Every feature a drill designer needs, at a low cost.
Packed with tools other programs do not have, plus a free mobile app for learning drill.
Marching Mapper is a full toolkit for shaping, staging, and teaching your show. Write sets, see them in 3D, line them up with music, and get useful sheets and videos out to your kids.
Tools built for real drill writing.
A big suite of formation tools so you can get ideas down fast and clean them up without redrawing everything from scratch.
Tools that let you move faster when you're designing
Form tools for marching ensembles.
Each tool is tuned for real groups. Paths stay readable, spacing stays intentional, and you can fix messy transitions without starting over.
- Line Tool - Put marchers into evenly spaced lines with as many segments as you need.
- Curve Tool - Draw a curve and place marchers along the path.
- Follow The Leader - Build follower paths that track a leader, including straight-path options.
- Pen Tool - Draw freeform paths by hand.
- Spiral Tool - Build spirals quickly and tweak spacing without redrawing.
- Arc Tool - Make arcs that cover the exact angle range you want.
- Quick Rotation - Set facing by dragging across marchers.
- Simple Rotation - Rotate a whole form cleanly when you need a fast turn.
- Block Tool - Rows and columns for winds, percussion, or full-band sets.
- Circle Tool - Circles with control over rotation, density, and size.
- NGon Tool - Any polygon you want. Change sides, rotation, and fill. Break segments into stars with indent depth.
- Free Shape - Draw a shape and fill marchers evenly inside it. Great for blocks that aren't perfect rectangles.
- Pyramid Tool - Build pyramid forms without placing every person by hand.
- Image Tool - Turn an image into a formation.
- Text Tool - Spell out letters or words with marchers.
- Crystal Tool - Faceted forms with control over points, lines, and rotations.
- Line Star Tool - Star shapes with inner/outer radii and rotation.
- Scatter Tool - Scatter with a controlled seed and adjustable spacing.
- Arrange Tool - Snap people to an axis or distribute them across a spot you pick.
- Mirror Tool - Mirror forms for symmetry or to reflect an idea you already like.
- Copy Form - Copy a selection's shape onto other marchers.
- Skew / Skeletal Skew - Bend forms on a mesh or skeleton for more complex looks.
- Bow Tool - Smooth bow curves between two points with adjustable depth.
- Twirl Tool - Add a spiral twist to forms, including curved pathways.
- Curved Path Tool - Draw easy curved pathways between sets.
- Repath - Find cleaner routes into the same formation.
- Fix Colliding Paths - Untangle crossings when a move gets messy.
Edit in 3D.
Most formation tools and selections work in the 3D view now. Shape the show while you're looking at the real stage picture, not just dots on a map.
- Select and move people in 3D the same way you do in 2D.
- Run formation tools while you're already in the stage view.
- Scrub through pages and still see props, equipment, and facing.
Props and staging that match the show.
Drop platforms, risers, scaffolding, podiums, backdrops, and more from a built-in prop catalog. Upload your own models when the show needs something custom. Marchers can stand on props, and props can move set to set.
- Ready-made catalog for common field scenery.
- Import custom 3D props, then rotate and scale them to real sizes.
- Plan step-ons, sightlines, and full production looks before camp.
Build the field your audience will actually see
Equipment inventory for every marcher.
Change gear through the show, place equipment on the field, recolor items, strip flags, and use extras like umbrellas, bats, hula hoops, and balls.
- Per-marcher equipment changes across pages.
- Custom flag silks and drum wraps.
- Front ensemble instruments modeled so the pit looks like a pit.
Free mobile app for learning drill anywhere.
Marching Mapper Buddy puts the show on phones and tablets. Share with students so they can see their own coordinates and pathways. Director mode lets you watch learning happen on the field. Upload shows straight from the desktop app. Included with your license.
- Student View - Each performer sees their own dots and paths.
- Director Mode - See everyone at once and fix problems on the spot.
- No Extra Cost - Buddy comes with Marching Mapper.
- iOS and Android - On the App Store and Google Play, including iPad.
Choreo Studio.
Design body work that lives with the drill, then watch it play back in 3D.
- Per-Performer Control - Set choreo for individuals or whole sections.
- Import and Export - Share choreo clips with your design team.
- Visual Playback - See the animation on the 3D field with or without equipment.
- Marching Technique - Slides, toe down, crabbing, and plie crabbing when the show needs it.
Annotate your show.
Notes, arrows, and shapes live on the drill so nothing dies in a separate Google Doc.
- Set-Level Notes - Put rehearsal cues on the set they belong to.
- Arrows and Guides - Point at people or zones that need attention.
- Shared Visibility - Annotations travel with the show file.
- Exports and Buddy - They show on PDF dot sheets and in Buddy.
Paths, collisions, and step size you can trust.
See where people were, where they're going, and where paths cross before anyone steps on the field.
- Path-aware editing so you can catch crossings early.
- Step size stats that include curved paths, step speed multiplier, and ripple leave/arrive timing.
- A stepsize heatmap that lights up the hard spots at a glance.
- Step size tooltips while you're selecting or using tools.
Line the drill up with the music.
Upload show audio, import MusicXML, or use MIDI. Keep tempo locked, get measure numbers, and hear the pacing of every move.
- Offset audio so downbeats match your first set.
- MusicXML for locked tempo and automatic measure numbers.
- Drumline can play the MusicXML, and cymbals look like real cymbal players.
- Smooth tempo changes and step multipliers for half time, double time, and everything in between.
- Playback with audio so you feel the show, not just the counts.
3D view that feels like the performance.
Jump into a field or indoor floor and watch the design with instruments, equipment, lighting, and realistic movement.
- Views from above, from the box, or at performer level.
- Indoor and outdoor scenes, stadium lights, and models that catch shine.
- Camera tools for cleaner 3D renders.
- Custom floor images and show-specific backdrops.
- Built to stay usable with large ensembles (hundreds of marchers).
See the field come to life
Make it look like your ensemble.
Customize how people show up so the drill is easy to read and the 3D view feels like your group.
- Dot shape, color, initial, and marcher names.
- Custom uniforms and section looks.
- Ghost mode for placeholders that stay in the editor but disappear from 3D, sheets, and cards.
- Lock marchers you don't want to nudge by accident.
- Put your logo on the endzones.
Exports that help you teach.
Get the show out of the computer and into people's hands without fighting the printer or the render.
- Dot cards and drill sheets with readable labels and collision-aware text.
- Fonts, layout, sizing, and names you can customize on export.
- 2D and 3D video export, including vertical video for phones and social.
- Frame rate options when you need a faster render or a smoother clip.
- Master production files when you need several files combined into one.
Workflow extras that save time every day.
Keyboard shortcuts
Shortcuts built around natural hand placement, and you can customize them.
Grid snap
Keep tools on the grid when you want forms locked to clean intervals.
Languages
Spanish, French, German, and Japanese support in the app.
Preferences
A preferences menu so the editor behaves the way you work.
Recent files
Jump back into shows from the splash screen without digging through folders.
Free trial
New users can write up to two pages before buying a license.
Ready to start shaping your next show?
Sketch ideas, refine sets, stage the field, and hand your ensemble drill that's clear to teach and fun to march.