Building a Drawing Library

Overview: What is a drawing library?

A drawing library is a saved Visio drawing file that you link to the PQD Play Editor. Each page in the file represents a formation or personnel grouping — for example, PRO, BROWN, GREEN, or TWINS. When linked, the library appears inside the PQD Play Editor panel and lets you quickly add a pre-built formation to any play diagram with a single click, rather than placing players manually each time.

Building a drawing library is a one-time setup task. Once it is linked, it is available every time you open the Play Editor and speeds up your play-drawing workflow significantly.

Understanding the PQD Play Editor interface

The PQD Play Editor panel appears on the left side of Visio and contains three main tabs:

• Drawings tab — Displays your linked drawing libraries and the individual drawings within each one. This is where your library will appear once linked.
• Shapes tab — Provides access to shapes or groups of shapes used to build diagrams on the page.
• Walkthroughs tab — Contains a combination of Drawings & Shapes that are guided walkthroughs for common tasks in the Play Editor.

At the top of the Drawings tab, a dropdown lets you switch between different linked drawing sets. The ⋯ (more options) button gives you access to library management actions, including adding a new drawing library.

Step 1 — Set up your Visio pages

Your drawing library file uses Visio pages to organize formations. Each page will become one drawing in your library — one page equals one formation or personnel group.

1. Click the "+" button at the bottom of the document. This is located to the right of your existing page tabs. Each click adds a new blank page to the drawing file.
2. Add as many pages as you have formations or personnel groups. For example, if your library will contain PRO, BROWN, GREEN, and TWINS, you will need four pages — one for each.
3. The name of the page is the name for the image within the Drawing Library

Step 2 — Name each page after a formation or personnel group

The page name becomes the formation label that appears in the PQD Play Editor library. Naming pages clearly is important — coaches will use these names to identify and select formations.

1. Right-click a page tab at the bottom of the document. A context menu will appear with options including Insert, Delete, Rename, Duplicate, Page Setup, and Reorder Pages.
2. Select "Rename." The page tab becomes editable.
3. Type the formation or personnel group name. For example: PRO, BROWN, GREEN, or TWINS. Press Enter to confirm.
4. Repeat for all pages. Right-click each page tab and rename it until every page is labeled with its corresponding formation or personnel group.

Step 3 — Arrange personnel on each page

With your pages named, go to each page and place the player symbols to build the formation. Each page should show the starting alignment for that formation or personnel group.

1. Click a page tab to navigate to it. The document will display that page's content. Start with your first formation page.
2. Place player symbols on the canvas using the Shapes tab. Drag and drop each symbol onto the canvas to build the formation alignment.
3. Position players to reflect the formation's alignment. Arrange players in the correct positions — for example, the offensive line, skill positions, and any motion players. Color code the groupings as well for further enhancement.
4. Repeat for each page. Navigate through each named page tab and set up the personnel alignment for that formation before moving to the next.

Step 4 — Save the Drawing File

Once all pages are named and populated, save the file to a location you can access easily. The file location is what you will browse to when linking the library to PQD.

1. Press Ctrl+S or go to File → Save As. The Save As dialog will open.
2. Navigate to your preferred save location. Choose a folder that is easy to find — for example, your Desktop or a dedicated Play Editor folder. The file saves as a standard Visio Drawing (.vsdx) file.
3. Enter a descriptive file name. Name the file clearly so you can identify it later — for example, FORM or Offensive Formations Library.
4. Click "Save." Note the file path — you will need to browse to it in the next step.

Step 5 — Link the file to PQD as a Drawing Library

With the Visio file saved, you now link it to the PQD Play Editor from within a Visio session where the PQD panel is open.

1. Open the PQD Play Editor panel. Ensure the panel is visible on the left side of Visio.
2. Click the "Drawings" tab in the PQD Play Editor panel.
3. Click the "⋯" (more options) button next to the Drawings dropdown.
4. Select "Add Drawing Library." A file browser dialog titled Add Drawing Library to DRAWINGS will open.
5. Navigate to the location where you saved your Visio file. Browse to the folder and locate the formation file saved in Step 4.
6. Select the file and click "Open." The drawing library is now linked to PQD. The Drawings tab will update to display the library, and each page from your Visio file will appear as a separate drawing entry — for example, PRO, BROWN, GREEN, and TWINS.

Step 6 — Configure Drawing Library Settings

After linking the library, you can configure how drawings behave when added to a play diagram. Click the gear icon at the top of the PQD Play Editor panel to open the Settings dialog.

• On Add Drawing — Choose whether clicking a drawing updates the active slide (replaces current content) or adds to a new slide (creates a new page). Update Active Slide is the default.
• Order — Controls the layer order of added shapes: Default, Send To Back, or Bring To Front.
• Use in Auto Name — When checked, the drawing name is included in the auto-naming logic for plays. Checked by default.
• Drawing Alignment — Controls where on the canvas the formation is placed when added. Center is the default.

1. Review each setting and adjust if needed. The defaults work well for most workflows.
2. Click "OK" to save the settings.

Step 7 — Use the Drawing Library

With the library linked and settings configured, your formation drawings are ready to use in any play diagram.

1. Open or create a play in the Visio Play Editor and navigate to the play page you want to work on.
2. Click the "Drawings" tab in the PQD Play Editor panel. Your linked library will be visible with all of its formation entries listed.
3. Click a formation to add it to the document. Clicking a formation entry instantly places that formation's player arrangement onto the active play page, aligned according to your Settings configuration.
4. Use "Flip Horizontal," "Flip Vertical," or "Flip Both" as needed. These buttons at the bottom of the Drawings tab allow you to mirror the formation — useful when drawing plays for different hash marks or field positions.

Best practices

• Build separate library files by unit or purpose. Consider maintaining separate Visio files — one for offensive formations, one for defensive fronts, one for special teams. Each file can be linked to PQD as its own drawing library, keeping each library focused and easy to navigate.
• Name pages using your staff's playbook terminology. Use the exact formation and personnel group names your coaches already know. Inconsistent naming — even minor differences like "PRO" vs. "Pro Set" — can cause confusion when coaches are selecting formations quickly.
• Save your library file in a shared, stable location. Store the Visio drawing file in a shared drive or synced folder (such as OneDrive) that all coaches with PQD access can reach.
• Keep the library file path stable. Once linked, do not move or rename the Visio drawing file. If you need to reorganize your file structure, re-link the library after moving the file.
• Update the library file when formations change. If your offense installs a new personnel grouping or changes an alignment, open the Visio drawing file, update the relevant page, and save. The PQD drawing library will reflect the updated formation automatically the next time it is used.