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title = "Graphite features"
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css = ["/features.css"]
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<section class="section-row">
<div class="section">
# Graphite features
The current version of Graphite provides tools for designing vector art and graphic design in SVG format. It also supports some experimental, rudimentary raster editing that is improving rapidly. This page covers where the project is at and where it's heading next.
</div>
</section>
<section class="section-row">
<div class="diptych">
<div class="section">
## Powered by Graphene
**Graphene** is the node graph engine that powers Graphite's compositor and procedural graphics pipeline. It's a visual scripting environment built upon the high-performance Rust programming language. Its runtime is [designed](/blog/distributed-computing-in-the-graphene-runtime/) to distribute rendering across CPU cores, GPUs, and network/cloud machines while optimizing for interactive frame rates.
<!-- Rust programmers may find the following technical details to be of interest. Graphene node graphs are programs built out of reusable Rust functions using Graphite as a visual "code" editor. New nodes and data types can be implemented by writing custom Rust code with a built-in text editor. `no_std` code also gets compiled to GPU compute shaders using [`rust-gpu`](https://github.com/EmbarkStudios/rust-gpu). Each node is independently pre-compiled by `rustc` into portable WASM binaries and linked at runtime. Groups of nodes may be compiled into one unit of execution, utilizing Rust's zero-cost abstractions and optimizations to run with less overhead. And whole node graphs can be compiled into standalone executables for use outside Graphite. -->
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<div class="section">
<!-- ## Proudly written in Rust -->
## Written in Rust
Always on the bleeding edge and built to last— Graphite is written on a robust foundation with Rust, a modern programming language optimized for creating fast, reliable, future-proof software. Even the GPU compute shaders are written in Rust, enabling reuse of CPU code implementations for nodes.
<!-- The underlying node graph engine that computes and renders Graphite documents is called Graphene. The Graphene engine is an extension of the Rust language, acting as a system for chaining together modular functions into useful pipelines with GPU and parallel computation. Artists can harness these powerful capabilities directly in the Graphite editor without touching code. Technical artists and programmers can write reusable Rust functions to extend the capabilities of Graphite and create new nodes to share with the community. -->
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</section>
<section class="section-row">
<div class="diptych">
<div class="section">
## Layers & nodes: hybrid compositing<br /><span style="white-space: nowrap; background: var(--color-flamingo); color: white; font-size: 0.5em; padding: 0.2em 0.4em">work-in-progress</span>
Graphite combines the best ideas from multiple categories of digital content creation software to redefine the workflows of 2D graphics editing. It is influenced by the core editing experience of traditional layer-based raster and vector apps, the nondestructive approaches of VFX compositing programs used by film studios, and the boundless creative possibilities of procedural production tools daily-driven by the 3D industry.
Classic layer-based image editing is easy to understand, with collapsable folders that help artists stay organized. A variety of interactive viewport tools make it easy to manipulate the layers by drawing directly onto the canvas. On the other hand, node-based editing is like artist-friendly programming. It works by describing manipulations as steps in a flowchart, which is vastly more powerful but comes with added complexity.
The hybrid workflow of Graphite offers a classic tool-centric, layer-based editing experience built around a procedural, node-based compositor. Users can ignore the node graph, use it exclusively, or switch back and forth with the press of a button while creating content. Interacting with the canvas using tools will manipulate the nodes behind the scenes. And the layer panel and node graph provide two equivalent, interchangeable views of the same document structure.
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<div class="section">
## Raster & vector: sharp at all sizes<br /><span style="white-space: nowrap; background: var(--color-flamingo); color: white; font-size: 0.5em; padding: 0.2em 0.4em">1–2 months away</span>
Digital 2D art commonly takes two forms. Raster artwork is made out of pixels which means it can look like anything imaginable, but it becomes blurry or pixelated when upscaling to a higher resolution. Vector artwork is made out of curved shapes which is perfect for some art styles but limiting to others. The magic of vector is that its mathematically-described curves can be enlarged to any size and remain crisp.
Other apps usually focus on just raster or vector, forcing artists to buy and learn both products. Mixing art styles requires shuttling content back and forth between programs. And since picking a raster document resolution is a one-time deal, artists may choose to start really big, resulting in sluggish editing performance and multi-gigabyte documents.
Graphite reinvents raster rendering so it stays sharp at any scale. Artwork is treated as data, not pixels, and is always redrawn at the current viewing resolution. Zoom the viewport and export images at any size— the document's paint brushes, masks, filters, and effects will all be rendered at the native resolution.
Marrying vector and raster under one roof enables both art forms to complement each other in a cohesive content creation workflow.
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</section>
<section class="section-row">
<div class="section">
## Roadmap
<div class="roadmap">
<div class="informational-group features">
<div class="informational complete heading" title="Development Complete">
<h3>— Pre-Alpha —</h3>
</div>
<div class="informational complete" title="Development Complete">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 0" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Editor systems; basic vector art tools</span>
</div>
<div class="informational complete heading" title="Development Complete">
<h3>— Alpha Milestone 1 —</h3>
</div>
<div class="informational complete" title="Development Complete">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 1" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Tool upgrades; Graphene prototyping</span>
</div>
<div class="informational ongoing heading" title="Development Ongoing">
<h3>— Alpha Milestone 2 —</h3>
</div>
<div class="informational complete" title="Development Complete">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 4" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Brush tool</span>
</div>
<div class="informational ongoing" title="Development Ongoing">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 11" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>WebGPU accelerated rendering</span>
</div>
<div class="informational ongoing" title="Development Ongoing">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 2" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Layer stack compositing</span>
</div>
<div class="informational ongoing">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 5" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Graph-based documents</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 3" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Node-based layer tree</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 14" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Resolution-agnostic raster rendering</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 19" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Document history system</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 18" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Stable document format</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 7" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Custom subgraph document nodes</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 22" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Select mode and masking</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 13" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>New viewport overlays system</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 6" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Self-updating desktop app</span>
</div>
<div class="informational heading">
<h3>— Alpha Milestone 3 —</h3>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 8" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Graph data attributes</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 9" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Spreadsheet-based vector data</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 10" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Editable SVG import</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 12" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Rust-based vector renderer</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 20" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>RAW photo import and processing</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 15" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Powerful snapping and grid system</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 16" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Remote compile/render server</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 17" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Code editor for custom nodes</span>
</div>
<div class="informational heading">
<h3>— Beta —</h3>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 21" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Procedural paint brush styling</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 23" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Frozen history references</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 24" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Internationalization and accessability</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 25" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Reconfigurable workspace panels</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 26" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Liquify and non-affine rendering</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 27" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Interactive graph auto-layout</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 28" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Automation and batch processing</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 29" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Guide mode</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 30" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>CAD-like constraint solver</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 31" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Constraint models for UI layouts</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 32" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Advanced typography and typesetting</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 33" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>PDF export</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 34" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>HDR and WCG color handling</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 35" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Node manager and marketplace</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 36" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Predictive graph rendering/caching</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 37" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Distributed graph rendering</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 38" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Cloud document storage</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 39" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Multiplayer collaborative editing</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 40" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Offline edit resolution with CRDTs</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 41" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Native UI rewrite from HTML frontend</span>
</div>
<div class="informational heading">
<h3>— 1.0 Release —</h3>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 42" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Timeline and renderer for animation</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 43" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Live video compositing</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 44" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Pen and touch-only interaction</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 45" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>iPad app</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 46" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>Portable render engine</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 48" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span>SVG animation</span>
</div>
<div class="informational">
<img class="atlas" style="--atlas-index: 49" src="https://static.graphite.rs/icons/icon-atlas-roadmap.png" alt="" />
<span><em>…and that's all just the beginning…</em></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
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