Visio

Visio is a vector based diagramming program. It was acquired by Microsoft in 2000, and is now very tightly connected to the Microsoft Office Suite.

Purpose

Visio is a great place to start if you want to learn vector graphics, engineering software or even graphic design. In some career schools and universities, understanding Visio will help you create great class projects, and put you a step ahead of your classmates. It is one of the simpler diagramming programs, making it the perfect place to get familiar with some basic concepts, and work as a jumping off point in your pursuit of advanced graphic creation.

There are several industries that benefit directly from Visio's simplicity and functionality. Many people in the Information Technology world use Visio to layout a network map and even manage large numbers of computers. Website and software designers also use it to design and brainstorm much of the early stages of their projects. Engineers can also benefit from it, particularly electricians because many of the shapes used in electrical diagrams are built in to the program.

Lessons

Currently a work in progress... Gurupilgrim 12:37, 12 August 2011 (UTC)

Prerequisites

It is assumed that the student is familiar with the use of a computer and the Windows operating system, and has access to a legal copy of Visio 2007 or 2010. Although it is not necessary, it is good to be familiar with the Microsoft Office suite and at least some of the main features of Word and Excel because Visio is similar.

Course

These lessons focus on the use of Visio independent of any particular field, industry or purpose. There is somewhat of a focus on illustration because every industry can benefit from good presentational illustrations, and Visio is an easy and quick way to generate powerful illustrations. It is possible to work through these lessons in any order, but it is recommended to follow the order provided here, as each concept builds on the one before it. After working through lesson 3, you should be able to do most of the things you want to do for a majority of projects. If you want to learn this as quickly as possible, and intend to use Visio for average material, you may find it practical to skip lessons 4 and 5 and focus on lessons 1, 2, 3 and 6. Lesson 4 is particularly helpful in bringing the first three lessons together and will help you become much more comfortable with using the program.

Lesson 1: Pages - Understanding pages in Visio
Lesson 2: Shapes - A comprehensive look at how shapes are created and modified
Lesson 3: Objects - Embedding objects in your Visio file
Lesson 4: Visio Theory - Making great looking shapes and projects
Lesson 5: Advanced Options - Using shape sheets and macros
Lesson 6: Importing - Adding shapes easily from outside sources
Lesson 7: Working with Stencils - Developing your own stencils and using pre-defined stencils

Challenges

Design a desk - top down view. This can include 'paperwork' pens, a telephone, a computer, anything you want to imagine.
Choose an object, and try to model it in Visio to look as close to the real thing as you possibly can.
Create a working clock

Moving On

Once you get comfortable with Visio, you may want to look into learning Inkscape, or Illustrator.