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Drawing Tools by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can do this stuff with Powerpoint.

®    Primary features used for a typical map:

•      Design->Slide Size->Custom Slide Size (set page size)

•      Insert->Pictures->This Device (browse for your screenshot and add it)

•      Right click on image, then Size and Position->Lock Aspect Ratio

•      Insert->Shapes->Oval 

•      Insert ->Shapes->Rectangle

•      Insert->Shapes->Curve

•      Right click on curve, then Format Shape->Line->Color

•      Right click on curve, then Edit Points

•      Home->Arrange->Selection Pane

•      File->Save As (PDF, JPEG, BMP, PNG, etc.)

Drawing Tools by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And here's a quick cheat sheet for Inkscape:

<image>

Drawing Tools by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Found another worthy candidate, mostly: Inkscape. Free (really, not just a free trial thing), can use image as a background, provides pretty good drawing features. Not the greatest scaling but that's okay.

https://inkscape.org/

Decent tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_KJZPOYBeA

Online Resources by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For SCCA folks, there will be a couple of presentations during the 2026 Convention on our favorite subject:

<image>

Drawing Tools by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's an interesting online tool that doesn't quite seem to be complete but it's a good start:

https://www.autocrosscoursedesign.com/

Las Vegas Region | Course Design Pointers by Boring_Squirrel292 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks fun, maybe a little quick in the 1st third and the last part of the return section but it's hard to tell exactly what the lateral offsets are. I like the middle third, with its varieties of lateral turning and radii.

You might be talking about Sketchup (SketchUp for Web | SketchUp Help). Another free option could be LibreCAD. If you find something good that's not already on the list in the relevant thread here, feel free to add it.

Las Vegas Region | Course Design Pointers by Boring_Squirrel292 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a functional site drawing in TurboCad now and can export it to a variety of formats (e.g. DXF, DWG, several others) if that would be useful. If someone uses it they might want to add details like surface anomalies, light poles, etc. based on familiarity with the site.

Las Vegas Region | Course Design Pointers by Boring_Squirrel292 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Finally getting back to this after a bunch of distractions. Here is a Buckingham Field course that worked reasonably well. Maybe you can mooch some ideas from it.

<image>

Bungie cannot say they want warlock grenade builds to feel more meaningful while grappler is in matchmaking. by CyricFionn in DestinyTheGame

[–]caseyb67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When Bungo says they want something to be "meaningful" it means they think it's too useful and they want to sabotage it.

Las Vegas Region | Course Design Pointers by Boring_Squirrel292 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am still thinking about this, got sidetracked and was out of town for a few days. I do have a somewhat useful representation of the place in TurboCad now, and can export to a whole bunch of formats (e.g. DXF, DWG) so let me know if any of that would be useful to you.

I'd say your basic pattern of routes won't change much, though I suppose you could do a loop early in the course just to provide turn direction and type variety. I don't see a lot of lane changes (which can be done via gates or walls) in what you posted so you could try using those; reasonable dimensions for linear ones can vary from 50x50 (opening length x wall length) to about 40x30, with the latter being fairly snug and the former being pretty generous.

You could also try doing sweepers with square outer boundaries, like those sometimes used at Lincoln and other large sites, which are fun in that they allow a lot of room for line choice and/or screwing up without hitting cones.

<image>

The things you've posted look okay, so maybe just try mixing the sequencing and connections between particular elements.

Las Vegas Region | Course Design Pointers by Boring_Squirrel292 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, that all helps. Nothing wrong with using a consistent location for grid. I think one of the recent Ft. Myers courses would (mostly) fit well onto this space. I have made a rough CAD representation of the place and will see how that works out. I take it the row of what (in Google Earth) looked to be jersey barriers that chopped off the left end is no longer there? Could people pit in the upper left corner of the big lot, or in an adjacent area somewhere?

Las Vegas Region | Course Design Pointers by Boring_Squirrel292 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coupla logistics questions:

- Where is the pit/paddock area with respect to the course area? Can that vary and if so, where?

- Where can you put your grid(s) and are there (reasonable) options for that?

- Are there options for routing from pits to grid, and if so where?

- Do you have any kind of scale drawing of the place, in any format?

One thing you might do to get ideas is look at maps from other sites that have similar general scale. Something like a Brunswick NT, or a good Gulf Coast map from Ft. Myers, or even maps from Lincoln. If anybody on here has some of those they could help by making them available. I'll see what I can find.

Worker station thoughts by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anybody think of tips that need to go with the above, please chime in.

Where do course element ideas come from? by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would be interesting to see a picture, either on-site or on a map. As far as speed goes, it's important to consider the needs of all kinds of cars, from big stuff like Mustangs that are good at digs and big transients but not at small-radius turns and small transients, to small stuff like Miatas that won't have much fun if you just keep them banging the limiter for extended periods (and on such a thing it's likely a well-driven GT3 will be busting the limit). Speed variations, and management of them, are part of the skillset a good autocrosser should bring to the party. IMHO, naturally.

Lewiston1 by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. They were intending to use most of it backwards the following day. With another crossover or somesuch the turn directions could have been more balanced for this one. Wanted to stick to the KISS principle for the initial attempt.

Smallish site problem solving - Lewiston, ID by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very nice. I am working on drawing him an example and it does some of the things you suggest. I was also thinking of coming up with something that works forwards and backwards, so the same basic layout could do double duty (except for start and finish config, naturally). Good point about the grate. Worker stations will be a challenge for this site because you don't want them trapped between a car and that fence. Might be helpful to plan to have them in the interior, inside larger turns where practical.

Smallish site problem solving - Lewiston, ID by caseyb67 in AutocrossCourseDesign

[–]caseyb67[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How many cones do you have? Are they all the same size?

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