How to automatically place storage racks inside a room boundary and calculate the quantity in BricsC

Just a quick maybe answer you can use array to place the racks in some form of pattern. One way around the problem of edges was to use say Extrim to remove any objects that are touched or outside of a pline. So only the inners are retained. The control pline would be something you set. But it would use the offsets that you hinted at like forklift path. Ok the secret you over populate the racks that is where extrim comes in for say a non square warehouse. The quantity is actually the easy part as racks are blocks, and can be found in individual areas.

If you provide a sample dwg just need a rectang block 1350x1200 for testing, the dwg should match a real warehouse shape and show the arrangement of racks within areas of the warehouse, show forklift width offset width from edges etc. So a before floor plan and a after result.

It may not be a one go solution but still much faster than array and erase.

Oh yeah a lisp answer.

I've seen 3rd party apps for car park design, which is a similar problem to yours.

Missed the dwg attached, thanks, so had a look a couple of ideas, if you look at the racks for me the patterns, in 3d view

top left 1,1,1

right 2,2,1

bottom 1,1,2+,1,1

The numbers meaning a single row, a dbl row, a 2+ dbl row with a gap. then see if they fit within the boundary area.

Will have a think about it. playing with dwg made a rectang that could be arrayed/copied it matches the 1350x1200. But its not 3D. Maybe start with pick 1st corner top left pick 2nd point for distance and angle. Can then draw what fits within correctly for that distance.

Ok so start points need to be in some areas offset to allow for structural components, ie a dummy line. The red pline is the rack.

So before I go further and add more columns of racks is that ok juliette ?

I often do the same sort of thing, and still do it manually. Though, I have longed for a utility to make it easier.

I think using a dynamic array can be part of the process. But, there would likely be a few different techniques used. One of the challenges is that the rack system often has a single column of racks on the perimeter. But central rows have two rows of racks with their backs against each other.

It would certainly take a program to do this sort of rack arrangements. Though, making it do 100% of the job would complicate it immensely. If it does 90% of the work, it would be very useful. Then, perhaps you would manually erase some rack positions, and then insert another variation of the block that shows that it has a passageway underneath (in places that permit that). In the refrigeration industry, we have to have space above some pallet rows for the evaporators. So, in those cases the top rack position cannot be used for pallets. So, that rack position can be a different block that notes this situation. Then there can be issues of existing doorways that must be kept clear.

As long as you have a utility that leaves you with a collection of blocks, you can add/remove block manually. Then BricsCAD can give you a list of the rack units in a BOM.

Thinking about such a program, rather that use the dynamic array, another possible programming approach is to consider how you might do it purely mathematically. Calculate the insertion point, and rotation of every rack. And once you have that list of coordinates, the program can insert the blocks.

-Joe

Civ3D has these two very fancy carpark dynamic blocks. Metric and imperial.

Part 2 did you give any thought to doing areas, of racking like the image I posted. And as suggested by others do multiple goes it would still be super fast compared to manually array and offset. Its not a hard lisp to code.