I need software that will allow me to input the shape of our industrial yard as a background. Create scaled icons of equipment, crates, etc… Then be able to drag and drop the icons on the yard background.
There are gigantic, powerful software packages available to do it. But they are far more than I need or want to pay that much. Would not use 90% of the features.
Would be nice if the info associated with the icon would show when mouse over. But even that is not required. Could color code or otherwise mark the icon.
Icons need not be that detailed. But fairly accurate in scale to the yard scale.
Probably way oversimplified but a spreadsheet with fields shrunk to get a reasonable facsimile of the yard. Enter codes for the equipment/crates/etc…; color code, use a lookup function to another sheet for description of item, costs, quantities and the like.
Depending on how many icons you are talking about and how big things need to be to be readable, you could do it with drag-and-drop in PowerPoint (the application should be good for something, after all). One sheet to have each appropriately sized shape, and then copy it to the ‘map’ page.
Sounds like the home builder, deck builder and landscaping programs. They all have drag and drop features like that. The landscaping is the best match and includes a variety of outdoor items. There may be some versions that let you size the objects. On DVD at the store they are less then $20 for simple 2D versions and many are available online.
Thanks for the replies.
I downloaded Inkscape. I like the program so far. But not sure if it will be an online method for what I want. But I find the tracing/path function a bit easier than Gimp. So I used it to make the line map for the yard. Ordered a 4 X 6 foot magnetic white board with a few magnetic sheets that can go through a laser printer. So I will have the in shop yard map with magnetic icons up and running this week.
It occurred to me that I can make a desktop background of the yard map. Then make scaled icons for the desktop with Inkscape. A crude but maybe useful setup. Maybe have it as one of two desktops.
Ideally. The thing would be a web page, so different departments that need to move and locate things in the yard can just see and manipulate it in a browser window. Bunch of coded icons on the map. Bunch of spares off to the side that can be dragged and dropped onto it.
Also. Unfortunately. Our yard has only one right angle corner. Two mostly parallel sides. So being able to rotate the icons/objects easily would be nice. But not vital. But thanks for the Inkspace tip. I do already have a few drafting/landscape packages. Not really good for the application. But helped with my home renovation planning.