw lines between the connection points. 
5) Add callout boxes and/or text to provide some context or additional non-drawable information.
6) save as jpeg, send to customer.

I.E. one recently was "I have two batteries and a 24V charger, and your monitoring product.  Can you help me hook everything together?".   Grab images of the batteries customer is using.  Grab image of the charger they say their using, grab stock photo of our product.  Use red line tool to draw jumper between two batteries and then a red and black line from the batteries to the charger's battery input.  Then draw two more lines and a fuse "square" to the voltage monitoring input on our product.  Total investment, 5-10 minutes of my time, customer is happy with our customer support.

For permanent drawings, I use a completely different workflow and end up with drawings which are much more professional looking.  I use the same tools as everyone is mentioning for these.  Instead, what I'm looking for is the equivalent of "photoshop express" for processing photos.

To help visually show what I'm wanting to improve on, I just created and uploaded a 3 minute version of what I typically do, with made up images I just grabbed off the web.  See https://youtu.be/I5PSOP1PrGg .   The grey spots near the front is where I'm grabbing the images off of a browser on another screen.   And, I made a couple of mistakes along the way that I had to fix.  Plus, I normally just use the black outlined text as I'm often on a mixed background that it is helpful for - so I wasn't sure the best way to turn off the outline.

What I'm hoping for is a similar "quick drawing" tool which has just enough additional features that it's more useful for the wiring "diagrams" like this I produce.   Like I said in a previous message- more options for line coloring (i.e. for striped wires like is found in many cable assemblies), and also some line smoothing/connection tools.   

[shabaz]

PowerPoint meets all the bullet-points that were mentioned, but for sure it's not a 'pro' tool, it's just an easy-to-use tool (mostly!). I can't say if it is quick to use or not, because doing some stuff 'just right' will take time, depending on if one is a perfectionist or not. But if you don't make perfect the enemy of good, then PP can be very quick to create understandable diagrams of the type you showed. I'm just mentioning this in case PP had been written off as a viable option or not, that it might still be worth persevering with, if some of the features of it are unknown.

Going through the bullet-points that were mentioned:
* Regarding clipart/images, PP works nicely with Snagit. Clean up images (and remove background etc) with Snagit, and then paste into PP.
* Text can have outlines, shadow etc with PP
* Custom callouts can be created using the shape addition feature in PowerPoint. For instance, combine a rectangle with an arrow. The shape addition/subtraction etc is very empowering generally.
* Use the 'Curve' shape to draw lines approximately. Then, refine them using right-click and Edit Points. It takes a bit of practice but you can usually make it follow your preferred path almost entirely with this method.
Biggest downside is that the curve doesn't connect to other objects, so you could be tweaking often if the lines are placed too early in the entire diagram. As a result, I mostly rather use straight lines, or elbow connectors, since these will stretch elastically if connected objects are moved. Often you need the connector to attach at a different location on an object, and there are two ways to do that; (a) by right-clicking on the shape and select Edit Points and then add a point, or (b) [easier] draw a smaller simple object, like a triangle, with the apex at the location where you want the connector to join. Group the objects. Now connectors will attach to the apex. After you're sorted, send the triangles to the back, so they are not visible. That technique works very well for putting connections onto arbitrary parts of a photo for instance, and then send them to back after the connections have been made.
* Stripey insulation wires can be done by drawing a line or curve, giving it a thickness and a color, and then copy-paste it, and change the line style to dashed, change its color, and then drop it on top of the previous line. Admittedly not straightforward, but the result is good. This works with curved lines and the connector lines.
* The resolution from PP is excellent. There is some registry hack googleable to export at very high resolution PNG, but a simpler (lazier : ) approach is to just use a very high-res monitor, go to slideshow mode, and then use Snagit to capture the high-res output directly from the display, rather than an image export.

That technique that @Nominal Animal mentioned earlier about thin breaks where lines cross, is something I've found useful too, there's also a slight variation which is to use the 'glow' feature (with color chosen to be white) to give a usually invisible outline to some wires, which becomes visible at crossings.

If you look at the color diagrams that were in an earlier comment (before the long distraction of color-blindness) all those diagrams used many of the PP techniques just mentioned (for instance you can see a glow around a wire, use of connectors with hidden triangle apexes to anchor points, and there's also an example of where curved lines were made to join different parts of schematics, where the 'edit points' method was used to make it follow a path). Lots of copy/paste and the alignment and distribution tools within PP are great to speed things up. One other tip to speed up diagrams, is to keep all the 'best bits' in a single ppt file, for reuse. For instance, if you've already created handy callout boxes or particular overlays for photos etc., then you can use bits from that file as a template many times. I often do that with shapes that I created, like batteries, logic gates, even coiled wires of several colors! (since it can take a while to create that initially); it becomes a convenient palette of tech images/icons for your future requests that come up.

From my limited use of Visio, I get the feeling that it has a lot of flexibility too, and probably more powerful for diagramming, but I just happened to pick PowerPoint and got used to many of the features within it, that I now have trouble using Visio for anything but standard diagrams (e.g. flow charts etc).

[forrestc]

PowerPoint meets all the bullet-points that were mentioned, but for sure it's not a 'pro' tool, it's just an easy-to-use tool (mostly!). I can't say if it is quick to use or not, because doing some stuff 'just right' will take time, depending on if one is a perfectionist or not. But if you don't make perfect the enemy of good, then PP can be very quick to create understandable diagrams of the type you showed. I'm just mentioning this in case PP had been written off as a viable option or not, that it might still be worth persevering with, if some of the features of it are unknown.

I've just spent some time with PowerPoint, and I think you might be right in that this seems easier than I gave it credit for.  The drawing tools (and in particular) the curve drawing tools are better than I remember.  Couldn't figure out how to do an appropriate "text bloom" which helps provide contrast when pasting text on top of a mixed light and dark image, but it looks like word art might make that possible, or the outlined text might work for that.  So thanks for reminding me to look at it again.

I do find on occasion I just ignore an option because of past bad experiences.  PowerPoint definitely tends to fall in that category since I seem to have to fight some @(#$* poorly designed template some well-meaning conference organizer is forcing upon ALL presentations at the conference.  So PowerPoint has cost me many hours of my life - didn't immediately think of it the other way around.

You mentioned visio - I used to love visio, but since it got gobbled by Microsoft I find it more and more frustrating every time I try it.  I'm not sure why, but I think it might be that it's evolved more to a 'flowcharting' and 'computer diagram' tool.   Similar problem with dia and other programs which do a good job of making flowcharts and org charts and the like - they do what they do well, but other things I find frustrating.   I've given it a good shot again a few times, but every time, I find myself more frustrated than I should be.  Especially for it's cost.

[Nominal Animal]

I wrote a step-by-step on how I typically do it in Inkscape in this thread and in this message in particular.

For a simple outline, you can use the Filters > Morphology > Outline one, and after you get it to look like what you want, move it to the entire layer (by using the XML editor to remove the filter:url(#filterNNNN); style attribute from the object you created it for, to the layer g element style attribute).  That way, whenever you add text or anything else to that line, it is automatically outlined.  Of course, you can have more than one such effect layer, with the same or a different effect.  The problem is making a nice filter effect(s) that work for all background images, really!  Feel free to use or play with my example:

[RoGeorge]

Fingerdraws on an Arduino touchscreen! 

[CatalinaWOW]

A hack that may help for PowerPoint is to add very small circles at attachment points on your images, and then group them with the images.  Now you have attachment points for your lines which will remain connected if you move the images.

If you are doing this often a PowerPoint file containing these images for copy and paste into your replies would mean preparing each image only once

[pdenisowski]

Since almost every presentation / video I produce is based on PowerPoint, I try to create as many things as possible directly within PowerPoint - there is an awful lot that you can do with the basic drawing tools, and more complex shapes can often be produced with things like Union, Intersect, etc. (which I think many people are unaware of because MS hides them in the PPT menu structure).

For more complex illustrations or shapes, I use Adobe Illustrator.  I also use Illustrator when I need to have the illustration as a separate, editable file (.svg).

And in some cases, I actually use MATLAB to create certain types of graphics, e.g.

https://youtu.be/BijMGKbT0Wk?t=307

[paul@yahrprobert.com]

Take a look at Xournal++.  I use it on linux with a graphics tablet for freehand drawing of circuits, but I think it has most of what you need with boxes, text, lines, colors.