pyrtist 0.0.3

Pyrtist

Pyrtist is a library and IDE which enables drawing using Python scripts.

Pyrtist is a vector graphics editor. The main difference with respect to traditional vector graphics editors like Inkscape is that the input for drawing comes from a Python script.

The Pyrtist window is subdivided in two halves:

• The script view allows to write and adjust the Python script which draws the graphics,

• The picture view shows the graphical output produced by the script and allows to interact with the picture and adjust it, by moving some reference points (with the mouse for example), which the Python script sees as regular variables.

The two views allow you to create pictures that can exploit the scripting capabilities of Python while still allowing you to naturally interact with the graphics. Your drawings can be saved to disk as ordinary Python scripts. You can execute them on their own, outside the Pyrtist user interface, or you can re-open them with Pyrtist if you need to change them.

Your scripts can exploit the full power of Python and can be as smart as you want them to be. If you are a programmer, you can then use the tools you are familiar with. You can track different versions of your drawings using git. You can use Makefiles to automatically rebuild a large collection of Pyrtist drawings, which all import the same module defining color and style. Need a different color scheme or line width scheme for all your pictures? Just change one file and type make. They will all be generated automatically for you. Importantly, you can easily reuse old drawings. They are text and as such you can easily copy and paste them. You can create modules containing them and you can couple them with the thousands Python libraries out there.

Status

This software is under development. It can be used already, despite not being feature complete. The drawing API is not fully stable, yet. Any feedback and contributions are welcome.