Artistic Effects

Run Circles Around Your Text With the Circle-text Title SmartShape

March 27, 2009 By Visio Guy 9 Comments

circle-title-text The other day, I visited one of my favorite coffee houses in Munich: Aran. While sipping my mocha, the logo on the cup gave me the idea for a Visio SmartShape:

A title shape that automatically places each character in a circle.

The cup graphics look something like the thumbnail you see at the beginning of this article. In fact, I used the newly-created SmartShape to make that a-r-a-n that you see in the square.

Amazon Kindle 2 Visio Network Shape

February 10, 2009 By Visio Guy 3 Comments

I think the time is overdue for another “vanity” Visio network shape.

And since Amazon.com has been making a lot of noise lately about its new Kindle 2 book reader, I’ve been inspired to oblige.

This version of the Kindle looks a lot more attractive than its predecessor, so I thought I’d preserve it for eternity in the form of a Visio network shape!

Crayon Network Shapes

August 11, 2008 By Visio Guy 11 Comments

Daily graphics have improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years. Visio comes with lots of attractive isometric and 3D network shapes. Office 2007’s Smart Art lets you make even the most boring info chunks jump off the page.

But sometimes this sophistication can be distracting. If your audience are newbies, complicated graphics can make your subject seem complicated.

One Visio Guy reader, Don Harris, decided to do something about it. Don recently approached me with a really nice set of network shapes that he calls: Crayon Network. He wanted to share his creation with other Visio fans, so I offered to wrap them in an article…

Create Better-looking, More-efficient SmartShapes

August 9, 2008 By Visio Guy 10 Comments

Attractive, realistic-looking Visio equipment shapes don’t have to be heavy and inefficient.

In this article, we’ll look at some innovative A/V equipment shapes from D-Tools that offer the win-win scenario of good-looking and light weight.

We’ll tear these SmartShapes apart and show how you can use custom line patterns and creative shadow techniques to add pizzazz to your shapes, without adding bloat!

Lens Flare & Highlight Shapes – Bling Bling!

April 6, 2008 By Visio Guy 3 Comments

Welcome to this month’s issue of Pimp My Visio Shapes! (*cough*)

I’ve come up with some shapes that will allow you to add lighting effects such as lens flares, star-highlights, and other shininess-enhancing effects to your overdrawn Visio diagrams.

Apple iPhone Network Shape

March 23, 2008 By Visio Guy 22 Comments

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking what I’m thinking: I’m just not cool enough to be a Mac person…

But that doesn’t mean we have to go without!

Yup! It’s time for another overdrawn Visio Network shape, like the Logitech VX Revolution Mouse Shape, the Thinkpad Network Shape. or the USB Stick Shape.

Since it’s Easter Sunday, and things are slow around here, I was in the mood to create something pretty. And of all the new gadgets on the market, few are prettier than the sensational Apple iPhone and the Apple iPod Touch.

So for you Apple fans who still use PCs, and for you die-hard Windows fans who appreciate a bit of sarcasm, please enjoy the Apple iPhone Visio Network Shape.

<haha> And NO, there won’t be a Mac Version of this shape… </haha>

How to Draw Glass in Visio

March 18, 2008 By Visio Guy 11 Comments

Today we’re going create a glass effect, using basic end-user features of Visio.

With a few simple techniques, you’ll be able to add pizzazz to your elevation drawings of windows, cabinetry, video monitors, rack-systems.

Now, maybe you’re thinking; Visio is not Adobe Illustrator, and Visio diagrams are supposed to be simple, boring, and utilitarian. A quick glance at this site might bring you to question that notion.

But don’t just take our word for it…

Update: You can now download a Visio drawing with samples shapes at the end of this article

How Many Fill Colors Can You Put on a Visio Shape?

March 4, 2008 By Visio Guy 13 Comments

The easy answer to this questions is: two. A single-shape can have two colors in its fill: a Fill Color and a Pattern Color.

If you want more, you have to group separate, differently-colored shapes together. In fact getting more colors is one of the major reasons that shapes become groups in the first place.

But if two were the actual answer, well, this article would over.

You see, Visio-Guy-friend Saveen Reddy has been up to his usual tricks of pushing Visio beyond the obvious and into the intriguing…

Release the Power of Visio Custom Line Patterns

March 3, 2008 By Visio Guy 8 Comments

If you have a need to create repeating graphical elements, then learning how to create custom line patterns in Visio is absolutely essential.

Visio custom line patterns offer a power and flexibility that will save time for both your end-users and your solution development effort. And your final product will have a refined and elegant look.

Recently, John Goldsmith of Visual Signals, UK posted two excellent articles about creating custom line patterns in Visio.

SmartShape Tutorial: Fading Trees

December 3, 2007 By Visio Guy 12 Comments

Today’s post, like the Visio Guy web-site, is all about creating smart graphics.

We’re going to create an evergreen tree shape that fades as its size decreases. With this one single SmartShape you’ll be able to illustrate an entire forest-scene that fades into the mist. And you won’t have to format each tree individually.

You will learn how to cut Visio shapes into pieces and union the bits together to form new shapes. You’ll learn how to add parameters to shapes, and fill them with Excel-like ShapeSheet formulas create sophisticated graphical behavior. And you’ll create a context menu that resets the shape with a click of the mouse.