In conjunction with Adobe’s transition to the Creative Cloud—a subscription-based software series that will replace sequential versioning of its Creative Suite applications—the company also announced several new tools that are still in the works. Two will be of note to architects and designers. The first, dubbed “Mighty,” is a stylus that syncs with the Cloud via integrated Bluetooth connectivity, allowing for drawings to be viewed across multiple platforms simultaneously. This digital pen incorporates a pressure-sensitive tip into a twisted, triangular, ergonomic housing that was designed by Ammunition Group and engineered by MindTribe, both of which are based in San Francisco.
The second tool, a Bluetooth-enabled digital straight-edge named “Napoleon,” works in conjunction with “Mighty” to assist with drawing by hand in a digital environment. Available features will include the ability to snap to off-screen vanishing points to promote better perspective sketches.
Michael Gough, Adobe’s vice president of Experience Design, described these experimental projects in a blog post:
“I was originally trained as an architect, and still find great comfort and confidence drawing with these tools. There is something about the confidence of drawing a line aided by a physical device – the tactile feedback you get as you move the straightedge around – as well as the fluidity and accuracy of drawing that comes from interacting with physical objects. Our little ruler (Napoleon, get it?) creates a digitally projected edge that you can use to accurately draw shapes and lines. It just feels right.”
But designers eager to test-drive these new toys may have to wait a while: Adobe notes that these projects are both still in exploratory phases—the actual products are not yet available to the general public.
Adobe released the following video explanation of the tools:
