Topic: Constrain WB-67 Interstate Semitrailer to turning path

[Dommy2Hotty]

I'm trying to make a dynamic block of a WB-67 Interstate Semitrailer.  What I have so far is the correct sizing for the truck & trailer and what I believe to be the correct turning radii.  I also have independantly rotating cab & trailer.  Is there a way to move the cab to any point of of the turn and have the trailer follow and rotate along trailer turning radius?

[jnieman]

Not with just a dynamic block, no.

I don't even know how you'd do it programmatically without just redrawing the whole block after the user inputs the point for the cab, but I'm also not a programmer.

You'd have to be able to associate a point or object to always be coincident with another object (centerline) and I don't think that could happen.

[Dommy2Hotty]

Well, I did send my contact info to Transoft for the AutoTurn product...used it yesterday, liked what I saw...

http://www.transoftsolutions.com/ProductTmpl.aspx?product=AT

[architecture68-raff]

There is a free open source program called turn.lsp that you may want to check out before you spend any money.
http://www.hawsedc.com/gnu/turn.php

I've never used it personally, but I've heard of others using it as an alternative to Autoturn.

[jnieman]

heh

we print out our site plan to scale, and print out the little drawing of the turning radius that goes with DOT guidelines and just sort of over-lay it and see if it works

It's kind of like playing with paper dolls, but hey, it works.

[Dommy2Hotty]

heh

we print out our site plan to scale, and print out the little drawing of the turning radius that goes with DOT guidelines and just sort of over-lay it and see if it works

It's kind of like playing with paper dolls, but hey, it works.

Would I be able to get a copy of that template?

[jnieman]

heh

we print out our site plan to scale, and print out the little drawing of the turning radius that goes with DOT guidelines and just sort of over-lay it and see if it works

It's kind of like playing with paper dolls, but hey, it works.

Would I be able to get a copy of that template?

Boss is at lunch for now, I'll ask if he has those transparencies.  He got them from the civil firm we usually sub our site work to.  I'll post back later if we can dig 'em up.

[Dommy2Hotty]

Boss is at lunch for now, I'll ask if he has those transparencies.

What are those??? I'm only 27...

[jnieman]

Boss is at lunch for now, I'll ask if he has those transparencies.

What are those??? I'm only 27...

I'm 24, man!  I don't know what you call them, but I'm talking about the 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of plastic that are see-through, and used mainly for overhead projectors, like teachers used before Powerpoint.

We print the turning radii stuff on the transperancy, then overlay it over our site plan, plotted to match the transparency scale... then we just kind of maneuver it around and make sure it fits decent enough.  Wasn't able to find them though... may have given them back to the other company already.

Did find the same image online, though. 

[jonesy]

Well, I did send my contact info to Transoft for the AutoTurn product...used it yesterday, liked what I saw...

http://www.transoftsolutions.com/ProductTmpl.aspx?product=AT

If thats anything like our "Autotrack" its a great product... good fun too, driving a big truck, and trying to reverse it.

[Dommy2Hotty]

I'm 24, man!  I don't know what you call them, but I'm talking about the 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of plastic that are see-through, and used mainly for overhead projectors, like teachers used before Powerpoint.

I was just kidding!  But thank you for the image, that will help.

[jnieman]

We just don't do parking lots often enough to warrant buying a product... heck the company we give our decent sized site work to is a small business (2 engineers, one designer, and a survey crew of 2) and they use the transparency method because they try to cut costs and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"