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SK1 (program)
Encyclopedia
sK1 is an open-source illustration program for the Linux
platform that can be used as a substitute for professional proprietary software like CorelDRAW
or Adobe Illustrator
. Unique project features are CorelDRAW formats importers, tabbed multidocument interface, Cairo
-based engine, and color management.
. It was based on the Skencil 0.6.x series which used Tk widgets for a GUI
. This version was dropped by the main Skencil developers who have since started developing a new branch of the program based on GTK+
(although this version remains immature compared to the 0.6.x series). sK1 has therefore become a fork
. Although an attempt was made to unify the project with Skencil, it failed.
In 2007 the sK1 team reverse-engineered the CDR format. The results and the first working snapshot of the CDR importer were presented at the Libre Graphics Meeting 2007 conference taking place in May 2007 in Montreal (Canada). Later on the team parsed the structure of other Corel formats with the help of CDR Explorer. As of 2008, the sK1 project claims to have the best import support for CorelDRAW file formats among open source software programs.
professionals in prepress
, it was unambiguously focused on full support for PostScript
, PDF, CMYK color model and color management
at the expense of developing some advanced functions for illustrators. Informally the project is positioned as a free open source alternative to the commercial CorelDRAW
.
Export:
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
platform that can be used as a substitute for professional proprietary software like CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation of Ottawa, Canada. It is also the name of Corel's Graphics Suite...
or Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Adobe Systems. Illustrator is similar in scope, intended market, and functionality to its competitors, CorelDraw, Xara Designer Pro and Macromedia FreeHand....
. Unique project features are CorelDRAW formats importers, tabbed multidocument interface, Cairo
Cairo (graphics)
cairo is a software library used to provide a vector graphics-based, device-independent API for software developers. It is designed to provide primitives for 2-dimensional drawing across a number of different backends...
-based engine, and color management.
History
A small team led by Igor Novikov started the project in 2003, based on the existing open source vector graphics editor SkencilSkencil
Skencil, formerly called Sketch, is a free software vector graphics editor, released under the GNU Lesser General Public License. Its first public version, Sketch 0.5.0, was released on October 31, 1998....
. It was based on the Skencil 0.6.x series which used Tk widgets for a GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
. This version was dropped by the main Skencil developers who have since started developing a new branch of the program based on GTK+
GTK+
GTK+ is a cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces. It is licensed under the terms of the GNU LGPL, allowing both free and proprietary software to use it. It is one of the most popular toolkits for the X Window System, along with Qt.The name GTK+ originates from GTK;...
(although this version remains immature compared to the 0.6.x series). sK1 has therefore become a fork
Fork (software development)
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a legal copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software...
. Although an attempt was made to unify the project with Skencil, it failed.
In 2007 the sK1 team reverse-engineered the CDR format. The results and the first working snapshot of the CDR importer were presented at the Libre Graphics Meeting 2007 conference taking place in May 2007 in Montreal (Canada). Later on the team parsed the structure of other Corel formats with the help of CDR Explorer. As of 2008, the sK1 project claims to have the best import support for CorelDRAW file formats among open source software programs.
Target audience
Since the project was started by a small team of UkrainianUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
professionals in prepress
Prepress
Prepress is the term used in the printing and publishing industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the creation of a print layout and the final printing...
, it was unambiguously focused on full support for PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
, PDF, CMYK color model and color management
Color management
In digital imaging systems, color management is the controlled conversion between the color representations of various devices, such as image scanners, digital cameras, monitors, TV screens, film printers, computer printers, offset presses, and corresponding media.The primary goal of color...
at the expense of developing some advanced functions for illustrators. Informally the project is positioned as a free open source alternative to the commercial CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation of Ottawa, Canada. It is also the name of Corel's Graphics Suite...
.
Functionality
Tools:- Selection
- Node edit
- Magnifier glass
- Drawing of joint lines (polylines)
- Bézier curves drawing
- Ellipse drawing
- Polygon drawing
- Text editing
Supported formats
Import:- CorelDRAW v7-X4 (CDR/CDT/CCX/CDRX/CMX)
- Adobe Illustrator up to version 9 (based on PostScript)
- Postscript (PS) and Encapsulated Postscript (EPS)
- Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM)
- Windows Metafile (WMF)
- XFIG
- Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
- Skencil/Sketch/sK1 (SK and SK1)
- Acorn Draw (AFF)
- PLT - HPGL cutting plotter files
Export:
- AI - Adobe Illustrator 5.0 (based on PostScript)
- PDF - Portable Document Format
- PS - PostScript
- SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics
- SK/SK1 - Skencil/Sketch/sK1
- CGM - Computer Graphics Metafile
- WMF - Windows Metafile
- PLT - HPGL cutting plotter files
Side (friendly) projects
- UniConvertor. It is an application for conversion of files from one vector format into another one. In fact it is a part of sK1, rewritten as a standalone code and being developed by the same team. UniConvertor is also used by InkscapeInkscapeInkscape is a free software vector graphics editor, licensed under the GNU General Public License. Its goal is to implement full support for the Scalable Vector Graphics 1.1 standard....
for opening CorelDRAW, WMF and Sketch/Skencil files. Within a framework of Google Summer of Code 2008 the support of UniConvertor is being prepared for Scribus. - CDR Explorer. It is a program that simplifies the reverse-engineering of Corel DRAW formats.
- pymfvu. It is a program for WMF/EMF files preview and export to SVG. At project development a comprehensive report on WMF support by various open source and closed applications was made. It is discontinued now.
- LinCuttor. It is an application for interactive work with cutting plotters (PLT format).
Awards
- In 2007 the project was awarded the second place in the Trophées du LibreLes Trophées du LibreLes Trophées du Libre contest is a free software contest whose goal is to promote innovative software projects and give these projects recognition and media coverage - recently also to motivate students and academic institutions with special prizes. The competition is international and it is...
open source project contest in the "Multimedia and games" category.
- In 2008 the project was awarded the third place in the contest Hackontest, organized by the Swiss Open Systems User Groupd /ch/open and sponsored by GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
.
- In 2009 the project was awarded the second place in the contest "The best free project of Russia", conducted by Linux Format magazine. Among the group projects.
Versions
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0.9.0 | 9 May 2009 | First public release |
See also
- List of vector graphics editors
- Comparison of vector graphics editorsComparison of vector graphics editorsA number of vector graphics editors for various platforms exist. Potential users of these editors will make a decision based on factors such as the availability for the user's platform, the feature set, usability of the user interface and the focus of the program. Some programs are more suitable...
External links
- sK1 Official site of the project