Q&A: How do I learn the 3D operation of Topicscape?

3D Topicscape is not one of those products that installs, opens a new sheet and waits for you to start. We've all seen those, I guess. It has built-in, active demonstrations and sample Topicscapes for you to explore.

Topicscape comes with a ready-made and extensive sample called Topicscape in your Life that you can fly around or even start modifying immediately. It's the kind of Topicscape that you might use to organize your personal and family information.

There's another Topicscape that one of our demonstrations will build before your eyes, with on-screen explanations as it goes. Topicscape Pro and Lite build a demo Topicscape about computer security and the Student Edition makes one about dinosaurs.

The top learning tool is this live demonstration. It covers the controls for flying and the main Topicscape functions.

3D Topicscape Pro starts in a relatively simple state (Limited Mode). This is not some trial version restriction (we just hate it when software that does that). Instead, it's a way of presenting the essential features first, while hiding the items that you don't need to know to understand what Topicscape is about.

Then it keeps an eye on what you do, and if, for example, you don't switch mouse flying on after a few runs, it offers to do so for you. Of course it also shows options to remind you later or never ask again. Then if you stay in the Limited Mode for a few more runs, it provides reminders about the other modes.

The demonstrations can be run slowly - people whose first language is not English may find this helpful - or at a steady pace, or quickly if its just a refresher you want. It can run in sections or from beginning to end uninterrupted, and most of the time you can pause with the space bar. Or you can pick a single section to review.

Each edition of Topicscape has its own Quickstart guide - you can read through this and follow its steps if you prefer this to watching a demonstration.

Of course, Topicscape has a built-in comprehensive Help System. The same text can be found in a downloadable pdf file, or can be read on-line in the Support section of the topicscape.com website.