For designers who work with multiple tools, doing double work is nothing new: you create a design in one tool, to then use that same design in another. Especially with larger designs, it often takes a lot of time to manually export the separate elements to use them in different design tools. Our own Maglr Studio also experienced this issue, showing us that it was time to come up with a solution for all designers who use Maglr Pro.
For that reason, we started researching among our customers, which resulted in Sketch as the most used design tool. The Maglr Studio also uses Sketch to create the initial design for customers, showing us that there was no better starting point. That’s why we started developing an import-functionality for this design tool late last year.
We are now capable to read a Sketch file and import an artboard to Maglr. Where you previously had to manually export all elements an images from Sketch, we can now place a complete Sketch artboard directly in your Maglr Pro scene. A considerable time saver for Sketch users!
When developing the import functionality for Sketch files, we mainly focused on speed and productivity. Since Sketch files can become very large, we chose to set up a direct connection between Maglr Pro and the Sketch file on your own device. Via the ‘import menu’ in Maglr Pro, you can now select the artboard in your Sketch file to import. No need to wait long, as we only upload (and resize when needed) the elements within the chosen Sketch artboard. This means that all elements in your Sketch artboard are converted into a completely editable Maglr Pro scene in no-time.
Every layer or group in your Sketch artboard will be converted into a unique layer or group in Maglr when imported, including the layer names you applied in Sketch. All of these elements are then completely editable in Maglr and can be made interactive using animations, effects and actions.
While the import functionality for Sketch files is a considerable time saver, there are several things to note when designing your Sketch file in order to successfully import its elements to Maglr. Think of specific practices to keep your workflow as productive as possible, but also features in Sketch that our Pro editor does not support (yet).
A full list of tips & restrictions can be found in our Help Centre.
When developing the import functionality, many extra features have been developed to straighten the design in Sketch with the result in Maglr. Below you can find a list with the most important new features in Maglr Pro:
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The Sketch import and its new features are now in Beta and ready to use by all Maglr Pro users! More info on the Sketch import and the new features can be found in our Help Centre.
Depending on your feedback and desires, we’re looking at further integrations with, for example, Figma or Adobe XD in the near future. We’re very keen to learn what you think of the Sketch import and which other features you would like to see in Maglr. You’re welcome to share your thoughts with us via info@maglr.com.