Visio by DPTPB: Maintaining font size while ungrouping background images

Yesterday I wrote about possible solution for issue related using Windows Enhanced Metafiles, an issue originally identified in post Visio by DPTPB: Reducing size of complex Visio shapes V2.

In my original post I also identified another possible issue with ungrouping an image. This issue is related to the fact that Visio cannot render fonts that are smaller than 1 pt in size. With some images there is some text, like “UID” or “USB”, to label some elements of the image. And once you ungroup that image, the text size suddenly increases.

Continue reading “Visio by DPTPB: Maintaining font size while ungrouping background images”

Visio By DPTPB: Reducing size of Picture Alignment Box

Last year when I was working on the official Nutanix stencil set, I discovered a new way of reducing the size of  complex (background) images. In post Visio by DPTPB: Reducing size of complex Visio shapes V2 I described how to:

  • Take an existing single object Visio background image
  • Ungroup it to many individual Visio objects
  • Make required changes to individual objects or add new individual objects
  • Convert group of individual images back to single image again

Above technique is based on using “Windows Enhanced Metafile” images and “Paste Special” feature.

Why is this technique beneficial?

Resulting single object image is (much) less complex and (much,much) faster to use than image made of multiple objects. A good way to optimize your complex Visio shapes (and reverse engineer and modify existing third party Visio shapes).

Unfortunately there was a tiny issue with the solution…

Continue reading “Visio By DPTPB: Reducing size of Picture Alignment Box”

Visio by DPTPB: Reducing size of complex Visio shapes V2

While working with Visio, I ran into problems when modifying original “donor” shapes that I had.

Continue reading “Visio by DPTPB: Reducing size of complex Visio shapes V2”