VG.net 2.7 Released

Download the translucent calculator executable.

Version 2.7 of the VG.net vector graphics system is released. The Translucent Calculator article describes how to build a user interface completely defined with vector graphics, using the new TranslucentForm class.

The calculator has no window border, and the edges are anti-aliased with per-pixel translucency, as seen in the close-up below:

Grab any of the calculator corners to resize it using the mouse. Because this calculator is built with vector graphics, you can resize it without any of the pixel scaling problems inherent in bitmap graphics:

The techniques in the article are ideal for applications that use skinning and fancy user interface features, such as gel buttons. The article describes how to separate a user interface from application logic, so you can build a custom calculator skin.

Other new features in this release include:

• Greatly improved performance, in memory and time, for path gradient fills, by sharing gradient cache data across similar Elements
• Other performance improvements for non-shared path gradient fills
• Use the new BaseStyle property in Style to collect common appearance properties from several Styles into a single location
• All mouse events in the Picture class now bubble up to Canvas or TranslucentForm, which have a set of new events, including PictureMouseDown
• You can now drag and drop a Picture from the Toolbox onto a Canvas or TranslucentForm to display in the recipient
• Use new ElementPoint property in ElementMouseEventArgs to determine the mouse position in the coordinate space of the Element raising the event

For a complete list of changes see the version 2.7 Readme document.