MacDraw

MacDraw is a native macOS desktop overlay app that lets you draw directly on top of the screen with a transparent canvas.

Traditional Chinese user manual: 使用手冊_繁體中文.md

Features

• Native macOS AppKit control panel
• Transparent overlay across every connected display
• Freehand pen and eraser tools
• Shape switch for freehand or rectangle drawing
• Brush color and size controls
• Undo and clear actions
• Standby mode by default
• Hold Control and click or drag to draw temporarily
• Escape key instantly disables drawing
• Optional trail effect with adjustable disappear time

Interaction

• The app starts in standby mode
• Hold Control and click or drag to draw temporarily
• Use Lock Drawing On if you want persistent drawing mode
• Press Escape to return to non-drawing state immediately

Build

./scripts/build-app.sh

The app bundle will be created at build/MacDraw.app.

Run

./build/bin/MacDraw

If macOS rejects the .app bundle in your environment, run the binary directly as shown above. The build still produces build/MacDraw.app, but direct binary launch is the reliable path here.

Notes

• The control window stays above the drawing overlay so you can quickly switch modes.
• If your monitor layout changes while the app is open, the overlay windows are rebuilt for the new screen arrangement.

Source Layout

• Shared.swift: shared drawing types and protocol
• OverlayCanvasView.swift: drawing canvas and trail rendering
• OverlayManager.swift: overlay windows and drawing state
• ControlPanelController.swift: native macOS control panel UI
• AppDelegate.swift: app lifecycle and keyboard handling
• main.swift: app entry point