CEEn 662
Lab #6
Creating a CORSIM file from a Synchro file
(See a screen shot in the second page to learn how to save part of a Synchro network.)
1. Learn how to convert a
Synchro file to a CORSIM
file: this is the objective of
this lab#6.)
Read a section that explains the TRANSFER to CORSIM Analysis… menu
selection: Chapter 18 of the Synchro 7 User Guide. (Read before you come to
class.), especially page 18-2 and 18-3. Since we do not know where TSIS.exe is
located in the CAEDM network. We will create only TRF files and the rest is done
by TSIS.
2. Convert the Basic 2Phase signal
Before converting files, you must create a TSIS Project in the TSIS software. Read
Chapter 4 of the TSIS User Manual (we will go over the steps to create one in class).
Creating Projects and Cases of the TShell User’s Guide. Before you convert the file,
make sure you have 5-minute initialization time and 15-minute recording time.
(CORSIM will tell you whether the system has reached equilibrium or not but
Sychro doesn’t.)
3. Convert the TRF file
into the TNO file which
can be read by the GUI
data preparation module
called TRAFED.
4. Learn what’s involved in
modeling an actuated
signal by CORSIM
5. Simulate this
intersection
After opening the Basic 2-Phase signal file (There is a link in the course website for
this lab if you cannot find this file on CAEDM), select TRANSFER then CORSIM
Analysis…. You will get a pop-up window as shown in the second page of this lab
instruction handout. Before you hit the Make TRF Files button, you must give the
data file name and find the path to the TSIS program. Once you set these name and
path, you may hit the Make TRF Files button. Then, if the path was set correctly,
TSIS will start immediately when you press the Start TSIS button. But of course we
don’t know where TSIS.exe is located on the CAEDM network….
The TRF file is a text file. If you want to see the text file version, simply press the
text button. Imagine, long ago we had only this text editor to create a model!!! To
convert a TRF model into a TNO file, you select in sequence Tools – Processor –
Translator in the TSIS menu. Another way is to click the Convert button right
below the main menu.
In the TRAFED, you can highlight the intersection in the file and use Edit –
Properties to see the properties of this actuated signal. By the way, press F2 to fill
the monitor with the TRAFED window. This is a toggle key. Another pressing of F2
will bring you back to the TSIS window. File conversion is not perfect as the
Synchro manual warns you. You must read the CORSIM user’s manual.
Once you explored the input data (especially check the signal timing input data
window), simulate it. You may press the CORSIM simulation button (looks like a
FHWA logo). Press the simulation button; do not press the multiple-run button.
Check the output in the text editor (you simply double-click the .OUT file) to see
what sorts of information are printed out. Once simulation is done, you can see
animation by pressing the TRAFVU button. In the TRAFVU, click the vehicles, the
controls, and the sensors icons. Then you see these objects in the simulation.
Compare this animation with SimTraffic. You can run SimTraffic and TRAFVU
side by side if you wish. Where you concentrate? I would say queue lengths will be
the easiest ones to compare.
Once you have checked the single run output, you press the multiple run simulation.
For this file, make only 5 runs to compare with SimTraffic results. Collect statistics
to compare with SimTraffic simulation results (make 5 runs only). Select
appropriate MOEs for your comparison.
6. Write a summary report
of 3 to 4 pages (max 5
pages)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Summarize the steps of converting a Synchro file to a CORSIM file.
List what kinds of MOE items are found in the CORSIM output (you can
control the type of information to be printed in the output, but here we simply
use the default output.)
Summarize what kinds of MOEs are given by CORSIM (attach only the MOE
section of a CORSIM output of the Dual ring signal and highlight the output.)
Summarize the simulation runs of the Basic 2-Phase Signal by CORSIM and
compare them with the results from SimTraffic.
PS: How to save part of the Synchro file.
Step 1: You must select the nodes (including dummy nodes) that you want to save to a new file.
Select one node first, then hold the Control key and click other nodes you want to save. Once
nodes are selected, all the links and bend nodes are automatically saved with the nodes.
Step 2: From the File menu select File>Save Part…, then the file save dialog box pops up. Enter
a new file name. That’s all you have to do.
Step 3: If you want a background image, you have to import it again. Make sure the background
image you are going to import is just for the area you want. Otherwise, your file becomes
unnecessarily larger.