VectorCraft v0.18.0

VectorCraft is an open-source vector illustration application designed as a clean-room reimplementation of the Adobe Illustrator workflow. Built entirely in Rust, it provides a native desktop application for Windows, macOS and Linux, along with a WebAssembly version that runs in the browser.

The project goes beyond basic vector drawing. It aims to reproduce a professional Illustrator-style workflow with Bézier editing, Pathfinder operations, multiple artboards, typography, gradients, live effects, PDF and SVG workflows, and extensive automation capabilities.

Features

VectorCraft provides a substantial collection of professional vector-illustration tools:

• Pen and Direct Selection tools

• Bézier anchors and handles

• Pathfinder and exact Boolean operations

• Multiple artboards

• Layers and groups

• Smart Guides

• Rulers, grids and alignment tools

• Live corners

• Gradient and mesh tools

• Gradient fills and strokes

• Pattern and appearance controls

• Blend tool

• Radial Repeat

• Envelope Distort

• Puppet Warp

• Liquify

• Width tool

• Perspective Grid

• Freeform gradient editing

• Recolor Artwork and Color Themes

• Editable text and type-on-path

• Variable and transformed vector content

• Symbols

• Clipping and masking

• SVG import and export

• PDF import and export

• EPS export

• DXF import

• PNG, JPEG and WebP raster export

• Export for Screens

• Native .vectorcraft document format

• Print engine

• PDF layers and overprint support

The application also includes a command API that exposes its tools and interface to external automation. A JSON control channel and MCP server allow AI agents and scripts to manipulate documents, operate tools and export artwork.

This is one of VectorCraft's most distinctive features. It is not simply an image editor with an AI assistant added on top. The editing engine itself is designed to be programmatically controllable.

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VectorCraft v0.18.0 for Windows vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x86.msi | 103.67 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x86-portable.zip | 127 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x64.msi | 106.81 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x64-portable.zip | 132.65 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-arm64.msi | 100.52 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-arm64-portable.zip | 126.38 MB
VectorCraft v0.18.0 for macOS vectorcraft-cli-0.18.0-macos-universal.zip | 110.13 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-macos-universal.dmg | 145.8 MB
VectorCraft v0.18.0 for Linux vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | 129.23 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.rpm | 130.29 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst | 96.53 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.flatpak | 89.62 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.deb | 131.16 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage.zsync | 213.76 kB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage | 122.01 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-riscv64.tar.gz | 126.99 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-riscv64.rpm | 128.17 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-riscv64.deb | 128.73 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.tar.gz | 123.97 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.rpm | 126.17 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst | 93.02 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.flatpak | 83.83 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.deb | 127.27 MB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.AppImage.zsync | 205.2 kB vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.AppImage | 117.12 MB
VectorCraft v0.18.0 for BSD vectorcraft-0.18.0-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz | 128.91 MB
Others Download related to VectorCraft v0.18.0 vectorcraft-web-0.18.0.zip | 28.91 MB
VectorCraft v0.18.0 Source Code VectorCraft v0.18.0 Source code (zip) VectorCraft v0.18.0 Source code (tar.gz)
VectorCraft v0.18.0 Release Notes: What's Changed Reject exponent notation in the pica form of Unit::parse by @Silvertree2010 in #4126 Refuse signs, exponents and non-numeric text in Export for Screens sizes by @Silvertree2010 in #4123 Reject misplaced or excess '=' padding in base64_decode by @Silvertree2010 in #4131 Shortcuts: the Cmd+Escape test expects no binding on Windows by @dotCooCoo in #4096 Shortcuts: the Ctrl+Alt chord test presses Cmd on a Mac by @dotCooCoo in #4073 MCP docs: export's EPS row names its one-file default and rect refuses artboards by @dotCooCoo in #4102 Docs: the Image Trace page describes the background line between Abutting colors by @dotCooCoo in #4061 Threaded text: Rasterize on a frame no longer duplicates its text by @dotCooCoo in #4047 Type: a recovered document keeps continued paragraphs in threaded frames by @dotCooCoo in #4072 Properties and Transform: X, Y, W and H of a compound path's member set only that path by @marcoarnulfo in #4056 Threaded text: New Symbol on a frame no longer duplicates its text by @dotCooCoo in #4059 Color management: loading the working RGB profile again under its name takes effect at once by @marcoarnulfo in #4053 Pencil: a path-continuation cursor shows over an end a straight line continues by @dotCooCoo in #4064 Pen cursors: a fountain-pen nib on the selection arrow's axis by @zsoltmar in #4117 Image Trace: Flat Logo finds a bar two pixels wide and three pixels long in its own color by @dotCooCoo in #4081 Export for Screens: takes the saved document's file name by @dotCooCoo in #4050 CLI: --help after a subcommand prints the usage by @dotCooCoo in #4063 Commands: an unknown command id is answered with the nearest command id by @dotCooCoo in #4060 MCP: headless file tools pass relative paths to the engine as given by @dotCooCoo in #4108 MCP: set_paint reports how many objects it painted by @dotCooCoo in #4069 Image Trace: Flat Logo counts only the outlines it keeps toward the anchor limit by @dotCooCoo in #4066 Image Trace: a color with no traced paths is left out of the palette by @dotCooCoo in #4077 EPS: the help text says no central file is written when no art shows by @dotCooCoo in #4068 Protect Windows device names followed by a space in safe_file_name by @Silvertree2010 in #4125 Direct Selection: an anchor of type on a path's path drags and the type reflows along it by @marcoarnulfo in #4070 Recolor Artwork: double-click a new color to pick it in the Color Picker, in the model it was picked in by @marcoarnulfo in #4090 Security: EPS and legacy Illustrator bounds (operator recursion, bind, copy, cvn, previews, writer output, ink name) by @dylanmtaylor in #3883 Security: document model bounds (id hashing, page ranges, overprint migration, auto slices, nested Repeat bounds) by @dylanmtaylor in #3888 Migrate VectorCraft input, text and capture to egui 0.37 by @skylartaylor in #4113 Docking: panels on craft-ui's shared docking, floating panels in OS windows by @aiongg in #4135 feat: startup update prompt modal and direct self-updating by @dylanmtaylor in #4138 Security: planar map budgets for booleans, Live Paint, Offset Path and 3D effects by @dylanmtaylor in #3937 build: pin craft-update to craft-libs main (495e597) by @dylanmtaylor in #4183 chore(deps): refresh muda, webbrowser and weezl by @skylartaylor in #4189 Tests: two control server line-deadline tests pass on a loaded machine by @dotCooCoo in #4194 Tests: the Paintbrush closing cursor follows the point a release keeps by @dotCooCoo in #4197 Appearance: Add New Fill and Add New Stroke are off with nothing selected by @dotCooCoo in #4193 Symbol Stainer: stained type keeps no link to a global swatch by @dotCooCoo in #4185 Character: Character Direction is off at a caret with no characters selected by @dotCooCoo in #4184 Plug-ins: compiling a plug-in's code takes none of a run's instructions by @KaboomFox in #4190 .ai import: the -- placeholder in a gradient highlight and the XC operator no longer send the file to its PDF part (fixes #4176) by @youwishgames in #4179 .ai import: editing data up to 512 MiB opens on 64-bit builds, so a card file with embedded rasters keeps its layers and text (part of #3510) by @youwishgames in #4177 Reset stroke weight to zero when the stroke colour is removed by @Silvertree2010 in #4132 Join the selected end points of two paths with Ctrl+J by @Silvertree2010 in #4187 lint: method references and elided const lifetimes (S1612, S8863) by @dylanmtaylor in #4204 G1: Reshape readouts follow Measurement Labels pref by @nrq6993-a11y in #4161 G1: Artboard resize honors Transform Tools readouts by @nrq6993-a11y in #4160 G1: Slice Selection resize honors Transform Tools by @nrq6993-a11y in #4168 G1: Shear tool Shift locks width or height by @nrq6993-a11y in #4164 lint: shell helper, local params and lossless float conversion (S1192, S7679, S4325) by @dylanmtaylor in #4205 G1: Star tool shows inner and outer radii in measurement labels by @nrq6993-a11y in #4148 Fix #3627: convert to PDF omits editing data by default by @nrq6993-a11y in #4147 MCP: doc_inspect reports opacityPct in the percent scale the drawing tools take by @acosimati in #4149 Live Paint: a plain group named "Live Paint..." is not a Live Paint group by @dotCooCoo in #4078 G11: Shape Builder's edge-source grid holds a bounded number of references (#4080) by @bflatastic in #4211 Shape Builder: a click merges over the map the tool built for the hover by @dotCooCoo in #4062 i18n(ka): shorter Georgian for 15 labels that were cut off by @devius in #4158 Shape Builder: erasing picks a region narrower than twice the tolerance by @dotCooCoo in #4065 Shape Builder: a merge across an overlap thinner than the precision gives one path by @dotCooCoo in #4079 Image Trace: the eye button's hold ends on release, and the panel uses any selected trace or image by @dotCooCoo in #4076 Image Trace: Overlapping layers reach only under areas that hold their own color by @dotCooCoo in #4054 Image Trace: Document Library keeps neutral tones off saturated library colors by @dotCooCoo in #4048 Image Trace: the blended edge of a cut-out image adds no color to the palette by @dotCooCoo in #4075 Image Trace: changes that wait with Preview off stay with their object by @dotCooCoo in #4105 Undo: canceling an undo group keeps a batch's steps in other documents by @dotCooCoo in #4103 Dialogs: ui.dialog.set returns an error for a field the open dialog does not read by @dotCooCoo in #4049 MCP: screenshot and render_preview can draw the Image Trace view by @dotCooCoo in #4055 MCP: answer_dialog sets the fields of the app's open dialog and confirms or cancels it by @dotCooCoo in #4057 Type: typing "1. ", "A) " or "* " at the start of a paragraph starts a list by @dotCooCoo in #4192 Pencil: Live curve fitting in Pencil Tool Options shows the stroke's points until the release fits them by @dotCooCoo in #4182 Brushes: Art Brush Options' Width can follow the pen pressure by @dotCooCoo in #4181 Eraser: Angle and Roundness in Eraser Tool Options shape the tip by @dotCooCoo in #4180 Fix #1732: Transform Each opens on the values it was last confirmed with and has a Copy button by @Taha-Mahmoodi in #4175 Pencil: the cursor shows a star before a press that draws a new path by @dotCooCoo in #4152 Pencil: a stroke from an end of one selected path to an end of another connects them by @dotCooCoo in #4095 Fix #3328: Pencil Fidelity down to 0.01 pt, with a logarithmic slider and key steps that fit the range by @ncic in #4196 Type on a path: joined scripts bend along the path so their joins stay connected by @ham9zah in #4119 Pen tablets: a pen's eraser end selects the Eraser on Windows by @dotCooCoo in #4097 Pen tablets: a pen's eraser end selects the Eraser in the web build by @dotCooCoo in #4104 Type: Highlight Substituted Fonts moves to Preferences › Type and applies to every document by @dotCooCoo in #4099 Web: shortcuts the browser also has run only in the app by @addibble in #4106 G12: General › Corner Radius is the Rounded Rectangle tool's radius (#4074) by @bflatastic in #4212 Artboards: canvas menu to lock and unlock artboards (#2531) by @vangel76 in #2532 Image Trace: Document Library traces with a color group from the Swatches panel by @dotCooCoo in #3975 lint(engine): explicit imports in engine modules and tests (S2208) by @dylanmtaylor in #4200 lint: explicit imports in remaining test and module files (S2208) by @dylanmtaylor in #4203 Revert #4200 and #4203: their explicit imports don't compile by @bflatastic in #4214 Transform panel: the menu's Transform Object Only, Pattern Only, Both and Use Registration Point for Symbol act by @Taha-Mahmoodi in #4146 Metafile import: a file's bitmaps share one decoded-pixel budget (#3600) by @ashokram-si in #4215 Image Trace: a cut-edge blend past the rare-color budget traces as its kept color by @dotCooCoo in #4216 Finish recolor widget IDs and migration documentation after #4113 by @skylartaylor in #4173 Tab overflow list scrolls to every open document (#4017) by @HEOJUNFO in #4218 Pencil: Edit Selected Paths redraws a selected compound path by @ncic in #4220 Fix #3837: unit fields read a decimal comma as a decimal point by @DCaioP in #4213 i18n: the message scan skips comments and reads EngineError::Disabled's reason by @dotCooCoo in #4222 Pencil: Live preview option in Pencil Tool Options by @ncic in #4225 G4: draw loaded-text cursor for threaded overflow by @nrq6993-a11y in #4229 Canvas: a mouse's moves between frames reach the tool too by @ncic in #4227 PDF tests: exports compared byte for byte are dated alike by @KaboomFox in #4210 Respect quotes and parentheses when splitting SVG CSS declarations by @Silvertree2010 in #4230 Repeat: a selected Grid Repeat has on-canvas handles for its rows, columns and spacing (part of #2691) by @Taha-Mahmoodi in #4166 Artboards: the Artboards panel's Delete Empty Artboards deletes every artboard with no artwork in one undo step by @Taha-Mahmoodi in #4142 Import: Illustrator blends come in as live blends by @ham9zah in #4127 Import: live blend check follow-ups by @ham9zah in #4234 Brushes: Window › Brush Libraries opens brush libraries whose brushes click or drag into the document's Brushes by @Taha-Mahmoodi in #4020 macOS: declare the UI languages so the open and save panels are translated by @Atalantis in #4235 Fix #3426: the Pathfinder panel's Pathfinder Options… sets Precision, Remove Redundant Points and Divide and Outline Will Remove Unpainted Artwork by @Taha-Mahmoodi in #4141 Toolbar: double-clicking the Type on a Path tool opens Type on a Path Options by @dotCooCoo in #4236 Type: a double-click on a threaded port breaks the thread there by @Taha-Mahmoodi in #4144 G8: EPS import regression tests for operator type checks by @nrq6993-a11y in #4238 Render: brush art is made again when a symbol or pattern it shows is renamed by @dotCooCoo in #4240 Undo: a canceled undo scope drops the journal entries it cut from open undo groups by @dotCooCoo in #4243 View: all 25 saved views in the View menu; Edit Views… lists them by @ashokram-si in #4247 Windows fonts: list the fonts only GDI has loaded, such as Creative Cloud's Adobe Fonts (#1258) by @xbirks in #4130 Fix #4128: text.create and text.setStyle store a font style the family has by @DCaioP in #4250 Part of #2384: imported PDF text keeps its place beside a drawn no-break or thin space by @dotCooCoo in #4251 G1: Blob Brush drag shows scrub path length when Measurement Labels on by @nrq6993-a11y in #4252 Clippy: bool and range checks after egui 0.37 merge by @nrq6993-a11y in #4253 G11: Anchor Point tool Space moves anchor mid-drag by @nrq6993-a11y in #4254 Render: an image that can't be decoded shows as a crossed box and isn't decoded again by @dotCooCoo in #4255 Type: Convert to Text makes a list's bullets and numbers characters of its text by @dotCooCoo in #4093 Clippy fixes after upstream merge by @nrq6993-a11y in #4258 G4: mixed Small Caps and super/subscript in Character panel by @nrq6993-a11y in #4260 Render: the decoded-image cache sizes from installed memory on Windows, macOS and FreeBSD by @dotCooCoo in #4261 Tests: the --help tests wait for the app to exit on a loaded machine by @dotCooCoo in #4266 G10: skip kashida test when PDF text import is empty by @nrq6993-a11y in #4264 #4122: File → Open starts in the last opened file's folder by @nrq6993-a11y in #4263 Render: cropped shadow and blur rasters are kept across pans within a margin by @dotCooCoo in #4265 PDF: list markers export as selectable text by @dotCooCoo in #4098 Images: an image past the 2 GiB decode allowance draws at reduced size instead of a crossed box by @dotCooCoo in #4269 Placed documents: a ready bitmap redraws only its objects, and bitmaps on screen are not made again by @dotCooCoo in #4270 G11: Join tool connects endpoints near scrub line ends by @nrq6993-a11y in #4272 ci: require nextest 0.9.150 by @skylartaylor in #4286 refactor: shared module layout (craft-contrib#20) by @aiongg in #4294 fix(format): cap a compressed file's JSON at 256 MB on wasm32 (#3587) by @rahul05ranjan in #4310 fix(doc): decode the linked-image proxy within MAX_RASTER_ALLOC (#3597) by @rahul05ranjan in #4308 Accept whole-number floats and reject invalid counts for polygon, star and spiral by @Silvertree2010 in #4304 Only treat % plus two hex digits as an escape in MCP resource URIs by @Silvertree2010 in #4288 G4: Optical margin menu uses shared text flag by @nrq6993-a11y in #4309 Brushes: New Brush makes the brush from the art its options opened with by @dotCooCoo in #4195 G2: Scribble effect Settings presets by @nrq6993-a11y in #4274 Docs: cite the public thread help for outlining a threaded frame by @dotCooCoo in #4275 Windows: a maximized window stays clear of a taskbar on the top or a side by @dotCooCoo in #4279 Windows: a maximized window stops a pixel short of an auto-hidden taskbar by @dotCooCoo in #4282 Appearance: a mixed selection lists the attributes its objects share (#4174) by @ham9zah in #4301 Dropdowns: menus grow back after a search with no matches by @aiongg in #4337 ci(deps): split Dependabot cargo group into lockstep families by @skylartaylor in #4223 Make SVG export def ids linear instead of quadratic by @Silvertree2010 in #4359 M2.1: allow Pen tool and path.join to continue, close, and join compound paths (#3274, #3276, #3379, #3380) by @el-j in #3283 Windows installation policy: VectorCraft by @Jeremy8776 in #4295 ci: run the printps tests under their moved path by @aiongg in #4305 New Contributors @zsoltmar made their first contribution in #4117 @youwishgames made their first contribution in #4179 @acosimati made their first contribution in #4149 @ncic made their first contribution in #4196 @ashokram-si made their first contribution in #4215 @DCaioP made their first contribution in #4213 @xbirks made their first contribution in #4130 @Jeremy8776 made their first contribution in #4295 Full Changelog: v0.17.0...v0.18.0

Performance and Compatibility

VectorCraft is implemented in Rust and uses a multithreaded rendering architecture. The project reports that 20,000 shapes can be rendered in approximately 27 milliseconds at full Retina resolution while maintaining a responsive interface.

Its geometry engine is designed around exact curve operations, while structural sharing provides effectively unlimited undo without requiring every operation to duplicate the entire document.

The project also places considerable emphasis on automated testing. Property-based tests are used for document round trips, while rendering and geometry have dedicated test infrastructure.

File compatibility is another strength. SVG is a first-class format, while PDF import/export and PDF-compatible AI files provide useful interoperability with established design workflows. DXF import and EPS export further extend its usefulness for technical and print-oriented work.

However, compatibility should not be confused with complete Illustrator parity. VectorCraft is still under active development, and the project roadmap indicates that some areas remain under construction.

System Requirements

VectorCraft supports:

• Windows

• macOS

• Linux

• FreeBSD

• WebAssembly/browser

Prebuilt Linux packages are available in several formats, including:

• AppImage

• DEB

• RPM

• Tarball

Both x86_64 and ARM64 Linux builds are provided.

macOS has a universal build supporting Intel and Apple Silicon, while Windows is distributed as a native desktop application.

Developers can also build the application directly from source using Rust.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Open-source

• MIT or Apache-2.0 licensing

• Native Rust application

• Windows, macOS and Linux support

• Browser/WebAssembly version

• Strong Bézier and vector-editing tools

• Exact Pathfinder Boolean operations

• Multiple artboards

• Advanced gradients and appearance controls

• Envelope Distort, Puppet Warp and Liquify

• SVG and PDF support

• EPS export

• DXF import

• Native document format

• Excellent automation potential

• JSON control interface

• MCP support for AI agents

• Multithreaded rendering

• Extensive automated testing

Cons

• Still under active development

• Not yet a complete Illustrator replacement

• Some workflows will still lack the maturity of established commercial software

• Font availability and typography coverage are still developing

• Professional production workflows should be tested before full migration

• The large feature set can make the application more complex for beginners

How to Install

The easiest method is to download the appropriate prebuilt package from the project's GitHub releases.

Linux users can choose between AppImage, DEB, RPM and tarball packages. macOS users can install the universal application, while Windows users can use the provided Windows package.

Developers can build the desktop application from source:

git clone https://github.com/storytold/vectorcraft
cd vectorcraft
cargo run --release -p vectorcraft

A VectorCraft document can also be opened directly:

cargo run --release -p vectorcraft -- examples/dusk-poster.vectorcraft

For headless processing and automation, the project provides a CLI:

cargo run --release -p vectorcraft-cli -- run \
  --in examples/ribbons.vectorcraft \
  --export out.pdf

The MCP server can be launched with:

cargo run --release -p vectorcraft-cli -- mcp

This makes VectorCraft particularly interesting for automated graphics generation and AI-assisted design workflows.

Final Verdict

VectorCraft is an unusually ambitious open-source Illustrator alternative. It is not merely a basic SVG editor with a familiar interface. The project is attempting to recreate a substantial portion of the professional Illustrator workflow while building its own modern Rust-based rendering and document architecture.

Its strongest areas are vector geometry, Pathfinder operations, Bézier editing, advanced effects, SVG/PDF interoperability and automation. The MCP and JSON control interfaces are especially interesting because they allow the same editing engine to be operated by scripts and AI agents.

Performance is another major strength. The native Rust architecture and multithreaded rendering approach give VectorCraft a solid technical foundation for handling complex vector documents.

The biggest limitation is maturity. Established applications such as Illustrator have decades of compatibility work, plugins, fonts, production workflows and ecosystem support behind them. VectorCraft is still developing and should not yet be treated as a drop-in replacement for every professional Illustrator workflow.

For designers, developers and open-source users looking for a modern vector graphics application, however, VectorCraft is one of the most interesting projects in this category. Its combination of native performance, open licensing and agent-native automation makes it particularly worth watching.

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Software Informations:
Developer:
ArtCraft
Operating System:
Windows / macOS / Linux / BSD
Date Added:
2026-10-28T23:07:14.712Z
Categories:

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