Quick Guide
NeoDraw Quick Guide
A concise guide to NeoDraw, the application built around NeoFlow’s layout tools: import figures and images, draw vectors, edit text, arrange panels, and export publication-ready figures.
1. Quick start
- Create a layoutChoose File → New Layout to open the editor.
- Choose the paperChoose a paper size and orientation, such as A4, in the toolbar.
- Import your materialDrag PDF, PPTX, SVG, or image files onto the page.
- Add shapes and textUse the drawing tools for shapes. Double-click empty page space to add text.
- Arrange the figureSelect objects and use alignment, distribution, and grouping.
- Save and exportSave the editable document, then export a PDF or another output format.
Menu names and keyboard labels mainly follow the macOS version. Some controls and operations differ on Windows.
2. Paper and layouts
- File → New Layout opens a new editing window. In NeoDraw for macOS, the shortcut is ⌘N.
- Choose A4 or Letter in portrait or landscape, or Free. Paper settings are saved separately for each layout.
- Add a page with the “+” tab at the bottom; click a tab to switch layouts.
- Double-click a tab to rename it, or drag it to change its order.
- Screen zoom changes the on-screen view. Print % changes the physical size of the output.
3. Importing figures and images
- Drag a file onto the page, or choose File → Place File in Layout….
- You can also copy a figure in a graphing or drawing application and use Edit → Paste.
- Select the imported objects and adjust their position and size.
| Format | Use and notes |
|---|---|
| PDF / Illustrator (.ai) | Import PDF content as vectors. Illustrator files must be saved with PDF compatibility enabled. |
| PowerPoint (.pptx) | Import shapes, text, and other slide elements. |
| SVG | Import vector graphics. |
| PNG / JPEG and others | Place raster images. Their individual lines and text cannot be edited as vector objects. |
4. Drawing and editing text
Shapes, lines, and arrows
- Select a line, arrow, rectangle, ellipse, or another tool and drag on the page to draw.
- For polygons, click to add vertices, then click the starting point or double-click to finish. Double-click to finish a Bézier curve.
- Select a shape to change its line color, fill, and line width in the toolbar.
- Select a single polygon or Bézier curve, right-click, and choose Edit Vertices to adjust its shape.
Adding and editing text
- Double-click empty space to create a text object.
- Double-click existing text to edit it, or a shape to enter text inside it.
- Adjust font, size, bold, italic, and text alignment in the toolbar.
Choose the right action: Double-click to enter or edit text; use Edit Vertices in the context menu to edit a shape’s geometry.
5. Selection, alignment, and grouping
- Click an object with the selection tool. Shift-click to add objects, or drag across empty space to select several with a marquee.
- Drag to move and use handles to resize. You can also enter position, size, and angle in the toolbar.
- Select multiple objects and align their edges or centers. Normally, the first selected object is the reference.
- Select at least three objects to distribute their centers evenly.
- Group objects to move them together. Use front/back controls to change their stacking order.
- Use Guide Bars or Snap to Grid in the View menu to position objects precisely.
6. Saving and exporting
Save the editable document
Use File → Save to keep your editable work, or Save As… to create a copy. NeoDraw can reopen .neo layout files for further editing.
Export the finished figure
- Click Export in the toolbar.
- Choose the layouts and output format. On Windows, a format-selection menu opens first.
- Set the resolution and other options as needed, then choose a destination and export.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| Publication and sharing; keeps text and shapes as vectors. | |
| PPTX | Further editing in PowerPoint and presentations. |
| PNG | Sharing or placing the figure as a raster image. |
| Illustrator (.ai) | Editing in Illustrator; exported in PDF-compatible format. |
Keep the editable document. Save the layout separately from your exported figure so that you can revise labels and arrangement later.
7. Common keyboard shortcuts
The keys below are for macOS. On Windows, use the corresponding menu commands.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘N | New Layout (NeoDraw) |
| ⌘O | Open a layout file |
| ⌘S / ⇧⌘S | Save / Save As |
| ⇧⌘O | Place external files in the layout |
| ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z | Undo / Redo |
| ⌘C / ⌘X / ⌘V | Copy / Cut / Paste |
| ⌘D | Duplicate selected objects |
| ⌘G / ⇧⌘U | Group / Ungroup |
| Space + drag | Pan the view |
| ⌘P | Print all layouts |
8. Troubleshooting
I cannot find a button for adding text
Double-click empty page space in selection mode. There is no dedicated text-creation button.
An Illustrator file cannot be imported
Save it again in Illustrator with Create PDF Compatible File enabled. Older PostScript-based .ai files are not supported.
Alignment or distribution does not work
Normal alignment needs at least two selected objects; distribution needs at least three. Each group counts as one object.
The exported figure has an unexpected size
Screen zoom and Print % are separate settings. Check the paper size and print scale.
The document cannot be saved
Check free space and write permissions at the destination, then try saving to another location.
Based on the layout chapters and NeoDraw-specific notes in the NeoFlow manual.