Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is DrawMotive?

DrawMotive is a collaborative diagramming tool for creating software architecture diagrams, flowcharts, wireframes, and other visual documentation. It runs in your browser and works offline.

Which browsers are supported?

DrawMotive works in any modern browser that supports WebAssembly: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. The recommended browser is Chrome or Edge for the best performance.

Does DrawMotive require an internet connection?

No. DrawMotive is built with an offline-first architecture. You can create and edit diagrams without a connection. Changes sync automatically when you reconnect.

Is my data stored locally or in the cloud?

Both. All diagram data is stored locally in your browser's IndexedDB. When connected, changes are also synced to the server and backed up to cloud storage. Your local copy is always the primary source.

Collaboration

How many people can edit a diagram at the same time?

There's no hard limit on concurrent editors. The CRDT system handles merging changes from any number of users. Practical performance is best with up to a few dozen concurrent editors on the same diagram.

What happens if two people edit the same shape?

DrawMotive uses Last-Write-Wins (LWW) conflict resolution. If two people change the same property (e.g., a line's color) at the same time, the most recent change wins. Both users automatically converge to the same result.

Can I see who made which changes?

Transactions are tracked per-user internally for undo/redo purposes. Detailed change attribution in the UI is planned for a future release.

Features

What shape types are supported?

Lines, rectangles, circles, ellipses, text, and connectors. Each has configurable properties for stroke, fill, opacity, and dimensions.

Can I import diagrams from other tools?

Import from other formats is not currently supported. You can create diagrams from scratch or from templates.

What export formats are available?

PNG (raster), SVG (vector), and PDF (print-ready).

Are constraints like in CAD software?

DrawMotive's constraint solver supports a subset of geometric and dimensional constraints found in CAD tools: coincident, parallel, perpendicular, horizontal, vertical, concentric, equal, line length, diameter, angle, and point distance. The solver uses the BFGS optimization algorithm.

Integrations

Which platforms does DrawMotive integrate with?

Currently: Confluence Cloud and VS Code. Google Docs, Microsoft 365, and Notion integrations are in development.

Is the Confluence integration free?

Refer to the Atlassian Marketplace listing for current pricing information.

Can I use DrawMotive with on-premise Confluence (Data Center)?

The current integration targets Confluence Cloud via Atlassian Forge. Data Center support is under consideration.

Data and Privacy

Where is my data stored?

• Locally: IndexedDB in your browser
• Server: PostgreSQL database for sync transactions
• Cloud storage: S3-compatible object storage (Cloudflare R2) for exports and backups

Can I delete my data?

Yes. Local data can be cleared by clearing your browser storage. Server-stored data is deleted when you delete a diagram.

Is data encrypted?

Data is encrypted in transit (TLS). At-rest encryption depends on the storage provider configuration.