3D Topicscape Pro 2.0

3D Topicscape Pro 2.0 is a program which uses the concept-mapping or mindmapping approach to allow ideas and information to be organized, but in place of the usual 2D sheet, it works in 3D.

This sparks creativity and innovation by providing a tool to capture ideas - as they flow - in an unlimited 3D mindmapping landscape. This is the information organizer for mindmappers. Visual thinkers now have a new way of managing projects, computer files and web pages. Concept mapping and mindmapping are powerful tools in business. But a major challenge for business users of mindmaps or concept maps comes when the practical limits of a flat sheet are reached. This happens on any large project, yet that is the time when you most need the ability to scan the information landscape. 3D Topicscape overcomes this by allowing unlimited levels of hierarchy. It provides zooming, and flight through the information landscape.

And if you use mindmapping software to organize and store files, you will appreciate Topicscapes ability to store multiple files at any node (topic). Users can find their information using the instant word search, but the right keyword or phrase doesn't always come to mind. Then, Topicscapes powerful concept searching comes into play: By flying and zooming in the 3D landscape, and digging down (or up) to different levels, success is much more likely. And a topic is allowed to appear in more than one place. Each will be just another instance of the same topic - change one and they all change.

Topicscape is a valuable addition to the toolbox of project managers, researchers, legal professionals, consultants, medical professionals and anyone struggling with information overload. Other user stories there show how it has been used for business, projects and hobbies.

 Major Features:

1.  General
   • 3D interface giving flight with seven degrees of freedom (note Flexible structure: Topics may have many children and many parents ('cloned' topics supported without copying)
   • Re-orient your view around any topic
   • Loose Associations (tunnels): outside-the-hierarchy topics
   • Definable Association types (for preparing 3D concept maps) (note 2)
   • File-types that can be stored in Topicscape, viewed and exported
   • All filetypes, and shortcuts to files and folders
   • MHT, TXT, HTML & Internet shortcuts
   • Files introduced to Topicscape may be moved to it, copied to it or just pointed to, in their original location outside Topicscape.
   • copied only
   • Occurrences may appear in many places and all refer to a single file ('cloned' occurrences)
   • Topics and occurrences may have descriptions added, occurrences may have source, author, etc. added allowing much better notes to be retained about stored files.
   • Extensive implementation of drag and drop for supported file types on the same PC
   • Paste special functions (OLE) with wrapper file made automatically
   • Halo menu on topics (with dynamic help) for immediate and visible action
   • Swinging panels for highly visible control that gets out of your way when you don't need it (adjust appearance of landscape easily)
   • Can make live links to Outlook 2000 - 2007 items with drag and drop
   • Fix changes MS made to Outlook 2007 live links (URIs)
   • Can make live links to MyInfo items with copy and paste
   • Fileless occurrences for quick notes
   • Built-in, robust relational database (Firebird) to hold all information management data that you add
   • A Topicscape can be an occurrence in a Topicscape allowing webs of Topicscapes
   • Shortcut or occurrence can open another Topicscape at a specific topic
   • Quickzoom to inspect any part of the landscape quickly. Easily zoom back, or stay
   • Back up along past flight-path and go back to past Current Topics
   • Reverse that - go forward again
   • Built-in demonstrations of 3D flying and basic Topicscape operations
   • Limited and Expert modes available (for first contact), as well as a fully customizable mode
2. Rich appearance options
   • Customize your own Topicscape skins
   • Choose among three color schemes: individual; by level; or by group.
   • Customize colors for each component of the color scheme individually
   • Choose the texture and color of the field
   • Topic footprints for greater clarity of topic grouping
   • Choose of black or white text for topic names
   • Customize Home view position to your own taste
   • Cycling color-glow behind Current Topic (can be made static)
3. The Details Panel
   • Optional rich text (rtf) topic description (Description+)
   • 2000-character topic and occurrences descriptions
   • 256-character topic and occurrences descriptions
   • Moveable details panel in topic center
   • Details Panel acts as a dashboard to a topic's content
   • Third item on Details Panel (free text area)
   • "Date notes"
   • Large text edit panel for longer text items
4. Information management features
   • Intelligent (weighted) word check of new topic names to help reduce duplication
   • Use tags, tag cloud and tag filtering for added control
   • Option to report duplicate files before importing, including detecting changes
   • Automated offer to merge new folder to topic
   • Merge two topics - their occurrences and all their associations
   • Flag your important topics
   • Occurrences may be colored for grouping and easy recognition of important groupsColor shows in Topic Center and in Hit and History Lists;
   • Occurrences may be marked "Finished with" and they will be partly suppressed
   • One occurrence per topic can be shown above the topic cone and opened directly from the 'Scape
   • Preview pane in Topic Center for occurrences (re-sizable - small-medium-large)
   • See contents of a topic directly from an entry in the right-click menu
   • Favorites menu shows recent Topics made current and Occurrences opened.
   • Dragging in folders to make group of topics with the same structure
   • Group deletes (topic and all its descendants unless shared with another topic)
   • Precision deletes (a single topic in a structure)
   • Supports marking of topics and occurrences as Favorites, and finding them easily
   • 'Past activity' items stored in the History List.
   • Up to 300
   • 'Remove from History list' function.
   • Sorting topics in the Scape
   • Topicscape Islands for detached topics (topics not associated with the main body)
   • Topicscape Orphans (for defunct topics and files, to be kept for historical reasons)
5. Web research support
   • MHT-making capability that is often better than Internet Explorer, with queuing capability
   • -MaxMHT (note 3)included (advanced MHT-making capability that far exceeds that of IE), with queuing capability to allow surfing to resume immediately an archive file has been queued.
   • Mass conversion option to change all URLs to MHT archive files for content searching
   • Drop a web Favicon on the field and a topic will be made automatically to contain it
6. Searching
   • Scape search
   • Topic Center Search
   • Sorting the Hit List (results of a search)
   • Autopilot flight from results in the Hit list to a hit in the 'Scape
   • Advanced Search Panel carries a drop-down history of past search phrases
   • Filter topic and occurrence results by date modified
   • Filter topic and occurrence results by date created and opened
   • Search occurrences by color of their flagging
   • Include / exclude "Finished with" items in search results
   • Direct hit: Searches having only one hit will make the topic current or open the occurrence
   • Search string history in drop down box (also clear history or clear one item)
   • Optionally uses Google Desktop for faster file-content searching, if installed
   • Search by colors, flags and include or exclude 'Finished with' items from the search
   • Noisewords (stopwords) list to avoid excessive search hits
   • Noisewords user-maintainable
7. Import / Export / Compatibility with other products
   • Import MindManager(R) files to make Topicscapes via outlined-numbered text files
   • Turn MindManager 5, 6 and 7 .mmap files directly to 3D information landscapes.
   • Import Personal Brain(R) 3 files to make Topicscapes from a Brain-exported .pba file
   • Import Personal Brain(R) 4 files to make Topicscapes from a Brain-exported .pba file
   • Import from OPML and OML files (XML outliner formats)
   • Import functions using XML or folders to make a new Topicscape
   • Import FreeMind files to make Topicscapes directly from a .mm file
   • Export a Topicscape to make a Freemind 2D mindmap (re-importable to Topicscape)
   • Export a Topicscape structure to a text file indented for reading
   • Export a Topicscape structure to a text file for editing and re-importing
   • Out Tray for quick topic / occurrence exporting and various types of delete
   • Export a Topicscape structure to HTML
   • Exchange of Topicscape files (.3DT) between SE and PE Pro or PE Lite (note 4)
8. Robust
   • Extensive data checks and fixes with a full Data Repair Wizard
   • Check for stray files
   • List any missing occurrences files
9. Scope
   • Support for -network Topicscape databases or occurrence files
   • Thumb drives supported for Topicscapes and occurrence files
   • Topicscape Box included for quickly saving items for later inclusion in Topicscape

Enhancements:

• Add tags to any item, filter by tags, grasp visually and even more quickly the way your information is organized, find controls more easily, and personalize each of your Topicscapes.
• Tagging topics and occurrences, and tag filters
• Halo menu and associated dynamic help
• Innovative swinging panels
• Topic footprints
• Keep Topicscape active but out of view
• More Association line choices
• Topic name layout improvement
• Hotkeys on menus
• Neighborhood views
• Customize the Home view position
• Choose different skins for different Topicscapes
• License installer
• Additional demo
• Two new zoom options
• Delete a Topicscape
• PB import update
• Topicscape Pro 2.0--administrative details
• Bug fixes
  

Requirements:

• 1GHz
• 254MB
• 3D graphics (OpenGL1.3; 1024x768 min.)