3D is always started by choosing the 3D application on your computer from your group of programs.
3D will not start by selecting a 3D drill file directly. You must launch 3D first, then choose New or Open from 3D’s File menu.

In Windows, you will find 3D in the Programs group of the Start button. In Macintosh, you will find the application icon initially on your desktop or dock.

• While Pyware 3D is loading the 3D cover screen will display.
• A new file will display using the default field grid with a maximum of 300 counts of drill for you to start immediately. This file has a maximum of 300 counts of drill. If you need to increase the maximum number of counts later, you will use the Count Editor of the Utilities menu. Should you want to start a drill file with more counts, or a different field display layout see the next step.
• You can create another new file with a different maximum number of counts or a different Field Display grid by selecting New from the File menu. When determining the number of counts in a drill we recommend that you do not make a drill file with more than one song per file.
• You can also choose to open an existing file by selecting Open from the File menu. It’s important that you save often. You can always revert to an early “backup” of the file if, after writing, you realize an earlier version of the file is better. Also, power surges and file corruptions are a fact of life. Having backups of the file are extremely important. In addition, backing up files on CD is beneficial. See Backup Drill at the end of this chapter for more details on backup techniques.

Once you have opened a file, several windows, menus, palettes and control panels will appear on the screen. All of which will be explained in this chapter. Items addressed in this section:

• The Field Display Window
• The Count Track and Animation Controls
• The Console
• The Tool Palette
• The Perspective Window
• The Production Sheet (Available in Interactive and Professional Editions only.)
  

This is the main area where the drill design is created. The upper left corner of the field display window contains display tools which control the way drill is displayed on the field.

• Grid Layout Menu - You can quickly change the grid layout from the main menu of 3D. To do so, choose the gridy layout you would like from the drop down menu. By default, 3D will use the drill file's saved layout. This is extremely helpful if you have seperate grid layouts for designing and printing. NOTE: Any selection from this menu will also load any Real View options that are saved in the grid layout file.
• Edit Handle Resize Slider - Adjusting this slide bar will either increase or decrease the size of the tool Edit Handles.
• Stride Zone Switch - turns the display of the Stride Zone on or off. The Stride Zone can be adjusted under Document Options in the file menu.
• Props Switch - turns the display of props on or off. No props will be shown until they are entered.
• Label Switch - turns the display of labels (numbers) that appear beside each performer on or off. No labels will be displayed until the labels are entered.
• Text Switch - turns the display of the text and arrows on the field display on or off.
• Facing Switch - turns the display of performer(s) facing on or off.
• Measure Tool is used to measure the distance between two points. Click on the tool and then click on two points on the field to measure. The measurement is displayed in the Console. A quick way to turn off the measure tool is double-click anywhere on the field while the tool is active.
• Field Move Tool is used to move the actual field grid within the field display. Click on the tool to activate it and then move the cursor to the field display. Drag the field to move it. Click the tool again to turn it off. <Alt> click (<Option>-click for Mac) directly on the tool to revert to the default field location.
• Field Zoom Tool is used to zoom the actual field grid within the field display. Click on the tool and click on the field grid to zoom in. <Alt> click on the field grid to zoom out. (<Option>-click for Mac). <Alt>-click directly on the tool to revert back to the default field view.

The Count Track is typically located along the bottom of the screen. Its main component looks like a ruler with a tick drawn for every count in the drill. A Red and Yellow Anchor can be dragged along the ruler which determine the count of the drill that will be displayed and edited on the screen. The Count Track is very important and is fundamental for the proper operation of Pyware 3D.

During typical use, sliding left-right above the counts of the Count Track is a Red and Yellow Anchor.

Directly to the left of the ruler in the Count Track is an area that displays the Red and Yellow Anchor values. When writing forward the top number represents the count of drill where the Yellow Anchor is located. The next number represents the count of drill where the Red Anchor is located and the last number represents the number of counts between the Red Anchor and the Yellow Anchor.

The space between the two anchors determines the count range of a transition. The Red Anchor is the ending count of a transition. It is the count where a shape can be edited. At this count, the positions in the formations are displayed on the field in symbols. For example X’s, T’s, flag symbols . The Yellow Anchor is the beginning count of a transition and is used as a reference or background chart. The positions at this count are displayed in black dots (the default setting). In the “old days” when designing on paper or using a light board, the Red Anchor could be compared to the actual sheet you would be drawing on. The Yellow Anchor is the underlying sheet of paper with a formation from the previous set to be used as a reference.

When you start a drill, you will typically first create an opening formation at count 0. You will set both Red and Yellow Anchors to count 0.

After you have created the opening formation you will create your transitions to the next set by “morphing” or reshaping your opening formation. To indicate the count of the next set and the number of counts in the transition from the last set, you will spread the anchors over those counts. For example, setting the Yellow Anchor at count 0 and the Red Anchor at count 16 will start the next set at count 16 and create a 16 count transition between counts 0 and 16.

Often when moving your anchors forward the locations of the performers on the field do not appear to change even though we are now looking at count 16. That is because no editing has been done at count 16, therefore the performers at count 16 are marking time from count 0.

To design the formations of the next set, you will select shapes and use the edit tools to reshape them. In the example, our Red Anchor is at count 16 and therefore the formations (or shapes) we are editing are at count 16. Since the Yellow Anchor is at count 0, the transitions between count 0 and 16 are automatically created for you.

Again, for example, if you wish the next transition to be between counts 16 and 40, you would move your anchors where the Yellow Anchor is at count 16 and the Red Anchor is at count 40. Now, you are looking at count 40 on the field. Since count 40 is currently marking time from count 16, the secondary (background) chart at count 16 that is normally displayed is directly under the primary chart (count 40). You will now reshape the formations at count 40 and the transition counts between 16 and 40 will be automatically created for you.

The great thing about the Count Track is that transitions can begin and end on ANY count. You are also not restricted to beginning and ending EVERY transition at the same counts in the drill. Some transitions may span over several printed charts. In our example we created a set of transitions that span from 0-16 and from 16-40, so typically we would print a chart at 0, 16 and 40. But what if you also wanted a group of performers (let’s say the guard) to travel from 0 to 40 in a single transition?
That is easy! Set the Yellow Anchor to 0 and your Red Anchor to 40. Reshape the formations that make up the guard and you’re done. The placement of the guard at count 16 (as with the other transition counts) are automatically created for you.

Another great thing about the Count Track is that with this approach you do not re-create a chart from scratch at each set. With 3D, you are usually re-shaping the formations of a count (at the Red Anchor) based on a formation’s shape at a previous count (at the Yellow Anchor). Since transitions are evolutionary, it is almost always easier to build a chart from its predecessor than to create it from scratch. The Tutorial that follows will help you better understand how this concept works.

NOTE: Dragging the Yellow Anchor through the count of the Red Anchor will leap frog the anchors. This time saving feature allows you to continue on to the next set by moving just one anchor instead of two.

TIP: <Ctrl> click to move your anchors to a bounding set skipping over any sub-tabs. <Alt> (<option> for Mac) click to move your anchors to a single count.

Animation Controls are found on the left side of the Count Track.

The Play button starts drill animation from the beginning of the drill or from the Yellow Anchor depending on the setting of the All Counts switch found along the bottom of the animation controls.

The Pause button pauses the animation.

The Stop button stops the animation.

The Jog Tool is used to jog the animation forward and backward for a quick view. Releasing the jog returns the display to its previous condition.

The Continuous Loop option causes animation to loop continuously between the Yellow Anchor and Red Anchor.

The All Counts option starts animation at beginning of the drill file and continues to the end of the drill, regardless of the placement of both Red and Yellow Anchors. If All Counts is turned off, then the animation will start at the Yellow Anchor and end at the Red Anchor.

When the Sound option is selected, you can choose and play a MIDI, OGG or WAV file to play along with your drill.

When Step Animation is selected, after clicking Play, animation will advance one step per <space bar> or <right arrow> key press. The <left arrow> key press will reverse the drill one step.

The Fast Animation option will play animation at a fast tempo for quicker review of transitions.

TIP - A combination of both Loop and Fast Animation is a great way to preview the interaction of maneuvers of shapes to other shapes.

The Console is the location for finding detailed information about a function you are currently using.

The top line of the Console is called the Location Indicator. It provides information regarding “cursor placement” relating to steps from vertical (division) lines and horizontal reference points from either back side line, front side line, or middle of field.

Information in the Console changes depending on the function currently being used. Typically the console shows information such as: number of positions selected, average interval of selected or new shape, average length, maximum stride of transition, etc.

The five buttons in the top right corner of the Console control the step resolution of the location indicator and the cursor on the field. The choices are whole (1) step, half (1/2) step, quarter (1/4) step, eighth (1/8), and sixteenth (1/16) step. For more control of placement of points on a field select sixteenth step resolution. This is valuable when implementing tools such as the Free Form Tool where many points are required to create a smooth shape. When your points are basically endpoints then you would usually choose whole step resolution so your endpoints will fall on whole steps.

The Performer ID Panel is a tab that is found on your console. This Panel allows you to quickly manipulate the positioning of Performer Labels. The picture above breaks the panel into three sections for easier comprehension.

The Directional arrows shift the selected performer label(s) in a specific direction. All selected performer labels will shift this direction.

The Contour buttons contour the label(s) to the characteristic of the shape.

The Distance buttons adjust the performer label(s) closer or further to the performer(s).

TIP: If you have a large number of performers but only need to adjust a few labels, try the Box Selection or Lasso Selection tools. These two tools ignore any grouping that the performers might be in and only highlight what you have selected.

The Perspective Window is manipulated by using the tools in the upper right corner of the window. The Perspective Window defaults to the minimized (hidden) status when the program is opened. The Perspective View will appear by clicking on the Minimize button.

The Minimize button reduces the window to show only the title bar. When the window is minimized, the perspective view calculations are disabled allowing for a faster refresh rate of the field window.

To Resize the Perspective View, click and drag the bottom right corner of the Perspective View window.

The Tilt button tilts the view in the window. After clicking on the button, move the mouse into the perspective view window, click and drag in the direction that you want the display to tilt.

The Shift button moves the field into view. After selecting the button, move the mouse into the perspective view window. Click and drag to shift the display. <Alt> click on the Shift button returns the window to its default view.

The Zoom button zooms the view in or out. After clicking on the button, move the mouse into the Perspective View and click again to zoom IN. Hold down the <Control> key and click to zoom OUT. <Alt> click on the Zoom button returns the window to its default view.

Cameras (Interactive and Professional Editions only): There are 6 Camera radio buttons available for you to quickly jump to different viewing angles when watching the animation or previewing a chart. To set specific angles to a preset button, change the view point in the perspective view to your desired angle, then press the Set button. A new window will appear which prompts you to select a camera number for this specific angle. Once you create a camera angle through this process, you may instantly jump to that view in the Perspective View anytime during the design or previewing animation process.

To remove all saved camera angles, press the Set button then choose Clear All.

The Production Sheet is a helpful tool that allows you to develop your show ideas within 3D, before any charting begins. Think of the Production Sheet as a "map" to your drill. Within this tool, you are able to notate which measure of a piece will be the transitions between Page Tabs, along with adding any notes, such as "Big Hit" or "Winds face back field."

Set indicates the set (page tab) number you are working on.

Placing a checkmark in the Sub column would indicate that the current Set is a Sub-set.

The Count column displays which count a set is on.

Transition shows how many counts there are to get to a particular set.

Selecting a row under the Measures column would allow you to input which measures the set is referencing to.

Title works much like the Measures column. If you click on a row under the Title column, you would be able to input a title for that particular set.

Notes columns are there for any quick instructions or notes the ensemble (or you) might need. These notes can be quickly imported into a Text Box and displayed on the field through the Text Box Tool.

TIP: Selecting a set on your Production Sheet is like selecting a page tab on the count track. This is another quick way to preview a set.

To pull the Production Sheet away so you may view the field and the Production Sheet at the same time, press the "Detach" button in the upper right corner of the Production Sheet window. You will now be able to drag the Production Sheet anywhere on your screen. To pin the window back to 3D, press the "Pin" button.

With a computer, bad disks, damaged files, computer lock-ups and hard disk crashes are a fact of life.
Although these occurrences are few and far between, they inevitably seem to happen to everyone at
least once. Take the precautions mentioned below and your drill designing days will be virtually trouble
free.

• To prevent losing large amounts of work, it is advisable to create a separate file for each drill segment or movement. Smaller files will also speed up animation and at times, solve certain printing problems.
• Your time and effort is very valuable. We suggest saving every fifteen minutes when working on a file. Nothing is more frustrating than losing drill all because you did not save your work. It is easy and takes very little time. Just select Save from the File menu.
• Work from the drill files that you have stored on your hard drive, however, also put your drill files on disc or an external storage device and store them. Keep copies in multiple locations. Hard drive crashes can completely wipe out your entire drill design library as well as other important files stored on the computer. Never keep your files at only one location.
• Make quick hard drive backups by choosing Save As from the File menu and changing the name of the file. One common method of making backups is by ending a file name with a number such as 01 and then incrementing the number for each backup. For example: Name your opener "Opener01". Then after an hour of work, choose Save As and change the name to "Opener02" and so on. The name with the largest number is the most current and all others are older at one hour increments. This makes it easy to go back to earlier versions. After you have collected several copies, start deleting the oldest ones, and occasionally move copies to an external storage device.
• Use the Backups section of the Application Options found in the File menu. Check "Always backup after using Save." See the Backup section of Menu Bar for details.