Technology has simplified many tasks for both students and people who have businesses. Since the internet has been positioned, everyone goes there to find information, clarify doubts , know how to do certain tasks or get programs that do these tasks for one.
Undoubtedly the sector that has benefited most from the Internet has been the student sector, due to the fact that multiple web tools have come out totally free , which allow complex mathematical exercises, cartographic simulations, the creation of plans, graphs and mind and concept maps.
With these premises, the instrument was born CmapTools , which while not being the simplest or the most refined, is undoubtedly a very good option to create all kinds of concept maps, making it much easier, not only for students, but also for teachers, workers, presentations that require this type of maps.
CmapsTools is mainly used for the conceptual mapping, but it is also useful for drawing diagrams or schemes. It allows users to use different tools to improve design and is completely free, which is why it is highly recommended by teachers worldwide.
As mentioned above, this program is designed for mind mapping; however, this can go further, creating schematics or diagrams. Includes tools like arrows, boxes and images that enhance the experience and the result, and also allow you to use downloaded examples.
This program is available for all operating systems: Windows, MAC and Linux, sia a 32 bit che a 64 bit . It also has its version for mobile devices and you can download CmapsTools for totally free.
After downloading and installing it, you need to run the program and you will see that it will ask for your permission to use the application. After accepting and entering the program we will notice that a toolbar is missing.
For this reason, the way to create concept maps is through concepts. Concepts are the ideas to be developed in the concept map. To create a concept you just have to double click on the board and start writing the concepts you want and with the top button we will create arrows that will join the concepts.
Add, sort and connect concepts
As mentioned above, this program works for concepts. To create one, double-click the artboard. Once the concepts are drafted, they need to be sorted by relevance. Finally you have to spin the concepts with the arrows.
For this point you must select the concept and then the arrow that will appear in its upper part and then you will only have to drag the mouse from one concept to another to join them with the arrow.
If you join previously created concepts with the arrows, a box with the word link will appear in the center, to write a connector that simplifies understanding of the map. If you drag the arrow to an empty space instead, another concept will be created.
Customize the look of your map
If we go to format and then style option we can change font, size, color, styles, alignment and spacing. And, of course, it offers several pre-designed styles so you can work with pre-designed templates.
If you don't like the arrows, they don't have the color or design you want, you can always change them from the styles window. If it is not open, it is opened from the window menu and then up show styles . Best of all, you can not only change the design of the arrows, but also the style of the concepts and links.
How to save a map?
Once you have finished your concept map, you can save it by going to File and then selecting save Cmap . By clicking on the world icon you can save your map on an external server, which is located in the upper right corner of the screen
With CmapsTools you can use various saving methods, being able to save mind maps in the cloud or save them on your computer. Finally, before saving, you have to choose the format , some of the available options are: BMP, JPG, PNG, SVG, to PDF
