Category: microsoft Visio

Microsoft Visio – Creating a Floor Plan ”; Previous Next Floor plans help to visualize the layout of a room or a floor in a building. Floor plans help architects to understand the placement of objects on the floor, and the design of doors and windows as well as other rooms. Visio provides extensive assets for working with all kinds of floor plans and maps. To create a floor plan, go to the File menu and click New. In the Templates section, click Map and Floor Plans. Select Floor Plan from the list of available templates. Select the units of choice and click Create to create the floorplan. You will notice that the options for floor plans are varied. The rulers now measure in feet instead of inches. The Shapes pane shows different shapes categorized under various headings for each component of the floor plan as shown in the following screenshot. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Structure of Brainstorming Diagrams ”; Previous Next A brainstorming diagram is similar to an org chart but is used more to convey different ideas about a topic. To create a brainstorming diagram, click File and go to the New menu. In the Templates section, select Business, and then in the list of templates, select Brainstorming Diagram, choose the desired units to work with and click Create. You will notice that the brainstorming diagram document is created and ready to use. This has a few notable differences compared to the org chart. Firstly, the number of shapes are lesser than an org chart. Secondly, there is an Outline Window that appears in the drawing showing the outline of the diagram. Thirdly, there is a Brainstorming tab added to the ribbon, which contains tools required to use the brainstorming diagram. To create the central topic for the brainstorming diagram, drag the Main topic shape onto the canvas. Unlike the org chart where you had to double-click the shape to enter text, you can start typing text in a brainstorming diagram as soon as you drag the shape onto the canvas. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Microsoft Visio – Themes ”; Previous Next In this chapter, we will learn how to apply themes in Visio. Selecting a Theme You need not be content with the default theme. Visio allows to customize the theme and overall look of the document. To apply a theme, go to the Design tab and choose from any of the many theme options available. You can choose from a selection of Professional, Hand Drawn, Trendy, and Modern themes. Once you click any of the available themes, the theme will be applied to the document. You can further personalize it by selecting from one of the many options in the Variants section. Changing Theme Colors The Variants section allows you to customize theme colors as needed. Clicking the dropdown menu in the Variants section allows to customize the theme colors, effects, and connectors. To customize a theme color, go to the Colors submenu in the Variants section and click Create New Theme Colors… It opens the New Theme Colors dialog box, which allows to customize each of the accents in the theme. Once you’ve decided on the color scheme, name the theme, and click Apply or OK to save the theme color scheme and apply it to the diagram. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Microsoft Visio – Text Formatting ”; Previous Next If you are familiar with Microsoft Word, you should be right at home in Visio with respect to formatting text. You can format titles and text within shapes. You can also use the Format Painter command to copy formatting and paste it into another shape or text box. To format the text, select the text box containing the text or highlight the text itself. Then, choose from the options available in the Font and Paragraph sections of the Home tab. You can change the font, size, color, and paragraph alignment. If you want to change the font styles in a shape, just double-click the shape to select the text within the shape and change the font styles as desired. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Adding Furniture to a Floor Plan ”; Previous Next You can add objects, such as furniture and office equipment to the floor plan to get a complete perspective. Visio provides a lot of shapes, which can scale according to the dimensions of the floor plan diagram. To begin, we need to ensure that the required shapes for furniture and office equipment are visible in the Shapes pane. For this, click More Shapes in the Shapes pane and in the menu, go to Maps and Floor Plans, then to Building Plan. In the submenu, make sure that Office Furniture and if needed, Office Equipment options are checked. You can then select the Office Furniture category in the Shapes pane to reveal a list of commonly used furniture. You can now select the Office Furniture category in the Shapes pane to reveal a list of commonly used furniture. Drag the desired furniture shape into the floor plan and adjust the position as needed. Make sure that the Shape Data pane is visible so that you can adjust the length and depth of the shape according to scale. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Inserting Containers and Callouts ”; Previous Next Sometimes, you might want to combine two or more elements of the diagram together. You can use containers to group shapes that are dependent on each other. Callouts help in inserting more text outside the shape. Callouts are always connected to the shape and move along with it. Inserting a Container First group the shapes together by selecting Group in the Arrange section of the Home tab. To insert a container, go to the Insert tab on the Ribbon and click the Container dropdown menu in the Diagram Parts section. You will see that there are many designs to choose from for the container. Once you select a design, you can drag the container around the grouped shapes. Release the mouse to lock the container. The container also contains an area for typing text. Double-click the heading area to type the text. In the following example, we have labelled the container as ‘End Process’. Whenever you drag the container, the contents of the container move together. Inserting a Callout Select the shape for which you want to use the callout. To insert a callout, go to the Insert tab on the Ribbon and click the Callout dropdown menu in the Diagram Parts section. You will see that there are many designs to choose from for the callout. Select a design appropriate for the callout. The callout will appear connected to the selected shape. In this example, we have added a callout for the Back to Research process called Extensive Research. The callout is linked to the shape and can be moved about anywhere in the drawing, however it will always stay connected to the shape. Visio will zoom in when you click the callout to enable typing and will zoom out when clicked outside the callout. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Discuss Microsoft Visio ”; Previous Next Microsoft Visio is a diagramming tool that allows you to create diagrams (ranging from simple to complex), which aid in data visualization and process modelling. Visio also helps to create detailed org charts, floor plans, pivot diagrams, etc. This tutorial will help you understand the basics of the program and how you can use it to create informative diagrams for home or enterprise use. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Adding Elements and Controls to Wireframes ”; Previous Next Once you have created an outline for a wireframe dialog box, you can add elements, such as text boxes and dropdown menus. We are creating a wireframe for a print dialog box, so the first dropdown menu should be one in which the user can select the printer from a list of printers. Adding a Dropdown Menu First drag the Label shape onto the dialog box. You can use horizontal and vertical guides to help you position the shape. Next, drag the Drop down shape onto the far right of the Label shape so that it glues to it. Double-click the Label shape to type the text. In this case, the name of the printer. Note − This is just a prototype to visualize a dialog box and the menus will not actually work. Adding Other Buttons and Controls Now that one dropdown menu is added, you can continue to add another dropdown menu to indicate the printer presets. You can also drag a box into the dialog box to designate a document preview area. Most print dialog boxes will also have a page setup button to set various attributes of a page and it makes sense to include one here as well. To add a button, click the Controls category in the Shapes pane and from the list of shapes, drag the Button shape onto a suitable area on the page. Double-click the shape to enter text and name it, Page Setup. You can also add backward and forward arrows as navigation guides under the document preview pane. You can continue to add as many elements as you wish to get a feel for the prototype. Just remember not to clutter the wireframe with too many buttons. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;

Microsoft Visio – Quick Guide ”; Previous Next Microsoft Visio – Overview Computer diagramming is the process of creating scalable diagrams on a PC that can be used in various applications such as layout design, organization charts, timelines, floor plans and even prototype software user interfaces. Diagrams are made of shapes, objects and stencils, which when combined together correctly, can help project a lot of useful information. Modern computer diagramming relies on using vector-based shapes instead of raster shapes. Raster shapes or bitmaps do not scale well, and their resolution and quality deteriorates with every edit. However, vector shapes are mathematical representations of a shape and hence scale well. Vector shapes are not affected by edits and are the most appropriate to use when precise measurements are required. Computer diagramming can be shape-based artwork or more complex drafting often seen in CAD (Computer Aided Design) programs. CAD contains a lot more information such as the materials, processes, and specific conventions of the diagram. Shape-based artwork is more commonly used to depict lesser technical information. Popular Diagramming Software Microsoft Visio is the most popular diagramming software, however, there are alternatives that are often as good and in some cases, free. For simple diagramming requirements, the following tools should work just fine. Gliffy Gliffy is a popular online diagramming tool. Gliffy supports floor plans, venn diagrams, flow charts, network diagrams, etc. and is compatible with most modern web browsers. Gliffy can import Microsoft Visio documents and integrate with Google Drive to enable saving documents in the cloud and easy collaboration. There are many themes and templates to choose from, making Gliffy a solid online alternative to Visio. Gliffy can be used freely for up to 5 diagrams or 2 MB file size. There are monthly plans that can be purchased depending on the number of diagrams needed. yEd yEd is an open-source free diagramming tool that runs on virtually any Java enabled platform. It can import Visio documents and work with very complex diagrams such as biological pathways. yEd has automatic layouts and support for most graphical standards making it a viable alternative to Visio for anyone looking to create diagrams for free. There is also an online version called yEd Live that works in any modern HTML5 compatible web browser. CADE CADE works great for networking diagrams and as a 2D vector graphics editor for Windows. CADE is free to download and supports most of Visio’s basic functionalities. It is optimized for large CAD drawings and allows easy collaboration and sharing. CADE can be exported to popular formats such as EMF, JPG, PDF and XAML. There are many sample diagrams and templates to help you get started as well. OmniGraffle Visio is not available for Mac OS leaving OmniGraffle as the only premium alternative for Mac users. OmniGraffle is a comprehensive diagramming software that can create visually appealing designs at a significantly cheaper price than Visio. It supports importing Visio documents and exporting to a ton of popular formats including SVG. There are extensive options for stencils, canvases, templates, and objects allowing to easily create wireframe diagrams, trees, floor plans, and a whole lot more. The latest version supports scripting in AppleScript or JavaScript to automate almost every aspect of the software. It also supports Touch Bar on the latest MacBooks. The Standard version of OmniGraffle retails for $99.99, while the Pro version retails for $199.99. Introduction to Microsoft Visio Microsoft Visio is one of the most popular diagramming software that empowers diagramming, data visualization, and process modelling in a familiar interface. Visio comes with an array of templates and built-in shapes that allow creating virtually any diagram of any complexity. Visio also allows users to define their own shapes and import them into the drawing. Visio has been more of an enterprise-class software as home users rarely would need to use the advanced diagramming functions in Visio. However, many home users are purchasing the Standard edition of Visio to better visualize simple diagrams such as family trees or floor layout plans. Visio owes its success in the enterprise due to its tight integration with other Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, and Access. Data can be directly imported from these softwares and converted into meaningful diagrams, which change in real-time in accordance with the data. For example, an Excel spreadsheet might have information about current flows through an electrical line. Visio can be used to diagrammatically represent this and whenever the Excel data gets updated, the same will be reflected in the Visio diagram as well. Newer versions of Visio from Visio 2013 onwards support .vsdx format that allows enhanced compression and many other features compared to the older .vsd format supported by Visio 2010 and earlier versions. Visio can be purchased standalone in two versions — a Standard version, which retails for $299, and a Professional version, which retails for $589.99. The latest version of Visio can also be purchased as part of the Office 365 subscription with access to the online Visio viewer as well. Getting Visio as part of Office 365 is the best choice in order to keep up-to-date with the latest features and enhancements. MS Visio – New Features Visio being part of the Office 365 suite, is updated continuously throughout the year. If you have a qualifying Office 365 subscription, you are entitled to regular updates automatically. Users who purchase the standalone versions of Visio do not however, receive feature updates and must upgrade separately to a higher version when released. The most recent update of Visio 2016 Professional (Office 365 version) has the following new features − Data Visualizer Data Visualizer helps in automatically creating process diagrams from Excel data. Premade or custom Excel templates containing information that fit into diagrams can be imported directly into Visio using the Data Visualizer and transformed into a Visio diagram. Any changes made to the original Excel file reflects in the Visio diagram as well. Visualize Database Structures From Source Data

Adding Appointments to a Calendar ”; Previous Next In this chapter, we will learn how to add appointments to a calendar. Adding a Single Day Appointment To add a single day appointment, click the Appointment shape in the Shapes pane and drag it on to a location in the calendar. This opens the Configure dialog box, where you can enter the details of the appointment. Click OK to add the appointment on the prescribed date. Adding a Multi-Day Appointment Sometimes, appointments can stretch over multiple days. To add a multi-day appointment, click and drag the Multi-day event shape from the Shapes pane onto the calendar. This again opens a Configure dialog box, where you can specify details of the event along with the start and end dates. Once the multi-day appointment is created, you can drag the appointment handle to cover additional dates, if needed. Print Page Previous Next Advertisements ”;