AutoTURN Online in Vectorworks: here's how it works

Vehicle turning radii are an important issue for professionals in the architecture and landscape industry. As a designer, you need to consider proper clearances in and around buildings, loading docks, firebreaks, roadways and parking lots.

Thanks to the integration of AutoTURN Online into Vectorworks this has become much easier. Anyone who has ever tried to maneuver their car into or out of a narrow parking space will be eternally grateful.

AutoTURN

AutoTURN Online is a tool for analyzing vehicle path and turning radius. Thanks to its integration into Vectorworks, you save time and money because you can detect errors in your design at an early stage.

With AutoTURN Online, you can simulate vehicle movements and determine whether there is enough room to turn, reverse and park based on accurate vehicle data. You can then download the analysis results into your Vectorworks file and use the geometry to prepare the required documentation for your projects. Design changes are tracked to quickly update analysis results. This allows you to design parking lots, parking garages, loading docks, driveways, fire sprinklers and emergency lanes faster and more accurately.

How does AutoTURN work in Vectorworks?

AutoTURN Online is available directly in Vectorworks through a web palette giving you a simple and seamless workflow for studying vehicle turning radii and driving paths. To use AutoTURN Online, open the web palette and create an account or log in if you already have one.

Then you go into Vectorworks to the 'Architecture' or 'Landscape' menu bar and select 'AutoTURN Online' and then 'Subscribe to AutoTURN Online'. Select 'Send design to AutoTURN Online' to run the vehicle simulation. Files are then transferred, allowing easy data exchange and future access to files. Click 'Close and Retrieve Analysis' to receive the completed analysis. Data and images can now be inserted back into the Vectorworks drawing.

What about AutoTURN Pro?

For designers who often work with turning circles and vehicle movements, there is a more comprehensive version called AutoTURN Pro. It offers many more options to make your design as detailed and accurate as possible. For example, you have access to more than 500 vehicles, from snowplows to fire trucks and bulldozers with accurate data on the space they need to maneuver. Moreover, you can simulate from all these vehicles not only turning circles, but also various forward and backward movements. Finally, all these vehicles also look realistic in plan view.

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Get acquainted with the software through Design Express.