TURN V6.

3
Reference Manual

Copyright 2004
KNOWLEDGE BASE
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 Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 1
Where do I go from here? 1
Typefaces in this manual 2
How to get support 3
On-line help 3
Online documentation 4
Conventions used in this manual 5
Menus and functions 5
Mouse 5
Cross references 5
Diagrams 5

REFERENCE 1
Defining a Tracking Path centre line 2
Auto Define 3
Manual Define 3
Turn Setup 4
Active Vehicle 4
Simulation Settings 5
Envelope Drawing Settings 6
Creating a new Vehicle File 7
Add a Vehicle to a Vehicle File 8
Running a Simulation 9
Forward Movement 9
Reverse Movement 10
Add a Vehicle Profile 11
Delete Simulation 11
Vehicle Dimension Dialog 12
Single Unit Vehicles 13
Articulated Vehicles 14
Vehicles with full trailers 15
Vehicles with Semi-Trailers 16
Aircraft 17
Cargo Point Tracking 20
Simulation Results 21
Minimum Turning Circle Envelope 22
Dynamic Simulation 25
TUTORIAL 1 – CREATE A NEW VEHICLE FILE 1
Set up a project 2
Create a new Vehicle File 3
Add a user defined vehicle 5

TUTORIAL 2 – RUN A FORWARD SIMULATION 1

Edit the Turn Setup 2
Define the track path 3
Run the Simulation 4
Add a Vehicle Profile 6

TUTORIAL 3 – RUN A REVERSE SIMULATION 1

Edit the Turn Setup 2
Define the track path 3
Run the Simulation 4

TUTORIAL 4 – CARGO TRACKING 1

Edit the Setup dialog 2
Specify the cargo limits 3
Track the cargo limits 4

TUTORIAL 5 – MINIMUM TURNING CIRCLE 1

Edit the Minimum Turning Circle Setup. 2
Create a Minimum turning circle Envelope 4
Introduction
Welcome to Civil Designer, the design system created by civil
engineers for civil engineers, to save you time, effort and
money. Now you can work faster, smarter and accomplish
more.
This manual introduces you to Civil Designer and gets you
up and running without delay. It shows you how to
accomplish the most common tasks and provides tips on the
exciting and innovative new features to be found in Civil
Designer.
The easy-to-follow tutorial will help you gain hands-on
experience with the program, and the Beyond the Basics
section shows you how to complete advanced tasks.

Where do I go from here?

After reading this manual you should know the following:
• How to get Civil Designer up and running
• How to use the menus and the on-line help system
• How to input and edit data files
• How to start a track simulation
• How to view and output the results of the simulation

Introduction 1-1
Typefaces in this manual
The different typefaces in this manual are used as follows:
Monospace This typeface represents text as it appears
onscreen such as prompts.
Italics Italics are used for emphasis and to introduce
new terms.
[Enter] This indicates a key on your keyboard.
For example:
“Press [Enter] to complete the entry.”
Command This typeface indicates a menu option or a
command.
For example:
“Click on the Open icon to load a drawing.”

Menu commands appear with the path separated by an

arrow. The instruction Draw ► Ellipses ► Ellipse refers to the
path you follow by opening the Draw menu, the Ellipses sub-
menu, and by choosing the Ellipse option.

1-2 Civil Designer Turn

How to get support
Technical support is available from 08.00 to 17.00 Mondays to
Fridays excluding public holidays at the Knowledge Base
Support Centre at 086

On-line help
The Civil Designer on-line help system is far easier to use
and more comprehensive than those typically found in other
software programs.
It contains about 10 times as much information as this
manual and provides complete answers to virtually any
question you may have about features or how to use Civil
Designer.
Access on-line Help from the Help menu option at any time,
or by pressing F1 during the display of any of the dialogs in
the program. The help items can be printed using the File ►
Print option of the Help window or the Print button on the
toolbar.

Introduction 1-3
 Online documentation
The User Guide and the Reference Manual are supplied on
the CD-ROM in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. You have the
option to install the Acrobat Reader when installing Civil
Designer. This allows you to browse through the manual, to
search for specific subjects, and to print out all or any
selection of pages.

1-4 Civil Designer Turn

Conventions used in this manual

Menus and functions

All the functions in Civil Designer are described in detail in
the online Reference Manual.

Mouse
In this manual, clicking refers to clicking with your left
mouse button unless otherwise specified. When a click with
your right mouse button is required, the terms right click or
right clicking are used.

Clicking means to press and release a mouse button quickly.

Cross references
When a function is mentioned, it is mentioned together with
the menu in which it can be found. For example, see Line
(Chained) in the Reference Manual means that the Line
(Chained) function is described in the Reference Manual.
See Accurate Drawing means that you should refer to the
chapter on Accurate Drawing in your Civil Designer User
Guide.

Diagrams
All diagrams are shown with the cursor in Freehand mode
except where Civil Designer automatically uses another
mode. However, other modes may be used (see Snap Modes
in the Reference Manual).

Introduction 1-5
1-6 Civil Designer Turn
Reference
The Civil Designer Turn program is an integrated module of
Civil Designer which simulates low speed turning maneuvers
of user defined vehicles along a specified tracking path.
This chapter describes each function in detail.

Reference 2-1
Defining a Tracking Path centre line
A tracking path is the path that will be used in simulating
vehicle movement. This path can be defined by drawing lines
and arcs in CAD. There are however a couple of guidelines to
be followed in doing this:

• The tracking path must start and end with a straight

line.
• For reverse simulation around a curve has to be done,
a straight line must follow each curve.
• The path can be drawn in any CAD layer, but it makes
sense to draw it in a separate layer.

It is a good idea to use the Draw ► Line arc line function in

CAD for this purpose.
The tracking path that has been drawn must now be
coordinated before a simulation can be done. This is done
using the Turn ► Define Path menu option.

2-2 Civil Designer Turn

 Auto Define
Select the Turn ► Define Path ► Auto Tracking option from the
main menu, or Right click on the Define path icon on the
Turn toolbar.
Use the Auto Define function if the path has been drawn in
the same sequence as the desired vehicle movement. You
will be prompted to indicate the start of the path and the
program will automatically track the path and coordinate it.

Manual Define
Select the Turn ► Define Path ► Manual Tracking option from
the main menu, or Left click on the Define path icon on the
Turn toolbar.
Use this option if Auto Define did not give the desired result.
This function will prompt you to indicate each line or arc in
sequence of vehicle movement.
Right click to indicate the end of the path.
As you define the path using either one of these options, the
elements will be highlighted to enable you to verify the
result. The coordination will be done according to the
Coordination Interval value specified in the Setup dialog.

Remember that it will be impossible for a driver to exactly

follow a pre defined tracking path along a real roadway.
Therefore, the results must be used rather conservatively
and extra allowance beyond the generated envelopes must
be made for driver variation according to sound engineering
discretion.

Reference 2-3
Turn Setup
Press the Setup icon on the Turn toolbar, or select the Turn
► Setup option from the main menu to display the Setup
dialog.

Active Vehicle
Specify the Vehicle Group File Name to be used, using the
File Open dialog when clicking the File […] button.
When a Vehicle group file is specified an Active vehicle, can
be selected from the Vehicle combo box. Click on the Add
Vehicle option to add a new vehicle to the current Vehicle
Group file. A vehicle can also be deleted from the group file
by clicking the Delete Vehicle button.
The Angle (decimal) at which the vehicle and trailers must
start the simulation can be specified in the Tractor Starting
Angle, Trailer1 Starting Angle and Trailer2 Starting Angle edit
boxes. These options only apply when forward vehicle
movement is simulated.

2-4 Civil Designer Turn

 Simulation Settings
The interval, at which the defined track path must be
coordinated, can be specified in the Coordination Interval (m)
edit box. If you make this value small (0.3 to 0.1m) the
simulation will be accurate but slow. The program will also
add more line entities to the drawing structure.
Care must be taken when simulating an articulated vehicle
movement in the reverse direction, especially if the kingpin
location is in front of the rear axle, not to make the
coordination interval to small (at least equal to the distance
between the rear axle and king-pin). A good average
Coordination interval is in the vicinity of 0.2 to 1.5 m.
Use the Simulation Type combo box to specify the type of
simulation needed. This option can be set to:
• None
Nothing will be drawn.
• Track Path
The position of the wheels of the vehicle and trailers
along its path will be drawn.

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Reference 2-5
 • Swept Path
The amount of space the vehicle and trailers will take
up during the movement will be illustrated.

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The Simulation Direction can be set to either Forward, or

Reverse. This direction refers to the vehicle itself and not the
direction in which the vehicle travels on the track path.
If the Draw Vehicles on Control Points checkbox is checked, a
vehicle diagram will be drawn at the start and end of each
curve and transition curve.
If the Enforce Steering Angle limits checkbox is checked, the
program will stop the simulation and warn the user when the
maximum steering angles are exceeded. If this option is
unchecked, simulation will continue regardless of the
steering angles along the tracking path.
Select the Show Result dialog after Simulation to display the
Result dialog after each simulation.

Envelope Drawing Settings

The drawing layer, line type and pen colour can be specified
for each of the simulation types specified in the Simulation
Type combo box, as well as the Vehicle diagram.
When the Apply Cargo Point Tracking check box is checked
the program will track a point specified in the Cargo point
Tracking dialog along the specified tracking path. This

2-6 Civil Designer Turn

 tracking line will be drawn in the specified line type and pen
colour.
Select Run Simulation to do point tracking in the forward, or
reverse direction. Point tracking can be done on its own, or
in conjunction with either the swept, or track path. Press the
Designer button to display the Cargo Point Tracking
Designer dialog box where the position of the cargo point
relative to the active vehicle can be specified.
The Vehicle Dimension dialog can be displayed directly from
this dialog by pressing the Edit Vehicle Dimensions button.

Creating a new Vehicle File

A Vehicle file is an ASCII file, which can be edited in any text
editor. It can contain a number of user-defined vehicles,
which will be used when simulating vehicle movement along
a pre-defined tracking path. These files have a *.vcl file
extension. A standard vehicle file containing some TRH 17
vehicles is supplied with the program.
To create a new Vehicle file, select the Turn ► Setup from the
main menu to display the setup dialog. Click on the File
button next to the file name edit box to display a Windows
File Open dialog. In this dialog you can either select an
existing file, or specify a new file name, which will be created
automatically.
Once the file has been created you will be returned to the
Setup dialog. If you created a new file, it will be totally
empty and there will be no vehicles listed in the Vehicle
combo box.

Reference 2-7
 Add a Vehicle to a Vehicle File
The Turn vehicle group file (*.VCL) is totally user
configurable. You can add, edit or delete vehicles at any
time.
Press the Add Vehicle button on the Setup dialog.

Enter a name for the new vehicle in the Vehicle Name edit
box. This name (32 characters long) will be listed in the
Vehicle combo box in the Setup dialog. In the Type of Vehicle
combo box, specify the type of vehicle that has to be added.
There are 13 standard vehicle types, which will determine
the bitmap in the Vehicle Dimensions dialog as well as the
profile symbol that will be used when running Add Profile.
This setting will also be used in doing a realistic simulation.
You may have more than one vehicle in a Vehicle File of the
same type, as long as they have different Vehicle Names.
Press OK to enter dimensions for the newly added vehicle
using the Vehicle Dimension dialog.

2-8 Civil Designer Turn

Running a Simulation
Select the Turn ► Run Simulation option from the main menu
or press the Run Simulation icon from the Turn toolbar to
simulate a vehicle movement.
The Vehicle movement of the Active Vehicle will be
simulated along a pre-defined track path in the direction
specified in the Setup dialog.
The direction in the Setup dialog can be set to either
forward, or reverse. This direction refers to the vehicle itself
and not the direction in which the vehicle travels on the
track path.
While the simulation is taking place the program will
constantly check whether the vehicle exceeds its maximum
steering angle as well as the maximum angles between the
tractor and trailers.
When these maximum angles are exceeded, the program will
stop the simulation and prompt a reason why it has stopped.
This action can however be override by disabling the Enforce
Steering Angle limits check box in the Setup dialog.

Forward Movement
When the vehicle is moving in a forward direction, the center
point of its front axle will always be on the specified track
path. The angle of its front wheels will always be parallel to
the tangent line on a circle or parallel to a straight line.
The rear wheels of the vehicle will always follow a straight
line between its current position and the previous position of
the front wheels. The same rule applies when there are
trailers connected to the vehicle.
The assumption is made that the vehicle is moving at vary
low speed (parking speed). When a vehicle then enters a
curve, the driver will be able to turn the wheels in the new
direction within a neglect able short distance therefore no
transition curves have to be used for forward motion.

Reference 2-9
 Reverse Movement
In the reverse direction the center point of the rear axle of
the vehicle, or last trailer will follow the track path. This rear
axle will always be perpendicular to the tangent line on a
circle, or straight line. This also determines the angle at
which the vehicle is traveling and the angle of the steering
wheels will then be calculated accordingly.
When there are trailers connected to the vehicle, it is no
longer safe to assume that no transition curve is needed
although the vehicle is moving at vary low speed. The driver
of the vehicle must maneuver the vehicle in such a way that
it pushes the trailer into the curve.
In order to perform such a maneuver, there must be a
transition period before the trailer enters, or exits the
circular curve. This also means that the center of the
trailer’s rear axle will no longer follow the defined path
exactly around the circular curve.
This discrepancy depends on the length of the transition
curves, which the program will calculate according to the
maximum steering angle of the vehicle. This will ensure that
the transition curves and therefore the discrepancy be kept
as short as possible.

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The direction of movement, active vehicle and the

coordination interval can be changed without re-defining the
track path. The program will automatically re-coordinate the
track path and insert transition curves when needed.

2-10 Civil Designer Turn

 Because a driver can successfully negotiate the same turn in
different ways, additional allowance must be made for driver
variability, according to sound engineering judgment over
and above what might have been made during forward
maneuvers.

When simulating trailer or semi trailer reverse maneuvers,

extra clearance of +- ¾ of the vehicle width should be
applied on each side of the envelope.

Add a Vehicle Profile

A vehicle profile is a symbol of the active vehicle, similar to
the drawing in the Vehicle Dimension dialog that can be
placed onto the main drawing.
These symbols exist in a symbol drawing which is supplied
with the program called VehicleSymbols.drg and will be
stored in the Symbols sub-directory of the installation
directory.
Select the Turn ► Add Profile option from the main menu, or
press the Add Simulation icon on the Turn toolbar to add a
vehicle profile.
You will be prompted to indicate the position where you
want the profile to be placed as well as the desired rotation.

Delete Simulation
Select the Turn ► Delete Run option, or press the Delete
Simulation button on the Turn toolbar to delete the last
simulation. The CAD layers for the Track Path, Swept Path
and Vehicle Drawing as specified in the Setup dialog will be
deleted.

Reference 2-11
Vehicle Dimension Dialog
Select the Turn ► Vehicle Dimension option from the main
menu or press the Vehicle Dimension icon on the Turn
toolbar to display the vehicle dimensions of the active
vehicle.
There are 13 standard vehicle types, which can be used to
define most standard vehicles. You can have more than one
vehicle in the group file from the same vehicle type, as long
as each vehicle name is unique. These vehicle types, dictates
the format of the Vehicle dimension dialog as well as the
simulation process.
All the dimensions on these dialogs as well as the Vehicle
Name can be edited and will be stored in the Vehicle Group
File when OK is pressed. When changing the Vehicle name,
you can either change the name of the current vehicle, or
create a new vehicle with the changed name.
The 13 vehicle types can be sub-divided into 5 main groups
namely, Single Unit Vehicles, Articulated Vehicles, Vehicles
with full trailers, Vehicles with semi-trailers and Aircraft.
These vehicle groups will be discussed subsequently.

2-12 Civil Designer Turn

 Single Unit Vehicles
The following vehicles are single unit vehicles:
• Passenger Car
• Single Unit Truck
• Single Unit Bus
• Forklift
• Tractor vehicles for the other vehicle groups

1 2 3

Dimension 1 Front Overhang. The distance from the center

of the front wheel to the front bumper
Dimension 2 Wheelbase. The distance between the center
of the front wheels and the center of the rear
axle group.
Dimension 3 Rear Overhang. The distance from the center
of the rear wheel to the rear bumper
Max. Steer Angle The maximum angle (in degrees) that the
steering wheels can be turned to either side.
Track Width The distance from the outer-most point of the
right wheel to the outer-most point of the left
wheel.
Total Width The greatest width of the vehicle’s body.

The Forklift Vehicle type steers with its rear wheels.

Reference 2-13
 Articulated Vehicles
The following vehicles are articulated vehicles:
• Articulated Truck, with or without trailers.
• Articulated Bus

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Dimension 1 The distance rear bumper of the tractor to the

center point of the kingpin.
Dimension 2 The distance from the center of the kingpin to
the front of the trailer.
Dimension 3 The distance from the center of the kingpin to
the center of the trailer’s rear axle group.
Dimension 4 The distance the center of the trailer’s rear
axle group to the trailer’s rear bumper.
Max. Tractor/Trailer The maximum allowable angle (in degrees)
Angle between the tractor and trailer.
Track Width The distance from the outer-most point of the
right wheel to the outer-most point of the left
wheel.
Total Width The greatest width of the trailer’s body.

2-14 Civil Designer Turn

 Vehicles with full trailers
The following vehicles are vehicles with trailers:
• Single Unit Truck \ Trailer.
• Articulated Truck \ Trailer.

2 3 4

Dimension 1 The Distance from the tractor’s tow bar to the

trailer’s front axle.
Dimension 2 The distance from the trailer’s front axle to the
front of the trailer’s body..
Dimension 3 The distance between the trailer’s front axle
and the trailer’s rear axle group.
Dimension 4 The distance from the trailer’s rear axle group
to the trailer’s bumper.
Max. Tractor/Trailer The maximum allowable angle (in degrees)
Angle between the tractor and trailer.
Track Width The distance from the outer-most point of the
right wheel to the outer-most point of the left
wheel.
Total Width The greatest width of the trailer’s body.

Reference 2-15
 Vehicles with Semi-Trailers
The following vehicles are vehicles with semi-trailers:
• Passenger Car\Semi-Trailer.
• Single Unit Bus \ Semi-Trailer.

1 2 3

Dimension 1 The Distance from the tractor’s tow bar to the

front of the trailer’s body.
Dimension 2 The distance from the front of the trailer’s body
to the center of the trailer’s axle group.
Dimension 3 The distance from the trailer’s rear axle group
to the trailer’s rear bumper.
Max. Tractor/Trailer The maximum allowable angle (in degrees)
Angle between the tractor and trailer.
Track Width The distance from the outer-most point of the
right wheel to the outer-most point of the left
wheel.
Total Width The greatest width of the trailer’s body.

2-16 Civil Designer Turn

 Aircraft
The following vehicles are aircraft:
• Aircraft (Nose Steer).
• Aircraft (Tail Steer).
Two aircraft vehicle types have been added to the list. The
first for aircraft with the normal tricycle undercarriage, that
steers with the nose wheel. The second aircraft type is for
aircraft where the main landing wheels are situated at the
front and steers with the tail wheel (i.e. tail draggers).

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Reference 2-17
 Plan View
The dimensions at the bottom of the drawing indicate
positions where the wings and tail are attached to the
aircraft’s body.
Dimension 1 Distance from the nose to the base of the
wing.
Dimension 2 Width of the wing against the aircraft’s body.
Dimension 3 Distance between the back of the wing and the
base of the tail.
Dimension 4 Width of the tail against the aircraft’s body.
Dimension 5 Distance from the back of the tail to the tip of
the tail.

The sum of these dimensions is equal to the total length of

the aircraft.
The dimensions at the top of the drawing specify the
positions of the wing tips and tail tips relative to the base of
the wings and tail.
Dimension 6 The Distance from the base of the wing to the
front point of the wing tip.
Dimension 7 The width of the wing at the wing tips.
Dimension 8 The Distance from the base of the tail to the
front point of the tail tip.
Dimension 9 The width of the tail at the tail tips.

Side Elevation
Dimension 10 Front Overhang: Distance from the nose
to the center of the front wheel.
Dimension 11 Wheelbase: Distance between the center of
the front wheel/s and the center of the rear
wheel, or main wheel group.

Overall dimensions
Wing Span The distance from the left wing tip to the right
wing tip.
Tail Width The distance from the left tail tip to the right tail
tip.
Body Width The width of the widest part of the aircraft‘s
body.

2-18 Civil Designer Turn

 Landing Gear Dimensions

Rear/Front Track width The distance between the outside edges of the
main wheels.
Front wheel diam The diameter of the front wheel/s.
Rear wheel diam The diameter of the rear wheel/s

For aircraft with compound main landing wheels, the Front/

Rear wheel diameter should be equal to the total length of
the wheel group.

Note: If the position of the pilot has to be tracked, use the

Cargo Point Tracking function.

Reference 2-19
Cargo Point Tracking
Press the Designer button on the Setup dialog to display the
Cargo point-tracking dialog.

A plan view of the active vehicle will be drawn on the display

area when the dialog opens. You can alter the view in the
display area by magnifying (m key), de-magnifying (d key),
panning (p key), refreshing (s key) or redrawing (r key).
The 0,0 coordinate is situated at the center of the vehicle's
front axle. You can specify the location of the cargo by using
the radio buttons in the [Cargo Location] group. The active
part location will be highlighted in a cyan pen.
The cargo point can be specified by graphically indicating
the position on the display area, or entering the coordinates
in the [Point Position] group. You can also snap to the
nearest point on the drawing by pressing the "J" key.
A blue circle represents the cargo point that will be tracked
when running the next simulation.
Press OK to accept the changes and to return to the Turn
Setup Dialog.

2-20 Civil Designer Turn

Simulation Results
Select the Turn ► Display Results option from the main menu,
or press the Results icon on the Turn toolbar.

If the Show Result dialog after Simulation option was selected

in the Turn Setup Dialog, or the Display Results menu item
was selected and a simulation was done the results dialog
will be displayed. Select the Don't show this dialog again
option not to display the dialog automatically after
simulation.
The dialog will graph the turning angles of the various
trailers as well as the steering angle of the tractor against the
centerline chainage of the track path. The maximum angles
as specified in the vehicle dimensions option will also be
indicated. The graph and array, as well as an alignment
summary can be printed using the Print button.
Press Close to close the Results dialog.

Reference 2-21
Minimum Turning Circle Envelope
Select the Turn ► Minimum Envelope ► Minimum Envelope
Setup option, or left click on the Minimum Envelope icon on
the Turn toolbar to display this dialog:

The coordination interval and Simulation type can be set in

this dialog in the same way as in the main setup dialog.
When creating a Reverse envelope, the program will
automatically calculate the optimum coordination interval
for the curve.
The turning direction can be set to either left or right. The
[Turn through] option can be set to any angle between 0 and
180 degrees.
When pressing OK you will be prompted to indicate the start
point of the envelope, as well as the initial direction of
movement before turning through the specified angle and
direction.
When selecting the Turn ► Minimum Envelope ► Create
Minimum Envelope option or right click on the Minimum
Envelope icon on the Turn toolbar, the setup dialog will not
be displayed and you will be prompted to indicate start point
and direction as before. The envelope will be created using
the previous settings.

2-22 Civil Designer Turn

 Absolute minimum envelope
The program will simulate a turn at low speeds with the
steering wheels at the maximum angle as specified in the
vehicle file. It is assumed that the distance in which the
steering wheels are turned is neglect ably small, because of
the low speed at which the vehicle is traveling.
In a maneuver like this, it is possible (especially with long
trailers) that the maximum specified angle between tractor
and trailer might be reached. When this happens the
program will automatically calculate a new steering angle in
order to avoid reaching these maximum angles.

The turning angle graph will look like this:

TRH 17 Template
This method will create a minimum turning envelope in such
a way that the outer front wheel will travel exactly on a
circular curve, which means that the vehicle reaches its
maximum steering angle close to the crest of such a circle.

Reference 2-23
 The turning angle graph will look like this:

Around a Kerb
When running this method, the program will use a specified
kerb radius and lane width to calculate the minimum turning
envelope for a vehicle that has to turn around the specified
kerb.
The following formulas will be used:
RIR = RK + (W - w) / 2 + 0.6
2 2 2 0.5
ROF = [ (RIR + W) + L1 + L2 ]
Where:
L1 Wheelbase of the Tractor

L2 Wheelbase of semitrailer

w Track Width

W Trough lane width

RK Kerb Radius

RIR Inner rear track radius

ROF Outer front track radius

2-24 Civil Designer Turn

Dynamic Simulation
Select the Turn ► Minimum Envelope ► Minimum Envelope
Setup option

No pre-defined track path is necessary to run a simulation

using this function.

Procedure
The program will prompt:
Indicate Vehicle start position.
Graphically Indicate the position where the centre point of
the vehicle's front axle must be.
The program will prompt:
Indicate Vehicle direction of initial movement:
A rubber-band will be drawn from the start position to the
cursor position. Use the rubber-band to indicate the vehicle's
orientation before movement. A vehicle diagram will now be
drawn at the start of the simulation.
The Program will prompt:
Indicate Waypoint
Click on a point where the vehicle must move to. The vehicle
will immediately turn its steering wheels toward the
indicated point and start moving in that direction. When the
steering wheels reach their maximum steering angle, the
vehicle will turn at its maximum steering angle, therefore
turning at its minimum turning radius, until the wheels can
be turned directly towards the waypoint.
The program will repeatedly ask for waypoints, running the
simulation from waypoint to waypoint, until you press Esc.

Reference 2-25
2-26 Civil Designer Turn
Tutorial 1 – Create a New Vehicle File
This tutorial will show you haw to create a user defined
vehicle group file. You will learn how to:
• Set up a project in Civil Designer / AllyCAD
• Create a new Vehicle Group file (*.vcl)
• Add a User defined vehicle to the file.

Tutorial 1 – Create a New Vehicle File 3-1

Set up a project
A project containing a drawing must be created before the
Turn functions can be used.
Select the File ► New Project option in any mode. Check the
[Drawing] option and in the File open dialog, specify the
drawing to be C:\CivDes63\Drawings\TrackTutor.drg and
press Open to enter the drawing name into the New Project
dialog.

Press OK and create a new project file with the following

name:
C:\CivDes63\Examplas\TrackTutor.cdp

3-2 Civil Designer Turn

Create a new Vehicle File
Open the Turn Setup dialog by selecting [Turn][Setup] from
the Design Center menu, or press the Setup button on the
Turn toolbar.

Press the File Open […] button next to the “Group File
Name”. Scroll to the “C:\CivDes63\Examples” directory and
type the file name “Tutor Vehicles.vcl” into the [File Name]
edit box.

Tutorial 1 – Create a New Vehicle File 3-3

 Press [Open] and create a new file. You will then be returned
to the Setup dialog.
You just created a new Vehicle group file. Note that the
Vehicle combo box in the Setup dialog is empty.

3-4 Civil Designer Turn

Add a user defined vehicle
We will now add a vehicle to the file. Press the [Add Vehicle]
button on the Setup dialog to display the Add Vehicle dialog.
Specify the new vehicle name and type as follows:

Press OK to create the vehicle and open the Vehicle

dimension dialog.
Edit the Vehicle dimensions as follows:

Press OK to return to the Setup dialog. The new vehicle will

now be added to the Vehicle group file and therefore be
included in the [Vehicle] combo box. Make sure that the “23
m Interlink” is selected. Press OK to close the Setup dialog.
In this tutorial we created a Vehicle file called “Tutor
Vehicles.vcl” which includes a single vehicle called “23 m
Interlink”.

Tutorial 1 – Create a New Vehicle File 3-5

3-6 Civil Designer Turn
Tutorial 2 – Run a forward simulation
In this tutorial we will use the vehicle file created in Tutorial
1 and run a forward simulation.
You will learn how to:
• Edit the Turn setup
• Define the track path
• Run the simulation
• Add a Vehicle profile

Tutorial 2 – Run a forward simulation 4-1

Edit the Turn Setup
Select the Turn ► Setup option or press the Setup button on
the Turn toolbar. Make sure the “TutorVehicles.vcl” file is
open and the active vehicle is the “23 m Interlink”.
Change the Coordination Interval and Simulation Type to
“0.5m” and “Track Path” respectively.
Check the Draw Vehicles at control points option to draw a
vehicle diagram at every control point on your track path.
Change the rest of the dialog as follows:

We are changing the Layer names because we will be

running a Reverse simulation in a later exercise.

4-2 Civil Designer Turn

Define the track path
The track path is already drawn on the TrackTutor.drg
drawing and is situated on the TURN_CL layer. There are
two track paths on the drawing, a forward path (indicated by
a green arrow) and a reverse path (indicated by a blue
arrow).
Select the Turn ► Define Path ► Manual Tracking option from
the Design Centre menu, or left click on the Define Path
button on the Turn toolbar.

You will be prompted:

Select the road centre line one element at a
time
Start at the green arrow and click on each track path
element. Right click to indicate the end of the path.
The program will now calculate coordinates at 0.5 m
increments along the specified path. These coordinates will
be kept in memory until you run Define Path again.

Tutorial 2 – Run a forward simulation 4-3

Run the Simulation
Select the Turn ► Run Simulation option from the Design
Centre window, or press the Run Simulation icon on the
Turn toolbar. The vehicle will move along the track path and
leave behind the tracks of the vehicle’s wheels.
The Simulation Results dialog will be displayed auto-
matically.

You can use the graph to see exactly at which point any of
the limiting angles (as specified in the Dimension dialog)
were exceeded. Press the Print button to print the results.

4-4 Civil Designer Turn

 Your drawing should now look like this.

The tracks generated by the simulation are poly-lines. You

can therefore select and move them to fit within the curb
lines.

Tutorial 2 – Run a forward simulation 4-5

Add a Vehicle Profile
A Vehicle profile is a drawing similar to that of the Vehicle
dimension dialog.
Select the Turn ► Add Profile option or press the Add Profile
button on the Turn toolbar.
You will be prompted:
Indicate position for vehicle profile
Indicate a suitable position by left clicking on the drawing.
At the prompt
Convert Attributes to Text during load
press YES. You will now be given the opportunity to move
and rotate the profile.
Your drawing should now look like this:

4-6 Civil Designer Turn

Tutorial 3 – Run a Reverse simulation
In this tutorial we will use the vehicle file created in Tutorial
1 and run a forward simulation.
You will learn how to:
• Edit the Turn setup
• Define the track path
• Run the simulation

Tutorial 3 – Run a reverse simulation 5-1

Edit the Turn Setup
Select the Turn ► Setup option or press the Setup button on
the Turn toolbar. Make sure the “TutorVehicles.vcl” file is
open and the active vehicle is the “23 m Interlink”.
Change the Coordination Interval and Simulation Type
settings to “0.5m” and “Swept Path” respectively. Change
the Simulation Direction to “Reverse.”
Check the Draw Vehicles at control points option to draw a
vehicle diagram at every control point on your track path.
Change the rest of the dialog as follows:

We are changing the Layer names because the program

automatically deletes the specified layers in the [Envelope
drawing settings] group, before running a new simulation.

5-2 Civil Designer Turn

Define the track path
The track path is already drawn on the TrackTutor.drg
drawing and is situated on the TURN_CL layer. There are
two track paths on the drawing, a forward path (indicated by
a green arrow) and a reverse path (indicated by a blue
arrow).
Select the Turn ► Define Path ► Manual Tracking option or left
click on the Define Path button on the Turn toolbar.

The program will prompt:

Select the road centre line one element at a
time
Start at the blue arrow and click on each track path element
and right click to indicate the end of the path.
The program will now calculate coordinates at 0.5 m
increments along the specified path. These coordinates will
be kept in memory until you run Define Path again.

Tutorial 3 – Run a reverse simulation 5-3

Run the Simulation
Select the Turn ► Run Simulation option or press the Run
Simulation icon on the Turn toolbar. The vehicle will move
along the track path and leave behind the area that the
vehicle consumed.
The Simulation Results dialog will be displayed
automatically.

You can use the graph to see exactly at which point any of
the limiting angles (as specified in the Dimension dialog)
were exceeded. Press the Print button to print the results.

5-4 Civil Designer Turn

 Your drawing should now look like this.

The envelope generated by the simulation consists of poly-

lines. You can therefore select and move the envelope to fit
within the building lines.

Tutorial 3 – Run a reverse simulation 5-5

5-6 Civil Designer Turn
Tutorial 4 – Cargo Tracking
This routine enables you to simulate a vehicle with a cargo
that extends beyond the body of the vehicle. The cargo’s
limits can be specified and will be tracked when running the
next simulation.
In this tutorial you will learn how to:
• Edit the Setup dialog.
• Specify the cargo limits.
• Turn the cargo limits.

Tutorial 4 – Cargo Tracking 6-1

Edit the Setup dialog
Select the Turn ► Setup option or press the Setup button on
the Turn toolbar. Make sure the “TutorVehicles.vcl” file is
open and the active vehicle is the “23 m Interlink”.
Check the Apply Cargo point Tracking check box in the
Drawing Envelope Settings group.
Specify a pen colour for the Cargo Line.
Set the Simulation Type to “None” and the Simulation
Direction to “Forward”.

Cargo tracking can also be done in conjunction with any

Simulation type (i.e. Track Path, or Swept Path).

6-2 Civil Designer Turn

Specify the cargo limits
Press the Designer button on the Setup dialog to display the
Cargo point Tracking dialog.
A diagram of the active vehicle will be drawn in the view area
of the dialog. You can alter the view by magnifying [M], de-
magnifying [D], panning [P], redrawing [R] or refreshing [S].
The cargo that we will simulate is situated on the first trailer,
and extends 1.5 m beyond the front axle of the tractor.
Check the Trailer 1 radio button in the Cargo Location
group. The first trailer will be highlighted in a cyan pen.
Enter the H-Coord as “1.2”, which indicates that the cargo is
situated on the right hand side of the trailer. Enter the V-
Coord as “–1.5”, which means that the cargo is situated 1.5 m
in front of the tractor’s front axle.

You can also indicate the cargo position by using your mouse
as well as jumping to the nearest point using the “J” key. A
blue circle indicates the cargo position.
Press OK to return to the Setup dialog.

Tutorial 4 – Cargo Tracking 6-3

Track the cargo limits
Define the correct track path as in Tutorial 2.
Select the Turn ► Run Simulation option or press the Run
Simulation icon on the Turn toolbar.

The vehicle will move along the track path and leave behind
a line, which represents the position of the defined cargo
position along the path.

6-4 Civil Designer Turn

Tutorial 5 – Minimum Turning Circle
This function enables you to create a minimum turning circle
envelope. The vehicle will move in a specified direction and
then turn at its maximum steering angle.
In this tutorial you will learn:
• Edit the Minimum Turning Circle setup.
• Create a Minimum Turning Circle envelope.

Tutorial 5 – Minimum Turning Circle 7-1

Edit the Minimum Turning Circle Setup.
Select the Turn ► Minimum Envelope option or left click on the
Minimum Envelope icon on the Turn toolbar. The Minimum
Turning Envelope dialog will be displayed.

The Coordination Interval and Simulation Type options are

exactly the same as in the main Setup dialog.
The Simulation direction option can be set to either
“Forward” or “Single Unit Reverse”. This means that you
may create an envelope with the vehicle running forward,
but it may only reverse if there are no trailers connected to it.
Refer to the following illustrations for the explanation of the
Turning Direction and Turn Through options.

Turn Through: 90 deg.

Turn Direction:
LEFT

Initial Direction of movement

7-2 Civil Designer Turn

 Turn Direction:
Turn Through: 180 deg.

T LEF
Initial Direction of movement

Press OK to close the Minimum Turning Envelope dialog.

Tutorial 5 – Minimum Turning Circle 7-3

Create a Minimum turning circle Envelope
The program will prompt:
Indicate Start point of minimum turning
circle envelope
Indicate the position where you want the vehicle to start the
movement.
The program will then prompt
Indicate direction of initial movement
A line will be drawn from the indicated starting point to the
current cursor position. Use this line to indicate the direction
at which the vehicle must start moving.
The active vehicle will then move in the indicated direction
and turn at its maximum steering angle in the specified
direction, through the specified angle.
You can select and move the envelope and use it as a
template.

7-4 Civil Designer Turn