IhateLaTeX Open Vector Canvas

Vector Canvas — Private Whiteboard for Sketches and Figures

Ink, shapes, arrows, stickies, images and named frames on an infinite board. Export SVG, PNG or JSON — never TikZ. Files stay on this device.

What is the IhateLaTeX Vector Canvas?

IhateLaTeX runs entirely in your browser via a WebAssembly pdfTeX engine — no servers, no sign-up, no uploads. Every tool below is 100% free with unlimited use. The Vector Canvas is a first-party whiteboard: pen and highlighter, geometric shapes, connectors, text, stickies, images and export frames. It does not emit TikZ — use TikZ Diagram Studio when you need publication PGF.

Key Features of the Vector Canvas

Infinite private board

Pan, pinch-zoom and snap. Multi-page tabs, a minimap, and optional rulers. Light or dark paper independent of the suite chrome.

Ink and geometry together

Pen, highlighter and eraser sit next to rectangles, diamonds, stars, arrows and bound connectors.

Stickies, text and images

Inline labels, paste or drop photos (downscaled on device), and named frames as export regions.

Layers and alignment

Lock, hide, group, align and distribute. Copy/paste JSON of the selection. Undo stays local.

Honest export

SVG, PNG at 1×/2×/3×, JSON backup, copy PNG. Export the board, the selection, or the active frame. Never fake TikZ.

Paper insert

Drop a PNG into Research Paper Builder so WASM TeX never needs PGF/TikZ.

How to Use It (Step by Step)

  1. Open a blank board, import leftover TikZ-studio strokes, or drop an image.
  2. Sketch with the pen, place shapes and stickies, or draw connectors between objects.
  3. Use frames to mark a crop. Align, group and restyle from the inspector.
  4. Export SVG or PNG, or copy a PNG into a paper, slide, or message.
  5. Optional: insert the PNG into a document from Paper Builder’s Vector Canvas studio.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Vector Canvas export TikZ?

No. This board is a whiteboard: SVG, PNG and JSON only. For publication diagrams with Copy TikZ, use TikZ Diagram Studio.

Is anything uploaded?

No. The document lives in your browser (local storage). Images are compressed on device as data URLs.

Can I use this in a research paper?

Yes. Paper Builder can open Vector Canvas and insert a PNG figure so the in-browser TeX engine does not need TikZ.

Where did freehand from TikZ Studio go?

Pen, highlighter and eraser moved here. If an old TikZ document still has strokes, TikZ Studio shows a one-line banner that copies them onto this canvas.

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