MicroStation (1991) 1 Graphics DOS

First released in 1985, MicroStation is a computer aided design program originally written to read and later write Interactive Graphics Design System (an early single-purpose hardware/software CAD system) design files. It was influenced by Bentley System's 1984 graphics terminal based PseudoStation software. The file format, and therefore the software, became a standard in government agencies.

• 4.0.x
• 5.0.x

Fractal Design Dabbler (1994) 1 Graphics Windows

Dabbler, by Fractal Design, was released as a cut down version of Fractal Design Painter, and later re-branded as "Art Dabbler" (when Fractal Design merged with MetaCreations). Dabbler used the brush on canvas metaphor, allowing the artist to build up density/opacity by repeating strokes over the same part of the image. Interestingly, it also was capable of using many of the Adobe defined .8bf plugin filters for special effects.

• 1.0

Fauve Matisse (1994) 1 Graphics Windows

Fauve Matisse was an extremely slick and powerful natural media paint and image manipulation program. It sold for a fraction of the price of the market leader Fractal Design Painter, and had a number of more powerful features like floating layers in its early versions. Matisse (and Fauve Software) died when the two brothers who owned it bet the farm on a high-end image-manipulation program called X-res - and lost. Ironically, X-res (and Matisse)was acquired by Macromedia.,While X-res continued to be published by Macromedia, Matisse was allowed to slip into a quiet grave." (And Macromedia was in turn bought out by Adobe). software that supported multiple free-floating layers of images.

• 1.x

Crayola Art Studio (1994) 1 Graphics Windows

Crayola Art Studio, from Micrografx, is a heavily lobotomized graphics packaged aimed at kids. It features a Bob-like "room" menu, animated characters, sound effects, a paint program that can place shapes and clipart, and several other printing programs. It is similar to, and competed against Microsoft Fine Artist.

• 1.0

Ashlar Vellum (1990) 1 Graphics Engineering Windows MacOS

Ashlar Vellum is a CAD package for mechanical engineers and designers, that includes the ability to intelligently predict where the user wants to connect the next object. There were both "2D" and "3D" versions.

• 1.x (Win)
• 2.x (Mac)

WordPerfect Works (1992) 2 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Graphics Database DOS Windows

WordPerfect Works was an all-in-one integrated office productivity package that included a word processor, spreadsheet, drawing program, database, and a communications program. Initially it was just for DOS, but later there was a version for Microsoft Windows. Corporation's smaller lightweight programs. This included LetterPerfect, a scaled down DrawPerfect, PlanPerfect, and the WordPerfect Executive shell. The database was based around the Mailmerge system.

• 1.0
• 2.0

CompuWorks Office (1994) 0 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Graphics Database Windows

ComuWorks is an entry-level budget oriented integrated all-in-one office suite for Microsoft Windows 3.1. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, database, report writer, and charting tools.

• 2.x

Renderman (1994) 0 Graphics Windows

RenderMan is a 3d-rendering program produced for in-house use at Pixar and made available for commercial user. It also represented a standard way to store rendering data and interface between modeling and rendering programs.

• 1.x

StepWay Desktop Publisher (1994) 1 Graphics Publishing DOS

StepWay Desktop Publisher is a very low-end budget graphics editor and desktop publisher for DOS. It appears to have been targeted at new computer users and educational markets. The StepWay software is considered "modular", with additional functionality added in separate modules, sold separately. The separate modules they sold included Desktop Publisher, Art Shop, To Do List, Checkbook, Banner, Cookbook, Home Inventory, Greeting Cards, Mail List, and Calendar.

• 1.x

SmartSketch (1994) 1 Graphics Publishing Windows

SmartSketch 1.0 is an easy to use vector based drawing targeted at business users. Although there were many other such drawing programs, it boasted simplicity and a large variety of clipart. It was originally intended for GO Corporation's PinPoint pen computing device, but when that was discontinued, SmartSketch was ported to Windows and Macintosh instead.

• 1.0

Micrografx Designer (1988) 17 Graphics Publishing Windows OS2

Micrografx Designer, originally released as IN-A-VISON for Windows 1.x, is a vector based drawing and design program. It features ease of use, multiple layers, and dimensioning. Micrografx also sold large libraries of clip art. It competed against Corel Draw.

• 1.1
• 2.0
• 3.0
• 3.1
• 4.0

Autodesk AutoCAD (1984) 16 Graphics Engineering DOS MacOS Unix Windows

AutoCAD, from Autodesk and first released in 1982, is a powerful Computer Aided Design tool. It was, and still is, often considered the standard for CAD tools. Primarily for the IBM PC platform, it was ported to x86 machines with higher video resolutions such as the Zenith Z-100 and NEC APC. Intermittently, versions for the Macintosh appeared. Later versions use a dongle copy protection.

• 1.x (DOS)
• 2.x (DOS)
• r10 (Mac)
• r10 (DOS)
• r10 (Unix)
• r11 (DOS)
• r11 (Mac)
• r11 (Win)
• r12 (Mac)

Softkey/WordStar PC Paintbrush (1993) 4 Graphics Windows

Softkey/WordStar's PC Paintbrush is a paint program and photo editor for Windows 3.x. It only somewhat resembles Zsoft PC Paintbrush but is basically re-branded Zsoft PhotoFinish, released after Zsoft was bought out. It was initially sold by WordStar International, and then later SoftKey.

• 1.x

Aldus Photostyler (1992) 4 Graphics Windows

Aldus PhotoStyler, developed by Ulead and acquired by Aldus, was an easy-to use photo image editor intended to compete with PhotoShop. The product was dropped when Adobe acquired Aldus.

• 1.x
• 2.x

Autodesk Animator Pro (1993) 1 Graphics DOS

First released in 1989, AutoDesk Animator was a DOS-based professional animation tool. It could create full motion animations using VGA 320*200 256 color resolutions. It supports a number of animation techniques, and includes a freely redistributable animation player. It saves animations to the .FLI or "QuickFlick" format. This format was extremely popular during the very early 90s, and was one of the few that could do 256 colors, including pallet manipulation.

• 1.x

Expert Draw (1993) 1 Graphics MacOS

Expert draw is an easy to use budget drawing programs for the Macintosh sold through Expert Software. It features a library of editable clipart, and shape based drawing tools.

• 1.x

Freelance Graphics (1985) 9 Presentations Graphics DOS OS2 Windows

GCI/Lotus/IBM Freelance Graphics is a vector based presentation and graphing package developed for DOS, OS/2, and Windows. It was intended for use alongside Lotus 1-2-3. Later versions were part of SmartSuite. Before it was acquired by Lotus it was known Freelance, from Graphic Communications.

• 1.0 (DOS)
• 2.0 (DOS)
• 1.0 (OS/2)
• 4.0 (DOS)
• 1.0 (Win)
• 2.x (Win)

3D FloorPlan Designer (1993) 0 Graphics DOS

3D FloorPlan is a 3-dimensional architectural and space planning program for small business professionals and home users. The user may design a home addition or remodel in 2D and FloorPlan automatically converts the drawing into 3D. The user can then walk through the 3D model in real time.

• 2.0

Autodesk Deck (1993) 0 Graphics DOS

Autodesk Deck is a stripped down CAD program that contains pre-defined objects specifically for designing deck layouts.

• 2.0

IBM Communications Manager/2 (1993) 1 Server OS2

Communications Manager/2 is a server component for OS/2 1.3 that provides connectivity with IBM mainframes and acts as a gateway for OS/2, DOS, and Windows clients.

• 1.0

IBM CAD/3X (1993) 0 Graphics OS2

IBM CAD/3X is an entry level, easy to use, 2D cad program with versions for both DOS and OS/2 1.30.

• 1

Micrografx Charisma (1991) 2 Presentations Graphics Windows

Charisma is a business graphing program with a wide array of drawing tools and over 2000 pieces of clipart. It was based on Micrografix Windows Graph for Microsoft Windows 1.x.

• 2.1
• 4.0

Gryphon Morph (1993) 0 Graphics Novelty Windows

Morph, from Gryphon Software was the first commercial morphing program for PCs. With this program you specify related points between two images and the software will morph the two images together at different levels. The program can export the results to a movie file.

• 1.00

Palindrome Network Archivist (1993) 0 Server DOS

Palindrome Network Archivist is an enterprise server program to back up Novell NetWare servers onto tape drives.

• 3.0

Aldus Type Twister (1993) 3 Graphics Publishing Windows

Type Twister is a font tool that adds multiple effects to fonts, that a user may then copy as a bit map in to other applications. involved with Instant Artist, which features similar font effects.

• 1.0