Creative Design ChartMaker for Windows

User Reviews

• This needs a better ability to customize

  zoomiejrApril 15, 2010

  Pros

  If you go hunting, you can find more features--not too bad. But you do have to look around the program. I "tinkered" around and figured out how to use this program, it's a bit more than basic, but not really for someone who wants more customization.

  Cons

  I would have liked having crochet symbols. There is no "zero" in the numbers you could select--just 1-9. That just doesn't make sense. It would be nice if I could create my own symbols to add, or adjust the graphing for a Tapestry crochet pattern.

  Summary

  In my opinion, this program isn't worth $30, I would purchase it for $20 though. This program just doesn't have enough 'bells and whistles' to warrant the asking price. I think it is above being Basic, as you can change a few things, squares/inch, orientation (landscape vs portrait), colors for the boxes, some knitting symbols (what about us crocheters???! we have symbols too!), other symbols that you could use in a box ('x', 'o', and a few others--rather scant pickings there, too), a set of numbers-- 1 to 9 (where's the zero??), with looking around the program, you can find customized colors. I think that there are a few more items, but I don't recall. So, minimal customization, and sometimes you have to look around, to find that there *are* other options, so a bit user unfriendly. These are the reasons that I say that this is just above being a basic charting program. I used this for making Filet Crochet charts. This program does pretty good with this, although, I would prefer more customization options. Those being adding gray-scale to rows/columns, being able to number the rows beginning and ending where I want, as opposed to beginning at bottom right of whole page. Having other symbols, arrows would be nice, so that I can mark which direction I need to be going on a particular row/column. I would like to have the ability to create my own symbols, to make my own grid styles, to count rows beginning and ending where *I* want, rather than pre-selected by the number of grids on the page. I also think that being able to use gray-scale on alternating rows/columns would be a great option. Hmmmm, was there a grey-scale option available? I don't think so, otherwise I would have used it. It makes it easier to stay on the "correct" row, if you have the ability to distinguish between rows. On the left side of the screen, where you options/controls were located, there were quite a number of white boxes (the other boxes were common colors--red, blue, green, yellow etc). It bothered me that there were a handful of non-filled in color boxes, it made no sense to me. Why doesn't this program offer the ability to upload a photo/graphics and allow you to overlay a graph, so that you could do some really great projects--one's that you create. Also that you could move the graph around the photo/graphics for the best orientation of the graph on the photo/graphics. I think that this program really has the potential to be great, but is rather limited. In my opinion, this program isn't totally worth the money, but at $10 less (priced at $20), it would be worthwhile. I also think that once this program was designed, nothing else has really been done with it. I think that it could do with an "upgrade"--adding more features, more customization. I have the sense, that this program was created, and little--except for a bug or two--has been done to this program sense. This program has the "feeling" of "set it and forget it." The programmer "set it" and then "forg[o]t it." The copyright I saw was for 2007, three years ago! a lifetime in computer programs, and way past when an upgrade needed to be done. If you are selling a program, you need to maintain that program, modifying, upgrading, and adding to the program to keep it up-to-date, and useful. In my opinion, this program is past it's prime and is very overdue for an overhaul. I really want to purchase this, but it is lacking too much for me to be willing to pay $30 for a $20-level program.

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• I needed charts larger than 8x10

  April 15, 2009

  Pros

  None for me

  Cons

  I needed larger than 8x10 charts

  Summary

  couldn't use it.

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• No cable symbols!

  cmwaterfieldApril 12, 2009

  Pros

  It's free to try

  Cons

  There are only very basic symbols available, and it does not include any cable symbols -- a must for knitwear designers.

  Summary

  There's little value in this product -- certainly not $30 worth -- unless you're looking for a basic paint programme. This is obviously a programme designed by a non-knitter, otherwise the holes would have been spotted and filled in order for this programme to be even vaguely useful.

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• No Peyote Stitch Graph!

  sootfoot5February 16, 2009

  Pros

  To be fair, I didn't try the program. Once I saw that all it offered beaders was the brick stich graph I went "thpppttt!" and deleted it. But it did have a good search feature.

  Cons

  A program can't say it is for beading and only offer a graph for brick stitch. Peyote is the "gold standard" of beading, it's kind of like, "where's the beef?"

  Summary

  I think this program is trying to be too many things to too many people. I didn't know if it's good for knitters or cross stitchers - you folks will have to check that out for yourselves. But it will be interesting to find out if you get enough features for your needs. There certainly aren't enough basic features for beaders to use, that is clear.

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