IntelliDraw for Windows Version 2.01 Release Notes Helpful Suggestions and Latest News -------------------- Import/Export Filters -------------------- IntelliDraw 2.0 ships with several Import and Export filters which are documented electronically in a separate document named 'Filters.txt'; this document is placed in the same folder as the IntelliDraw application itself. Refer to this document for the list of filters, and any special notes regarding import/export formats. Short Menus and Full Menus -------------------- The Reference Guide refers to all tools and menu items in Full Menus mode. IntelliDraw does have a Short Menus mode. This mode is quite useful when using IntelliDraw for the first time, as well as for doing simple drawings or using the drag and drop templates. You may toggle back and forth by choosing the Short/Full Menus item in the Edit menu. With Short menus, several of the menu commands are hidden and a few are relocated under different menus. Since the Group and Shapes menus are hidden, some of the Group commands are located in the Objects menu. This grouping should remain intuitive, however. Window Sizing and Positioning -------------------- The size of your working window is initially dependent on the IntelliDraw defaults document, which is used as a template for all newly created documents. This document is named 'defaults.idw', and it is placed in your Windows directory. The default document is sized for a standard monitor set to 640 x 480 pixels resolution. You may change the window size, printer setup, etc., of the default document any time, and use the Save As Default command to establish this change. Positioning Palettes -------------------- IntelliDraw has several palettes that you can move, reshape, and hide completely. These include the Tools, Fills, Action Buttons, Lines, Info, Pages, Layers, Text Ruler, Control and Animation palettes. All of these palettes, except the Pages and Layers palettes, are collapsable as well. The initial position of each palette is determined by the preferences document, which is named 'idraw.prf.' This file is stored in the Windows directory. After you launch IntelliDraw, arrange these palettes as you see fit. Every time you quit the program, IntelliDraw remembers which palettes were open and where you left them. The palettes will reopen at those positions the next time you use the program. Because IntelliDraw has both Short and Full menus, there are separate settings for the Short and Full versions of the Tool palette and Action Buttons palette. This means that the shape and placement of the Full Menus Tool palette will not affect the location of the Short Menus Tool palette. Each is oriented and positioned independently. If you lose a palette, where the menu indicates that it's open, but you can't see it, check the following: - It may be collapsed, and be displayed simply as a title bar. Simply click the collapse/expand icon in its title bar to show the entire palette. - Another palette may be on top of it. Move any large palettes, especially recently opened ones, and locate the missing palette. - It may be beyond the visible area of the monitor, perhaps put there when you worked with a larger or a higher resolution monitor. To bring an off-screen palette back into view: - Quit IntelliDraw - Delete the IntelliDraw preferences document 'idraw.prf' from the Windows directory. - Launch IntelliDraw, which will open with no palettes showing. - Use the View menu to open all the palettes you need, and place them where you want them. - Be sure you set your palettes up in both Short and Full menus. - Quit IntelliDraw to establish these changes. IntelliDraw Palettes Snap to Edge of the IntelliDraw Application Window -------------------- Similar to other Windows applications, such as Microsoft Excel, IntelliDraw's palettes snap to the edge of the application window when you drag them near an edge. When you drag a palette near the top, bottom, or one side of the application window, you will see a magnet icon along with the shaded border of the palette. This icon indicates that the palette will snap to the border. If you release the mouse, the palette will lose its title bar and will appear attached to the application window. You can drag the palette away from this position by dragging in the gray region surrounding the items within the palette. Once you release the mouse again, the palette will regain its title bar, and appear to be a standard, floating palette again. Using the feature may allow you to organize the palettes to take better advantage of the desktop space on your monitor. Placement Of Preferences and Default Documents -------------------- These two documents are named 'idraw.prf' and 'default.idw.' These files are located in the Windows directory. IntelliDraw's Clip Art directory will contain a directory named ÔDefaults' which contains backup set of preferences and defaults document. If you need to replace these documents, simply copy these files into the Windows directory. ÔGreeking' Text and Objects -------------------- For faster screen redraw, when text needs to be displayed as extremely small characters, as in highly reduced views, or at small point sizes, it is displayed as gray bars, each bar representing a line of text. Similarly, when drawn objects are displayed in a size too small for the detail to matter, they are displayed as gray rectangles. For example, a detailed floor plan will reveal all its detail when zoomed into an office. When the view is reduced to show the entire floor, objects like chairs, computers, and small furniture will display as gray rectangles. This is commonly called "greeking." Text greeking is found in desktop publishing programs. Object greeking is unique to IntelliDraw. For large detailed drawings, it can accelerate screen-refresh 1000% or more. Object greeking is only a screen-display shortcut. Your drawing will print fine. Zooming in will reveal progressively more detail. Controlling Greeking Threshold: -------------------- For each document, the degree of greeking is controlled via the View Settings command. There are three options: from Faster to Better. Faster will greek text and objects at larger sizes, and Better will display all objects in complete detail at any size. Context-Sensitive Menus -------------------- IntelliDraw 2.0 has context-sensitive menus.These drop-down menus will appear whenever you click an object with the right mouse button. A menu is created with appropriate menu commands based upon what objects are selected and where the mouse was clicked. If you click the mouse with the right mouse button on a single rectangle, for example, you will get a menu containing the following items: Size and Postion Object NameÉ ---------- Lock ---------- Cut Copy Paste Clear If you click in an empty part of the document, you will get a menu with the following commands: Undo ---------- IDRAW Templates Fit Page Fit Objects These menus allow you to quickly choose appropriate commands based upon the selected objects and mouse location. The commands selected from this drop-down menu are exactly the same as the commands in the main menubar. RAM Requirements and Performance Notes -------------------- IntelliDraw does best with 6MB RAM or more installed. As with most applications, the more complex the working document, or the more documents or windows you have open simultaneously, the more RAM will be required. If you are using multiple applications, even if some are minimized, they will compete for RAM, and will constrain the amout of memory to which IntelliDraw has access. When programs run low on RAM, Windows uses a virtual memory scheme, using the hard drive to provide additional memory for applications. This virtual RAM is slower to access, and using it will cause IntelliDraw to seem sluggish. Complex documents include documents that contain: - Many objects - Objects that have many reshape points - Scanned images or paintings Multiple document situations include: - A working document and an open IDRAW Template document - Two or more working documents - Two or more open IDRAW Template documents - Switching between two documents after copying a large or complex item from one document for pasting into the other. To change the settings for the Windows swap file: - In the Program Manager, open Main program group, and double- click on the Control Panel. - Double-click on the 386 Enhanced icon, and click on the Virtual Memory button. - In this dialog, click on the Change button. - In this expanded dialog, you'll see, in the New Size box, a proposed value. If this is greater than 4 MB and performance has been acceptable, don't change it. If performance has been sluggish and you've noted frequent disk access, increase this size by 50%. - Click OK to save these changes or Cancel to leave these settings alone. You must restart Windows to activate new settings. To Reduce the RAM Required for the Job: -------------------- - Use the View Settings command to turn off the ÔUse off-screen Buffer' option. - Use the Edit menu's Preferences command (in Full Menus mode) to reduce the number of Undo's. - For a very large project, instead of having one multi-page document, work with separate documents, each with a few pages, and open them individually rather than at the same time. - If you need to transfer some items (templates or other objects) from one document to another, open the source document first, copy the items, close the source document, open the receiving document, and paste the items. - Simplify your document by reducing the number and complexity of individual objects. Using Tiled Groups, and clones of Master Template objects can make a dramatic difference, with no loss of visual detail. The Computer Beeps When You've Done Nothing Wrong Or Linked Graphics Are Left In A Disjointed State -------------------- Both these conditions are related to the complexity of the special relationships in the graphic and to the speed of your CPU. After you make a change to a graphic that has relationships, such as objects attached to a shape, many objects inside a distribution frame, etc., IntelliDraw spends a certain amount of time figuring out where everything should be redrawn. The more objects are involved and the more complex the relationships, the more time this "link resolution" requires. Normally, it all works, and finishes in short order. To keep IntelliDraw from spending a long time, possibly trying to resolve an impossible set of relationships, there is a time limit that you can set in the Preferences. If IntelliDraw cannot resolve the links in that specified time, it will beep, possibly leaving the drawing in an incompletely resolved state. On faster computers, IntelliDraw completes its work well within the default time in the preferences. On slower computers, you may need to allow more time. To change the link resolution time, use the Preferences command (in the Full Menus mode) and increase the "After dragging" value in the Link Resolution section of the Preferences dialog. Close the dialog and make a change to your graphic so that IntelliDraw resolves it again. If this time change doesn't correct your particular problem, you may have established a set of relationships that are mutually exclusive, and could never be completely resolved. In this case, examine or undo your most recent actions, which may have caused this condition. If all else fails, select the objects involved and choose Clear Links from the Links menu, and start adding these relations again. How Video Cards Affects Performance -------------------- If you have a Super VGA display, and are using high resolution, IntelliDraw will need to use a great deal of memory for its off-screen buffer, which is a method of enabling smooth, flicker-free drawing. This will tax your RAM, but if you have sufficient real RAM, it should not degrade performance. To improve performance without turning off the off-screen buffer, reduce the number of displayable colors, or reduce the resolution. To free up the RAM (real or virtual) otherwise required by IntelliDraw for its off-screen buffer, you can try turning off that mode. Use the View Settings command to do this, and un-check the 'Use off-screen buffer' option. For 16-bit and 24-bit video cards, IntelliDraw automatically turns off the off-screen buffer. You can turn it on if you want by using the View Settings command to check-mark the 'Use off-screen buffer' option. The Color of Objects Exported as EPS -------------------- Color-filled shapes exported as EPS import back in as black & white in other programs. This is only a screen-display condition. This is intentionally done in order to remain compatible with some other applications which do not display imported EPS color to the screen. The graphic will print in full color or grays. As an alternative, you may export IntelliDraw graphics as Adobe Illustrator. These EPS files will have a color preview for applications capable of importing these files. General Mac/Windows File Sharing Notes -------------------- IntelliDraw documents created on Macintosh or Windows platforms are completely sharable between these platforms, across a network, or via properly formatted disks. However, the two operating systems have different file naming and file-typing requirements, and don't instantly recognize each other's files. Sharing Files: Windows To Macintosh Because of the different file-typing methods, a document from Windows IntelliDraw transferred to the Macintosh can't be double- clicked to open it. You must first launch IntelliDraw, then open the document via the Open dialog box. Be sure that the Show All option is checked in the Open dialog box. Once you save the document with a new name on the Macintosh, it will be a normal, double-clickable document. Sharing Files: Macintosh To Windows Macintosh files typically have names that are longer than 8 characters. Windows requires names of 8 characters or less, followed by a 3- character extension. In the case of IntelliDraw, the extension is IDW for working documents, and IDT for template files. You can allow Macintosh files to be recognized by Windows IntelliDraw by naming them with a name of 8 characters or less, and adding the proper extension (typing ".IDW" or ".IDT" after the name). If you don't use an extension, you can still allow IntelliDraw Windows to recognize the file in the Open dialog box by choosing "All files" from the drop down list. Text, ATM And TrueType -------------------- IntelliDraw requires the presence of TrueType or ATM Type 1 outline fonts in your system. These are needed to properly display and print type that is rotated, slanted, warped, and flipped, as may be found in angled dimension lines and blocks of display type. Adobe Type Manager (ATM) from Adobe Systems, may be purchased from most software resellers. Text Appearance Changes When Transferring Documents Between Macintosh And Windows -------------------- One major factor is that Windows TrueType fonts don't have close equivalents to Macintosh TrueType fonts. This affects the size and spacing of text transferred from one document to another. Even when ATM is used on both platforms, there may be differences introduced. A text block in a cross-platform document may need to be size- adjusted to hold the same text it held in the platform on which it was created. For example, the Windows TrueType font Arial will be interpreted as the TrueType font Geneva on the Macintosh. These fonts have different sizing and spacing, and text blocks that contain these fonts will need adjustment. Depending on your system's ATM/TrueType/and installed fonts, the IntelliDraw clip art, which has embedded text instructions on its use, may open with its text in an odd state, perhaps flowing out of the text blocks in which it was created. Adjustments you can make include resizing the blocks, selecting the text blocks and choosing a different font, or changing the font size or line spacing. Other adjustments to fit the text back inside the blocks, include resizing a text block slightly, or typing a space in a text block, then deleting it. Exporting Gradient-Filled Shapes, Tiled Groups and Cropped Groups for Placement in other applications -------------------- EPS is the format of choice for this type of graphic because it supports the necessary graphic commands to properly image special effects. Exporting such graphics as Windows Metafile may prove surprising. If an application attempts to interpret the Windows Metafile file on import, the resulting Windows Metafile image may look like the gradient fill has been unmasked, and the cropped shapes have been uncropped. The filled area will be either rectangular or oval, depending on the type of fill you specified in the original graphic. For Windows Metafile export, shading done with shape blends is a great alternative to gradients, and will export properly in any format. Copying/Pasting Gradient-Filled Shapes, Tiled Groups, and Cropped Groups -------------------- If you copy such graphics to the clipboard and paste them in word processors, page layout applications, and other programs that do not themselves try to interpret the graphic, the image will look and print fine. If you paste them into other drawing programs that will try to literally redraw the graphic with their own methods, the resultant image will look like the gradient fill has been unmasked, and the cropped shapes have been uncropped. The fill will be either rectangular or oval, depending on the type you specified in the original graphic. This behavior is similar with such graphics copied and pasted, or saved, as Windows Metafile and opened in other drawing programs. One alternative is to Export as Encapsulated PostScript (EPS). EPS is the format of choice for these types of graphics because it supports the necessary graphic commands for special effects. Another alternative is to paste this graphic into the application using OLE, so that IntelliDraw retains 'control' over the graphic's content. Closing And Closing All -------------------- If you have multiple document windows open relating to the same document, the document is not considered closed until you close all the windows pertaining to it. This includes page windows, and any multiple views onto the same page. You can close all those windows at once by holding the shift key down before choosing Close in the File menu. The shift key changes the Close command to a Close All command. Dimension Lines -------------------- If you have Auto Align turned on and are using one of the Dimension Lines tools, you will see alignment guides when you are near a key point. If you start or end your dimension line at one of these points, the dimension line will be attached. If, however, you do not have Auto Align turned on, you will be able to draw Dimension Lines, but they will not attach themselves to objects. The Line Tool and Auto Align -------------------- When using the Line tool and Auto Align together, you will only see Auto Align guides when near another key point. You will not see Auto Alignment guides when only horizontally or vertically aligned with a point, as you do with other tools. To work around this limitation, consider using the Polyshape tool. To create a line with this tool, simply click once at the start point, and double-click at the end point. When aligning the ending point, you will see alignment guides when you either horizontally or vertically aligned with other points. Avoid Over-Linking -------------------- IntelliDraw introduces to the day-to-day user the ability to link graphics in all kinds of relationships. There will be a natural tendency to link everything to everything else, and produce an amazingly tangled web which will only get in your way. Consider links as the fasteners in a tool-kit. You only use them when it makes sense. You would not, for instance glue your cup to your desk, or bolt your car to the floor of the garage. Remember that IntelliDraw offers other object management controls, like grouping and locking, which at the beginning are familiar and easily manageable. Use linking sparingly, and you'll better tap its power and convenience. Because most links are not obvious, unless you change something and watch the results, it's perfectly possible to establish multiple identical links between the same objects. These are redundant, and don't hurt anything, but they can add processing overhead to otherwise simple actions. You can use Show Links to examine the "wiring" in your drawing, and check for multiple identical links. Early in your linking experience, it's best and least time-consuming to clear a link and re-establish it correctly. With gradual use, you'll become link-savvy, and you'll fly through your linked relationships, recognizing them on sight, and making swift changes. Using OLE -------------------- When inserting IntelliDraw objects into other applications using OLE, be aware that OLE has a limit of 255 discrete objects. To work around this limit, use the Group command to group your entire graphic or parts of your graphic together. PageMaker 4.0 -------------------- The spell-checking DLLs installed with PageMaker 4.0 and IntelliDraw 2.0 are incompatible with one another. IntelliDraw 2.0 uses the updated DLL provided with PageMaker 5.0. This DLL does not work with earlier versions of PageMaker, and the earlier DLL, provided with PageMaker 4.0, does not work with IntelliDraw 2.0. However, we have provided a modified version of the PageMaker 4.0's spell-checking DLL, ALDWPLS.DLL, to allow our customers to use both applications. To use IntelliDraw 2.0 and PageMaker 4.0 together and utilize the spell-checking capabilities of both applications, follow these installation instructions (IntelliDraw 2.0 and PageMaker 4.0 should already be installed.): If you have a complete set of IntelliDraw 2.01 disks (6 disks): 1) Insert IntelliDraw 2.01 Disk 5. 2) Copy ALDWPLS.DLL from disk 5 into the ALDUS directory located on your hard disk. If you have updated to version 2.01 using the IntelliDraw 2.01 patch, you may download ALDWPSL.DLL file from the Aldus BBS at (206) 623-6984. If you do not own a modem, please fax us a request for this file at (619) 558-8723 or contact our Technical Support department at (619) 658-0333 for information on how to acquire this DLL. If you are not using PageMaker 4.0, do not copy this file to your hard drive; this DLL only solves the incompatibility between PageMaker 4.0 and IntelliDraw 2.0. Finally... Thank you for purchasing IntelliDraw. We hope that the ideas we put into it will help you to bring your own ideas to life. The IntelliDraw Team