Resolution Explanations
The horizontal resolution is the resolution at which Path Explorer evaluates elements along the horizontal plane. Interactions between elements (terrain features, generated paths, construction zones, etc.) that are less distant than the horizontal resolution are not guaranteed to be captured by Path Explorer.
A lower (more precise) resolution allows the program to consider more interactions between terrain elements. It also improves the quality of search results, since it affects Path Explorer's internal costing function. This comes at the trade-off of increased memory usage and running time. Higher (less precise) resolutions are useful if your computational resources are limited, if the problem is very large, or if you simply wish to obtain a preliminary result quickly.
Vertical resolution works in a similar way to horizontal resolution, but for the vertical plane. It is input as a categorical value (high, medium or low). The vertical distance used internally is automatically decided by Path Explorer based on your choice and other parameters (grade constraints, vertical offset constraints, horizontal resolution, etc.).
Curve/smoothing
Path Explorer generates polylines, not curves, and thus the generated paths are not smooth. In order to add curves, the workflow we recommend is to bring these paths in as horizontal alignments into Location. [[link to video/article]]
The curvature radius parameter tells Path Explorer generate paths that will adhere to the specified radius, once curves are added in. It interacts with the horizontal resolution, and for better results we typically recommend that your horizontal resolution be at last four times smaller than your curvature radius.
Resolution Ranges
Ideal ranges for horizontal or vertical resolutions differ significantly from project to project, and depend on requirements, available computational resources, and terrain specifications.
A useful strategy is to consider the "Estimated Problem Size" shown by Path Explorer before running. A Small or Medium problem will often be easy for Path Explorer to solve, or to find that no solution exists. A Very Large problem, on the other hand, could be intractable. Often, the ideal range can be found somewhere between Large and Very Large, but this is not a hard rule. For example, it is common for Very Large problems to be perfectly solvable, especially if your endpoints are close, or if you specify no-go zones around an area of interest to limit the area searched by Path Explorer.
We strongly recommend first using the Check Feasibility button to test different resolution configurations and determine which ones might be tractable by your computer, before committing significant amount of time for a complete search.
Data Security & Privacy:
Path Explorer, the AI-driven optimization tool within RoadEng, is proprietary technology. Because of its proprietary nature, we do not publicly disclose specifics about its internal algorithms or implementation.
Data Security and Privacy: Path Explorer and the broader RoadEng software do not log, store, or access user data beyond what is necessary to perform optimization within an open project. All processing occurs locally on the user’s machine, and no project data is transmitted outside the local environment, helping ensure the security and privacy of company information.