RobiNZ CAD Blog

SnagIt 9 - the ribbon edition!

When I saw Betsy’s post this morning I just had to try the new SnagIt. Although only about 20mb it took a couple of hours to download which either meant our net connection was sluggish (most likely) or the TechSmith servers were very busy!

On install the most striking feature is the “ribboned” Fluent UI, seen below*, which makes extensive use of tabs & galleries. It appears,like AutoCAD 2009 but unlike Office 2007, it’s any colour you like as long as it’s black/grey!

I’ve only used it for a couple of hours but I’m already finding the most useful new feature is how it auto-saves captures and allows you to retrieve them from the library (panel on the right) in a click. Combined with the new “multi-capture” feature –  work on or combine several snags at once – it greatly simplifies working on more complex composite images.

If you’re an existing user there are upgrade offers at the SnagIt site, they’ve already sold one! 

Meet SnagIt 9 - New Release! (Visual Lounge)

Try SnagIt for free or upgrade to SnagIt 9 – http://www.techsmith.com/snagit

* If you're wondering how I captured SnagIt which disappears when you print screen? It's a SnagIt capture of a Camtasia recording of SnagIt doing a capture!

SnagIt for software support

SnagIt is a great tool for authoring support documents, a screen capture is worth a zillion words, but it’s also a useful tool for capturing software problems for analysis. To coin a term(?), SnagIT Support!.

Last week I had a problem with MindManager’s synchronise to Outlook Tasks failing on one topic/task (of about 450). It’s a vital part of  how I use MindManager & Outlook so I needed a fix. MindManager displays the task names as they synchronise but too rapidly to read. The tasks are blurred in the Camtasia capture below but the speed is real-time!

If I could see which task failed I’d be able to check the map topic & maybe resolve the problem. I captured the sync, with the SnagIt video mode, then stepped frame by frame to the last topic. Looking at it in the map I found a corrupted date (somehow I’d made a start after due) which was the probable cause. To be safe I removed and re-added all the task related data on the topic. This resolved the problem and now sync'ing is working fine. Without Snagit tracking down that error and resolving it would have been near impossible!

I thought this might make a great “how to” post but Kathy Jacobs, and Betsy, beat me to it! Click through Kathy’s post for brilliant instructions on how it’s done: 

I <3 SnagIt - Do you? - VitaminCH – PowerPoint and OneNote MVP Kathy Jacobs shares how she uses SnagIt timed captures

A SnagIt Blog!

I found this great blog about SnagIt after it’s author, Peter, left a comment on one of my SnagIt posts. Subscribed!

SnagIt Guide - www.snagitguide.com
At SnagIt Guide you find SnagIt tips, tricks, secrets and guides on how to get the most out of SnagIt, enjoy!

Doh! Why not use an ActiveWords script for blog comment forms?

Sometimes the obvious isn’t very obvious. Following thousands of blogs means I’m often leaving comments. Even responding to comments on my own blog requires the same process as readers use. It’s standard to require name, email, and optionally site URL, when commenting so I set up ActiveWords for each of  those. Now I just type a few ActiveWords (rcf, @b, rbu) to enter all the details. 

It was only today that I realised nearly all blogs request these details in the same order. It took only a few seconds to create this simple ActiveWords script;

<RCF><TAB><WORD:@b><TAB><RBU><TAB>

• Like the ActiveWord below @b has “Confirmation Flag” ticked. This means it requires confirmation with the ActiveWords Key to activate. This type of ActiveWord is called in scripts with <WORD:#> format rather than the normal <#>.
• You could just enter the name etc directly in the script but calling ActiveWords means if something changes, say my blog email, editing one ActiveWord updates it everywhere it’s nested.

Now it’s just “rbc” to leave a comment. That’s 59 potentially error ridden keystrokes without ActiveWords reduced to 3 and no chance for a mistake. Now it’s done it seems so obvious. So why, I wonder, did it take so long to think of?

Screenshot created with SnagIt 8, Animated Gif with Camtasia 4, Magic with ActiveWords

Click for post related Disclosure Statement

Taking Notes with SnagIt and MindManager

SnagIt and MindManager are great authoring tools but recently I’ve been using them for something different. I’ve been getting training on a new, to me, mapping/demographics application. While they had excellent notes, like usual, retail needs meant we have different requirements to the typical user (generally GIS).

To record items of particular interest, rather than paper notes, I tried using the SnagIt/MindManager combination live in the training session. It was great to grab quick screen-shots, add process notes/arrows and send them to my MindManager notes map with SnagIt’s MindManager Custom Output Tool.

Often, as below, lining up a series of dialogs, capture, then adding a few arrows was sufficient to record quite a complex process. It’s often quicker to create than text notes and certainly easier to follow.

Click for post related Disclosure Statement

CAD related Blogging Highlights for 2007

I’ve posted my “Blogging Highlights” for the year on my other blog but a few are CAD related so excuse their repetition here:

RobiNZ Personal Blog: 2007 Blogging Highlights (Click for full post)

It’s time to do a Blog related review of the year so here goes…

Best Blog Event:

Well, it’s not really a blog event but Autodesk University probably brings together more bloggers than many dedicated events manage. I was fortunate to attend again this year and the real highlight is meeting fellow bloggers and readers. It was great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones  I won’t name names for fear of leaving someone out but to all I met at Autodesk University thanks for reading and saying hello. I’m constantly amazed people all around the world invest their time in reading this stuff

It’s for that reason Autodesk University is again, as in 2005 and 2006, the best Blog Event I attended this year.

Biggest Surprise?

A year later and I’m still called “the Paper Plane Guy” at Autodesk University!

Blog Related Concern:

I need to do more for CAD/BIM related posts on my “Cad Blog”. If you’ve got any ideas for things to cover email me or leave a comment!

Best New Blog Tool:

Last year it was Camtasia, this year it’s SnagIt. It’s not new but recent add-ins for Blog Platforms (like TypePad & Wordpress), Flickr and MindManager make it a tool I use for virtually every post, including this one!

Boring Blog Stats – Only here so I can look back at them

RobiNZ CAD Blog [2006 figures]

Posts: 1,157 [860] | Comments: 674 [390] | TrackBacks: 74 [67] | Pages: 3 [New in 2007]

Page Views: Total 405,974 [284,009] | Average Per Day 298.07 [220]

Subscribers (via Feedburner): Avg: 576 [312] Max: 707 [640]

Most visited post of 2007: DWG to [Google] Earth, do you read me? - Autodesk Labs AutoCAD Google Earth Extension (from 2006)

Most Popular Post from 2007: Align, the forgotten AutoCAD hero

Thanks for visiting during 2007, Happy New Year for 2008!

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Wish granted, some time ago.... Doh! - Saving 3D Reviews in Autodesk Design Review

Somebody, who might be involved in authoring this blog, thought wouldn’t it be cool if Autodesk Design Review could remember the location of 3D objects moved during a review session?

The scenario I thought of was objects being moved/rotated, or whatever, during a review then those changes could be used as a true 3D design review. Opening a DWF, moving objects then saving it didn’t work. When you opened it everything was back to as published. I even went as far as posting a wish for this to be considered for “a future release”.

It was then I was politely informed that this had been possible for some time. It just required saving a custom view before, then after the changes. Doh!

Joseph has posted the process on the Beyond the Paper blog. Below you can see somebody, who might be involved in authoring this blog, using it to avoid rearranging the furniture…

Save custom views in DWF using Autodesk Design Review - Beyond the Paper
Ever wondered how you could switch off selected layers and save the DWF file in that state?…

Tags: Autodesk+Design+Review

MindManager 7.1, more than a service patch!

UPDATE 12/19/2007: Mindjet have temporarily removed this update due to an issue with Norton Antivirus. They say it will be reposted as soon as possible. See this thread on the MindManager Forum for more detail.

Seems to be update time for my Office applications. I’ve recently installed Office 2007 Sp1 (219mb for a patch?) and Mindjet also released a MindManager 7 update (a mere 83.5mb!). I haven’t noticed much difference in Office, yet, but MindManager 7.1 introduces a bunch of fixes and a few totally new features:

• Refined Graphics; I’ve noticed improvements to some Ribbon fly-out graphics. Compare the Topic Boundary tool from 7.0 and 7.1. It’s nicer looking and the clearer graphics make it easier to choose the desired option.

• A new Export Tab: Export was “hidden” on the “MindManager Button” and required you to Select MindManager Button, move down to Export, wait for the fly-out menu then select the Export option. It was a bit tedious so one of the first things I did was put the export button on my Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). MindManager 7.1 introduces a dedicated “Export” Tab to the Ribbon for easy access without customising the QAT.

• A new PowerPoint Export Option; MindManager 7.1 Introduces “Export as a PowerPoint Slide”. It attempts to export the map to a PowerPoint slide as native PowerPoint objects (rather than an image). Topics become auto-shape text boxes connected with lines. It works fine for simple maps but struggles with more complex layouts and totally ignores topic images.

The easiest way to update your MindManager is click on the Ribbon Tools Tab.

Tags: MindManager+7.1

A cure for failing memory? SnagIt!

I must be getting old or something but thankfully have a bit of help to combat memory loss. Often working with files, object properties, numbers and the like the need arises to remember a data sequence, file names or similar.

That’s when the problems begin as an interruption, or simply poor short term memory, mean sometimes I forget. To combat this I just “SnagIt”, then leave it displayed on my second monitor. Often it’s never saved, or pasted, but simply serves as a reference.

In the example (left) I was looking at several similar linked elements in Revit. The file name isn’t our system so just snagged the element dialog then checked out the alternative versions.

Failing memory? SnagIt!

Click for post related Disclosure Statement

SnagIt to Blog

This is brilliant, from SnagIt to TypePad in a click!
Versions for WordPress, Live Journal, Movable Type and TypePad at:
http://www.techsmith.com/snagit/accessories/blogging.asp

via blognation

Tags: TypePad

SnagIt + MindManager 7.0 = Happiness!

One of the best accessories for SnagIt is the “MindManager Output”. Sadly this was broken when I upgraded to MindManager 7. Yesterday I attended the Revit Tech Conference and today I was transcribing my hand notes, OK scrawl, to MindManager. As there were many application based tips I also had Revit running to grab relevant screen captures, annotate them, then add to my notes.

Missing the MindManager output, I visited the SnagIt site and found it’s been updated and now works fine with MindManager 7. If you are already using SnagIt & MindManager it’s free so go and grab it! 

If not, both MindManager and SnagIt have free trial versions*. They make the best documentation authoring combination I’ve found.

Note: This capture shows MindManager 6 and SnagIt

SnagIt Accessories
MindManager Output (Version is 1.0.2  is MindManager 7 compatible )
This output accessory places a MindManager output button on the Preview Window toolbar. Then, with one click, you can send captures to your MindManager document. *MindManager 6.0 and above only

* Health Warning; You will get hooked

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Share a screen capture in a Jing

The Jing Project is an experiment from TechSmith, the screen capture/recording people, who are best known for SnagIt &  Camtasia. It offers a little of each product in a slick, easy to use, form for both Windows (XP/Vista) & Mac OS X users. 

Jing aims to make grabbing a screen capture easy and sharing it a snap, or should I say a Jing! You can grab and use a capture in seconds to get the message across. It’s great if, like me, you are the family computer support help-desk. Capture the solution and share it in a click. If “a picture paints a thousand words” a Jing can save thousands of keystrokes!

Jing is a “project” and is free to use in this form. TechSmith are keen to see how it’s used and get feedback from users.

“It’s something we want to give you, along with some online media hosting, to see how you use it. The project will eventually turn into something else. Tell us what you think so we can figure out what that is.”

That feedback & response is already happening via the Jing Blog. The first version of Jing, released yesterday, wouldn’t run with my regional settings but overnight an update was posted which works fine!

Using Jing: It lives as a small docked “Orb” which grows three “rays” when you mouse over it. They allow instant access to capture, history and settings.

To grab a screen-shot image or audio/video: Click capture and you are presented with a “glowing frame”. It automatically finds window elements (toolbars, frames, windows) or allows you to define a rectangular capture area. I like how areas outside the capture window fade to mono while the capture frame glows.

Enhance the capture:

Click Image and the capture is transferred to an editing window which allows arrows, text, and highlights to be added. Video captures are loaded into a preview player window.

The result (below) can be automatically shared via TechSmith’s Screencast file share site or saved locally (.png image or .swf video file).

Share your capture:

You get a Screencast account for Jing use while the project is running.

Jing uploads the file and places a URL, the capture above is seen at http://www.screencast.com/t/6lgmSCnjD1d, ready to paste into your email, blog or IM conversation.

Try the Jing Project yourself or see a video of it in action: http://www.jingproject.com/

Read the Jing Project Blog: http://blog.jingproject.com/

PS: Wondering how I captured Jing while using it? The interface images in this post were captured with SnagIt, the capture example is all Jing

Click for blog related Disclosure Statement

Tags: Jing

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Message Editor, it's Word but it's not...

In earlier versions of Outlook there was an option to “Use Microsoft Word as your Message editor”. This meant other applications, like MindManager & SnagIt, which had Word integration also worked with e-mails. I often used MindManager “Send Topic to Word” and SnagIt “Send Capture to Word” while composing email messages, just like any other Word document.

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 uses the HTML parsing and rendering engine from Microsoft Office Word 2007 to display HTML message bodies. There has been some flack about this as Word 2007 isn’t as good at rendering HTML as the old I.E. based rendering engine. That aside, the Message Editor does have “Word’like” features, even uses Word 2007 components if installed (see table in extended post), but crucially it’s NOT Word.

It’s also the only editor as there is no longer a “Use Word…” option. This means applications that integrate with Word will not find the Outlook 2007 Message Editor and integrate with email anymore.

Both Mindjet & TechSmith are aware of this and I expect they’ll integrate the new editor with their applications in future updates. You can still copy/paste to the Message editor but it’s not as elegant. Something to consider if you are planning to upgrade to Outlook 2007.

SnagIt not just for captures!

I’ve been writing notes from a recent Tech Briefing using MindManager. Part of this included producing some simple diagrams & SnagIt proved up to the task as an authoring tool. Starting with a blank background I just used the shape, call-out and other tools to create a quick graphic then click, export to MindManager topic and it’s done.

24 hours of SnagIt demos, are you crazy?

You’d have to be crazy to stay-up for 24 hours recording a software demo every hour…     or you’d have to be Tony, Betsy & Jessica from TechSmith SnagIt!

The result is a collection of short demos well worth watching, and it won’t take you all night!

24 SnagIt videos in 24 hours! - The Visual Lounge
Remember when you were 15 years old and it was fun to pull an all nighter? Well, it's still fun to stay up all night...even when you're twice that age! :-)

Back in December, in celebration of SnagIt's 15th anniversary, we decided to act like we were 15 again and pull an all nighter at TechSmith...for you! We shot 24 SnagIt videos in 24 hours….

Documenting Folder Structures with MindManager

There was a question on the Autodesk CAD Manager Discussion Group regarding methods for documenting file & folder structures. I use a combination of tools depending on the need. If you simply want an image a screen capture will be fine like these captures of a demo folder structure & map.

However, I author my documentation with MindManager and use it’s “Smart Map Parts” to generate folder links. The result is a refresh-able representation of the folder/file structure. Each folder is generated as a topic with a hyperlink. If the folder structure changes refresh the topic to see the changes. These updates can be manual, automatic, requiring user confirmation or “silent”. Topics can also be “dragged out of the part” to become static topics if you prefer. You can share as a map or using MindManagers many export options. If the export format supports links they are included.

The process is easier to do than write about so this video shows the MindManager Explorer All Folder Part in action.

To try it yourself download the free trial of MindManager Pro (must be Pro) from http://www.mindjet.com

Snagged by SnagIt

Since Camtasia played a role in getting me there it was really great to meet TechSmith Chief Evangelist Betsy Weber at AU.

After coming up with the wacky theme for my submission I created the plane in AutoCAD and then a PowerPoint to tell the story. I could have submitted those alone but it seemed like something more was needed. Camtasia came to the rescue as it enabled all the elements to be combined and presented in a single package conveying the idea far better than “static” presentation files.

Betsy was kind enough to give me Camtasia 4 & SnagIt 8 licences to get me up to speed with the latest versions. I’ve been using Camtasia for a couple of years and was aware of SnagIt but never bothered to try it. The main reason was I already used a screen capture utility that is part of Corel Graphics so why bother with another…

It didn’t take long using SnagIt to realise I was wrong in thinking there’d be little difference. A capture is a capture but the difference with SnagIt is how well integrated the processing and use of that capture is once complete. You can add effects, call-outs and various other frills but then it’s time to get that screen-shot to the intended application.

This is where SnagIt 8 shines as in addition to the usual Clipboard, Email, File Save and FTP transfer methods it features application “Accessories”. These have specific capabilities to transfer the screen-shot to the target application. Word, Excel & PowerPoint accessories are installed by default but you can also download others including Flickr and my favourite, shown in action below, MindManager.

This allows a capture to be added to a MindManager Map in the various content forms that MindManager supports for images: Main Topic, Sub-Topic, Floating Topic, Call-out, or Notes. As seen below, once the capture is complete transfer to any of these options is just a click away. It the application isn’t running SnagIt will launch it, if open with multiple documents you can choose the target. Very slick!

In a Screencast about SnagIt it was mentioned there will be more “Accessories” so I’m hoping TypePad (Photo Albums) and BlogJet are on the To-Do list…

If you need screen capture software try SnagIt and be prepared to be impressed.