TECH SPOTLIGHT : SmartDraw 2008 has a simple layout, trove of templates to create organizational charts
Posted on Monday, January 14, 2008
New years usually bring New Year’s resolutions. One of the most popular: getting organized.
That can be the case at home and at work. Unfortunately, for some of us (namely, me ) getting organized can be tougher than losing the 20 pounds in that other New Year’s resolution.
Luckily, I found some software that provides tools to get organized and do so much more.
SmartDraw 2008 combines hundreds of templates with some powerful drawing tools to create all kinds of charts, graphics and projects.
The software is made for Windows XP, 2000 or Vista and can play nice with Microsoft’s other big program, Microsoft Office. The projects created in SmartDraw can be imported into Word, Excel or PowerPoint with ease.
SmartDraw can be a bit tough on the hard drive, depending on how it’s installed. The basic installation only takes about 350 MB of hard drive space, but it constantly has to search online for the libraries of objects. That can get really tedious really quickly. The best method is to do a full installation, which puts all of the libraries directly on the hard drive. Unfortunately, this takes a whopping 3 GB of space. Still, it’s worth it for the speed.
SmartDraw has a simple layout that’s easy to navigate. It has the same basic layout as Microsoft Word and other such programs. Tools are spread across the top, navigation folders and objects are displayed on the left, and the main project window is on the right. The space is fairly efficient, though the project window can be a bit cramped on smaller computer screens, such as on laptops.
The hardest part of creating organizational charts is getting started. While you can easily start from scratch, SmartDraw gives you a huge step forward with its templates.
The number of templates is mind-boggling here. There are literally hundreds of templates providing examples of a huge variety of projects. There are loads of categories in this software, including charts for computer networks, employment structures, cause-effect diagrams, HVAC system maps, and simple flow charts. There even are templates for brochures, floor plans and family trees.
Within the categories, there are templates for different types of that category. For example, there are floor plans for singlestory homes or offices. Brochure templates vary by the fold and where a photo is placed. Flow charts give examples of structures for restaurant services or processing telephone orders.
I loved the variety of examples given in the templates, though some of the templates themselves seemed similar to the point of being redundant. Still, there was a great variety available.
Though the templates take you a long way in the process, they aren’t set in stone. The templates easily can be edited, manipulated or completely changed. The tools at the top let you quickly add shapes, lines and text to the charts. It even allows you to add colors or special effects.
SmartDraw offers a bit of style with its colors. While you can certainly pick your own, the program provides color themes that can easily be applied to the project. The themes group colors to look stylish and professional. The colors range from shades of gray to bold colors.
The projects are very easy to build in SmartDraw. One project I had fun building was a floor plan based on one of the singlestory home templates. Once the project was opened, the Smart-Panel on the left offered several window or door choices I could add to my floor plan. I wanted to add furniture as well, and maybe change a few appliances and fixtures. That was easily done by browsing the other libraries. The libraries hold collections of objects to be added to the project.
I like the way SmartDraw sets up its libraries. Initially, the dropdown menu on the SmartPanel only shows one or two libraries. I could browse the list of libraries under the Library tab and see what was in each library. If I found a library with several objects I wanted, I could click to add that library to the dropdown menu. I also could remove it later.
I like this a lot because it keeps the project’s main menu organized and simple. There are so many objects available, it would be a nightmare to navigate through all of those if they were all in the drop-down menu at once.
I also could color objects or draw and add my own. The program also let me edit photos within it. The editing tools are pretty basic, but they are enough to get the job done.
SmartDraw proved to be easy to use and more than packed with useful items to create great projects efficiently. The vast array of chart and graphic templates provides a major jumping-off point for all kinds of projects, especially organizational charts, which always seem to be the hardest to start.
I’m sure many of us could use a good starting point to get properly organized. It would provide a better shot at actually accomplishing one of those New Year’s resolutions. Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at mljones 72 @mac. com.
Where it’s @ SmartDraw 2008 requires Windows 2000 or later, 256 MB of memory and 3 GB on the hard drive for full installation. There is no Macintosh version available. The product retails for $ 297 for the full installation or $ 129 for the upgrade, but it is available until Thursday Jan. 17 at prices of $ 197 and $ 99, respectively. More information is available at www. smartdraw. com (CQ ).
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