PureRef 2.1 is out
Indie game studio and tools developer Idyllic Pixel has released PureRef 2.1, the latest version of its popular reference image organisation tool for concept art, illustration and 3D modeling.
It’s a sizeable update, adding the option to snap images to a background grid, image batch-processing, seven new commands for manipulating images, and updates to the drawing tools.
A more powerful way to organize reference images for concept art and CG work
Widely used by concept artists and illustrators, PureRef provides a more powerful way to manage reference images than setting up mood boards in apps like Photoshop.
Users can drag and drop images directly into the software, scale, reposition and align them intuitively, and add text notes and drawn annotations.
PureRef 2.1: updates to the new drawing tools
PureRef 2.1 extends the drawing toolset introduced in PureRef 2.0 last year. As well as freehand annotations, users can now draw geometric shapes: ellipses, rectangles and straight lines.
New background grid and Arrange Randomly option for arranging images
To help organize references, it is also now possible to display a background grid on the canvas – there are options for a full or dotted grid – and to snap images to it.
And to foster happy accidents, there is a new Arrange Randomly command, which places images randomly across the canvas.
Other new commands and updates to existing tools
PureRef 2.1 also introduces six other new commands for manipulating images, including tools for duplicating images, parenting them to other images, and normalizing their area.
Updates to existing tools include support for rich text in the Comment dialog and the option to lock the aspect ratio of the Crop tool.
New batch processing tool and other workflow improvements
Other major new features include an image management tool for batch-processing images: to change their size, resolution or format.
In addition, PureRef now displays thumbnails of recent files on a new canvas, to make it easier to pick up work; and it is now possible drag and drop images into groups.
There are also new language editions: Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
Pricing and system requirements
PureRef 2.1 is compatible with Windows 10+, Ubuntu 20.04 Linux and macOS 10.14+.
A Small Business license costs $49, and supports up to three users; full Business subscriptions cost $10/month or $96/year.
Non-commercial Personal licenses are pay-what-want, although the Custom Amount setting on the website now defaults to $20, so the minimum contribution seems to be $7.
Read a full list of new features in PureRef 2.1 on the product blog
Read more about PureRef on the product website
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