Some Visio shapes display their size - for example, the Space shape displays 100 sq. ft. The status bar below the floorplan page reflects the real- world units of measure, so you can see at a glance how large shapes really are and exactly where a wall goes.

In Microsoft Visio, you can diagram a large object on a small page by using a drawing scale, which represents the relationship between an objects size in the real world and its size on the page.

Like a map that depicts a 10- mile stretch of highway with a 1-inch line, a scaled drawing represents objects at a ratio or a fraction of their size.

A drawing scale isnt for large objects only- you can also draw very small objects, such as a watch mechanism or printed circuit, at a larger scale as well.

When you start a Visio floor plan with a scaled template, the drawing scale is set up for you, and the Visio shapes conform to that scale automatically.

You work with the Visio Floor Plan template to create a replica of the building shell- its walls, doors, and windows- and then add furniture shapes.

This chapter introduces a new concept, layers, which provide a method of organizing shapes.

As a finishing touch, you import a graphic file that contains The Office Floor Company logo.

If your goal is simply to experiment with different furniture arrangements in a room, you might not need the level of detail that Visio provides.

However, because Visio is designed to provide architectural and engineering precision, your scaled diagrams are as accurate as your measurements.

In the Visio Floor Plan template, the drawing scale is inch to 1 foot, which means that a shape that appears inch high on the drawing page represents an object that is 1 foot tall.

Visio sets up the floorplan page using the templates scale and units of measure, which are typically inches (although Visio includes metric templates as well).

If you prefer to measure Visio shapes in yards or meters or some other measurement unit, you can by using the Page Setup command on the File menu, which is also how you set the drawing scale.

In addition, the Visio Floor Plan template also adds a new menu: the Plan menu, which includes commands specifically for working in this type of drawing.

Part of what you have to do when working in a Visio floor plan or any scaled drawing is grow accustomed to measuring distance in real-world units.

For example, if your drawing scale is inch to 1 foot on letter-sized paper (11 by 8 inches), the rulers show that the page is 22 feet long and 17 feet high.

Thats because the rulers display the real- world measurements so that you position and size shapes in terms of the physical space or object youre designing.

When you print the page, however, Visio ensures that it fits on regular letter-sized paper.

One way to do this is to drag wall shapes onto the page and rotate them into position.

Where two walls meet, Visio joins their corners automatically for a smooth look.

All the other structural shapes, such as doors and windows, are designed to snap to the wall shapes in a building layout.

However, when youre planning a new space, you can instead use the Space shape, which represents a 10-foot-by- 10-foot area.

You can lay out a patchwork of space shapes, and then combine them into a single area by using the Union command, which merges shapes to create a new shape.

Although this technique sounds like it takes several steps, most people find it easier to lay out rooms and create walls in this fashion rather than drag out individual wall shapes.

Some Visio shapes display their size - for example, the Space shape displays 100 sq.

The status bar below the floorplan page reflects the real- world units of measure, so you can see at a glance how large shapes really are and exactly where a wall goes.

Free Visio Furniture Shapes