kdj Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 How do people draw stage diagrams? I've used Stagebuilder on the gunracer web site and that's great but I want something that I can store and fiddle with later. What program is used to draw the stage diagrams and descriptions that are in, say, the USPSA classifier book? Any pointers to the right software or predefined libraries of targets, props, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure this has been asked and answered many times but searches with the obvious (to me) keywords didn't show anything. Thanks, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Kevin, I use PowerPoint with a library (mostly picked up from the internet) of targets and props, then import the drawing as an image in a Word template I made for this purpose. You can have a look here (zip file, 510 KB). If you like it, PM or email me and I'll send you some material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmittyFL Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 KDJ, I use stagebuilder, then print screen and put in a paint program. That allows you not only to save it, but you can add other walls, fault lines, distance and target labels, etc. It works pretty well for me and it's easy to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I use the same Powerpoint/Word template tool Skywalker posted-- I got it from Jeff Maass' site a while back, and I believe it's still there along with a bunch of sample stages. I tried a couple of the CAD-type programs, but the effort wasn't worth it for me, given how stuff moves when it gets around time to set it all up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Didn't know the Word template was done By Jeff Maass himself. I re-arranged some IPSC material (form B for lev. III sanctioning) and long-time seen Italian match brochures to have all what I needed/wanted to see in the right place. If the template was made by someone else earlier, well, let's credit the people who deserve it (i.e. Jeff)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 I found the Word/Powerpoint templates on Maass' page. Looks like it'll do what I want. Many thanks for the pointers. Kevin P.S. the Italian stages look entertaining even if they do have those wierd roundish targets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJPoLo Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 I create all my stage designs in Quark Xpress using a template I designed. I have drawn tons of targets and props in Adobe Illustrator and saved them as .eps files so they can be imported into Quark and scaled to whatever size necessary. Obviously, I prefer a high-quality look. -Chet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaass Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Didn't know the Word template was done By Jeff Maass himself.I re-arranged some IPSC material (form B for lev. III sanctioning) and long-time seen Italian match brochures to have all what I needed/wanted to see in the right place. If the template was made by someone else earlier, well, let's credit the people who deserve it (i.e. Jeff)! To give credit where due, the templates were created by Ken Wagner A-28672, who is currently an inactive local (Central Ohio) Limited Master. The original set goes back 8 or 10 years, and I suspect that he created them after being tired of trying to read my hen-scratched course design documentation. We made adjustments over the years to try and keep up with changes made by USPSA/IPSC and Micro$oft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted April 25, 2004 Author Share Posted April 25, 2004 And we're grateful he says,having used the Powerpoint and Word combination to draw up 5 stages for a match today! At least the course discriptions looked pretty ... we won't talk about some of the shooting I managed Thanks, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasag93 Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 I use a template in Powerpoint. I got some of my stuff I believe off of USPSA website. I drew several props using Powerpoint. Once you get the hang of it, it is really easy to draw some really nice stages. You can import images as well. I have tried other software but this seems to work best for me. TXAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mactiger Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 I use Corel Draw, which I think you can get at a good discount on some of the earlier versions. It's pretty intuitive, and you can do a lot with the graphics and text, if that's your thing. Charlie Card gave me a bunch of templates he drew up--if you have and use Corel Draw and need some templates, I'd be happy to give you a copy. I also use Adobe Acrobat so that you can send the files to anyone. Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I also use the Powerpoint/Word combo already mentioned. Since I originally downloaded it, I've added additional props as I've found them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I have several tools available including Autocad 2002, Visio, Corel Draw, and the entire Adobe suite. When it comes down to learning curve and ease of use, I keep going back to good old Power Point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Can somebody give me the URL to Jeff's page? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass/stage.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve223 Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Heres another that works pretty good http://www.algonet.se/~regin/ipscdraw.htm Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgnoyes Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I use the powerpoint/word stuff, too, but I've got a version of it to which I added additional props/toys over the years, available at here. I've come around in the past few years to using powerpoint more and more for my needs like this. Unlike word, you just place a graphic where you want it on a page and it damned well stays there. I publish my match books online with adobe acrobat. (Yes, we also print them for the shooter packets.) Example here, from the 2004 Area 6 3-Gun Championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman33_99 Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I use the MS Word/Powerpoint as well...very easy to use with just a little practice using the "drawing" toolbar. I have added and modified props as well as updated a blank scoresheet/design sheet. Works best opening both the props and the stage sheet and using copy/paste. It is at the bottom of Clear Creek Practical Shooters Website Match page which you can find here . www.clearcreekpracticalshooters.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterLefty Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I use Corel Draw, ..... I also use Adobe Acrobat so that you can send the files to anyone. Troy Corel is an excellent choice. I know that at least from v9 and on you can publish straight to pdf without having to go through Adobe. Corel will also handle your match book design and construction, as well as your score sheets. I build everything in CAD, analyzing target position, potential pass throughs, and how it will fit the bay. Just drop the dxf file into Corel to make it pretty and you are ready to go. Three years ago, I took four people and we dropped 12 stages in the bays at the Shootout Range and built Area 4 in three days. Preplanning and accurate plot plans eliminated the "move it a little to the left, now let me check it from over here... darn passthrough" Kenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Didn't someone do some templates for Visio? It seems like if you have Visio, it would be the easiest to use. I need to get Visio! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I have Visio and made templates for it. I mostly end up using PowerPoint anyway. If I remember, I'll put the Visio templates online next time I'm near them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJE Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 PowerPoint is the best software for designing stages. I designed my own template for our 2003 and 2004 USPSA Area 8 Championship matches. Yes, it took a lot of work drawing all those targets and props in a sort of 3-D atmosphere, but the end result was a very realist looking diagram. I keep adding new objects as I need them and keep the template updated on a regular basis. I can't understand why you want to draw in PowerPoint and then import it into Word, that is the hard way of doing it. Use PowerPoint, print your stage directly from that program. If you want an image to display on the web, save it as a GIF or JPG, or save it as a web page and you are finished. The template is available at: Topton Action Practical Shooters Learn all the functions available to you (grouping and ungrouping objects, editing points, etc,) and changing an object to suit your needs is easy. LJE T.A.P.S. AMD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 MS Visio - Stage template Try this!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 lje great work. i'll be hmm, borrowing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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