Unlock the power of Visio’s unique feature—premade shapes. Explore how these shapes simplify patent drafting, allowing you to assemble drawings like Lego blocks instead of drawing from scratch. This video will revolutionize your approach to patent drawings, making the process faster and more efficient.
Key Takeaways
- Using Pre-made Shapes: Visio comes with various stencils containing pre-made shapes, which can be dragged and dropped to assemble drawings.
- Custom Stencils: IP Da Vinci provides free custom stencils pre-formatted for patent drawings, which can be opened from the “More Shapes” menu.
- Organizing Stencils: Save custom stencils in the “My Shapes” folder for easy access and organization.
- Activating Stencils: Click on a stencil to activate it and display its shapes.
- Traditional Assembly: Drag and drop shapes onto the canvas and connect them with connectors for traditional flowchart or process diagram creation.
- AutoConnect Feature: Use the AutoConnect feature for a faster way to add and connect shapes. However, it only offers the first four shapes in your stencil.
- Join Our Webinars: Don’t forget to register for our free webinars to deepen your knowledge and connect with the community.
Try This Yourself:
Prerequisite for the Exercise
Before starting this exercise, please follow these steps:
- Download the File: Fill out the form below to get the Visio-How-Tos–Dragging-and-Dropping-Shapes.vsdx and IP-DaVinci-Stencil—Basic-Flowchart-Elements.vssx files.
Download Form
- Open the File and Stencils: After downloading, open the file and stencil(s) to start the exercise.
Exercise Steps
1. Activate IP DaVinci Flowchart Elements Stencil: If not already activated, click on the Flowchart Elements Stencil to view the custom shapes available in this stencil.
2. Place the Process Shape: Hover over the Process shape until the pointer changes to a four-headed arrow 
. Press and hold the left mouse button, then drag the shape into the canvas and release to place it. Click on a blank area to deselect the shape if needed.
3. Align the Decision Shape: Drag and drop the Decision shape under the Process shape until green alignment guides appear, indicating that the center, left edge, right edge, or all three are aligned. Release the mouse to place the shape..
4. Space the Process Shape: Drag and drop the Process shape below the Decision shape until alignment guides and two spacing guides appear, indicating equal spacing. Release the mouse to place the shape.
Recommended Reading
Dive into our hands-on exercise to apply what you’ve learned. Access the written instructions, download the practice file, and watch the video demonstration to enhance your Visio skills.
- Dragging-and-Dropping Shapes in Visio: Learn the efficient technique of dragging and dropping shapes in Microsoft Visio to streamline your patent drawing process in our step-by-step guide.
Recommended Webinars
Further explore the topics covered in this article by attending our webinars. These sessions offer additional insights and the opportunity to ask questions and interact with experts in Visio for patent practice.
- Basic Visio Skills for IP Professionals: Discover the fundamentals of Microsoft Visio in our webinar tailored for IP professionals, covering basic skills to streamline your patent drawing process.
- Visio Q&A Fridays: Join our “Visio Q&A Fridays” webinar series to get expert answers to your questions and enhance your proficiency in using Visio for IP-related work.
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