Infinite Loop / The Apple Ecosystem

Graph Sketcher app reborn as OmniGraphSketcher for Mac

The Omni Group has released a new product, OmniGraphSketcher (formerly Graph …

Depending on what you're doing, creating graphs on the Mac may not be the easiest thing in the world. There are tools available to create simple graphs as well as data-heavy ones, but there's not a whole lot available if you need something in the middle. Demonstrative graphs in economics tend to be particularly problematic since they involve several curves but don't require actual data. The Omni Group is on the case, though, and has released a new product called OmniGraphSketcher that allows users to generate classy graphs without too much effort.

Originally developed and sold as Graph Sketcher, OmniGraphSketcher entered the Omni fold when its developer joined the company. The app has since been given a touch of polish. The software allows easy freehand drawing of curves, and OmniGraphSketcher also smoothes your curves so everything looks nice. Aligning things is also easy, since the software will snap to the curves you have already drawn when you're filling in areas or drawing equilibrium lines. If you need to add or edit labels, all you have to do is double-click them, and users can click and drag pretty much anything to move or resize it. And, if you do end up needing data, you can easily import it from Excel.

OmniGraphSketcher probably won't replace applications like Plot or R for heavy-duty graphing, but it looks like a handy tool for the remaining 95 percent of the time. In fact, I wish it had been around last year when I could have used it more (I also wish I wasn't too cheap to buy Graph Sketcher). Although OmniGraphSketcher is still technically a beta application, you'll need a license to use it, which will run you $29.95. Existing Graph Sketcher customers will be able to upgrade for free, and the rest of us can try the application out for free for two weeks.

Expand full story

8 Reader Comments

  1. quote:

    Pardon my ignorance, but how does that work? I don't understand how you'd write a function to graph arbitrary data, let alone non-existent data.
    1800 posts | registered
  2. f(x)=x^2 is a function that doesn't need any data Razz. Obviously in economics the equation is probably a little more complex than that.
    3929 posts | registered
  3. Right, right, but I'm asking how you know that an exponential function is even appropriate in the first place, without having data to suggest it is.
    1800 posts | registered
  4. This is primarily for qualitative graphs, like this one.
    4105 posts | registered
  5. Oh, I like that one; I study chemistry Wink But the shape of those curves and the way they intersect aren't arbitrary; they're based on observation and measured data (and the qualitative trends derived thereof).

    I think I just read too much into the quote above. It sort of conflated actual graphing (science) with the ability to draw splines and curves (art).
    1800 posts | registered
  6. Economics frequently uses graphs to illustrate concepts. In those, it doesn't matter what the actual figures are, you just want to show what happens to the point where they intersect when you shift a graph. e.g. what happens to supply and demand when you introduce subsidies, or set a minimum price that is above the market price. Seeing it graphed makes it much easier to grasp and there is no need for specific numbers.

    Sounds like a good program... is there a Windows alternative?
    5070 posts | registered
  7. Thanks Soriak, that makes sense.
    1800 posts | registered
  8. It's also helpful for graphs that are disproven by the data, this one.
    8 posts | registered

You must to comment.