Course planning with Condes

Condes is a graphical editor that lets you draw your courses on top of a map shown on the screen.  Condes helps with the tedious tasks.  The program keeps track of controls and courses, and it prints the courses and maps as well as creates PDF and EPS files with the courses and maps.

Condes stores all the course planning data (controls, courses, classes, etc) for an orienteering event in a Condes event file (a .WCD file).  You create controls, which can be combined into courses.  The information about a control is shared among all the courses that visit the control.  When you move the control, all courses are automatically updated.  Data is always kept "consistent", and you can concentrate on the creative task of designing good courses.

Maps

Condes uses map files, either an OCAD file, or a bitmap file (BMP/GIF/JPG/PNG/TIF), for example exported from Adobe Illustrator.

Multiple Canvases

An event file has 5 "canvas"-es, or backgrounds if you like, that you can use to design different page layouts at the same event.  On each canvas you can place a map. The same map can be used on different canvases, allowing for different graphical layouts and/or different print scales.  Or different maps can be used on each canvas, allowing for courses that span multiple maps.

The same controls and courses can be shown on different maps, by configuring canvases accordingly:

• If the courses extend across two maps, you can place the two maps on each their canvas.
• If you use two different maps at different map scales, you can place them on two canvases.

Graphics Layout

In addition to setting up the course on the map, Condes lets you add texts and graphics from existing files, so that you can compose an attractive layout adapted for the event.

You can add standard texts and free format texts.

A standard text is for example: course name, event name, map scale... A Free format text is anything you type.

For graphics, Bitmap files (BMP/GIF/JPG/PNG/TIF), Windows metafiles (EMF/WMF), and OCAD files (OCD) are supported.

The map on a canvas can also be used as the source of a graphics object.  This allows you to create a layout using the texts and legends already in the map.  It also allows you to use an enlarged portion of the map and course in the layout.

Control Descriptions

can be printed on the map or separately, as pictorial or textual.

Course Planning

You plan your courses with the map on the screen. Condes helps you keep track of the control sites. Condes ensures that when you move a control, all the courses that use the control are kept up to date.

Condes supports:

• Individual courses (Foot-o, Ski-o, MTB-o, Trail-O)
• Relay courses (extended FARSTA)
• Courses with loops (one-man relays, butterflies, diamonds (Phi))
• Calculates course lengths and control site loads
• Shows attack angles for each control, unused controls etc.
• Punch patterns for pin punches and Emit backup slips
• Prints course name and/or relay team number on the back of the map

Map and Course Printing

Condes can print the courses and maps on a color laser or ink jet printer.

Condes can print multiple maps on the same page. You can fill up the page with copies of the same course, or you can print different courses on the page.

Condes can print maps and courses with "overprint" effect, which allows underlying details to be visible that would otherwise be covered.

Relay Teams Handling

In a spreadsheet style window, you can enter the relay teams, and you can assign course variations to each team member.  Condes can "populate" the teams, or you can enter the course variations manually.  Condes uses a sophisticated algorithm to ensure maximum variation between teams.

When you have finalized the teams, you can:

• export the teams to the event administration system for punch checking.
• print individual maps for each team member, with the team number and leg number on the back of the page.

Course Data

Condes exchanges data with an event administration system

• You can export course data for punch checking.
• You can import relay teams from the event administration system, then assign course variations to team members, and export the relay teams with the assigned course variations back to the event administration system.

The file format used is the IOF standard, XML based.

Geo-referencing for GPS/tracking applications

Condes exports maps and courses geo-referenced in KMZ format, SVG format or GPX format.  These are formats used by popular GPS and tracking applications, such as O-track/TracTrac and LiveLox.

Exported PDF files are also geo-referenced, so that you can import them into for example Avenza Maps.

Reports

Condes can print listings of the information that is stored for an orienteering event:

• All controls
• All courses
• All classes
• Control/course relationship
• Relay variations
• Proposed relay team combinations

Course Overprinting

Condes can also print the courses onto existing offset printed maps.

Course Layout Export

Condes can export maps and courses in several different formats:

• PDF format for digital and offset printing
• EPS format for offset printing.
• OCD format for import into OCAD,
• BMP/JPG/PNG/TIF format for posting on the internet.
• KMZ format for GPS applications (O-track)
• SVG format for GPS applications (LiveLox)
• GPX format for GPS applications (GpsOrientering)