SmartDraw Diagramming Tool Brings Clarity to Complex Network Designs

Mapping network designs can go a long way in simplifying increasingly complex network topologies and IoT implementations. Here’s a resource to help.

A session with SmartDraw Cloud starts with pointing your browser at https://cloud.smartdraw.com and inputting the appropriate credentials.

The cloud-based GUI is almost indistinguishable from the desktop version, making it simple to move between the different versions of the product. New users will find it easy to get started with the types of diagrams available listed on the left side and available templates displayed in the main editing window.

Users can open existing drawings, import Visio drawings, access the SmartDraw Cloud and even work with SharePoint. In addition, they can email diagrams and change diagram options from the file menu.

Building a network diagram starts with selecting the Network Design Menu, then selecting a template to work with or starting with one of the prepopulated examples. Selecting a template will populate the drawing area with appropriate libraries and tools to create network maps and diagrams.

Users can quickly drag and drop objects onto a diagram. If an appropriate object is not displayed on the SmartPanel tool, users can search for additional symbols. The search feature interrogates the image symbol libraries to find a library that contains the objects needed.

Shapes have multiple connection points, which can be customized to make it easier to join shapes using lines to illustrate connections. The Design menu offers multiple options for changing how shapes are displayed, grouped and connected.

SmartDraw also includes libraries of vendor-specific devices, which allows users to create complex elements such as IT equipment racks, which then can be populated with the actual representations of the vendor-specific equipment used.

The symbols used by the product contain vendor-specific details, including measurements and accurate representations of the physical device. What’s more, users have the ability to change many of the properties associated with a device.

SmartDraw includes numerous examples that can be modified quickly to meet a particular need. The thousands of included examples may prove useful for those looking to put together a diagram quickly.

Although many users may look to SmartDraw as a network diagram tool, the product can be used for almost any conceptual or physical process that can be visualized. A good example of that can be found in the product’s software design diagrams.

Users can create office layouts, server room floor plans, warehouses and much more quickly using the included libraries. The drag-and-drop capabilities make it a snap to add or reposition items on a diagram, which also takes into account physical measurements to make sure everything is done to scale.

One of the unique things about SmartDraw is that it can be used for many varied purposes. The product includes everything from flowcharts to mind maps to logic diagram examples, along with the industry-standard symbols and images that go along with each diagram type.