Actrix 2000 is said to include all the features of Actrix Technical and Business. You can read the Actrix "top-ten" list of new features. Autodesk continues to use the spin hat Actrix is "next generation" (read: new), while Visio is "legacy" (read: old) software. Most of the features new to Actrix, however, are already in Visio 2000 or earlier:
#1. Read and write AutoCAD 2000 DWG files.
#2. 4,000 new shapes, in metric and imperial units.
#3. (See below.)
#4. A drawing can have multiple pages.
#5. Property Reporter.
#6. Enhanced drawing productivity, such as "New ActiveSockets
allow ActiveShapes and connectors to plug into each other at any dynamically
defined point, rather than just at pre-defined locations."
#7. Interactive shape authoring environment
#8. Associate custom context-sensitive routines with
more than 200 user actions.
#9. New custom menu and toolbar API, shape editing
within catalogs, shape protection, and undo/redo extensions.
#10. Windows 2000 Installer, and VBA 6.
As I see it, the only new feature unique to Actrix is: "#3. Visio Drawing File Translator - Visio drawing files can be opened and automatically translated into Actrix drawing data, allowing leverage of your investment in legacy systems and providing a bridge to the power and productivity of the Actrix environment."
Fleshed out with that much marketing-speak, the sentence can be hard to decipher. It says that Actrix 2000 will be able to read VS* files so that you will be tempted to give up Visio in favor of Actrix. Beware, though: just because a software package says it can translate a vector file format, does not mean the translation is accurate. Those of us with a foot in the CAD (computer-aided design) world know that engineering companies have experienced much grief when one CAD package claims to read the files of another CAD package. It will be interesting to test Actrix's VSD-compatibility in the new year.
(Note that Cyco has not re-engineered the VSD format. AutoManager View v3.1 previews VSD files in its viewer. The viewing is as accurate as the thumbnail file enclosed in the original VSD file.)
You can read this week's complete feature article at http://www.upfrontezine.com/visions
Visio
The English language version of Visio 2000 Professional Edition (US$399)
began shipping Nov 16. This edition of Visio is meant for documenting networks,
database, software applications, and Web site designs. Features include:
Links to recent reviews of Visio 2000, and news of Visio Corp:
PC
Computing
Network World
Computer
Shopper
Dow Jones Newswire
The
Puget Sound Business Journal
Colorspan
DisplayMaker Series XII is a wide printer that prints 240 sq. ft. per
hour with 12 printheads, and an apparent resolution of 1800dpi.
Microsoft
Windows 2000 Professional is the new name for Windows NT "v5.0" Workstation,
and is due to ship on 17 Feb 00. For the desktop computer, Windows 2000
Desktop will cost US$319 ($149 upgrade). For the server computer, the price
of Windows 2000 Server will vary, depending on upgrade options and number
of licenses. For example, upgrading a 10-license NT server is US$599; Advanced
Server is US$3,999 for 25 client licenses. An unlimited Internet connector
license will cost US$1,999. Pricing for Windows 2000 Data Center has not
yet been set; the OS is due to ship three or four months after Windows
2000.
In the meantime, Microsoft has release Service
Pack 6 for Windows NT 4.0, which includes Y2K fixes for NT. The second
beta of Windows Millennium, the update to Windows 98, was sent to testers
last Wednesday; it adds support for digital music and home networking,
and is due to be released sometime in 2000.
Tip #1: Visio lets you zoom without chasing toolbar icons. To zoom in, hold Ctrl+Shift, and left-click. To zoom out, hold Ctrl+Shift and right-click. The zoom is centered on the selected object.
Tip #2: Visio 2000 lets you "nudge" objects into position. Select the object, and use the keyboard arrow keys to precisely adjust the object's position
Tip #3: Visio lets you pan around the screen. When nothing is selected, use the arrow keys. (If an object is selected onscreen, hold down the Ctrl key while using the arrow keys to move around the drawing.)
Puzzled about Visio? Got an idea on how to make Visio work better? Send your questions and tips to ralphg@xyzpress.com . Receive a free Visio book (US$30 value) when your tip is printed here.
Learn
Visio 2000 by Ralph Grabowski
350pp; paperback; WordWare Publishing
COMNET DC, January 25 - 27 2000, WA DC Convention Center in Washington DC USA. Visio will be at booth #1235.
E-Business in the Construction Industry at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, May 8 and 9, 2000. It's not clear where you go for more info; you might try http://www.purchasepro.com
Computers for Construction 2000 (AEC Systems Fall) at the Anaheim Convention Center in Los Angeles CA USA, Nov 6 - 9, 2000.
Mike Kopf is the new CADD and Drafting acquisitions editor for Delmar Publishing.
ConnectPress has written subscribers to its Technical Design Solutions magazine that the magazine has been closed down. TDS was the first print magazine for Visio Technical and IntelliCAD users, but survived for only five issues.
"This looks like an interesting development. Do you have enough hours
in the day for this?"
- Tony Zilles