Internet Floor Plans

Migrated to Git and Github.com for Source Code Management

2010-02-10T22:32:39Z

I'm slowing migrating most of my open source projects from subversion to Git, and since github.com is doing such a great job (in my opinion), most of them are ending up there.

Here is the link:

http://github.com/docunext/internetfloorplans

Enjoy!

Floorplan Instructions

2010-01-09T03:44:56Z

Floor plan drawing guidelines:

Following these steps in creating floor plans will make the process easier, and hopefully by the finishing steps, the pieces will just "fall into place".

Create outside walls with an outline conforming to the scaled dimensions of the building, using 1/8" = 1' scale (Sometimes I will even draw the outlines of all the floor plans before adding any other details)
To create complex exterior wall shapes, you can use the polygon tool to create rectangles of exact dimensions, then use the pathfinder to subtract smaller shapes from the basic outline
Create interior walls to draw rooms and corridors
Drag and drop windows, doors, and columns
Drag and drop tables, chairs, plants, ATMs, and other furniture

Space Plan Creation and Format Notes

2009-07-23T13:00:05Z

We've got a presentation we're working of for the Internet Floor Plans software and Rae did a nice job on the examples we're going to use. Based on her work, I've written up some notes for feedback for her on the next set we create:

Make sure the entire floor plan is within the page boundaries. Its not a problem within Illustrator but when using the built-in PDF option, the overlap is cropped.
Similarly, as part of the "floor planning process", the files should be saved as both .ai files as well as .svg files. To do so in Illustrator, select the format from the save file dialog. If the previous note is followed, the PDF compatibility layer allows other software to access the data, but an SVG version is a very reliable backup alternative.
I think we want to make the gray darker. It looks good printed out, but its hard to see online.

Adobe Illustrator is one of those incredible commercial software applications which I will definitely continue buying and using. I just wish they made a linux version! :-)

SVG and Interactive Bitmap Graphics

2009-07-19T18:54:20Z

After much internal debate, I'm planning on adding SVG and bitmap graphics support for the space plan engine.

To support PDF exporting of space plans, it was necessary to use bitmap graphic source files and that change was made long ago (see swf2pdf at Docunext.com). Still, ming was used to collect the various graphical assets and assemble them on-the-fly into an interactive swf movie.

That still works well, but I've been having a tough time with Illustrator lately - especially converting ai files to svg using open source tools. I've used Illustrator for years to create floor plans, but as I use open source operating systems more and more these days, I prefer to use open source applications as well. Inkscape is about the closest open source program to Illustrator, and it supports the SVG format. Illustrator can export to SVG, so its a logical format to use. Also, since SVG is an XML based format, it will be possible to generate it using XSL templates and the terrific libxslt library from Gnome!

Since Adobe bought Macromedia years ago, I would have thought they would bridge the gap between SWF, PDF, and AI, but alas, as far as I know, SWF and PDF still act like oil and water.

In some cases, bitmap graphics are light, simple, and reliable - especially when it comes to supporting the widest spectrum of browsers. Believe it or not, Internet Explorer still does not support SVG.

Better Retail Planning

2008-12-02T01:53:51Z

Retail space plans can be used for many purposes. Most people would think that they would only be used to increase sales, but they can also be used for security and safety.

With news like the recent death of a Wal*Mart employee due to a mob breaking down a wall, it seems obvious that better planning should have gone into the preparation of the store for the sale.

Hopefully in the future, retailers can use technology to make their stores safer for both shoppers and employees.

SWF Server Development

2008-11-30T19:58:03Z

I'm happy to report that with the news of improved SWF support on linux x86_64, I'll be doing a lot more swf-based floor plan server development.

This is one of the most important parts of Internet Floor Plans - the interactivity and database back-end, so I'm eager to get things moving once more. I used to develop on Macs and Windows machines, but now I'm almost one hundred percent a debian user.

Work still needs to be done on the storage system for static file assets, but that won't hold up any major progress.

Coming Soon to IFP…

2008-11-22T02:53:40Z

I'm back with a vengeance to my open source projects, and I'm planning on setting up the following resources for the Internet Floor Plans project very soon:

Mailing lists
Forums
Wiki
Documentation

Thanks for your interest and patience. As always, if you are interested in helping, please give a shout!

Opening it Up

2008-08-28T21:02:06Z

Changing a piece of software from closed source to open source takes a lot of work, and that's what I need to continue focusing on. I've just made a bunch of formatting edits to some of the templates, and I remembered a conversation I had with a family friend about Internet Floor Plans.

We had discussed the software in years past, as he works on low-income and subsidized housing, and we thought his organization might be able to benefit from the software. They actually do some great projects - one in particular involves converting an out of service mill building into housing for disabled veterans. And its interesting how they operate - as I understand it, they have partnerships with many local banks to help get the projects done, and also get funding from the government.

As part of their service to the community, they manage many low-rent apartments, and since part preventative maintenance is one of the many use cases for online floor plans, it seemed like a fit. Due to time constraints, we never moved forward with a projects, but it reminded me how I still need to make Internet Floor Plans more accessible to the world. Just because the code has been licensed differently doesn't mean its any closer to a turn-key solution.

So what's next? More planning, really. I'll have to plot out the course for Internet Floor Plans with consideration to the other projects we're working on, and once that plan comes together, I'll be sure to post it here. Stay tuned!

Internet Floor Plans Progress

2008-07-09T15:20:01Z

Much, if not all, of the progress on IFP has been "behind the scenes" lately. I've been busy working on Aortica and Schematronic to expand the audience to which Internet Floor Plans can appeal to.

The work will eventually allow IFP to run on Perl and Python, in addition to PHP, which is the current platform.

SWF Server Works with Gnash

2008-05-15T02:12:30Z

I'm pleased to report that the ming-based swf server used is Internet Floor Plans is compatible with Gnash!

Gnash is a "free-as-in-freedom" alternative to Adobe Flash. It is still in beta but is my preferred swf viewer.

Demo Soon!

2008-05-09T21:42:29Z

We'll be launching a demo of Internet Floor Plans very soon, and the code is well on its way towards a stable open source release. The initial revision will only include support for static floor plans, but interactive ones will follow.

Project Status

2008-04-25T15:10:58Z

Thanks to everyone for your interest! Based upon the number of visits to this site, I felt a need to give an update on the project status: the project is alive and well!

History

Internet Floor Plans (IFP) software has been in development for almost five years, and continues to be used by large commercial businesses to manage hundreds of locations. After realizing the benefits of opening up other projects under a "software-as-a-service" friendly license (the Affero GPL), we decided to do the same with IFP.

Open Source

Although IFP has been in development for several years, it has only been open source for a few months. We had to rearrange a lot of the code and prepare it to be used in standard installations, rather than complex, unique setups, as had been done in proprietary mode.

Current Priorities

The major priority at the moment is to support the space plan engine with commodity open source tools like ming, gnash, svg, mapserver, and openlayers.

Get Involved!

Are you capable with PHP, XML, and XSL? You are welcome to help out. We'll be setting up forums and a mailing list soon, but in the meantime, please feel free to comment on any of the posts.

Thanks again for your interest and we'll be planning a stable release very soon.

Planograms and Floorplans

2008-04-11T01:12:01Z

A comprehensive space plan for a retail chain includes both planograms and floorplans.

Planograms

Planograms are diagrams of what the products look like on the shelf. Planograms are usually organized by aisle.

Floorplans

Floor plans are the bird's eye view of a retail shopping area - all the way from the parking lot, entrance, and storage areas.

Internet Floor Plan Software

2008-03-21T22:13:41Z

I'm preparing to release an open source floor plan management software application soon - stay tuned!

Internet Floor Plan Trac

Facilities Management

2008-01-10T00:46:50Z

I was just reading about computer aided facilities management on Wikipedia, and I learned a few interesting things: 1. "CAFM" is a registered trademark of a company in the UK (not a very useful trademark if you ask me - too generic).2. Some people hold the opinion that CAFM software has not realized its true value due to an inability to distribute information to all those who could use it, calling them "departmental programs".