Development blog
Here you can find recent development updates. You can also get an overview of the development and plans forward in the development roadmap. Along with development updates there will also be occasional Documentation posts describing specific features.
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Layer node types
Layer nodes are a key concept in Paragraphic, and the core building block in the generative parametric design system it uses. Unlike in traditional design software each layer in Paragraphic is not just a container for graphical content that you modify. Instead each layer is a sequence of generation steps called layer nodes that generates
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Randomization features
Randomization is a key feature in any generative design system, as a adding random variations is a way to get new an interesting output as well as adding more organic or interesting qualities to designs. Being able to use controlled randomization is also one of the reasons to use a parametric generative system like Paragraphic,
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Improved preview editing
While this type of thing might seem pretty basic, since we’re so used to these tools in modern design software, just clicking and dragging to transform or rotate things is actually quite complex. The basics of applying just one transformation to one element is pretty straight-forward, but it quickly becomes trickier when the elements you’re
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Image imports and elements
I’ve now implemented the basic building blocks for working with imported images and graphics in the form of a new Image tool to add new image layers and draw a box for them, an import image menu item, a new Image layer node for generating image elements and image data parameters that allow you to
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Basic text tools and text elements
I’ve now added some very basic text functionality, allowing users to add text to their designs. Compared to other design software it’s not much, missing more or less all more advanced typography features, but it’s a start and has all the fundamental building blocks in place: When I implemented text elements in Patternodes and Vectoraster
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Help features
As the next big milestone for the project will be to do some testing with external testers an important feature is to start working on the built in help features. As I’ve mentioned before the intention is to make Paragraphic work more like traditional WYSIWYG graphic editors, which should help users get started. However, this
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More tools and toolbar
I’ve now added some more functionality to the view drawing tools, adding a new polygon tool and a simple line tool. In addition to this the tools now also have a toolbar space for configuration of the tools (like fill and stroke that will be used for the new shape). This new toolbar area also
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Instance layers
One of the key ideas in the Paragraphic parametric model is being able to share parameters and data between things. For example reusing a color or parameter value from one element automatically in another. This also includes sharing and reusing the generated graphics elements of a layer, which can be shared and used as input
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Paragraphic website launched
With the start of 2024 this new paragraphic.design website for the Paragraphic project is now live. Since this is a new type of project and a bit of an experiment I wanted to give it a dedicated site rather than just a page on lostminds.com along with my other apps. I’ve added a couple of
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More nodes and connections
While the development plan for Paragraphic is quite vague my next goal is making a first proof of concept version that I can have some people test to give me feedback on the design and structure. This will be a long way away from a beta or something fully functional, but with enough of the