Morpholio Trace
Morpholio Trace is an iPad and iPhone sketching and CAD-markup app that combines Apple Pencil drawing with scaled grids, PDF sheet markup, AR perspectives, and DXF export for architects, interior designers, and landscape designers.
When a redline has to happen on the scaffold or in a client meeting, printing full drawing sets is slow and easy to misplace. Morpholio Trace keeps sketch speed on glass while adding scale rulers, layers, stencils, and PDF markup tools tuned for architecture, interior design, landscape, and construction administration workflows on iPhone and iPad.
The product page walks through the full arc from concept sketches to site visits: draw-to-scale floor plans and elevations, designer stencils, smart fills and hatches, dimension strings, collage tools, sketch-over imported 3D models, and AR Perspective Finder grids that lock vanishing points before you ink a presentation drawing. Trace Pro unlocks unlimited projects, folders, maps to scale, AR SketchWalk, PSD export, and the deeper perspective toolkit through App Store subscriptions that sync across phone and tablet on one Apple ID.
Exports aim at the rest of your stack rather than replacing it. Marketing copy highlights DXF export into AutoCAD, Rhino, Revit-linked workflows, Vectorworks, SketchUp, Illustrator, and other CAD or illustration tools, plus PDF and image exports for markups. Firms that need MDM control can deploy Trace for Business with Vectorworks SSO, managed configuration keys for AI and export policies, and portal-based seat licensing instead of consumer in-app purchase alone.
Trace is Apple-only (iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS compatibility listed on the App Store). Confirm subscription tier limits in the App Store before you standardize office templates, and treat sketches as design communication unless you independently verify dimensions against contract survey data.
Specifications
Pricing
Platforms
Used for
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Pros and cons
Pros
- Purpose-built sheet markup, scale tools, and stencils fit architecture workflows better than general illustration apps.
- One App Store subscription covers both iPhone and iPad for field and studio use.
- DXF and PDF export paths keep Trace in a hybrid analog-digital redline workflow.
Cons
- No native Windows, macOS, or Android clients; teams outside Apple hardware cannot run Trace.
- Live multi-user co-editing is not offered; project files move through export and import today.
- Business seat pricing requires the Vectorworks portal rather than a single public price list.
Key features
Draw to scale: Set drawing scale, grids, Super Ruler, protractor, and triangle tools for CAD-like sketch accuracy on iPad.
PDF markup: Import and annotate full drawing sets, presentations, and site reports without plotting paper sets.
DXF export: Push vector sketches to AutoCAD, Rhino, Vectorworks, and other CAD tools per vendor marketing pages.
AR perspectives: AR Perspective Finder and AR SketchWalk (Pro) set scaled vanishing points and site walkthroughs.
3D underlays: Import OBJ or STL models from partners such as SketchUp or Shapr3D and sketch over auto-generated perspective grids.
Business controls: Trace for Business adds Vectorworks SSO, MDM-managed configuration, and portal billing for firm-wide rollout.
Pricing
Trace Free
Contact sales
Free download with limited projects, pens, and exports per App Store tier descriptions.
Trace for Business (annual seat)
Contact sales
Seat pricing is regional and sold through the Vectorworks Customer Portal (linked from morpholioapps.com/traceb2b). Request a quote there; amount is not a fixed public USD list price.
Trace Essentials (annual)
per year (12 mo)
$4.99
U.S. App Store in-app purchase price; regional stores may differ. Confirm on device before purchase.
Trace Pro (monthly)
per month
$7.99
Monthly Pro option on U.S. App Store; confirm before purchase.
Trace Plus (annual)
per year (12 mo)
$9.99
Includes stencils, PDF markup manager, and up to 20 projects per Apple listing. Confirm current tier details in the App Store.
Trace Pro (annual)
per year (12 mo)
$24.99
Full Pro feature set on U.S. App Store; confirm price in your storefront.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Morpholio Trace cost?
The app is free to download with paid in-app tiers on the U.S. App Store: Trace Essentials at $4.99 per year, Trace Plus at $9.99 per year, Trace Pro at $24.99 per year or $7.99 per month, with prices shown in USD on Apple's listing. Trace for Business seats are sold annually through the Vectorworks Customer Portal with regional pricing, so confirm both storefronts before you budget.
Does Morpholio Trace offer a free trial?
Apple's U.S. App Store listing invites users to try an entire month free before subscribing to paid tiers, subject to Apple's trial rules and cancellation timing. Free-tier features remain available without a subscription but cap projects and tools compared with Plus or Pro.
Does Morpholio Trace work on Android or Windows?
No. Morpholio builds Trace for iPhone, iPad, and lists visionOS compatibility on the App Store. Subscriptions purchased through Apple sync across those devices, but there is no native Android, Windows, or macOS desktop app.
What files can Morpholio Trace import and export?
The Trace for Business FAQ states teams can import PDF, OBJ, and image files and export vector DXF, PDF, PNG or JPG images, PSD on Pro tiers, and native Trace project files. Managed deployments can restrict export formats through MDM keys such as pdf, dxf, png, jpg, or psd.
Can Morpholio Trace replace Revit or Archicad?
Trace is a sketch and markup companion, not a BIM authoring environment. It excels at scaled drawings, PDF redlines, and DXF export into tools like AutoCAD, Revit (via linked references or downstream modeling), Rhino, or Vectorworks rather than producing coordinated BIM models on its own.
Morpholio Trace vs Concepts or Procreate for architects?
Concepts and Procreate are strong general drawing apps, but Trace adds architecture-specific sheet markup, scale rulers, PDF set managers, stencils, and DXF export aimed at schematic design and construction administration. Teams that live in PDF drawing sets and redlines usually outgrow illustration-first tools once CA work ramps up.
What is Trace for Business?
Trace for Business targets companies and schools that need multiple seats, Vectorworks SSO login, MDM deployment, optional AI and export restrictions, and portal-based billing through Vectorworks. Morpholio notes it is the top Trace tier with early access to features such as extra layers, plus premium support when five or more licenses are purchased in supported regions.
Is there an education discount for Morpholio Trace?
Morpholio's Trace Edu page offers 75% off Trace for an entire year with all Pro features for pre-approved individual students and educators, applied through a verification form. Institutions can pursue a separate one-time purchase license option described on the same page because App Store rules limit institutional subscription discounts.
Tutorials and learning
Sources
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