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Full-Vehicle Analysis: Path Optimization

Setup → Vehicle Environment → Path Optimization
For the Path Optimization the so-called 'snake' approach is used: A snake is an energy minimizing, deformable spline influenced by constraint and image forces that pull it towards object contours and internal forces that resist deformation, see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_contour_model.
 
For the option:
Do the following:
Input Road Data File
Specify the road data file to be optimized. The file can be any of the .xml, .drd or .rdf format
Output Path File Name
Specify the location and name for the optimized file which would be created by path optimization routine. The output file will always be in the .drd format irrespective of the format of input road data file
Vehicle Width [m]
Specify vehicle width in meters.
Corner Cutting Coefficient
Specify Corner Cutting Coefficient. This value should be between 0 and 1. The default value is 1. A value of 1 allows any path keeping the vehicle width within the specified path width. A value of 0 allows only the road centerline (so no optimization is possible). Intermediate values have a linearly varying effect on which paths are allowed between these extremes.
Path Distance Weight
Specify Path Distance Weight. This value should be positive and the default value is 0.001. Larger values penalize path length more heavily and so tend to produce shorter optimized paths which may have sharper curves.
Path Curvature Weight
Specify Path Curvature Weight. This value should be positive and the default value is 1. Larger values penalize path curvature more heavily and so tend to produce smoother optimized paths which may be longer.
Maximum Iterations
Specify Maximum number of Iterations. The default value is 500.
Path Calculation Precision
Specify Path Calculation Precision in meters. The default value is 0.001. Smaller values resolve the optimal path more precisely.
Track/Path Width [m]
Specify Track/Path width in meters. The default value is 10.0 meters. Omit to use width from road.
Path Point Spacing [m]
Specify Patch point spacing in meters. The default value is 5 meters.
Given the length of a road, the number of points used for the path is defined by the length of the road over the Path Point Spacing.
If the Point Spacing is too small, the 'freedom' of the algorithm to find an optimal path is restricted due to a large number of points. On the other hand, if the point spacing is too large, the geometry of the road may be lost. Therefore a spacing in between 2 and 5 m is preferred.