STREAMLINED CAD APP EXPLORING THE QUALITIES OF GEOMETRY

Drawing Program for Qualitative Geometry

Bespoke open-source drawing app for Windows & Mac computers with 5 hr video course and sacred geometry drawing library.
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"Q" Stands for Qualia

Qualia is the quality or feeling of perception. We experience the taste of chocolate, the color of a sunset or the essence of a pentagram as distinct qualia. Some philosophers believe qualia are precisely what differentiate conscious beings from mindless machines. In any case, qualia and consciousness are inextricably entangled.

Scott Onstott created Q to enable you to explore pure geometry for the purpose of experiencing its qualia yourself—a feeling that many describe as "sacred", but curiously without the typical baggage associated with such a state of consciousness.

Streamlined for Sacred Geometry

Scott simplified Q to focus on geometry itself, purely for the experience of it. By focusing on the qualities geometry itself, rather than being by distracted by its quantitative uses, you can directly experience why geometry is widely considered the universal language. He does not want anything to get in the way of drawing as a transformative transpersonal experience so Scott stripped Q down to its essentials. In other words, he made Q is as simple as possible, but not too simple.
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -Leonardo da Vinci
Q is for experiencing the sacredness of geometry. You use Q because you plan to explore your inner world through the universal language, rather than using it to draft floor plans representing something in the outer world, for example.


five fold symmetry sacred geometry
Drawing geometry can be its own reward.
Geometry is the universal language.
Q is really special in just how intuitive an app it is. Q is almost as easy to use as a compass and straightedge but it’s faster and literally a million times more precise than pencil and paper.

Q has lines, arcs, circles, ellipses, polygons, text, images, blocks, layers, properties, dimensions, selection and modification tools. Q has no “command line” and its tools are generally more qualitative than quantitative, although numbers can be entered if desired.

Tracing Images

You can import images and trace over them in Q. This is a direct way to analyze and understand geometry in architecture, ceramic tile patterns, stained glass, fine art paintings, crop circles, corporate logos and much more.

By tracing geometry over (or adjacent to) images, you effectively see through the eyes of the designer. There might be no better way to understand a design than to draw it yourself.
Scott Onstott traced Da Vinci's Last Supper with the Q app and uncovered sacred geometry.

Stimulating Creativity

"Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is: formation, transformation, eternal mind’s eternal recreation." —Carl Jung
For Scott, drawing with Q is not only relaxing but it is always interesting and an exciting outlet for creativity. He hopes you will fall in love with Q the way he has!
"Mighty is geometry; joined with art, irresistible.”
-Euripides
Why not use Q to make geometric art or even draw your own coloring book? Drawing is at least as fun as coloring!

Uncommon Use of Geometry

Most of the time, people employ geometry in the service of making everyday things. For example, geometry is used in the form of plans to design everything from products to cars to buildings.
"As to the usefulness of geometry, it is as certain that no curious art or mechanic work can either be invented, improved, or performed without its assisting principles."
-Benjamin Franklin
Example of Scott's typical quantitative CAD drawings used to design office buildings
Q is not CAD software for generating architectural, engineering, product, or design plans. For these quantitative jobs, compare QCAD, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, BricsCAD, ZWCAD, DraftSight, Vectorworks, and more. All of these CAD programs have far more tools and features than Q, which is not especially suited for quantitative geometry.

Open Source

The source code of Q is released under the GNU GPLv3, a popular Open Source license. Q's source code is included along with convenient binary installers for Mac & Windows computers, which are available to all who enroll in this course.
That means you are free to extend Q if you are a serious programmer, but you don’t have to program anything or deal with source code to install and use Q. 
Q is a greatly simplified subset of QCAD Community Edition, an open source computer-aided design system. Q's source code requires a C++ compiler and Qt, a cross-platform C++ open source framework. The LGPL Open Source license under which Qt ships with Q confers various rights to you as the user, including the right to recompile the Qt source code and libraries for your platform. To do that follow the documentation shown on the Qt website.

Wide Support for File Format

Scott's golden ratio calipers were laser cut using DXF files, the native format of the Q app.
Q’s native file format is DXF (Drawing eXchange Format, 2000 version). This older industry-standard format is widely supported in numerous CAD, 3D and illustration programs so it is easy to exchange drawings made in Q with other programs.

In addition to the vector DXF format, you can also export raster images and PDFs from Q to share your work.

So if you do want to take your designs made in Q to the next level, it is certainly possible.

Library of Sacred Geometry Drawings

Q has a built-in Library Browser stocked with royalty-free sacred geometry drawings in Q’s native DXF format.

Many are classics that have been known for hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years.

Some are more recent and a few are Scott's personal explorations in geometry and art.
Scott's golden ratio calipers were laser cut using DXF files, the native format of the Q app.
Q's Library Browser includes fine art geometric analyses.
The Library is meant to serve as inspiration. An effective way to learn is to copy the masters. Draw what they drew. Uncover the geometric basis of great art and design. 
Let the geometry work on you in ineffable ways as you work on it.

Maybe you will discover something new about the world and yourself?
"The squaring of the circle is a stage on the way to the unconscious, a point of transition leading to a goal lying as yet unformulated beyond it." —Carl Jung
Scott's method for "squaring the circle" is new, by hand (left) and drawn in Q (right)

Q Course Videos

5+ hours of helpful course videos show you step-by-step how to get the most out of the Q app.
The included course videos (5 hrs 22 min) teach you step-by-step how to use Q. No experience with drafting or CAD programs is required.

Q is not about measurements and quantities, it's about the qualitative aspects of geometry. Anyone can do it.

There is no wrong way to draw and there is no test, so don't fear. This is not the geometry class from your school days!

What's included?

Windows & MacOS Apps

Downloads for both apps are available below. Open source code also downloadable for software developers.

Course To Teach You

13 Chapters of videos running 5+ hours teaches you step-by-step how to get the most out of this drawing app.

Geometry Library

Library of Sacred Geometry drawings accessible inside Q helps get you started in your own explorations.

Download Q for Windows

Runs on any 64-bit version of Windows.

Download Q for MacOS

Runs on MacOS 10.6 and later versions.

Download Q Source Code

Useful only for developers.
YOUR TRAINER AND HOST

Scott Onstott

Scott is the author of two dozen books, has taught over a thousand students in brick-and-mortar universities, and his courses have millions of views worldwide. He is a Renaissance human, embracing knowledge in many disparate subject areas.

Scott has a degree in Architecture from the University of California Berkeley, and approaches software through the lens of his design sensibility.

Drawing Program for Qualitative Geometry

Bespoke open-source drawing app for Windows and MacOS with 5+ hr video course and sacred geometry drawing library. Expand your personal horizons with the Q app.
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