Handpicked Software

Pyramid is a straightforward, easy to use mind mapping tool that helps you visualize your ideas. It occupies a middle ground between MyMind (a free application I reviewed in the November issue of Macworld) and the more powerful, full-featured NovaMind ($79).

Unlike MyMind, you don’t have to create an outline before creating a map. In Pyramid, you create a map directly in a worksheet, adding topics, items, and annotations simply by double-clicking (add topics with a Command-double-click, items with a double-click, and annotations with a Shift-double-click). As you drag your newly created items close to other items, connecting lines appear to show how they will be linked. Dynamic guidelines help you align unconnected items, similar to the guidelines in Keynote. The document window continues to grow as you add new items or click near the edge of a worksheet, and you can also trim a worksheet to clip the empty space if you delete items. A Pyramid document can consist of multiple worksheets, and each worksheet can be accessed by a tab in the document window.

Drag text or pictures from other applications directly into Pyramid, or images from the Finder (you can’t drag and drop clippings or other text documents from the Finder) to add them to your map. Add notes or links to items by opening the Info drawer. Items can be linked to internal worksheets, other documents on your hard drive, or to Web sites. Pyramid attaches special icons to annotated and linked items for easy identification.

A contextual menu lets you adjust some font attributes (e.g., bold, italic, etc.), mark items with a check mark, lock items to prevent accidental changes, convert items (e.g., from topic to annotation), or change the way items are connected (e.g., from arranged on the right to arranged below the current item). You can also change attributes (like fonts and colors) from the Format menu or Font and Color palettes.

When you complete your document, you can print it, or export the entire document as text or as an outline (in OPML format, which should be compatible with most outlining programs, including MyMind and NovaMind). You can also export a single worksheet as an image (PDF file).

Pyramid isn’t bloated with features, but a few existing features could use some tweaks (e.g., the Find only works in the current worksheet). Pyramid’s strength is it’s uncluttered interface (e.g., there’s no toolbar icon or menu item for adding a new item to a worksheet), and you’ll find it easier to use if you master a handful of keyboard shortcuts (like Option-Return to add lines to a single item). But it only takes about ten or fifteen minutes to walk through a seven-tabbed tutorial file, and then you’re good to go.

Bottom Line: If you create mind maps, you’ll like Pyramid’s elegant interface, ease-of-use, and tabbed documents. Pyramid is a svelte, yet powerful visualization tool that let’s you get creative in minutes.
From: MindCad
Price: $29