Course Design

Course symbol dimensions

The settings for course overprint: course symbols, dimensions and colors etc were previously spread across several dialog windows and menu items.  All of this has been gathered into a single dialog window, so all settings can be found in one place.

The settings are configurable separately for each canvas, so each canvas can have its own style.

The new Course Overprint Symbols and Dimensions dialog is opened via the menu item: Canvas / Course overprint symbols and dimensions.

The dialog has 3 tabs.  The first tab, Course Overprint Symbols, deals with symbols and dimensions that are governed by the IOF Map Specifications. The IOF has a collection of different Map Specifications, one for each discipline and a separate one for sprint.  To simplify adherence, Condes allows you to select the map specification to use, and symbols and dimensions pertinent to that specification is then used.

The second tab, Additional Dimensions and Fonts, allows you to configure additional dimensions that are not governed by the map specification.

The third tab, Overprint Color, allows you to configure course overprint colors.

For control numbers, the size of these is specified in the IOF map specification, so the size is configured on the first tab.  The typeface is not specified by the map specification, so the font can be chosen on the second tab.

Diamond loops (Phi loops)

Loops are commonly used to avoid following, for example if you have a mass start.

So-called “butterflies” were introduced in Condes 9.  A butterfly uses a common control and 2-6 loops of controls.  Competitors run the loops in different order, coming back to the common control after each loop.

Condes 10 introduces support for “diamond” loops.  A diamond uses two common controls: an entry and an exit control, and 3 branches: 2 branches from the entry control to the exit control, and one branch back.  Competitors start with the entry control, and take the two “forward” branches in different order, going to the exit control, and using the “backwards” branch back to the entry control.

You create a course with butterflies or diamonds by first creating a normal course, then adding the loops to the course.  This is done in the Course window, which you can open from the Course Layout Editor by using the menu Course / Edit, or by simply double-clicking on the map.

The course shown at the left has a diamond with entry control 33 and exit control 31.  This generates two variations: AB, and BA, where AB takes controls in the order -33-62-32-31-40-33-41-31-, and BA takes the loops in the opposite order, so -33-41-31-40-33-62-32-31-.

In the Course Layout Editor, you can select to show either of the two variations. In the printout window, you can select the variations to print.

You can mix butterflies and diamonds on the same course.  Adding multiple butterflies or diamonds to the same course creates additional variations.

You cannot add butterflies or diamonds to a relay course.

Show all controls

When editing a course, and using the “insert control” tool to add controls to the course, control circles for all existing controls are shown, so that you can choose which one to insert.  However, it can be useful to see all control circles even when not inserting a control.  This is now possible.  There is a new button on the toolbar, which toggles on/off all control circles (menu: Canvas / Show all controls dimmed).  When this feature is on, controls that are not part of the course currently being edited, are shown dimmed.

Course Length Calculation along Route Choice

Condes 9 provides a “route choice” mode, which lets you to draw a “route choice” line for each leg from one control to the next.  When the course is configured to use the route choice line for length calculation, the course length is measured along the route choice lines.

Condes 10 adds even more flexibility, as you can now add multiple different route choice lines between each two controls.  This is handy, for example on sprint courses, where you may need to compare route choices.  The route choices are shown in different color so that you can use a screen shot to illustrate the leg’s route choices. The course length is calculated along the shortest route choice.  If the same course leg is used on multiple courses, you need only draw the route choice line once.

Forbidden Route

Forbidden Route symbols can now be rotated.  Use the “rotate” tool when a Forbidden Route symbol is selected.

Course symbols: Boundary Lines, Out-of-Bounds, Refreshments

Each individual course symbol can now be configured to be shown only on a given course and/or a given canvas, or can be shared by courses and/or canvases.

Boundary Lines only for course overprint

Boundary line line width and color are no longer configurable, as the boundary line objects are now a part of the course symbols “layer”.  You can still create lines as graphics objects, and configure the properties of these – by means of the new graphics object type: Line

Automatic cutting of crossing course leg lines

When two course leg line intersect each other, one of the lines is automatically cut.  Similarly, a course leg line that overlaps with a control number is automatically cut.This feature can be enabled/disabled in the Additional Dimensions and Fonts dialog.

MTBO Forbidden Route

There is a new tool to create the zigzag line that is used to indicate a forbidden route for MTBO courses.

Rogaine Course

A new Rogaine course type is added.  A Rogaine course almost identical to a Score course.  The difference is that a Rogaine course automatically contains all the controls created for the event, and the points value for each control is automatically set equal to the control code rounded down to the nearest multiple of 10.

Course Layout Editor Enhancements

Control Site Status

Control site “status flags” can be used to keep track of control site marking in the terrain. Condes 9 has 3 such flags with fixed names. For Condes 10, the number is increased to 5 flags, and you can name each flag according to your need.

Control Dialog

In the Control Dialog, the control descriptions tab is reorganized, and it now has a preview of the control circle. This makes it easier to check the control descriptions.

There is also now a “previous” and “next” button, making it easy to flip between controls.

Line Editing

A more intuitive “rubber-band” based line editing function is introduced for marked routes and for route choice lines.
When editing a marked route line or a route choice, there is a new line editing feature. A rubber band is used when inserting points into the line. Creating a route choice line is as easy as drawing the line with the mouse.



To cut a segment out of the line, you use the scissors tool. Click once on the line and a 1 mm segment is cut from the line, or click and drag the mouse to define the segment to be removed.

OCAD Support

OCAD 12 and OCAD 2018 Support

Condes 10 adds support for OCAD 12 and OCAD 2018 map files, including the OCAD layout layer. OCAD files from version 6 and newer are supported.

Control Descriptions

PDF Export

In the Print Control Descriptions window, there is now an option to export control descriptions to a PDF file.

Layout when printing separate control descriptions

There are now separate settings to configure the vertical and horizontal spacing between control descriptions when printing separate control descriptions sheets.

More accurate dimensions

The dimensions of Control Descriptions can now be configured at an accuracy of 1/100 mm. Previously, it was 1 mm.

Graphics Layout

Colors

When configuring a color (e.g. for the course overprint or for a graphics object), Condes 9 allowed you to configure an RGB (Red Green Blue) color value. Condes 10 additionally allows you to configure a CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow blacK) value.

Print Areas

Print area frames can now be set and configured individually for each course, as well as for each canvas.

Line tool

A new Line tool has been introduced. This tool replaces the Boundary Line tool, and lets you configure line widths, colors, dashing etc.

Did you know that you can control the “order” of graphics objects? This allows you to decide which graphics object is on top and which is below, when they overlap. This is a powerful tool that even lets you move a graphics object below the course overprint “layer”, so that it doesn’t obscure course overprint.

Printing and Export

Compress to ZIP file

When exporting bitmap and EPS files, where a separate file is created for each course (and course variation), the new “Compress to ZIP file” feature comes in handy, as it compresses the files and places them into a single ZIP file for easy handling.

PDF Export

When exporting to PDF, you can choose to export all maps to one PDF file, or to a separate PDF file per map.

Course Name on back of the map

This feature now has additional configuration options, including setting the color of the text, and which of the two sides of the page is printed first. On some printers, it is preferable to print the text side first, and then the map side.

Export course data to a CSV file

An additional course data export format is added. This format is a CSV format supported by a number of event administration software packages.

Event File

Event Date

When creating an event, you can now enter the event date in a separate field. The date, if entered, is shown in the control descriptions, and it can be shown in a text object.