Create a map in Visio

Use the Directional Map and Directional Map 3D templates to create drawings of simple maps.

Use directional map shapes, including clearly identifiable roadways, metro lines, and landmarks, to create easy-to-read maps and route directions.

Use 3D directional maps to illustrate small geographic areas, such as villages or towns, using colorful three-dimensional shapes.

What do you want to do?

Create a directional map

Create a 3D map

Create a directional map

1. On the File menu, point to New, point to Maps and Floor Plans, and then click Directional Map.

2. Add road, railroad, and metro shapes to your map to establish the route structure.

   Add road shapes

   1. From Road Shapes, drag a road shape (such as Road round or Curve 1) onto your map, and then resize the shape as necessary.

   2. To set the thickness of a road shape, right-click it, and then click a thickness setting (Thin, Standard, Thick, or Custom).

      If you choose Custom, you can drag a selection handle or control handle to change the road thickness.

   3. To change the direction of a road shape, on the Shape menu, point to Rotate or Flip, and then click a rotate or flip command.

      Tip: You can also change the direction of a shape by clicking one of the flip buttons ( or ) or rotate buttons ( or ) on the Action toolbar, or rotate a shape using the Rotation handle .

   4. From Road Shapes, drag other shapes, such as bridges, roundabouts, and interchanges to your map.

   5. Connect road shapes, using straight segments to connect curved roads and intersections. Glue an end point on a Road round or Road square shape to a connection point or begin point on another road shape.

   Add metro shapes

   1. From Metro Shapes, drag metro shapes onto your map.

   2. To change the direction of a metro shape, click the Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical button on the Action toolbar, or rotate the shape using the Rotation handle .

   3. Use straight metro line segments to connect curved metro shapes. Glue the end point of a Metro line or Rounded metro shape to a connection point or begin point on another metro shape.

3. From Landmark Shapes, drag shapes onto your map to indicate natural features (such as trees and lakes) or buildings (such as schools and hospitals).

   Tip: To widen or lengthen a shape, drag a side selection handle. To resize a shape proportionally, drag a corner selection handle.

4. Label your map.

   Add text to a shape

   Select the shape you want to add text to, and then type.

   Add a callout

   From Landmark Shapes, drag the Callout shape onto the drawing page, position it where you want text to appear, and then type.

   Add a text block

   1. From Landmark Shapes, drag a Text block shape onto your map.

   2. To replace existing text, select the shape, and then type.

   3. To change the width of the text block (and change word wrapping), drag a side selection handle .

5. Add scale and directional indicators.

   Add a scale indicator to a map

   1. From Landmark Shapes, drag the Scale shape onto your map.

   2. To associate the scale with a specific distance, select the shape and then type to add a distance measurement.

   Add a directional indicator to a map

   1. From Landmark Shapes, drag the Direction or North shape onto your map.

   2. To make the shape point a different direction, click the Rotate Right or Rotate Left button on the Action toolbar, or use the Rotation handle .

6. You can change the relative thickness of all road and metro shapes in your map.

   1. Make sure no shapes are selected. Right-click the drawing page, point to Shape, and then click Shape Data.

   2. For Road Width and Metro Width, type a base width value.

      This value will be applied to thin roads and thin metro lines. The width of standard and thick roads and metro lines will be based on multiples of this value.

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Create a 3D map

1. On the File menu, point to New, point to Maps and Floor Plans, and then click Directional Map 3D.

2. From Directional Map Shapes 3D, drag road shapes onto the drawing page. You can duplicate road shapes by selecting the shape, and then pressing CTRL+D. Repeat to create multiple road segments.

3. Align the shapes to create the road configuration you want.

   tiplist

   To nudge a shape into position, select the shape and then press the arrow key that represents the direction you want.

   To create a longer road or a road grid that can be moved as a single unit, group multiple road shapes together.

4. Drag other shapes, such as bridges, buildings, and cars onto your map.

5. To rotate a selected shape, drag the Rotation handle .

6. To add text to shapes, select a shape, and then type.

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