Lorien — Infinite Canvas Drawing & Whiteboarding App

Introduction

Lorien is an infinite canvas drawing and whiteboarding application built with the Godot game engine. It is designed for sketching, note-taking, and brainstorming with a focus on speed and simplicity. Lorien saves files in a custom .lorien format that stores brush strokes as vector data, keeping file sizes small and enabling lossless scaling.

What Lorien Does

• Provides an infinite, zoomable canvas for freehand drawing and note-taking
• Supports pressure-sensitive input for drawing tablets and styluses
• Saves drawings as compact vector-based .lorien files rather than raster images
• Offers basic tools including brush, eraser, line tool, and color picker
• Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS with minimal system requirements

Architecture Overview

Lorien is built on the Godot game engine (GDScript), leveraging its 2D rendering pipeline for smooth and responsive drawing. The application stores brush strokes as arrays of points with pressure data, which allows infinite zoom without quality loss. The architecture is intentionally simple — a single-window application with a toolbar, canvas, and file management layer — keeping the codebase small and easy to contribute to.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• No server or self-hosting is needed; Lorien is a standalone desktop application
• Configuration is handled through the in-app settings panel (canvas color, brush defaults, keybindings)
• Custom brushes can be configured by adjusting size, color, and pressure curve settings
• Files are stored locally in the .lorien format and can be exported as SVG or PNG
• To build from source, clone the repository and open the project in Godot Engine 3.x

Key Features

• Infinite canvas with smooth panning and zooming for unrestricted workspace
• Pressure-sensitive drawing that responds to tablet pen input naturally
• Vector-based storage format that keeps files small and resolution-independent
• Built on Godot engine, making it easy for game developers to extend or modify
• Minimal and distraction-free interface designed for quick sketching sessions

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Excalidraw: Browser-based whiteboard focused on diagrams; Lorien is a native desktop app focused on freehand drawing
• Krita: Full-featured digital painting application; Lorien is deliberately minimal for quick sketching
• Xournal++: Note-taking app with PDF annotation; Lorien focuses purely on infinite canvas drawing
• OpenBoard: Interactive whiteboard for teaching; Lorien targets personal sketching and brainstorming
• Miro: Collaborative online whiteboard; Lorien is offline-first and privacy-focused

FAQ

Q: Does Lorien support collaboration or real-time sharing? A: No, Lorien is designed as a single-user, offline application. There are no built-in collaboration features.

Q: Can I use Lorien without a drawing tablet? A: Yes, Lorien works with a mouse, though pressure sensitivity features require a compatible tablet.

Q: What file formats does Lorien support for export? A: Lorien saves natively in .lorien format and supports exporting to SVG and PNG.

Q: Is Lorien still actively maintained? A: Development activity varies. Check the GitHub repository for the latest release and commit history.

Sources

• Repository: https://github.com/mbrlabs/Lorien
• Documentation: https://github.com/mbrlabs/Lorien/blob/main/README.md