Productivity in the fast lane with Transoft Solutions

An example of Transoft’s sign and road marking software in action.

GuideSIGN version eight has been released in Australia this month, with a multitude of upgrades and new features to facilitate simple, fast design of roadway and highway signs or markings.

The latest version of Transoft Solutions’s specialist road signage software, GuideSIGN version eight is now available across Australia pushing sign creation into the fast lane.

Transoft has developed innovative and easy to use software for transportation professionals since 1991. Transoft’s engineers work closely with the world leading agencies including Austroads to develop its specialised applications. GuideSIGN uses Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to create road and highway signs that meet Australian specifications within minutes, saving time and money for engineers on many projects. Version eight is available as the basic GuideSIGN product for sign design and in addition Transoft Solutions released GuideSIGN Plus featuring a sign planning module and pavement marking module.

The original GuideSIGN module for sign design has seen upgrades to Australian specific content and general improvements to usage. For version eight, Transoft Solutions focused on GuideSIGN Plus which includes significant upgrades to the sign planning module and a brand-new module for pavement marking. This module was enabled through Transoft Solutions’s acquisition of the British company Keysoft Solutions.

Wesley Butler, Civil Technologist at Transoft Solutions, says the sign planning software has been revamped to be a three-dimensional tool.

“Now you can take the signs you have created in sign design and view them in the sign planning module in a 3D format. You can also take standard signs from the library and view them in a 3D environment,” he says.

Sign planning also features a new system for the customisation of labelling, which can be designed to relevant standards. In future versions, this system will be the beginning of enabling the export of these designs to a Geographic Information System (GIS) format.

“We have also created sign plan templates which allow the user to place several signs at the click of a button in a common scenario. For example, if you are working on an intersection you can place all of the signs that are relevant to that area with one click,” Butler says.

For the new pavement marking module, Transoft Solutions has integrated this with the sign planning software. These can be used at the same time, in the same program, to implement all traffic lines, arrows or text needed on a roadway. GuideSIGN software is created to facilitate design efficiency using a panel style approach. When creating a sign, the user begins with a blank panel based on the standards required and this is populated with the text and symbols needed.

In the sign design module, Transoft Solutions has a library of panel styles that are based on the AS1743: 2018 Australian standard. For sign planning there is also a basic library of signs that adhere to the 2018 Australian standard, and for pavement marking the content is also created to Australian specification. Pavement marking also includes some of the unique New Zealand standard designs.

“Because the software is geared towards Australian standards, this means you don’t really have to know the standards inside out. A user can simply drag elements around and follow the prompts given by the system which will alert them if something is not to standard,” Butler says.

“The standard prompts are automated, making it easy to design an accurate sign that meets specification. But this can also be avoided using manual overrides if the user is looking for a more advanced application.”

Sign design is customisable so any of the arrows or symbols created in the software can be adjusted for alternate applications.

“Recently we created signs for social distancing in GuideSIGN, these did not need to adhere to road standards as we were communicating to pedestrians not drivers. The software can be completely flexible for applications such as this,” Butler says.

There are three different modules as part of the GuideSIGN version eight release, Sign Design, Sign Planning and Pavement Design.

All three modules are included under GuideSIGN Plus. The basic sign design module is purchased under GuideSIGN and finally the sign planning and pavement design modules are available separately under a package called SIGMA. Transoft Solutions can work with each user to design a licencing or purchase package that suits the needs of each project, whether that be for smaller or larger organisations.

For more information, please contact salesAPAC@transoftsolutions.com