The Autodesk® Vehicle Tracking software is an extensive transportation analysis and design solution for vehicle swept path analysis, parking lot layouts, and roundabout design. In this blog, I will examine how to create and edit parking lots using various row options.
All parking layouts are created in accordance with defined rules or standards. The Parking Standard Explorer holds a number of such standards from several countries. The Parking Standard Explorer command is found in the Parking panel of the Vehicle Tracking tab, as shown above.
When the command is launched, the Parking Standard Explorer dialog box opens. All standards are grouped by nationality, and custom standards can be created as well. By right-clicking on a specific standard, you can view, edit a copy, or create a new standard.
Once you have identified which standard will be used, set this standard as default for creating parking layouts. This can be changed anytime.
Creating Rows
There are two options for creating new parking lot rows: New Row and Parallel Row. Both are found in the New Row drop-down list on the Parking panel of the ribbon, as shown below.
When launching either the New Row or the Parallel Row command, the Parking Row Properties dialog box opens, as shown below. In this dialog box, set the following:
- Type of bay being used
- Whether the bay is Left only, Right only, or on Both sides
- Type of car being used
- Flow direction of the vehicles
The Islands & Footpaths area of the Parking Row Properties dialog box determines the following, as shown below:
- Whether footpaths are used
- The width of the footpaths
- Whether islands are being added
New Row
For the New Row command, begin the layout by clicking end points of the parking lot. As you draw the parking lot (as shown below), the Parking Row Properties dialog box stays open for you to add adjustments as you continue.
Parallel Row
If you want to add rows parallel to other objects, use the Parallel Row option. Launch the command and select an object in the drawing to add a parallel row to, as shown below on the left. Once the object is selected, the row will be forced to stay parallel. Click in the drawing to place the parallel row. You can select closed polylines to add parallel rows to multiple segments, as shown below on the right.
Editing Rows
There are several ways a parking row can be modified:
- Adjust the parking standards.
- Edit the parking row properties.
- Edit the parking bay properties.
- Edit the parking island properties.
- Adjust the row using grips.
- Join, extend, or add a vertex.
The Edit Parking Row Properties, Edit Parking Bay Properties, and Edit Parking Island Properties are all found in the Parking panel of the ribbon, as shown below. To launch the Parking Row Properties dialog box, start the command and select the parking row to update. Adjust the properties you wish to change and click to see updates.
For the Parking Bay Properties dialog box, start the command, select the row to update, and then select the bay to update. Click the ellipses (…) button next to Bay type to adjust what is seen in the drawing, as shown below.