Condes Home Page

Almost every map is now available as a digital map file, and on-screen course planning has become the norm.  Therefore, in Condes, the "Course Layout Editor" is the "hub" around which activities are centered.   The Course Layout Editor a the graphical editor, where you have the map in the background, and you have a variety of graphical tools available to design the course overprint image.  The various windows related to an event file are available via tabs, so that it is easy to switch between functions.

It is impossible to mention all of the improvements, but the following is a list of some of new features:

• Event File Wizard
  The Event Wizard also helps you tailor your settings to support or the four orienteering disciplines:  Foot-O, Ski-O, Mountain Bike-O, and Trail-O.
  Course planning data for an orienteering event is stored in a Condes Event file.  The Condes Event File Wizard assists you when you creat a new Event.  The wizard guides you to the correct settings, and helps you associate a map files to the event.
  
  
• 5 different maps in the same event
  An event in Condes 8 can have 5 different "canvases".  Each canvas can have its own map file, so that you can have a course that extends over 5 different maps, or 5 different scales of the same map.  This gives you numerous possibilities - here are a couple of them:
  
  
  • Spread the course over more than one map
    In Condes 8 you place the map files on each their own "canvas".  The course and controls are the same, so you can choose that a control appears on only one of the maps, or it can appear on both maps.
    
    This means that you can have the same course cover more than one map, or part of the course on one map, and another part one another map.
    
    
  • Have the same course at different scales on different maps (of the same area) 
    Often, there is a need for using more than one map of the same area.  For instance if some classes need a map at scale 1:10,000 and others a 1:15,000 map, then you have two different map files of the same area.
    
    Even in Condes 7 you can print a map at different print scales.  However, the layout of the course will be the same, though it would be more correct to adapt the cutting of circles to the print scale.
    
    In Condes 8 you can use the same map at different scales, by placing the same map on two "canvases".  Then you assign each canvas a print scale, for example, 1:10,000 and 1:15,000.   For each "canvas" you can control the cutting of circles as appropriate for the canvas' print scale.   You can also decide for simplicity to use the same cutting of circles for both print scales.
    
    The controls on the two maps can be linked together so that if you move the control on one map, it will automatically be moved in the other as well.
    
    You can control the circle and line dimensions independently for each canvas, which means that you can decide to have larger circles on some courses, or a different line color. 
    
    

• Graphics overlay
  Condes 8 will allow you to place a graphics image on top of a map.  This can for example be a logo, or it can be a part of a map.   This allows you to place for example a sponsor logo on the map, or to take for example a legend from one part of a map and overlaying it on top of another part of the map.
  
  
• Ski-Orienteering
  Condes 8 supports Ski-O.  A control on a Ski-O course will be shown with a dot in the middle of the circle as is the norm for Ski-O courses.  

• Mountain Bike Orienteering
  Mountain Bike Orienteering courses have course length measured along a possible route choice, not along the beeline.  Mountain Bike courses in Condes 8 has a line that is used to control the course length calculation
  
  
• Trail Orienteering
  Trail Orienteering controls are supported as in Condes 7
  
  
• Improved relay support
  Relay support in Condes 8 has been redesigned and improved.  
  
  The relay support is still based on the FARSTA principles for forks and branches (gafling) as in Condes 7.   However, additional support for more complex forks and branches has been added.  This helps in reducing the number of course variations, which in some cases has been unmanagable.
  
  • Leg Forks:  Branches can be locked to specific relay legs. For example can the A branch in a fork be locked to relay leg 1 and 2, branch B can be locked to relay leg 3 and 4.  Branch A can then for example be much longer than branch B - and have different sub forks.
  • Bound Forks:  If two forks have been designated as "Bound Fork", then relay variations will always use the same branch in both of the Bound Forks.  Thus, if a variation uses branch A in the first Bound Fork, then it will also use branch A in all subsequent Bound Forks.  Similarly for the other branches.

  Condes 8 supports up to 20 relay legs.
  
  

• Random order controls
  Condes 8 supports random order controls.  Thus, you can designate a cluster of controls on the course as "Random Order".  For Random Order controls, Condes will not print leg lines between the controls, and neither print a control number near the circles, nor in the control description.  Only control codes will be shown.
  
  
• 1/100 mm output resolution on printers and in EPS files
  Condes 8 stores information at a resolution of 1/100 mm.  This is an increase from the 1/10 mm resolution in Condes 7.  The lower resolution in Condes 7 was largely mandated by limitations in Windows 95/98/ME.  These Windows versions are now obsolete.
  
  
• Flexible control descriptions
  Condes 8 allow you to place a control description anywhere on the map.  You can even put different parts of the control description at different places on the map
  
  The control descriptions can be formatted individually, so that you can choose fonts, colours, and sizes.  Also, you can decide that some control descriptions are pictorial, and others can be textual.
  
  In order to support simplification of training maps, you can place control descriptions for different courses on a map with all controls.
  
  
• Flexible texts
  As in Condes 7, you can place text boxes on the map. In Condes 8, you can also put standard texts, e.g. course name, scale etc, in a text box.  Of course, you can still also enter your own text.   You can format texts in terms of font, colour, alignment, background, and framing.
  
  
• Improved course printing layout
  You can still print out maps with courses, or courses onto existing maps.  To save paper, the course printing has been improved, so that you can now fit multiple copies of the same course (or multiple courses) on the same sheet of paper.  Condes can be instructed to fit as much as possible onto a page. 
  
  
• Improved EPS export layout
  This is essentially the same functionality as improved course printing layout, adapted for EPS files.  You specify the page size for the EPS file, and Condes fits as many courses (or copies of the same course) onto each page.   This is ideal for setting up pages to be sent to a professional printer.  The EPS files contain the maps as well as the courses, and are ready for printing.
  
  
• Frames
  You can define a print area if you do not want to print the entire map area.  The print area will typically cover the relevant part of the map.  Optionally, you can frame a print area with a coloured frame for additional improved printing layout.
  
  
• Tape Measure
  Often you need to measure a distance on the map, for example to measure the length of a particular route choice.  For this purpose, Condes has introduced a "tape measure".  You can "roll" the tape along a route and the route length is continuously updated as you roll out the tape.
  
  
• Annotations
  Condes 8 allows the people involved in planning the courses to share comments and notes.  Each control and course has a list of annotations, where you can write in free text the notes and ideas you want to keep
  
  
• OCAD 9 files
  Condes 8 can read OCAD map files made with OCAD 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.