SmartDraw + Google Maps = New territory in map graphics.

SmartDraw's new Live Maps feature captures live data from Google Maps allowing you to incorporate roads, regions, counties, zip codes, countries and even satellite images from across the globe into your illustrations—all as separate, editable elements.

The new feature includes more than 35,000 map-able objects for regions around the world.

See SmartDraw 2008
Live Maps in action.

Here's how Live Maps work

As with every type of graphic, the first step in SmartDraw is to select the appropriate template. We'll pick Blank Interactive Map.

The template opens and on the left you find the map SmartPanel which contains commands for inserting and editing maps, as well as common map symbols you can stamp onto your image.

SmartDraw 2008 has more 60 different SmartPanels, and with its integration with Google Maps, the number of maps you can create is unlimited.

To add a map, click the Insert Map button. A new window opens with an interface to Google Maps. Type in a country, state, address, or simply zoom and scroll to the area you want to capture.

You can choose to outline and highlight areas of your map as well. Select countries, states and provinces, counties, or even zip code areas to highlight by checking the appropriate boxes. There are more than 35,000 regional areas you can highlight in this way with SmartDraw 2008.

Here we have selected three zip code areas within San Diego County.

Once you're finished selecting your map areas, click Send Map to SmartDraw Work Area.

All the elements of our map—the map image, the San Diego County outline, and the three zip code area outlines—are all separate objects in your drawing. You can select each one individually and edit any way you wish. Change the look of lines and fills with the QuickStyles, or apply a whole new look with Themes.

SmartDraw 2008's new Live Maps are perfect for real estate, surveying, sales territory mapping, and much more. It's a whole new world for map graphics, and just another one of the real improvements in SmartDraw 2008.

Upgrade to SmartDraw 2008 today.