Hacker News Reader

Comment by tgsovlerkhgsel | Hacker News Reader

Inkscape and diagramming tools are trying to solve very distinct solutions.

Inkscape is a general purpose vector graphics program, designed to let you do anything.

Diagramming tools are there to provide you with a fast way to draw a diagram, which most importantly often contains connecting boxes with arrows that will auto-route and re-route when you move the boxes. I'm not aware of Inkscape supporting that, and I suspect that even if it somehow does, it'll require many more clicks.

Draw.io is good enough for a one-off usecase, but if you're creating a couple diagrams and consider your time to have monetary value, the better usability of Figma means it'll pay for itself really quickly.

View on HN

Yes but figma wasn't made for diagrams either. Both are vector design tools, not diagramming tools, that's why I am asking: if figma was okay then why not Inkscape?

Does Inkscape have arrow routing? Or arrow attachment, at the very least?

Last time I checked (yesterday), I could not find that. Am I missing anything?

Did you find the Connector tool? (hotkey O).

It's by no means a full replacement for the sorts of tools you'd get in Draw.io but it's not nothing.

It lets you create a two-node SVG path with a bit of extra metadata. One or both nodes connect to a special node at the centre of a shape.

Inkscape automatically makes that be a straight line trimmed to the edges of the shape(s. You can move the shapes and have the line move too. If you move the path itself it turns back into a regular path.

The path is just a straight line as mentioned and there's certainly no routing logic.

My point is: does figma have it? No! Figma has not a single option for diagram drawing; at least Inkscape is trying to. I am just confused about why he chose figma for this specific use case

My guess: it runs in the browser, and it's familiar / already invested in.

I may prefer something like excalidraw as a quick diagramming tool, but if you already have a hammer which is paid for, has SSO and access control set up, etc, many things take the shape of a nail.

Figjam, part of figma, is.

Yes but for figjam you need to buy it separately IIRC

Right, I forgot to mention that — I bought Affinity Designer 2, and I'm really with it, but diagramming in it is an absolute chore. Two completely separate usecases for me.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com