Dorico equivalents of Finale "smart shapes"?

(First days with Dorico, from 30 years with Finale)

I’m guessing that many of these (ie, Dorico equivalents of Finale “smart shapes”) are to be found in the appropriate Properties panels, but I have no idea of which Properties panels.

A couple of “smart shapes” I’m trying to find in Dorico:

  • an angled straight line to indicate that a part on one staff of a keyboard system is to be continued on the other staff of that system;

  • lines with which barlines can be extended (up or down) within a polymetric score (ie, independent time signatures on different staves) so as to help the reader visually orient common beats.

I’m sure I’ll be looking for many more examples, but - for now - I’d welcome any help in adjusting my conceptual approach to finding these things in Dorico.

Thanks, in advance!

Generally speaking, Dorico has all the functionality of F.'s smart shapes, and maybe more. There are both vertical and horizontal lines available which can be angled and tweaked as necessary, which should cover both of your scenarios mentioned. Hairpins are part of Dynamics, 8va lines in Clefs etc.etc…

Thanks, fratveno!
Where can I find those vertical and horizontal lines, please? (I should specify: those that would accomplish the two tasks I mentioned.)

Look for the lines tool in the right panel in Write mode.

Thank-you, dankreider. For some reason, that lines tool icon does not show up in the notations panel in my Write mode:


What am I missing?

Something tells me there is no Line Tool in early versions of Dorico (I’m on 1.2.0.37). . .

Yeah, the lines panel came out in 3.1 I think. You said these were your “first days with Dorico,” yet you are using 1.2? A lot has changed since then. Why not download the demo and try the current version?

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1.2!! Yes, Dorico has developed quite rapidly over the past three years. I agree with FredGUnn… you should absolutely check out version 3.

Thanks FredGUnn and dankreider!

Yes, I bought Dorico several years ago, but was unwilling to devote the time necessary to learn it . . . until a week or two ago, when the horror-show of trying to notate polymeter in Finale finally forced my hand. I’m now trying to figure out whether the plus of polymeter will continue to outweigh the limitations I may discover while exploring Dorico further.

Yes, it would make sense to download the demo . . . I’ve been thinking that I should learn on the Dorico that I already own, so that I’ll know its limitations, should I decide NOT to buy the upgrade, but you’re right: I won’t really know Dorico unless I explore its current incarnation.

One thing’s certain: you sure have a super-responsive, supportive forum there! Thank-you! :grinning:

If you mean stuff like this, it’s quite easy in Dorico, and you avoid all the barline tricks necessary in Finale:

Dorico 3.5 is a completely different animal from 1.2. There are SO many time-saving and useful features (many still lacking in Finale).

If you fancy making a cup of tea (or a beverage of your choice) and sitting down to watch some videos about new features since 1.2, you can find playlists of these on the Dorico YouTube channel:

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Thanks, benwiggy! I’m downloading the trial version now . . . hoping that I learn enough during its 30 days to make an informed decision by then! :grinning:

Thanks, Lillie – that’s very helpful!

Argh. . . rec’d activation code for trial version, downloaded and installed Steinberg Download Manager, it accepted my code, then . . . the Steinberg Download Manager “not responding”.

When tried again, the Manager said “activation code already used . . . must apply for another activation code”.

Very frustrating.

Anyone have any suggestion as to how to proceed from here? I’m using Windows 7 Pro.

Thanks, in advance!

Well, just learned that Dorico 3.5 requires Windows 10 . . .
. . . what an endless journey.

Where’s my ms and pencil? :anguished:

Thanks, FredGUnn. Learning that Dorico can do this, several days ago, was what got me started on this exploration – I know only too well :crazy_face: about all the workarounds required to get even close to this in Finale!

However, I’ve just learned that Dorico now requires Windows 10, and I’m (happily) on Windows 7, so – unless I want to blow a couple of months (and possibly a lot of money) away – it looks like I’m stuck with either Finale or Dorico 1.2 (that works fine on Windows 7).

Dorico 2 is “not recommended”, but appears to work on Windows 7. I don’t know if you can still buy that. It still has loads of features over v1.

Mind you: the latest Finale isn’t supported on Windows 7 either. Come to that, Windows 7 is no longer supported by MS, either!

This is honestly something I would watch instead of some movies…can’t wait for the next sequel on 4.0! :wink:

Thanks, benwiggy.
I’m fine with MS no longer ‘supporting’ windows 7 – MS tends to interfere far too much to begin with :wink:
Were I to want to work with Dorico, I would sooner or later want to upgrade to the current versions, and so it all comes down to whether the pain of moving to windows 10 is worth it. My last move - from XP to 7 – took months of daily work. Unpaid work. And turned my hair even whiter than before. . .