What is Reddit's opinion of Concepts?

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Hi all! The tools used for this sketchnote:

• Concepts app
• Apple Pencil (1st gen)
• iPad Pro 10.5"

Useful links:

• Concepts sketchnote setup
• Concepts sketchnoting template
• If you're interested, my previous sketchnotes can be found here

Which platform are you using Concepts on? We launched perspective grids on iOS about a month ago. They'll be coming to Windows and Android in October. You can see our roadmap the Precision features on Android and Windows here: https://concepts.app/en/releases/plan-precision-tools-windows-android/

You can see dates for our immediate roadmap here: https://concepts.app/en/releases/plan-precision-tools-windows-android/

The perspective release for October started rolling out yesterday. 3 big releases over 3 months... we're trying hard to give Android (and Windows) love.

You can find here the Roadmap.

They have not communicated about brushes creations. To be honnest, I'm more waiting for precision tools but I'll be happy too knowing their roadmap about bruches creation

Concepts is an app with an infinite canvas, and they have a text tool. But it is not a note-taking app though. It is a sketching app, with painting abilities. So I am not sure if it will serve you, but you can take a look:

https://concepts.app/en/

It's not in an update yet but we will have a fix for this out in the next couple of weeks (along with the next features on our roadmap).

I see. Now my go to app for fast wireframing and discovery is Concept on an iPad with pencil.

It close to the feeling of actually drawing with the benefits of working with vector.

https://concepts.app/en/

TopHatch, developers of Concepts, wrote up a usage case for taking notes that might be of interest:

https://concepts.app/en/sketchnoting/

There is a line guide. Precision > Guide > Line. (Paid, but you can use the free arc guide and straighten by dragging its endpoint.)

I rarely use that though. Use grid background and line smoothing — much faster. https://concepts.app/en/tutorials/3-ways-draw-straight-line/

We are working on bringing all of the features you see on iOS to Windows and Android. Our top priority at the moment is the Precision Tools. Once those are in place we will begin work on other features. You can always check our progress and plan on our Windows & Android Roadmap: https://concepts.app/en/releases/plan-precision-tools-windows-android

It's definitely on our list of things to do. The most feedback we get on missing features is related to the Precision features and so that's where we have been focusing our energy. You can see our progress and roadmap here (it also includes some background on why Android and Windows do not have all the features of iOS yet). We're laying the coding foundation for the text feature at the moment... from a technical perspective rendering text is far from basic so we're still a few months away from releasing anything.

I use an iPad Pro and Concepts to sketch out wireframes. I think Concepts is better for wireframing than other iPad drawing apps because it's vector based, you can save frequently used shapes, and has an infinite canvas so I never feel constrained.

Taking notes and wireframing digitally has the added benefit of being able to cut, copy, and paste stuff easily. Makes it easier to riff on small changes, just duplicating your wireframe then erasing/redrawing the part you want to change.

I don't take notes digitally, but with digital notes there's the added benefit of text search. A lot of notetaking apps on iPad also let you record audio at the same time too.

Architect here. I’ve tried Procreate and Morpholio Trace, but my favorite so far is Concepts for iOS on an iPad Pro. Concepts App The Windows/Android versions are still lacking some features, but the iOS version is top notch for architecture.

The biggest benefit is that every line or shape is vector based so you can go back and edit anything at any time. Procreate is more painterly and raster based.

Just dropping a note for anyone finding this now. Some features from Precision mode have made it to Android and there's a detailed roadmap for the remainder https://concepts.app/en/releases/plan-precision-tools-windows-android/

(No affiliation - just been looking for an app like this for a long time)

It looks like the feature isn’t available on Android. Maybe poke around the manual to see if you can find something that works? Android Manual

Sorry I couldn’t help more. I think they’re working on aligning all of the different OS versions so they all have the same features.

Haha, I started out with chicken feet :D

Have you tried to follow Concepts' [tutorial](https://concepts.app/en/tutorials/concepts-sketchnoting-toolbox/) on sketchnoting? They provide some great baseline settings for their different tools.

I've also collected some tips in an interview [here](https://concepts.app/en/stories/visually-minded-drawing-and-presenting-ideas-sketchnotes/).

​

Good luck!!

Sorry, that FAQ needs updating. Our immediate roadmap is here: https://concepts.app/en/releases/plan-precision-tools-windows-android/

We're still have work to do to reach cross-platform compatibility but we are hard at work on it.

I pretty much was having this issue for a really long time. For a while, I used to make templates in Pages and Keynote, but these were limited in various ways. So when I finally came back to GN for a 7th time, I sucked it up and taught myself how to start using vector and raster based editing software (namely Affinity Publisher and Pixelmator Pro). So I’m pretty much producing my own templates at this point. I’m also learning how to use Procreate to make my little stickers (like little post-it notes).

If OP is this frustrated with this app, Concepts is another popular choice. It’s very much geared towards designers. https://concepts.app/en/

Another choice is ZoomNotes. Very, very flexible with note taking options. http://www.zoom-notes.com/

Both of these can have a bit of a steep learning curve.

So I’m experiencing GN in a different way now and with the help of the wife (heavy GN user), she taught me a bunch of new stuff I hadn’t used yet (ironically I’ve owned this app since the beginning lol).

Hi, we have a tutorial on that here: https://concepts.app/en/tutorials/backing-your-drawings-icloud/

TL;DR: enable iCloud backup to protect everything on your iPad, not just your Concepts drawings. Manually backup whole projects using drag and drop from the Concepts gallery to the Files app. We're very actively working on iCloud sync but don't have a date to share when it will be available at the moment.

There's also a huge difference between the apps, best described here: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/sketchbook-forum/windows-10-desktop-users-mass-confusion-over-2-versions/td-p/8172316

Basically, the desktop version is for mouse/keyboard & the Windows store version is for touch input.

Just found that out doing my own research on the same the other day. Also stumbled upon Concepts which looks interesting if you want touch input. Looks to be the best option to the iPad's procreate. (tho the Windows version doesn't yet have feature parity with iPad version)

The Windows version does not yet have all the features of iOS, the text tool is one of those. We're working on the catch up and you can see a comparison here: https://concepts.app/en/features

At the moment our priority is enabling the precision tools on Windows.

You’re welcome! It’s well worth messing with the app for a bit to familiarise yourself and set up your workspace / canvas just the way you like. People have also made YouTube videos that you can go watch.

In your case I would set up an infinite-sized canvas (default), set a grid style if you’d like or leave it clear, and most importantly set drawing scale and units (so measurement tools are accurate). Then I’d set up some pens especially one that has it’s “smoothness” set to 100% so that it will only draw perfectly straight lines (in this case you won’t really have to use a ruler).

It's great to hear you are enjoying Concepts.

Have you found the support site: https://concepts.app/en/ios/support

The search function is a good way to find tutorials, the right section of the manual and FAQs. Let us know if there is anything specific you could use help on?

I was really curious about that as well. In another video he answered that question with "Concepts" and "this is pretty much why I own an IPad". I think it is https://concepts.app/en/

Thank you!!

I used this post as my starting setup and tweaked it :) there is also a template available here.

Also, you can see my evolution on my blog. ;)

> it'd actuall be possible to make a time line of your bits and then listen to the timeline, playing all audiofiles after eachother, so you can listen to your set before having played it. That would be a fucking dream.

Great feedback overall, but this made me smile :)

We discussed the timing and order aspect of a set, and also audio to quickly capture a thought. But I love how you added those together and made it into something you can reflect on, and perhaps ask others to give feedback on.

> I dunno what if any of this is feasible, but it sounded good in my head. Thanks for trying to make something for us man :) hope it works or you get the lessons out of it that you want. Good luck!

Thanks!

> and since I'm not programming it and don't have to figure out how any of this works. Maybe like a blank scribble page, with the option to select parts of it and remove them from the blank page into a material file?

You mean with a pen/stylus right? And a 'material file' would be all material surrounding a specific set? If you are into sketching out your thoughts and have the budget for an iPad pro with Stylus, try out the Concepts app (not affiliated/related with what I do):
https://concepts.app/en/

Thanks again, will def try to work towards your audio-timeline idea.

If you're looking for a note application with stronger capabilities in diagraming and sketching, Concepts might be appropriate. Strokes can look as though they came from a pencil, or changed to a different medium after they've been drawn.

Not the same kind of vector workflow, also not tablet optimized.

See also Concepts, for another vector app that's totally different from the Adobe Illustrator workflow.

As previously suggested, a whiteboard might be a great option. Hopefully you can get one medium to large, and at least 4 markers (black, blue, red, green) - I prefer those erasers with magnets that can hold at least two markers, it's pretty convenient.

The main issue of this approach is portability. So if possible get an iPad mini with pencil and the Concepts App.

Mischief is almost abandoned, has very limited features, is not raster based, and has performance issues with complex scenes.

It's superseded by Concepts.