A useful new version of 3D Topicscape Pro, the information organizer and 3D mind mapper, is now available that implements four specific requests from our users.  As usual this update is free to all who have licenses or are still in their free trial period.

1. Topicscape is noted for the visibility it gives of tasks and information.  Now you can see even more at one time: Choose the number of columns for Current Topic’s children - previously four, now you can show five or six as well.  This stays at four columns until you change it in the Options panel (User Preferences).

2. Reduce distraction: Minimize the Topicscape window to an icon while you work on other tasks.  This is a customizable option that defaults to Not Hidden, so you need to take action to see it.

3. Get more of your information when importing from PersonalBrain: For PB4 users, we have enhanced PB import to Topicscape beyond the limits of the data exported by PersonalBrain itself.  Importing from the .pba file exported by PB is still an option.

4. Navigate large Topicscapes even more quickly: The programming for “Make Current” has been optimized to provide a faster re-calculation of the scene when the user selects a different topic to be the Current Topic.  This is particularly noticeable with large Topicscapes (several thousand topics).

You can read all the details at the What’s New page:

And you can download the new 3D Topicscape Pro installer from the usual place.

We hope you like the new version, 1.59.  Within the next month, we hope to release an exciting new Beta version those who have registered with our Beta program.

Roy

There are some more outstanding mind maps from Adam Sicinski on line now at the Mindmaps Directory. 

The new ones will be helpful to students encountering Shakespeare’s plays for the first time.  There are more than I’ve shown here.

And there’s a rather special bubble diagram by Michael Petiford about the development of art through print making.

Roy

We check TopicCrunch against all three major search engines daily.   On Saturday April 19^th 2008, TopicCrunch started recording no hits for any search on MSN.  This is because the SERPs (search engine result pages) had changed the part of their format that TopicCrunch uses to extract the results.

TopicCrunch has now been brought into line with the new format and an updated installer version is available at the usual place:

http://www.topicscape.com/TopicCrunch/download-topiccrunch.php

There is no need to uninstall TopicCrunch first, just install the new version on top of the old.

Regards

Roy

Adam Sicinski just pointed me towards his website studymatrixart.com, in case I felt they had a place in the Mindmaps Directory and I found a wealth of outstandingly-drawn mind maps there.  Well worth a visit and, for now, all on the Directory’s front page.

These maps have a focus on life skills: time management, study, improving memory, relationships, handling stress, weight loss and happiness.

Roy

The Mindmaps Directory has taken a leap in size.  Now it has 877 maps from all over the web.  Unlike other libraries that make exagerated claims but don’t let you browse to see how many there really are (only search for a term or see  ‘popular’ ones) you can explore our full directory - page by page. 

Hand-picked, classified by map type and tagged, these offer a growing and serious resource for students and businesses.  So you can search by word, click the tag cloud to see all on a given subject, or narrow what you see to just a particular type - concept maps, say, mindmaps, or tree diagrams.

Roy