Place Exit Panel

Allows you to place an exit panel.

Note: To create a custom exit panel using CAD functionality see Creating Custom Exit Panels in CAD.

Select Exit Panel Dialog Box

Panel Information Section

Displays the panel style, drawing units, and M.U.T.C.D. Edition of the currently selected panel.

Note: The M.U.T.C.D. Edition determines the choice of exit panel templates under Browse for Exit Panel (e.g. if the current M.U.T.C.D. Edition is the 1988 one, the M.U.T.C.D. 2003 Edition exit panel templates will not display under Browse for Exit Panel). For information on how to specify the M.U.T.C.D. Edition, see Program Settings' General - Design Category.

Browse for Exit Panel

Allows you to select an exit panel library and an exit panel.

Note: User created exit panels display with the custom graphic in the browse tree.

Number of objects to display

Allows you to specify the number of exit panels displayed in the preview area below.

Preview Area

Displays the preview of the exit panels contained in the route shield library that is currently open under Browse for Exit Panel.

Button	Option	Click to...
	Previous / Next	Preview the next / previous group of exit panels.
	Zoom In / Zoom Out	Zoom the selected exit panel to the full viewing area.
	Information	Get information on the selected exit panel.

About Exit Panels

Exit panels consist of a single cell (or block) composed of a nested panel and one or more text strings or symbols. The only difference between an exit panel and a sign panel is that when a panel created with an exit panel style is updated, the panel and any text or symbols contained in its range are enclosed inside a cell (or block). This allows you to manipulate exit panels as single objects.

When an exit panel is placed using the Place Exit Panel tool, the panel component is automatically updated to accommodate exit numbers or to match corner radii with the sign it is placed in. This update is done using the style originally used to create the exit panel.

Before an exit panel can be edited, the complex status must first be dropped (the block exploded).

The categories of exit panels provided are described below.

Exit Panel Categories

Exit Number Panels

Are separate panels located outside the sign, usually at the upper-left or upper-right corner.

Contain exit numbers. The color and border match the sign.

Automatically relocate when the sign is updated, to maintain their relative position.

Exit Only Panels

May be located:

anywhere inside a sign (i.e. floating);
across either the top or bottom of a sign; or
inside one of the four corners

Usually contain the message 'EXIT ONLY' and may contain arrows. They are usually yellow with rounded corners.

Update automatically with the sign (except floating types) so the corner radii match.

Left Exit Panels

Are similar to Exit Only Panels except that they contain the message 'LEFT EXIT'.

Examples

Examples of exit panels are shown below.

Exit number panel example

Exit only panel example

Editing an Exit Panel Style

A quick change to an exit panel can be accomplished by simply editing the style used to create one of the supplied exit panels. This could be used to create an exit panel with no bottom border, for example, or to change the panel color or border thickness.

To Determine the Style Used For an Exit Panel:

Place an exit panel.
Drop the exit panel’s complex status (explode the block).
Click Update Existing Panel on the GuideSIGN toolbar or ribbon, and then click a point inside the exit panel.
The panel style displays under Panel Information.
Close the dialog box, and then delete the exit panel.

Note:

Once the exit panel style is edited, subsequent placement of any exit panel using the edited style will reflect the changes.
Only changes made to the Panel, Border, and Margins categories will be reflected when an exit panel is placed.
Changing the style will not change the text and symbols in the exit panel, nor will it change the appearance of the exit panels displayed in the dialog box. This would require replacing the exit panel in the library.

Creating an On-the-Fly Exit Panel

If the desired arrangement of text and symbols is not available in any of the supplied exit panels, a new exit panel can be created on the fly, without using the Place Exit Panel tool. This is done by carrying out the same steps as are used to create any sign panel.

Setting the Panel Type for the Exit Panel Style

The options for a panel type are listed in the following table.

Tab	Use for exit number panels located outside the sign, usually at the upper-left or upper-right corners.
Floating	Use for exit only or left exit panels that can be placed anywhere in a sign panel.
Top Bottom	Use for exit only or left exit panels that attach to the top or bottom of a sign and extend across the full width.
Top Left Top Right Bottom Left Bottom Right Left Right	Use for exit only or left exit panels that attach to one of the corners of a sign.

To Create an On-the-Fly Exit Panel:

Click Panel Styles on the GuideSIGN toolbar or ribbon.
From the Panel Style Type list, select Exit Panels, select an exit panel and then click OK.
Click Place New Panel on the GuideSIGN toolbar or ribbon.
Place a new panel outside of any sign, setting the initial width and height larger than required.
Click Program Settings on the GuideSIGN toolbar or ribbon.
Select the Locks - Design category.
Clear the Auto Update Panel and Auto Place Dimensions check boxes, and then click OK to apply the changes.
Place the desired text and/or symbols in the panel.
Click Update Existing Panel on the GuideSIGN toolbar or ribbon, click in the panel and then click OK to update the sign panel.

Positioning an On-The-Fly Exit Panel

After an on-the-fly exit panel has been created, it can be positioned in or next to a sign.

For Tab types, use the CAD move function to move the exit panel close to the correct location (usually above the sign). Then use Move Single Object with snap mode set to Snap To Panel to snap the exit number panel into the desired position.
For Floating types, use the CAD move function to move the exit panel into the sign. Then use Move Single Object with snap mode set to Snap To Objects to snap the exit panel into the desired position relative to the other objects in the sign.
For Top, Bottom, Top Left, etc. types, use the CAD move function to move the exit panel so it is overlapping the sign. Update the sign using Update Existing Panel. The exit panel will position automatically.

Creating Custom Exit Panels in CAD

Since most users want to add to or modify the exit panel libraries supplied with the software, you may begin by copying the original library to a new user defined library file (see also Adding Objects to Custom Libraries).

You are recommended to store custom exit panel libraries in appropriate folders. For information on the structure of the exit panel folders created by the software in the Contents User folder, see Customizing GuideSIGN Plus -> Saving User Created Content.

Note: For the purpose of consistency, an exit panel library should contain exit panels created using the same units and M.U.T.C.D. Edition.

To Create a Custom Exit Panel:

Create an exit panel.
Drop the complex status of the exit panel (i.e. explode the AutoCAD/BricsCAD block).
Add/remove text/symbols, etc., as desired.
Add the new exit panel to the user defined exit panel library (see Adding Objects to Custom Libraries).

To Add Exit Numbers:

Click Place Highway Text on the GuideSIGN toolbar or ribbon.
Click Advanced to specify different fonts (letter series) and heights for the exit numbers and letter designation components in the same text string (see Highway Text - Advanced). Exit numbers must be designated as an 'X' so that the software can recognize the exit panel's exit number. When the exit panel is placed, the 'X' and letter designation will be replaced with the exit number and letter designation specified in the Edit Exit Panel dialog box.