20 FREE VISUAL Snappy Reviews Key Functions THINKING Links to Save You Time Example Maps TOOLS With hints about Visual Thinking Models BY ROY GRUBB 2 Free visual thinking tools Contents Introduction .............................................. 3 Blumind ..................................................... 4 Cmap Tools ............................................... 8 Connected Mind ...................................... 12 Dia............................................................. 16 Edraw MindMap ..................................... 20 FreeMind ................................................. 24 Freeplane ................................................ 28 Hypergraph .............................................. 32 iMindMap Basic ...................................... 36 Labyrinth ................................................. 40 Lovely Charts .......................................... 44 Lucid-Chart .............................................. 48 Mind42 ..................................................... 52 MindNode ............................................... 56 Prezi ......................................................... 60 Think ........................................................ 64 TreeSheets .............................................. 68 Visuwords ................................................ 72 VUE .......................................................... 76 Xmind ...................................................... 80 Resources ............................................... 84 Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 3 Free visual thinking tools Introduction You'll find four pages describing each of the visual thinking tools covered in this eBook: 1 & 2: Evaluation; 'for and against'; characteristics. 3: Key web links. 4: Graphical example, showing characteristics in visual form. In case you wonder what a mind map or a concept map or some of the other thinking tools mentioned here are, there's a note about Visual thinking models buzzwords at the end describing the special ways mappers use ordinary words like 'organic' or 'boundary'. This eBook does not cover software or web apps with "free" 30-day trials after which the software expires, or that limits the number of objects on a map so much that serious maps cannot be made. Nor does it cover specific mobile apps. The section "License limitations" appears in some entries. Sometimes it just notes that you need to provide an email address to use the software. In cases where there is a free version and a 'Pro' version, the license limitations described relate to the free version. If no license limitations are mention, you can use the software for any purpose. But most free software licenses include the restriction that you cannot sell the software to others. Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 4 Free visual thinking tools Blumind 1 Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 5 Free visual thinking tools This is a fast and free mind mapper that can produce respectable looking Simple, fast, multiple maps. It is desktop software that you download. You can choose from the built-in styles usual range of layouts: radial, organization chart, tree and logic diagram. It takes charge of your map layout almost completely, so if you want to change the position of a node, you use Ctrl+up/down arrow keystrokes, not dragging. No images on maps You can't display images in the map, other than small icons and that can be a disadvantage for some uses of mind maps. Blumind offers a range of color schemes based around Windows themes, and it lets you choose the map's background color. Platforms supported Windows A portable version is available - this can be run from a USB memory stick Features Includes some (minimal) support for project management: by storing task % complete Searching text in a map is supported Appearance Allows maps with a slightly organic appearance Allows maps with a box and line appearance Connections between nodes are limited to a tree hierarchy, but curving relationship lines outside the hierarchy are permitted Provides an outline view of a map Predefined map formats and designs (colors, shapes, line styles) are included with the software Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 6 Free visual thinking tools Allows change to map background: You can change the color Layout Layout is principally controlled by the software with little or no manual override Attachments Allows attachments to nodes. They may be of the following types: Notes to expand the detail given active hyperlinks icons Attachments to nodes are saved as part of the map file, making sharing easier Import / Export Can import the following types of files: FreeMind / Freeplane Can export the following types of file: Outline text image formats FreeMind / Freeplane Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 7 Free visual thinking tools Blumind INFORMATION AND DOWNLOAD http://blumind.org/ Portable version http://portableapps.com/node/28891 Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 8 Free visual thinking tools Cmap Tools 2 Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 9 Free visual thinking tools For rigorous analysis of I recommend Cmap as a concept mapper - I use it myself when I want to sort out my thinking on a complex subject. Though concept maps are similar to knowledge, CMAP is hard mind maps, their appearance and use is often different (see links in the to beat introduction). Operating the software is Cmap can show sentences implied by the concepts and their linking phrases. It more cumbersome than supports making presentations. some You can use this as simple desktop mapping software or, using an public on- line or intranet server, you can collaborate and share a map with others. Collaboration support: Multiple users can negotiate to edit the same map simultaneously and Cmap supports chat while they edit. License limitations: Registration is required, but this should not be a problem (I have never been spammed by IHMC). Other than that, there is no limitation on how you use the mapping software. The server software is available free at present (while it is in a beta / test version) if you want to try it on your own network. Platforms supported Windows; Mac OS X; Linux A portable version is available - this can be run from a USB memory stick Features Has support for making presentations Maps are kept online for sharing or access from multiple locations Has provision for handling multi-maps: by showing multiple maps on a page by allowing a node in a map to be linked to other maps Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 10 Free visual thinking tools Collaboration support: Supports simultaneous editing by more than one person Maps are kept online for sharing or access from multiple locations Searching text in a map is supported Appearance Allows maps with a box and line appearance Connections between nodes are not limited to a tree hierarchy, i.e. any node can be associated with any other, meaning a node can have multiple parents Nodes can have labels - they appear when a mouse is hovered over a labeled node Provides an outline view of a map Allows floating topics Allows change to map background: You can select an image as the map's background Layout Layout is normally entirely manual There is an option to ask the app to re-layout the map Attachments Allows attachments to nodes. They may be of the following types: Notes to expand the detail given active hyperlinks active links to files images that can be seen on the map Attachments to nodes are saved as part of the map file, making sharing easier Import / Export Can export the following types of file: Web pages Text XML Outline text Image formats & SVG PDF and Postscript Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 11 Free visual thinking tools Cmap Tools INFORMATION http://cmap.ihmc.us/ DOWNLOAD http://cmap.ihmc.us/download/ Portable version http://portableapps.com/node/25515 COMMUNITY http://cmapforum.ihmc.us/ http://www.cmappers.net/ http://cmap.ihmc.us/support/ Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 12 Free visual thinking tools Connected Mind 3 Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 13 Free visual thinking tools Eye-catching, organic, Connected Mind allows you to make very organic-looking and visually powerful mind maps. It uses the Google Chrome browser, and you will need a colorful gmail account to save your maps online. Hard work, no built-in But don't think that because it runs in a browser this will support collaboration, like, say MindMeister or Mindomo. It doesn't. To see your maps export capability, stored online, you need to log in with your gmail account first. browser-based but no It's not hard to use but it does take a little while to get used to it. Press the ' ? ' collaboration button on the right of the toolbar to see the help provided - it won't take long to view and it's worth it. One weakness is that you need another utility from the Chrome store to save the maps as images. Called Webpage Screenshot, you can get that here: http://bit.ly/nnrWrR It's free and is useful for making single images of any web page, even if it is much too long for your screen. Platforms supported Online, browser-based, so runs on most platforms, but only in Google Chrome Windows; Mac OS X; Linux Features Supports only one editor at a time Has provision for handling multi-maps: by showing multiple maps on a page Appearance Allows maps with an organic appearance Roy Grubb http://www.InformationTamers.com/WikIT/ 14