CadTools Vehicles

[StevenMc]

Hi,

I was wondering if it was possible to get a forklift in the vehicle turning simulation?

Cheers.

[Lars]

Hi!

I don't thinks so. That is an odd steering geometry and don't know how to handle that. I don’t think it’s impossible though. Probably it's easier than what I've done in the Vehicle turning command.

Maybe you could create a block with insertion point in the middle of the front axle and then use CadTools command "Draw from Coordinates", "Block at Station/Offset from polyline" to create a "Sweep". The front axle would always be perpendicular to the line I think.

Setting station to a low value would give a good result (0,3m). You could use Excel to create the stations, Excel is rather smart to use for filling a column with increasing values. Type in the two first values (0 and 0,3) and then drag down in the column.

[Robing]

Hey,

is it posible to modify the types of vehicles, I need the LZV, that's an extra long special vehicle up to 60 tons (see picture at the bottom)

To get type A, i can modify the Wheelbase of the last trailer to 10 cm to simulate a single axle, so that's quite allright, but i can't get type E in the program. So i was wondering if i can open the vehicle file with some program and add extra trailers to a lorry.

Thanks in advance!

[Lars]

Hi! It's not possible to edit a vehicle library in such manor that you can add new types. I'll add a new vehicle type that will deal with this kind of vehicles (Double Tow Bar). Some coding is needed so it might take a couple of days.

This will be available in CadTools next update. Bricscad and MSTurn will have it later.

/Lars

[Robing]

Wow!

Thanks for the quick reply.
If you need more information, the German Wiki provides the most information i can find:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroCombi

There's no hurry so please take your time. These vehicles are not allowed on all roads but according to the website they are getting more common in most European country's. I Just heared that vehicle type E is forbidden on Dutch roads so i just need type B, which i made from the double trailer with parameter WB3=0.1. But since the normal trailer has 2 axles, i don't know if these physics are correct.

I added a picture in the attachment of the correct physics of type B.

It's really great that the turning simulation is added to cad tools, i use it a lot Thanks!

[Lars]

It seems to me that you attached a image of type A?
Type A (Double tow bar semi) and type E (LZV, Trailer tow bar semi) will be in next update.

I'll also try to implement type B

/Lars

[Robing]

You're right, i mixed up 

It seems to be working great!
Other tools can modify the speed of the vehicle (greater speed is greater radius) but i assume CadTools uses speed almost 0?

Thanks!

[payre]

The forklift question has me thinking, wouldn't it turn in the same way that a rigid body vehicle would if it was reversing, and are the turn paths created for rigid vehicle traveling forwards also applicable for the the vehicle traveling in reverse?

[Lars]

Hi!

I've had same thought to and I agree, it should be the same path as rigid vehicle.
The problem is that you want to steer a specific path with the forklifts front axle (rigid vehicle back axle) but the software uses the front axle to follow the path. The back axle don't care about the path it just follows the vehicle
So even if the path is the same when reversing there’s no way to know how to draw a path that’s useful because the line you want to use as steering path is visible after calculation.

A simple solution to simulate a forklift is to create a block with insertion point in the middle of the forklift front an then insert it at small intervals (0.2) on a polyline. To do this you can use CadTools “Block at Station/Offset from polyline” (answer yes to rotate the block to tangent). I believe a forklift would behave like that.