UPDATE: Version 1.3 has just been released, with new features. My GitHub is working again, so you can pull the sample project.
I know I did a post and presentation at BYU CocoaHeads on PixelCut’s excellent PaintCode Mac app last spring, but a lot has been updated, and the new features are very exciting. I’m doing a revised version for SLC CocoaHeads tomorrow night, and I’ve posted the slides and source. Feel free, no license.
SVG Importing
This is huge. I’m a big fan of Adobe Illustrator, and nothing tops it for vector creation. Nothing. For those Inkscape fans, please put your hands (and mice) down about the cost and open source. Spare me. Thank you for your cooperation. PaintCode has some very good basic tools, especially for the typically vector-challenged iOS/OS X developer. These tools have gotten better. Illustrator is insanely great.
I’ll be showing how to take great vector content in Illustrator, export it to a PaintCode-friendly SVG. Simply drag the SVG onto the PaintCode icon or work area, and it just imports! Once it’s there, all the beliers are available for more editing (but probably only for frames). Below is beautiful Objective-C code for your Quartz drawing.
Frames
Frames are a way to create resizable vector objects where some areas are fixed, and do not scale. The action resembles the slice-9 techniques most commonly used in web programming. While my sample project uses code from frames, I have to say the PaintCode file sample and tutorial of a resizable bubble from the site is very cool.
Conclusion
As anyone can guess from my posts, I think vector is the smart way to go on graphics, where you can. There is nothing more annoying that seeing fuzzy, bloated raster pixels. Vector is the best shortcut to retina display goodness. For iOS/OS X development, PaintCode is an incredible tool. Try it, you’ll like it!