VISSIM Tips and Tricks Archive

Some people asked if it is possible to include titles or trailers in an AVI recording directly in VISSIM. While there is no direct functionality, there still is a simple solution without the need for video editing software: Define your title and trailer as background image and place them in the keyframe sequence.

• Click here to view our example
  

Below you will find a step-by-step guide on how to achieve this in VISSIM:

1. Create the desired screen(s) as a bitmap file (e.g. export a slide from Microsoft Powerpoint in JPG format). The best results are achieved if the resulting image dimensions (width & height) are exactly the same as the AVI to be recorded.
   
   
2. Open your VISSIM network and size the VISSIM window to your desired video width & height (best practice: use an *.ini file that sizes the window so that the resulting AVI has the desired dimensions).
   
   
3. Load the bitmap files one by one as background image into VISSIM.
   
   
4. Move the backgrounds to an appropriate location outside the scope of your network (using the background origin functionality). [Tip for advanced users: If you place the backgrounds on the same horizontal or vertical line and offset them by multiples of 1m then the definition of keyframes is much easier. You can achieve this kind of placement by loading all backgrounds without moving or scaling them, saving their parameter files and then editing these parameter files accordingly.]
   
   
5. Switch to 3D mode and navigate to the background image to be included. Make sure it entirely fills the screen. You get best results if you zoom in so far as the background exactly fits the VISSIM network window.
   
   
6. In your keyframe sequence, add a new keyframe and place it at the desired sequence location by defining an appropriate start time. Choose the dwell time taking into account that the AVI runs at least twice as fast as the simulation. Ensure that both the movement time to and from this keyframe is calculated to 0 seconds by defining the start and dwell times accordingly.
   
   
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for all other screen images (backgrounds) you wish to include. You may want to use the cursor keys to move only vertically or horizontally to the next image for keyframe definition as the cursor key steps are 1m.
   
   
8. Record your AVI as usual.

What happens now is that the title/trailer screens appear as defined by the keyframe sequences (see example video). Due to the movement time set to 0s the keyframe transitions appear as a cut (without a visible camera movement). You could even experiment with movement times > 0 for some effects, e.g. from one screen to another (as seen at the end of the example video).

VISSIM offers an auto-spline functionality to easily smoothen the curvature of links and connectors. This is not only possible at creation time but also for exisiting objects:

In link mode, hold down the ALT key, click with the mouse in the start section and drag the mouse to the destination section that you want to modify.

Then a dialog window opens where you can define the intermediate spline points to be created and whether or not you would like to keep the existing intermediate points. When closing the window, the curvature is created as desired.

VISSIM allows for vehicles to be overtaken not only if a link has 2 or more lanes but also within the same lane! This is in addition to having various vehicle classes with different driving behavior traveling in the same lane (as described in the last newsletter):

Go to "Base Data - Driving Behavior" and activate the tab "Lateral". Here the free flow position and overtake details may be defined for each vehicle class separately. It allows even to model vehicles slowing down due to narrow passing space: Use different values for the min. lateral distance for standstill and moving vehicles.

Display types define the appearance of links, connectors and pedestrian areas. When using textures, two options help to adjust the appearance to your liking:

• "Curved": Useful if the texture should "bend" with the underlying link. Don't use it for large areas compound of several objects that should appear uniformly.
• "No Mipmapping": Mipmapping is a method for ressource optimization when viewing textures from a distance: The further away a texture is from the observer, the less detailed it is drawn. Typically this leads to some blurring of the texture which sometimes is intended, but on other occassions is not. To keep up the details of a texture also in the distance, activate the option "No Mipmapping".

Typically the links/connectors in VISSIM are colored using the color defined in the corresponding display type. However, for special applications, this color can be overruled by the settings in "View - Options" on the tab "Colors": Choose a different color for "Links" and deactivate the option "Use display type colors". Then all links/connectors will be drawn with the selected color. Furthermore, next to "Marking" a second color may be defined for links/connectors with special attributes such as gradient, lane closure, link evaluation etc. This feature is especially useful for trouble-shooting.

There are situations were certain vehicle classes need a different driving behavior while travling in the same link, e.g. if bicycles and cars travel in the same lane. In VISSIM you may accomplish this task by using link behavior types: Go to "Base Data - Link Behavior Types" and create a new link behavior type. On the right hand side, add one or more additional data rows and link a vehicle class with the desired driving behavior parameter set.

During a simulation run all relevant vehicle information may be displayed in a dedicated text window - even for several vehicles simultaneously (one window per vehicle): In 2D single step mode double click on the desired vehicle and a vehicle information window opens. The parameters shown in that window can be configured by "Evaluation - Windows - Vehicle Information". Furthermore, the position and size of these information windows may be stored in a layout file (*.ini). Hence you can easily restore the windows layout and also use it in other projects.

Would you like to see your VISSIM simulation from a driver's seat perspective? No problem: Activate the 3D graphics mode, double click on the desired vehicle and continue the simulation. Immediately the virtual camera is attached to this vehicle and travels through the VISSIM network. To return to the previous 3D view, simply close the corresponding vehicle information window.

The editor of the pedestrian module includes several keyboard shortcuts that simplify generation and editing of construction elements. For example, you can copy an element simply by moving it with the mouse to the new position while you hold down the Ctrl key. As soon as you release the mouse button, a copy of the existing element will be generated.

In order to restrict the mouse movement while generating or editing a construction element, hold down the Shift key: Now you can move an element (or its corner/edge) along the horizontal, vertical or 45-degree-diagonal axis. This also works in combination with the Ctrl key so that you can align exactly any copies of construction elements.

Surely you know the method of starting VISSIM straight away with an INP file. However, did you know that this is possible also for INI files as well? Using a link in Windows Explorer you may pass along an INP file name as well as an INI file name in the following way:

Vissim.exe "KA_3D.inp" -b"layout.ini"
(depending on your settings the paths of the file names need to be included as well) Thus you have triggered an efficient 3-in-1-step process: VISSIM is opened, the INP file is loaded and the settings/layout of the INI file are established.

New since VISSIM 5.10-06 is the feature that upon opening an INI file that contains a position of a background image all previously loaded background images are closed.

Sometimes you may want to change all links/connectors of a certain type, e.g. to color code behavior types or to synchronize display and behavior types. Therefore a new command "Multi-select in network" is included in the local menu of the type lists (Base Data - Display Types resp. Behavior Types). As soon as you select this command, all links/connectors belonging to that type are multi-selected. This selection stays active after the dialog is closed.

For large networks also large background images might be used. Opening these images may take some time due to file size - especially in 3D graphics mode. For better feedback to the user there is an option to split the image in small portions (tiles): View - Options [Colors] - 3D Background Resolution offers an additional option called "Tiles". If activated, the image is loaded tile by tile.

At junctions often there is an overlap of links and connectors. Here are some hints in order to simplify the creation and management of the conflict areas in VISSIM:

• Avoid overlaps as far as possible. Thus you reduce the amount of possible conflict areas for each movement as conflict areas are only created for overlaps longer than 0.5m.
• Try to place start and end of links/connectors so that there is only one link/connector inside the conflict. Thus the amount of possible conflict areas is further reduced.
• Name all movement inside the junction with speaking names (such as "LeftTurn W-N"). This way you can identify the movements easier in the list of all conflict areas.
• Use a node polygon that surrounds the junction entirely and activate the conflict area option "Show all possible Conflict Areas in Node ..." to show all relevant conflict areas in the list for the selected junction only.

During network editing it is often helpful to discern several display types for different link/area types. However, when it comes to simulation in 3D, you might want to have a more realistic appearance: By pressing Ctrl-T the display of links/connectors and pedestrian areas toggles between global color and display type specific color (similar as the setting in View - Options - Color).

Do you want to place a static 3D model at exact heights or rotations? So to the 3D model selection dialog and enter the desired values for elevation and rotation. Hint: "Rotate (XY)" corresponds to the "normal" on ground rotation.

Some network elements and evaluations refer to the North direction of your network. To view your current setting, toggle the compass by View - Options - Network - option "Compass" (or shortcut Ctrl-M - sometimes a screen refresh is needed here).
In addition, you can change the North direction in 2D mode by double clicking inside the compass and rotating it using mouse drag.

VISSIM network files (*.INP) can be opened by dragging them from the Windows Explorer directly into the main VISSIM window (Drag and Drop). This network will then automatically load in VISSIM by replacing the current network file. Also layout files (*.INI) can be opened using Drag and Drop. Here the current VISSIM network file remains open.

During the simulation it can be helpful to know which links/connectors a vehicle will take. This information can be displayed in the "Vehicle Information" window: Go to "Evaluations - Windows - Vehicle Information" and simply add "Routing Sequence" to the list of selected parameters. By doing so, you will see the complete route sequence of the vehicle until it leaves the network.

While editing a VISSIM network you may encounter situations where several links/connectors (or pedestrian areas) overlap. It can be difficult at times to initially activate the desired object for editing. Therefore, VISSIM offers the "Tab" functionality: Pressing "Tab" loops through all links/connectors or pedestrian areas at the click position. Alternatively you may also use the corresponding toolbar button (circular arrow).

You may have encountered situations where changes in the road design require a different number of lanes within the same link. Therefore, VISSIM links can be split: While in link mode, go to "Edit - Split Link" or simply press "F8". Then click the mouse button at the position within the link where the number of lanes changes. The link is now split into two, which means that for each of the links the number of lanes can be defined differently. A connector at the split position is generated by default.

If it is necessary to shorten a link and at the same time keep its exact direction, please proceed as follows:

1. Create a new intermediate point at the desired new link end.
2. Then drag the existing link end onto that new point.

When switching from multi-monitor display back to a single monitor it may happen that some evaluation windows are not visible (it does not happen to dialog windows). Then the VISSIM.INI configuration file contains screen locations outside the current window scope.
There are two options to bring them back to the main screen:

Option A:

1. Close VISSIM.
2. Delete the VISSIM.INI file from the directory of the VISSIM input file where you've experienced the visibility problems.
3. Open VISSIM and load the input file from the same directory.
4. Open the evaluation windows. Now they appear back on the main screen.

Option B:

1. Directly after opening an "invisible" window (e.g. vehicle information window), press "Alt" + "Space". A context menu of that window opens as close as possible to the top left corner of the current (invisible) window location.
2. With the cursor keys (not by mouse!) choose "Move" from the context menu and press Enter.
3. Press a cursor key once again (nothing seems to happen but that's ok).
4. Move the mouse (without a mouse key pressed) towards the opposite side of the context menu: the window is moved along with the mouse and eventually appears on the screen again.
5. Left click once to "drop" the window at the desired location.

Note: option B works for all application windows, not only VISSIM.