EgressChecker

Stop manually drawing and offsetting polylines. EgressChecker automatically calculates valid shortest paths, avoids obstacles, and draws isodistance zones directly in your DWG.

Core concept

The three pillars

EgressChecker bridges the gap between complex analytical geometry and simple 2D AutoCAD linework.

🏢

Boundaries

Define the exact area you want to analyze. By limiting the scan to a specific wing or compartment, the algorithm runs incredibly fast and ignores irrelevant geometry.

🚶

Clearance

Simulates human shoulder width. The tool automatically thickens all walls and obstacles by half this width, ensuring the calculated path never scrapes against a wall or passes through gaps that are too narrow.

🌊

Wavefront Solver

A sophisticated Theta* algorithm floods the grid like water. It calculates true straight-line distances (no zigzag grid artifacts) to find the absolute shortest path from any point to the nearest exit.

Home base

The Palette

The EgressChecker palette is your command center. Set your parameters, scan the drawing, and generate visual results.

  1. 1.Select your active boundary and see exactly how many obstacles and exits were found.
  2. 2.Adjust the clearance and raster precision. The tool will warn you if your grid cells are too large for your clearance.
  3. 3.Once scanned, use the Results section to draw the longest path, check specific start points, or generate colored isodistance zones.
🏃 EgressChecker☰
Boundary
Ground Floor ▼
Clearance
60

CompanionBits

Step by step

Workflows

Select a scenario to see how to use EgressChecker effectively.

Before you can scan, you need to draw a boundary and mark your exit doors.

  1. Click New boundary to draw a rectangle around your floor plan.
  2. Click Add exit point and click on the locations of your doors/exits.
  3. In the palette, select your newly created boundary from the dropdown.

Set your parameters and start the calculation. EgressChecker maps the interior and calculates all distances.

  1. Set your required Clearance (e.g., 60 cm for a standard person).
  2. Set your Raster precision — smaller means more accurate, larger means faster.
  3. Click Start scan The tool will now map the interior and calculate all distances.
Tip: For a 60 cm clearance, a grid size of 10–12 cm is the sweet spot for both speed and accuracy.

Once the scan is complete, find the absolute worst-case point in your building with one click.

  1. Click Longest path The tool instantly draws a polyline from the absolute furthest reachable point right to the nearest exit.
  2. The exact distance in drawing units is shown in the palette.
Tip: Use this result directly in your fire safety report or permit application.

Need to know the distance from a specific desk or room?

  1. Click Pick start and click anywhere in your drawing.
  2. The shortest valid path to the nearest exit will be drawn immediately as a polyline.

Want to see everything within a specific travel distance? EgressChecker generates semi-transparent colored hatches.

  1. Enter the desired distance in the zone field (e.g., 30).
  2. Click Draw zone EgressChecker will generate a semi-transparent colored hatch covering all walkable areas within that exact travel distance.
  3. Create multiple zones at different distances for a complete heatmap.
Tip: Zones are drawn on a separate layer so you can easily toggle visibility.

Under the hood

Grid Precision vs. Clearance

Finding the balance between speed and accuracy.

EgressChecker converts your drawing into a smart grid. The 'Raster precision' defines the size of these grid cells.

If your cells are too large, narrow doorways might accidentally be blocked due to rounding. To prevent this, the tool uses a mathematical safety rule:

Maximum Cell Size = (Clearance / 4) - 2

The palette actively monitors your sliders. If you set a precision that violates this rule, a warning will appear. For a 60 cm clearance, a grid size of 10 to 12 cm provides the perfect balance of instant calculation and high accuracy.

Demo

EgressChecker in action

A short demonstration of the full workflow — from setting up a boundary to rendering isodistance zones.

Ready to calculate egress routes?

Try EgressChecker free for 14 days — no credit card required.

Plan a demo