Using Omnigraffle

[Howard Kaufman]

I thought I'd share my dilemma in a bit more detail.  I draw block diagrams 
and schematics of audio visual systems.  These are not super complicated, 
but there are many shapes and lines on the page and to do it quickly is the 
trick.  I used to do it on a PC, (excuse the word!) with a really nice 
diagramming program called VISIO.  I have moved now to a MAC using OS 10.1 
and can't really find the equivalent program.  I've tried Concept Draw and 
it is close, but that program has some serious flaws as far as accuracy.  
The developers have acknowledged the problem for a long time now, but never 
fix it.  So as far as I'm concerned it's not usable for my work.  I also 
tried using the drawing module of Appleworks and it almost works but it too 
has problems keeping lines "on the grid" all the time.  The new MS Office 
programs like Word have a pretty nice drawing module, but many things about 
it are way too frustrating.  So when I saw Omnigraffle I thought it would 
be quite close to what I need, and I'm now exploring it to see if I can 
really get my work done with it in an efficient manor.  This listserve is 
very encouraging and I hope to work through all of these issues in the next 
few days so I can purchase it.  If you can think of anything that makes 
block diagram drawing easier with Omnigraffle, I'm all ears.  I realize it 
may not have been created exactly with my needs in mind.  But anyway it 
really seems close.  In fact the 1.2 beta is even nicer, except that it has 
a bug which causes lines to stray off the grid as you draw them.  I know 
Omnigroup is aware of it and I really look forward to trying the next beta!

So thanks again for all of your help.

Howard


On Monday, December 17, 2001, at 06:54  PM, Kevin Steele wrote:

> Hi Howard,
>
> There's a button on the Align info pane that will align the center of an 
> object to the grid.  As long as your lines are drawn to the grid, this is 
> probably the easiest way to get what you want.
>
> If you use the mouse to move the object, it aligns the edges to the grid 
> as you move, but if you use the arrow keys to move the object, it will 
> move in grid increments (shift-arrow moves in pixel increments).
>
> - Kevin
>
> On Monday, December 17, 2001, at 08:20 AM, Howard Kaufman wrote:
>
>> I am considering buying Omnigraffle for my work which consists of drawing 
>> simple block diagrams and electronic schematics.  (I stress the word 
>> simple)
>> .  One problem I have is that where lines intersect I sometimes need to 
>> place a small black dot.  (This indicates that there is an electrical 
>> connection between the 2 lines.  If the lines cross without the dot then 
>> it usually means the lines are just crossing on the page, but not 
>> electrically connected).  The problem is that the lines are drawn to the 
>> grid but when I create a small circle (about 1/4 the size of a grid box)
>>  I cannot place it so that the center of the dot sits exactly at the 
>> intersection of the lines (which is the same thing as the intersection of 
>> the grid lines).  Any ideas as to how to do this, other than turning off 
>> snap to grid and nudging?
>>   BTW, nudging may not help, because it is not fine enough, I have found.
>>
Regards,
Howard Kaufman
Lectrosonics
(516) 785-6211
>>
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>>
>>
>