39

Sketch is an app that's Mac OSX only.

Its used for UI design and my company uses it. I can't run the app in Ubuntu.

Is there any program for Ubuntu that can view these kind of file collections?

It's basically a folder with a .sketch ending containing a "Data" file with no ending and some other stuff.

3
  • What do you mean by "these files"? Because you begin the next sentence with "It's basically a folder".
    – user25656
    Jan 21, 2014 at 8:11
  • 1
    Updated the wording of the question :)
    – Artog
    Jan 21, 2014 at 8:14
  • Is there any update on this based on the available software for LTS 16.x.x?
    – jerome
    Aug 5, 2016 at 16:46

5 Answers 5

31

Figma can import Sketch files. It's web-based and should work fine on Ubuntu as long as your browser supports WebGL.

4
  • But this is on the web. how can i open by some plugin program?
    – Benny
    Mar 5, 2017 at 18:02
  • Very very nice web tools , same sketch functionalities , can import even sketch files and export as PNG and many other features for free...
    – issamux
    Sep 12, 2019 at 19:47
  • Figma is a nice tool for sketch files on ubuntu but unfortunately, there is no way to use local fonts on the web app. Jan 30, 2021 at 12:12
  • Works perfect for a quick verify of font sizes, etc. To me, it looked like all my local installed fonts could have been selected as fallback, so it may work now, with local fonts @ArminAyari?
    – benzkji
    May 11, 2022 at 8:17
17

I would recommend a free web-based photo editor Photopea, that can open Sketch files. After opening, you can edit it, save as JPG, PNG, SVG, PSD, etc :)

https://blog.photopea.com/photopea-2-6-can-open-sketch.html

I am a creator of Photopea and I am ready to help you if you have any questions :)

3
  • 1
    Excellent web app to open Sketch files! Haven't tried with other formats, since I only get .sketch nowadays for my app designs. The tool could be a bit more intuitive and user friendly, but I have been able to figure things out pretty quickly and smoothly. Thanks for sharing the tool you're creating Ivan Kuckir
    – xarlymg89
    Jan 17, 2018 at 9:46
  • Crashed when I tried opening an average 35MB .sketch :( Jul 25, 2018 at 21:49
  • @fgblomqvist it should be fixed now. You should get an option to decrease the resolution, in case you don't have enough RAM. Mar 25, 2019 at 15:57
2

Looks like that avocode finally did it -> https://avocode.com/open-sketch-on-linux

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  • 1
    Welcome to Ask Ubuntu, while this link may answer the question, it's better to include essential parts here.
    – user833907
    Jul 25, 2019 at 2:57
  • Tnx for the feedback. To be honest I do not know what else I can include here :D I have the product name and link to download. If you think there is anything else that I can include please let me know.
    – kaptan
    Jul 25, 2019 at 4:07
  • it costs ~$20/month. it requires sign up. is web-based. the desktop version is chromium-based. to install it go to avocode.com/download ; download the linux zip file ; extract it ; run ./avocode from terminal (that's what worked for me)
    – oriadam
    Apr 14, 2020 at 22:25
  • avocode trial was not able to open a 122mb sketch file. it choke. both web and desktop-chromium versions :(
    – oriadam
    Apr 14, 2020 at 22:40
2

Maybe Inkscape could do that. To install Inkscape in all currently supported versions of Ubuntu open the terminal and type:

sudo apt install inkscape

From Inkscape FAQ: What formats can Inkscape import/export?:

Inkscape natively supports opening or importing SVG, SVGZ (gzipped SVG), PDF, and AI (Adobe Illustrator) formats.

With the help of extensions, Inkscape can open a number other vector formats. For importing PostScript or EPS, you need to install Ghostscript (sudo apt install ghostscript) and make sure ps2pdf is in your PATH. For formats of Dia, XFig, or Sketch, you need to have these programs installed. For CorelDraw, CGM, and SK1 files, you need to have UniConverter installed.

Inkscape can natively import most raster formats (JPEG, PNG, GIF, etc.) as bitmap images, but it can only export PNG bitmaps.

Inkscape can save as SVG, SVGZ, PDF, Postscript/EPS/EPSi, Adobe Illustrator (*.ai), LaTeX (*.tex), POVRay (*.pov), HPGL, and others.

5
  • 8
    Sadly it didn't work :(
    – Artog
    Jan 21, 2014 at 9:45
  • the Inkscape FAQ page talks of some extensions.. can't say if they'll help or not..
    – rusty
    Jan 21, 2014 at 10:06
  • Might work with a export from Sketch, but I don't know how willing they are to do that
    – Artog
    Jan 21, 2014 at 10:10
  • Once I installed Sketchup in WINE... I think it worked. Nov 24, 2015 at 18:45
  • 1
    Inkscape does not support .sketch files.
    – joshas
    Oct 29, 2017 at 16:32
0

You can view .sketch files in the browser with https://sketchviewer.com

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  • 1
    Great option if you only want to view the files. I wanted to see as well details of the design, like colors or distances, which sadly is not provided. But it's a very good alternative to view the design right away.
    – xarlymg89
    Jan 17, 2018 at 9:23

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