Tim Soderstrom, better known as m00dawg, has just released a fresh, fully functional version of PetDraw for the latest kernel (r42) and VERA. While it retains the core features of the original PetDraw by David Murray, Tim has added a few small improvements, with more on the way. Technically, screen size functionality is currently broken, but he plans to bring it back. One of the most significant updates is that PetDraw has now been converted to cc65, with a more modularized structure using multiple scopes and procedures.
One notable change is the removal of C64 compatibility. This new version of PetDraw now uses drawings created within the program to display its static menus, making it easy for other applications to pull screen buffer files directly from the filesystem and push them into VRAM. When Tim reached out to David Murray about renaming the project, David was happy with the minor tweak, leading to the updated name: PetDrawX 2.0.
Latest Changes (2023-07-04):
- Fixed status bar updates
- Added a Home function (moves cursor to the left side of the screen)
- A few minor tweaks
Previous Updates:
- Auto-advance cursor (Option A) – useful for drawing boxes
- File overwriting (allows saving the same file multiple times)
- Temporarily removed screen size functionality, with plans to rework it and possibly integrate it into save files
- Removed main RAM screen buffer in favor of using VERA layers
- Toggleable status bar to display information about the cursor’s position
- Fill background color feature
For those interested in the nitty-gritty details or contributing to the project, PetDrawX 2.0 is open-source and available under GPLv3. The source code and further information can be found here: GitLab – PetDrawX.
 releases PetDrawX 2.0, an improved version of PetDraw with bug fixes, new features, and enhanced modularity.){kind=link}