SerifGDI is a core component of our award-winning consumer graphics applications, PagePlus, DrawPlus and PhotoPlus. It is a class library DLL which provides advanced 2D drawing functions to the client application. It is designed to replace the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) which has many limitations. Among the many features of the library are:

• 32-Bit coordinate system - no 16-bit limit like Windows GDI.
• High quality anti-aliasing of all drawing primitives.
• Lightning fast rendering.
• Many gradient fill types.
• Flat and gradient transparency types.
• Bitmap fills and transparencies.
• Gradient filled and transparent text.
• Anti-aliased Windows metafiles.
• Many line styles.
• A range of 2D geometry classes for bezier curves, linear transforms etc.

Introduction to the structure of the library.

The library defines a class called a Render Context, which is analogous to a Windows Device Context. A Render Context can have one of a number of possible Devices attached (A bitmep, a metafile or a printer for example). A Render Context has a logical coordinate system, which the client application determines by pushing Linear Transforms onto a transformation stack. The client application sets the attributes of the Render Context by pushing objects like Pens, Brushes and Fonts onto other stacks. The Render Context has a comprehensive set of drawing functions analogous to those in the Windows GDI. Polygons, PolyPolygons, Lines, Bezier Curves and Text can all be drawn with any of the attributes. How the drawing primitives are rendered depends upon the device attached. A bitmap device will draw the objects with anti-aliasing, a printer device will render the objects using polygons wherever possible and will intelligently attempt to minimize the amount of raster data sent to the printer (some objects have to be converted to bitmaps if they lie underneath a transparent object for example).

At the very heart of the rendering part of the library is some extremely highly optimized code for the drawing of anti-aliased polygons and the creation of all the sophisticated fill and transparency objects. This code is written in completely portable, ANSI standard C++. There is also a version of this core code written in ANSI C.

Evaluating SerifGDI

The easiest way to evaluate SerifGDI is to obtain one of the products that use it. All Serif products are competitively priced and come with a 30-day money back guarantee so you can't lose. PagePlus and DrawPlus both use SerifGDI to do all of their graphical output to screen, file or printer.

Alternatively, you can download our SerifGDI Demo application, complete with source code. The demo is a minimal SerifGDI application, which demonstrates the speed and the quality of the anti-aliasing produced by the library but only uses a fraction of the functionality. Please Read the text file first.

Interested?

SerifGDI is not a shrink-wrapped product. It is a core technology of our company that has grown over a number of years through the efforts of many skilled developers. It is unlikely to be within the means of the individual or hobbyist developer but portions of it may be considered for licensing in certain circumstances. All requests to license the library, in whole or in part will be treated on an individual basis. If you require further information please contact:

Darren Darvill
Head of Development
Serif (Europe) Ltd
Nottingham, UK
Tel +44 (0) 115 9142000