New Features

New Functionality in VISSIM 5.20/ Pedestrian flow simulation

We are pleased to introduce you the release of VISSIM 5.20 with helpful functions and amendments. It is availabe since September 2009.

The highlights are:

New dialog for selecting 3D objects, displaying all attributes (e.g. states, levels of detail, axle and coupling positions) in a 3D preview.

The utilisation of macroscopic statistical assignments from VISUM as a starting solution for the dynamic assignment in VISSIM.

Our extended graphical signal time editor, which can be used to define stages and stage transitions constituting on an intergreen matrix and hence create pretimed signal programs or PUA files for VAP. (Add-on module VISSIG or part of VAP).

A 64 bit edition for very large networks (add-on module).

In the add-on module for pedestrian simulation there has also been an upgrade. The focus lies on the simulation of boarding and alighting at stops.

Further improvements in VISSIM 5.20 are:

An interface to Siemens-SCOOT.
Acceleration of the analyzer.
Direct import of SketchUp 3D models (Google Earth).
Many additional 3D models (car, truck, motorcycles and aircrafts).

Furthermore, many smaller improvements make it more user-friendly. Let yourself be surprised!

Pedestrian flow simulation in VISSIM - New Features

Since the VISSIM 5.1 release there is a new add-on module for pedestrian simulation in VISSIM. The still emerging and extensive module has been extended distinctly since the release of its own service packs. Emphasis has to be put on the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians, as well as a function which can be used to simulate the behaviour in queues.
Amongst other things, the illustration of the bystanders' walking behaviour on escape routes for “Das Fest“ in Karlsruhe and for a stadium in Germany is also included in application projects, as well as the simulation of the transfer behaviour of passengers in the North Melbourne Station Australia.

What is the difference compared to the previous existing pedestrian functionality?

Before the release of VISSIM 5.1 it was possible to integrate pedestrians in a restricted scope. Pedestrians were thus restricted to links and followed the dynamic vehicle model of Rainer Wiedemann. An example of such an application can be found here.

In the new add-on, pedestrians can move freely in two dimensions. They thus follow the Social Force Model of Prof. Helbing from the ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich). This makes it possible for example, to simulate the opposing flow situation, as lanes are created dynamically and can be destroyed again. A current version of the above example at the Brandenburger Tor can be found here.

Interaction between vehicles and pedestrians

VISSIM is the only microscopic traffic simulation which allows interactive consideration of vehicles and pedestrians on the level of single increments (Example as AVI file). The realistic simulation of pedestrian behaviour also makes it possible to model violations against traffic rules, for example, ignoring a traffic light signal or violating a right of way rule due to the dynamics of the system.

Queues

Service Pack 6 contains queues as a new object. Where in the past, waiting times were only possible as orderless pausing of pedestrians, these can now be set up as ordered queues. The length of the service for the respective waiting at the front, results in a time distribution freely definable by the user (Example as AVI file).

In future, this function will be removed and adjusted to the different variants of queues.

New Functionality in VISSIM 5.10

With VISSIM 5.10 there were already a lot of new improvements.

These were the highlights:

The implementation of multi-threading making VISSIM faster on multiprocessor and multicore computers.
VISSIM 5.10 offers a user-defined pricing and decision model for modeling toll roads.
The graphical signal time display was implemented. You can find it in the newly designed signal time plan editor for fixed-time control.

An outstanding innovation was the new add-on module for pedestrian simulation. More information can be found here:

Additional functions can be found here:

Additional parameters for conflict areas:
- Gaps and the factor safety distance can be specified vehicle class dependent
- Additional stop line distance (for vehicles giving way)
- Optional adherence to the adjacent lane (giving way to lane-changing vehicles)
- Optional adherence to routes (of vehicles giving way, which take a turn upstream before reaching the conflict area)
- Avoid blocking of the conflict area: The specified percentage of the prioritised vehicle checks if there is sufficient space for each vehicle length downstream of the crossing conflict area. Otherwise, the prioritised vehicles will not enter the conflict area.

Lane change prohibition dependent on lanes, directions (left/right) and vehicle class
Connection to the signal control methods LISA+ OMTEC and RBC (Ring Barrier Controller)

New Functionality in VISSIM 5.0

PTV is proud to announce the upcoming release of VISSIM 5.0.

VISSIM 5.0 is VISSIM 4.30 plus the improved VISUM / VISSIM interface. This sounds trivial, but those already working with the interface, will love this improved feature.

"Up to now, it was inconvenient when a changed VISUM network was exported to VISSIM again, all manual changes in the VISSIM network were lost and had to be redone. With the new VISUM / VISSIM interface all amendments are maintained!"

Dr. Peter Vortisch, Director Traffic Engineering Products

New Functionality in VISSIM 4.30

Conflict Area

Conflict areas are a new alternative to priority rules to define priority in intersections. It is expected that they will replace priority rules in most cases because they are more easily defined and the resulting vehicle behavior is more intelligent.

A conflict area exists, by definition, wherever two links in VISSIM overlap. For each conflict area, the user can either select the conflicting links with priority or if the area is passive, (i.e. does not influence vehicles at all) nothing may need to be edited.

A major improvement for driving behavior is that drivers make a plan how to cross the conflict area. A yielding driver observes the approaching vehicles in the main stream and decides when to go. Then he plans an acceleration profile for the next seconds that will allow him to cross the area, taking into account the situation behind the conflict area: if he knows that he has to stop or to slow down there because of other vehicles, he will calculate more time to cross the conflict area or decide not to go at all. He even anticipates the behavior of the vehicles behind the conflict area, estimating if a car will accelerate or decelerate.

Vehicles in the main stream react to the conflict area as well: if a crossing vehicle could not complete the crossing because of the driver's overestimation, the vehicle in the main stream will brake to slow or stop. And if a queue builds up from a signal downstream from the conflict area, the vehicles in the main stream try not to stop on the conflict area in order not to block the crossing stream. This is accomplished by having the drivers make a similar plan to cross the conflict area as the yielding vehicles do.

Conflict areas therefore control driving behavior in a way that was modeled before by a combination of several priority rules. But the real benefit is generated by modeling anticipation in driver behavior: this brings the simulated drivers in VISSIM even closer to their real counterparts.

The VISSIM Analyzer

The first version of the VISSIM Analyzer is available with VISSIM 4.30. This tool helps the user to efficiently define and produce report-ready evaluations of simulation runs. The Analyzer collects data from one or more simulation runs in a database. After the simulation, the user can select which type of evaluations he wants for a specific part of the simulated network. Results are filtered and aggregated accordingly and report tables are generated automatically in Microsoft Excel, from where they can easily be cut and pasted in report documents. PDF documents and XML files may also be exported.

A very convenient feature of the Analyzer is that it will aggregate results from several simulation runs with different random seed numbers and show the average values as well as the standard deviations.

Internal COM Scripting

As in every release, VISSIM's COM-programming interface has been extended by a variety of additional functions like changing the state of 3D-object, access to signal group states or access to surrounding vehicles. VISSIM 4.30 introduces a new way to run COM scripts. In the main menu, a script menu allows users to open Visual Basic or Python scripts within the VISSIM environment. This produces a much higher execution speed with no requirement to create a VISSIM object or open network files - the script starts with the current model loaded in VISSIM.

Export to High-End Graphics Package

One of VISSIM's most appreciated features is its 3D animation because it makes the traffic engineer's work visible to citizens and decision makers. To achieve even more realistic simulation videos, some VISSIM users transfer the simulation results to high end animation software products and rendered videos using these tools.

VISSIM 4.30 makes this process easier with a new feature: users can write network data and vehicle trajectories to a text file for import in Autodesk's 3ds Max software. Scripts in Autodesk's macro language provide for importing these files in 3ds Max,.

Miscellaneous

Node evaluation raw data can optionally be written to *.knr file or database table. One line is written per vehicle that reaches a node exit:

Column	Type	Description:
VehNo	long	Vehicle number
VehType	long	Vehicle type number
TStart	double	Simulation time when the vehicle crossed the start of the travel time section
TEnd	double	Simulation time when the vehicle crossed the end of travel time section (i.e. the node exit)
StartLink	long	Number of the link at the start of travel time section
StartLane	long	Number of the lane at the start of travel time section
StartLinkPos	double	Link coordinate/Position of the travel time section on StartLink (meter/feet according to current unit selection)
NodeNo	long	Node number
Movement	Text	Bearing from-to (compass settings)
FromLink	long	Number of the link entering the node (Note: link where the shortest path from the start of the travel time section enters the node, this is not necessarily the link where the vehicle entered the node!)
ToLink	long	Number of the link leaving node. (The vehicle really did leave the node on this link.)
ToLane	long	Number of the lane leaving node. (The vehicle really did leave the node on this link.)
ToLinkPos	double	Link coordinate/Position of the node exit on ToLink, i.e. where the link leaves the node (meter/feet according to current unit selection)
Delay	double	Delay in seconds (since travel time start section was passed)
TStopd	double	Stopped Delay in seconds (ditto)
Stops	long	Number of stops (ditto)
#Pers	long	Number of passengers

Evaluations / Database: Table "EvalInfo" lists all evaluations written into the database, with the type of the evaluation, table name, date/time when the simulation run was started and the name of the network file (*.inp).

Visualization

The option "total redraw every time step" is improved: If this is selected in 2D, the link type colors are visible and the vehicles don't draw lines through a background image.
new pavement marker type "Roundabout US", including optional center island (dot).
Pavement markers appear in 3D.

Simulation Control

Multirun parameters are stored in the *.inp file. If the selected evaluation directory is a subdirectory of the current data directory (or the data directory itself) it is stored as relative path, so copying the *.inp file to a different directory will cause subsequent evaluation to be written into a subdirectory of this new directory.

COM Interface Extensions

Vehicle properties: Leading and trailing vehicle (Attributes PRECEDING and TRAILING)
Signal group: Read current state.
Attribute "Controller Frequency" for ISimulation interface.
link properties: Flag "connector" (true/false); if connector: from_link, to_link, from_lane (rightmost), to_lane, from_x, to_x, closed
Option to change the state of a 3D model during the simulation.

Dynamic Assignment

Option "exclude full parking lots" for the destination parking lot selection for dynamic routing decisions.

Technical Issues

Registration of VISSIM (if not demo) as COM Server during the installation of VISSIM (when administrator privileges are necessary anyway).
Support of WiBu CodeMeter. The licence management of PTV Vision products will be based on WiBu CodeMeter technology in the future. This requires that the WiBu Codemeter driver is installed with VISSIM even if an Aladdin hardlock is used.

VAP 2.16

new function for square root of <value>.</value>
new operator '\' returns integer of division.
new operator '%' returns integer remainder of division

New Functionality in VISSIM 4.20

New graphical possibilities in 3D

Those who use the 3D visualization will love the variety of models for real-world signal heads that are provided with the new release. A sophisticated 3D-editor allows users to define and freely combine masts and signal heads and connect them to the simulated signal controllers.

New Online Help

VISSIM 4.20 contains an online help manual, accessible from the main menu bar or by pressing F1. Hyperlinks have been added for fast and easy access.

New Windows for Routes and Vehicle Inputs

New windows have been developed for both network elements to provide as much information as possible in one place. The grid-style layout offers an efficient way to select and edit the attributes of many network elements, which is especially helpful for large networks. The included cut-and-paste functionality can be used within the windows and to exchange data with external applications such as Microsoft Excel. The information about all routes (static, partial, dynamic etc.) is now concentrated in one window. The left part of the window lists the routing decisions while the right side displays routes starting from selected decision points. In addition, a link filter allows users to select and show all routes across a specific link in order to analyze all routes using that link.

The information about all routes (static, partial, dynamic etc.) is now concentrated in one window. The left part of the window lists the routing decisions while the right side displays routes starting from selected decision points. In addition, a link filter allows users to select and show all routes across a specific link in order to analyze all routes using that link.

All VISSIM vehicle inputs along with their attributes are accessible through a single window. Time intervals can be edited on the right side and volume and traffic composition information is provided for each time interval in a grid.

Integrated Multi-Run Tool

Due to the stochastic nature of VISSIM's simulation model, several simulation runs with different random seeds are required to compute statistically reliable results. The automatic repetition of simulation runs is now supported by VISSIM internally. The user can define the desired number of replications and the output directory where the evaluation files are to be written, identified by the random seed numbers of the replications.

New Printing Functionality and a New Manager for Textures

VISSIM 4.20 again offers a printing function and as well as a number of new or improved graphics features. The new texture manager easily assigns textures to roads and surrounding areas. Users can add a textured skybox with just one click.

Multi-State Static 3D Objects

Static 3D objects used for visualization can now have several states controlled via COM. VISSIM 3D modeler is used to define the states. Possible applications include gates, variable message signs, draw bridges, barriers, etc.

New Convergence Behavior for Dynamic Assignment

Dynamic assignment in VISSIM 4.20 can now use MSA (Method of Successive Averages) as an alternative to exponential smoothing of link costs to provide a better convergence behavior. Path set generation is enhanced by user definable stochastic variation of link costs.

Interface Extensions

The new version extends the COM interface by introducing call-back functions that allow the user to override selected internal VISSIM functions. COM-access functions are added for a variety of network elements: detectors, animation file, desired speed decisions, reduced speed areas, vehicle weight, parking lots, etc.

For signal control manufacturers, a new DLL-based interface replaces the old process communication interface and delivers a more efficient and easier-to-understand programming framework. The old interface will still be available, but migration to the new interface is easy due to the provided legacy support.

Econolite ASC/3™ Software-in-the-Loop Controller

Econolite has developed a VISSIM software-in-the-loop version of its state-of-the-art ASC/3 signal controller. VISSIM 4.20 users can purchase this software version of the standard ASC/3 controller as an add-on module. It allows for simulating the exact control logic and algorithms including transit signal priority and railroad and emergency preemption. Furthermore, the user can simply read the field timing plan database, thus eliminating the need for additional coding of signal control data in VISSIM.