Paths

Paths allow you to create systems for placing content and creating traffic control systems. Paths are represented by nodes that are linked together with segments forming the path. The Path App is used to create Paths. The Path App can be dragged around the workspace for more information see Workspace Management.

The Path App is located in the Content tab of the Fuzor App Menu. The Ctrl + Shift + P hotkey opens the Path App. This app is used to place new paths in your project and manage existing ones.

The Create Path button places the path that is currently selected using the associated radio buttons

There are 6 types of Paths used in Fuzor:

Vehicle paths allow you to create traffic systems for vehicle content

Pedestrian paths allow you to create traffic systems for pedestrian content

Equipment paths allow you to place equipment content along a path

Foliage Line paths allow you to place foliage content along a path

Foliage Area paths allow you to place foliage content within the area of a path.

Egress Route paths displays a route that can be used in videos. Egress routes are available in the Site Egress App.

For all path types multiple nodes are placed with subsequent clicks. Press ESC to finish placing nodes.

The Show Paths checkbox toggles visibility of paths

The Precise Collisions checkbox toggles whether precise math calculations are used for vehicle spacing along the path.

The Load Placement button loads an .env path placement file

The Export to File button in the path settings window saves the currently selected path as an .env. Select a path to open this menu.

For certain equipment there exists a Placement button in the Content Library App that allows you to place equipment along a path.

Once Created paths Appear in the Path List. Clicking an entry in the list will highlight the associated task in the 3D Scene. To select a path, use the checkbox associated with the name.

Use the Select / Deselect All button to toggle the checkboxes of all objects in the list.

The Delete Checked button removes all selected paths in the list.

The Export Selected button exports selected paths as an .env file

The Focus button moves the camera to view the highlighted path in the 3D View.

The Path Settings Menu opens when a node is selected. Some of the functions that are in the Path Settings menu perform operations on the currently selected segment. The currently selected segment is highlighted purple and is always connected to the currently selected node. Selecting the currently selected node again changes the segment. Each connected segment is selected once before returning to the original.

Each child or parent of a node with more than two attached segments is the beginning of a new section. Adding a parent or child node to a node inside of a section may divide an otherwise whole section in two. In the above example the two sections (left) make up one segment. The 3 diverging sections (Right) make up three segments.

The Segment Manipulation provides most of the control over path placement and management. There are four different functions that delete parts of your path depending on the segment that is selected.

The Delete Path button deletes all nodes in that path

The Delete Node button deletes the currently selected node.

The Delete Segment button deletes the segment currently selected segment

The Delete Section button deletes the currently selected section.

All nodes are functionally the same on an individual level. However, depending on what method is used to add them changes the relationship the place node has to the greater path system. When dealing with complex paths systems a following node is referred to as a child node. A preceding node is referred to as a parent node. This nomenclature makes it easier to understand nodes that may have multiple parents or children allowing for the merging of lanes in realistic traffic control systems. For placement paths parents and children are functionally the same.

Traffic always flows from the parent to the child. When creating the path, each consecutive node that is placed is added as a child.

The Add Parent Node button adds a parent Node to the currently selected Node. Subsequent clicks add additional parents to the last placed node.

The Insert Node in Segment button adds a node in between the nodes connected by the currently selected segment.

The Add Child Node button adds a child node to the currently selected node. Subsequent clicks add additional children to the last placed node.

The Move Node button moves the currently selected node.

The Move Path button moves the entire path

You can select objects that are bound to paths by clicking on them in the 3D view just like any other object. Multiple objects can be added to each path. If spacing is applied instanced objects will be considered separate.

The Path Settings menu has a tab designed to manage all of the objects bound to a path.

The Clear all button clears all of the objects on the path.

The Select all button selects all of the objects on the path.

The Add to Task button adds the selected content to the selected task.

There are functions in the Path Settings menu that are only available when a pedestrian or vehicle path is selected. These functions allow you more control over how the traffic is flowing through your path.

The Reverse Path button reverses the direction of the path.

The Disable Section button disables the currently selected section.

Pedestrian and Vehicle Paths allow you to automatically populate them with their respective content. Within the dropdown menu is an organized hierarchy of content that can be placed on the associated path. To select content, use the checkbox adjacent to its name.

The Populate button places all of the content that has been selected on the path.

The Speed and Position Randomness sliders allow for a slight difference in speed for vehicles on the path

The Approx. Number to Spawn textbox controls the amount of vehicles that are placed on the path when populate is used.

The Vehicles Respawn After controls the amount of time a vehicle will wait at the end of a section before respawning.

The Spacing textbox defines a padding distance between vehicles.

The Apply button next to Spacing applies the spacing to the path.

The Speed Limit button sets a speed limit to be applied to the path.

The Apply button under Speed Limit sets the speed limit on the selected segment.

The Apply to All button sets the speed limit for the entire path.

Pedestrian Paths allow you to control the speed of individual segments.

The Segment textbox controls the speed of the selected segment.

The Path textbox controls the speed of the entire path.

The Use Terrain Physics toggles whether the vehicles on the path use the terrain physics.

Disabling the Terrain Physics is a good option if the Terrain that path is placed on is uneven and vehicles on the path have noticeable issues traversing it. If the terrain physics is disabled vehicles will drive along the path segment lines. It is likely that more pins will be needed to smoothly navigate hills.

The Lane Control allows you to make additional lanes with a given path and control the speed of the selected segment, lane and entire system respectively.

Lanes are not always exact copies of the original. An inner corner has a shorter length than an outer as shown in the screenshot below. Left and Right lanes are defined by the direction of the path.

The Multi-Lane Left textbox controls the number of lanes to the left

The Multi-Lane Right textbox controls the number of lanes to the right.

The Custom Lane Width checkbox allows the user to enter a custom lane width. This may cause cars on the path with larger turn radius’s to no longer be able to make their turns

The Lane Width textbox controls the distance between lanes.

The Spacing textbox controls the distance between cars.

The Speed Limits control the speed of the selected segment, path or system. Lanes are considered separate paths from the original unless connected.

The Segment speed limit controls the speed limit for that segment

The Path speed limit controls the speed limit for that path and any other lanes connected to it.

The All Lanes speed limit controls the speed limit just for that segment

There are functions in the Path Settings menu that are only available when a Foliage Placement Path or an Equipment Placement Path is selected.

Equipment Paths allow you to control the spacing of content on the path.

The Spacing textbox defines the distance between content on the path.

The Fit to path button ensures that objects are evenly spaced on the path.

In addition to controlling spacing Foliage allows you to control the height and position of content on the path.

The Use Custom Height checkbox allows you to set a custom height with the adjacent textbox.

The Height Randomness slider control the variance in height of foliage on the path.

The Direction slider controls the base rotation.

The Randomize Direction slider controls the variance in rotation of content.

The Position Randomness slider controls the variance in position along the path.

The Randomize Offset slider controls the variance in position on the plane that the path is place on.

Foliage Paths allow you to automatically populate them with landscape content.

Within the dropdown menu is an organized hierarchy of content that can be placed on the associated path. To select content, use the checkbox adjacent to its name.

Site Egress Routes are a special type of path that can be used to demonstrate routing logistics. Site Egress Routes are not created or shown in the Path App. The Site Egress App is located in the Analysis Tab of the Fuzor App Menu. The Site Egress App can be dragged around the workspace for more information see Workspace Management.

Site Egress Routes are only visible when the path is open. Auxiliary apps can be opened from this menu.

The Create button creates a new path allowing you to place subsequent nodes.

The Vehicle Library button opens the Vehicle Library app to place vehicles on the path

The 2D Map button opens the 2D Map app showing the Egress route on the 2D Map.

Egress routes have a light error checking system to help users evaluate whether a specific egress route is a practical choice for their project. Obstructions are displayed in the egress route for each path in the project.

Denotes that there is an obstruction in the Site Egress Route

Denotes that there are no obstructions in the Site Egress Route.

Obstructions can be caused by objects in the way or a turn that is too tight with respect to the turning radius of the vehicle on the path.

When a Vehicle is placed on the path the turning radius is set based on the placed vehicle. If the turning radius is too small the turn will not be articulated and an obstruction appears in the Egress Route App.

Slight curbs may be read as obstructions if the tolerance of the path is too low for the situation at hand.

The Tolerance slider and checkbox allow the user to control the Tolerance. Similar to other path when an egress route path node is selected you have access to more settings to control the path. The tolerance Slider is located at the bottom of the Egress Route Settings Tab.

The Egress Route Settings contain additional settings the allow the user to customize the path even more.

The 2D Line Style controls the type of line that displays the edges of the path in the 2D Map.

Solid 2D Line Style

Dashed 2D Lines Style

Dotted 2D Line Style

Egress routes 3D Scene render is not affected by 2D Line Style.

Dot-Dashed Lines Style

Arrow Line Style

The Line Color pallet allows the user to select a color for the line in both the 3D Scene and the 2D map.

The Arrow Style drop down menu allows the user to control the arrows that animate on the path.

Triple Arrow Style

Basic Arrow Style

Arrows on the Site Egress Path animate along the path showing the route a vehicle would take.

The Arrow Color pallet changes the color of the arrows on the path

The Arrow Size textbox and slider control the size of the arrows on the path

The Arrow Height textbox and slider control the height of the arrow on the path. This setting is only available for Triple Arrow Style.

The Show Pins and Lines checkbox toggles whether The Pins and Lines on the path are visibly allowing the user to display just the arrows and the vehicle on the path.

The Ignore Collision checkbox toggles whether vehicle collisions are detected while the app is open.

Site Egress Routes can be visible in Flythrough. Use the Show Egress Routes checkbox in the construction tab to enable them.

There are multiple ways to have the construction schedule interact with different types of tasks. Vehicles, Equipment and Foliage can be added to Construction, Demolition, Temporary and Equipment Tasks. Segments of Vehicle tasks can be added to Traffic Tasks. For more general information about how to create tasks and their functionality see Object Assignment.

Use the Add To Task button to add all the objects on a path to a task.

When Vehicles or Equipment are added to Construction, Demolition and Temporary tasks it can be animated in Fuzor like any other object in the model. For more information see 4D Animations. This means that a stagger animation can be used to place row of barriers.

When Equipment is added to an equipment task an equipment animation can be selected to playback during the task’s duration. Objects can either stay visible after the end of the task or be removed.

Site Egress Paths can be added to Temporary Tasks. If added the associated egress path will be visible during the duration of the task regardless of whether the Site Egress Menu is open. The best way to assign an egress path to a task is to drag the egress path menu into the workspace so that the egress route is visible while 4D is open.

Segments of Vehicles and Pedestrian Paths can be added to Traffic Tasks. This allows the user to control the paths with the simulation schedule. Multiple segments can be added to each task allowing the user to control complex path systems and change traffic routing during the construction schedule.

With the Task and the Path segment selected use the Add to Task button in 4D