Review: OmniGraffle for iPad
August 6, 2010
Overview
OmniGraffle from The Omni Group is a diagram, layout and design app for the iPad and is a remake of the Mac version by the same name. To put it simply, OmniGraffle's purpose is to provide the user with all of the tools and features they need to quickly assemble any chart, page layout, website wireframe, floor plan, or diagram that the mind can concieve and to do it beautifully.
Features
In their own words, 'OmniGraffle knows what makes a diagram different from a drawing' and is advertised as a replacement for your canvas, graph paper, white board or cocktail napkin (although I don't recommend wiping your face with any capacitive screen). The list of features is expansive and includes the ability to either use built-in stencils or hand drawings, touch and drag to connect shapes together, a 'lay out now' feature that automatically organizes your chart or diagram, smart guides and snap-to-grid options, multitouch interface, color palettes and export to PDF.
The tutorial highlights some of these tools, but it will take some one-on-one time with the program, the product website and even some quick google fingers to figure out all of the features and ways to express your informational group of shapes and lines. For instance, touching three fingers to the screen automatically pastes whatever is on the clipboard- an amazing little trick- but nowhere in the tutorial is this mentioned.
The layer system, stencils, fills and editing options will remind you of Photoshop, while the textwrap, arrows and color options will remind you of a word processor. Finally, the snap-to-grid, smart lines and dynamic shape attaching system resemble drafting software more and ultimately (in my opinion), put it in the next level that justifies the price. The dynamic shape connecting process is especially smooth and makes little or big adjustments a breeze and a joy.
Most users will be content with the simple drawing, stencils, layers, layout, text and additional diagramming tools, but there are additional treats for the experienced (or brave) including UML options, Entity Relationships, Garrett IA and variables. To take your diagram to this level would require an additional learning curve, but will be welcome by long time OmniGraffle Mac OS users.
The Breakdown
The Good It really is hard to make something ugly with OmniGraffle. It brings everything together in such a way that if your chart wasn't the way you wanted it at first, fixing, adjusting, or just trying different will quickly get it to where you want it to be. The ability to create different canvases in the same document, use layers and the select object by style options help neatly organize everything, especially as the diagram gets more complex. Flow charts aren't all that this app is useful for; easily make floor plans, sketches or even a mechanical system if you want- if you can dream it, you can create it. Years of product development would suggest that the software is at a mature level and likely insures adequate customer support.
The Bad
A couple of key features remain MIA including a 'redo' button, no templates whatsoever and I couldn't find a way to insert my own .jpg's or .png's. OmniGraffle can also be slow at times. This seems to have gotten better with software updates, but even with version 1.2, there were times when the screen would just freeze up for a while. At $49.99, this product is almost soley for professional and business use.
