[jarrodjob]

Great program.

I used OGS and noted that this program seems to be more inclined to graphs.

I am looking for a solution that can take info from Excel/Numbers and come up with a quick infographic solutions and a simple chart-making solution.

Any thoughts?

[dave_m]

Thanks for checking out OmniGraphSketcher!

The line between charts and graphs is kind of blurry. How about posting some links to examples of the kind of charts you're thinking of, or attaching some images?

[terrapolitan]

The original poster has not replied but I'm looking for a similar solution so will take over his request if you don't mind.
I'm looking to produce about 20 similar charts that convey a range of numbers for various between 5 and 10 variables. Each range has a min, max and median. I can do this in excel but it just looks awful (example attached).
If I only had to do one chart, it wouldn't take too long to do in OmniGraphSketcher but, like I said, I have about 20 different variations of it that I need to do.
Further adding to complication is that two of the 20 charts needs a log-scale for the x-axis.
Am I better off getting used to the unattractive appearance that Excel gives me?
I also use omnigraffle (love it) so if there's a better solution there, I'd be open to any suggestions.
One final thought - can I import the excel chart as an image into omnigraffle and then use that to tart up the charts?
Many thanks,
EM

[dave_m]

I think log scales is going to be your dealbreaker for OmniGraphSketcher here - we don't do them yet, although they're super high priority for the next Mac update.

The biggest problem with the Excel chart is the bar visualization - it's not immediately clear what you're looking at. If we were doing this chart in OmniGraphSketcher, we'd probably use an "error bar"-type visualization that's more consistent with statistics (see attachment). If it weren't for the log scale thing, banging these out in OGS would be pretty quick indeed.

Have you looked at what Apple Numbers has to offer in the way of charts?

[terrapolitan]

Thanks!

I think the error bar chart is a huge step forward and I might just go with that option. For the two charts I need the log scale for, I can use the excel generated chart to fake a fit to a linear scale and than manually renumber the x-axis in OGS.

But before I do that, I'll take look at Numbers. It might just be the simpler option.

Thanks for the great products. I enjoy working with OG and OGS on both my Mac and my iPad.

[whpalmer4]

I'm surprised it didn't get mentioned — there's an option for making your window transparent so that you can bring up the Excel chart (for example) and "trace" over it with OGS. Seems like that might be a quick way to approximate your log chart... View->Transparent Window

[endoftheQ]

Hi Terrapolitan,

I find Deltagraph covers 99% of my graphing requirements on the desktop. I haven't recommended it for many years as development appeared to cease in 2006 but it sprang back to life earlier this year with the release of version 6. However, you may find that it's a bit pricey for your needs. My team finds it's worth the dosh as it can produce incredibly complex graphs that look professional and that can be exported in a wide variety of formats including to Adobe Illustrator.

The other 1% of my graphs get done in Aabel but the cost of that makes Deltagraph look like a bargain!

I'm not sure if VVI has an actual desktop package out or if they are just providing an engine for other developers. You might like to check out their universal iPad offering Vvidget (which is only a couple of bucks) or VVI Graph for the iPhone which is free!

Hope the above is helpful. :)

[MySchizoBuddy]

what is the roadmap for polar charts or surface plots.

[dave_m]

We haven't made any decision on whether to add chart types that don't use traditional x/y axis pairs at this time. If these are two chart types you'd like to see, be sure to email support and let us know.