To make it possible to display a side view or profile picture of each vehicle in the vehicles dialog boxes, profile drawings must be available to AutoTURN Pro. Profile drawings are included with the software for all the supplied vehicles.

However, if you create a custom vehicle and wish to be able to do any of the following, then a profile drawing must be created:

• Specify dimensions for new vehicles created from the custom vehicle into the profile area, as with the supplied vehicles.
• See a profile view of vehicles created from the custom vehicle when selecting a current vehicle.
• Use the Insert Profile tool for vehicles created from the new custom vehicle (see Tools -> Insert Profile).

Creating a profile drawing is optional because AutoTURN Pro will automatically display a plan view if no profile drawing exists. However, the Insert Profile tool requires a profile drawing.

General Guidelines

• Orient drawings so that the vehicle points to the left and the middle of the vehicle on the wheelbase dimension line is at coordinate 0,0.
• A vehicle profile is a drawing of the vehicle in side view.
• A part profile is a drawing of an individual vehicle part in side view (e.g. a tractor or trailer in a semi-trailer configuration).
• AutoCAD/BricsCAD/ZWCAD: each profile drawing must exist as separate elements (i.e. not as a block) in a .dwg file.
• AutoTURN Pro can use AutoCAD version 2007 (and older) dwg format drawing files in MicroStation V8i. AutoTURN Pro will use cell files if MicroStation users prefer to create them; each profile must exist as a single cell in a separate cell library file.
• Any amount of detail can be included to represent the vehicle's profile as long as all lines and arcs representing the vehicle are drawn on the ATVEHICLE layer.
• For part profiles, the front and rear connector points for linking the part profiles together need to be specified by drawing a circle on the ATCONNECTION layer. The center of the circle is the linking point. This circle is for reference only - it will not be displayed or drawn by AutoTURN Pro.
• Save profile drawings of whole generic vehicles to Profiles User\Templates.
• Save profile drawings of individual vehicle parts to Profiles User\Parts.
• Save profile drawings of specific custom vehicles using the custom vehicle’s name to a folder with the same name as the custom library under Profiles User\Vehicles.
• User folders are generally found in %appdata%\Transoft Solutions\Common\Profiles User if the operating system installed on the computer is Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 8, Microsoft Windows 10, or Microsoft Windows 11.

Profile Layers/Levels

Drawings should be created with the following layer/level setup:

Layer/Level	Description
ATVEHICLE	All lines pertaining to the vehicle
ATDIMS	All dimension lines
ATTEXT	All dimension labels and text
ATCONNECTION	Front and rear connector circles to link part profiles

Profile Tags

Profile drawings must contain text elements called tags that tell AutoTURN Pro where particular vehicle dimensions or other parameters are to be placed. The tags are text strings of 2 or 3 characters that represent the various possible dimensions that can be applied to each vehicle part, and some that apply to the vehicle as a whole.

Note: A tag must be created as a single line object (e.g. using the TEXT or DTEXT command in AutoCAD).

For each vehicle part, use the following tags followed by a number indicating the part number:

Tag	Description
BF	Body Front Overhang
WB	Wheelbase
BL	Body Length
BP	Body Front to Pivot
CR	Rear Axle Group Center to Connector
WD	Width
TD	Maximum Telescoping Distance
CO	Cargo Front Overhang
RO	Cargo Rear Overhang
CL	Cargo Length
CW	Cargo Width
EW	Cargo Effective Wheelbase
CA	Cargo Articulating Angle
TR	Front Track
RT	Rear Track
LIB	Library Name
AA	Maximum Articulating Angle
MT	Minimum Centerline Turning Radius

Note: The cargo’s front overhang is measured from the bunk on the preceding part.

For the whole vehicle:

Tag	Description
LL	Lock to Lock Time
SA	Steering Lock Angle

Vehicle Profile Drawing - Part Numbering

Each part's tag includes a number corresponding to its part number.

Example of a typical vehicle profile drawing for a vehicle with two parts

Part Profile Drawing - Part Numbering

For trailer part profiles, use the "#" symbol after the tag for sequencing when you want to use the part multiple times in the same vehicle - AutoTURN Pro will replace the "#" symbol with the corresponding part number when the vehicle is displayed or drawn.

Example of a part profile drawing for a trailer