Example - Using Traffix Data

Example Step 1 - Prepare Traffix Model

Develop a Traffix model of the study area. We assume that you are at least a beginning user of Traffix and know how to develop a site model. If you do not currently use Traffix but do produce a fair number of TIAs, we encourage you to visit the Traffix website where you can download an evaluation copy of Traffix. Once your Traffix model is established, proceed to Step 2.

Example Step 2 - Evaluate Model Scenario

Step 2 - Run the Traffix model for the appropriate scenario. Here you'd run ("Evaluate") the desired scenario inside Traffix, say "AM peak, buildout conditions, base plus site-generated traffic". The end results of this step are intersection traffic volumes computed for the selected scenario, which we will bring inside your AutoCAD exhibit with no effort at all!

Example Step 3 - Write Computed Volumes

Write out traffic volumes to ASCII file(s). Traffix provides an easy way to output the newly computed intersection volumes to an ASCII file: go to the Tools menu, select Write Computed Volume File, which opens up a sub-menu, then select the volumes you want to save out to an external ASCII file. See illustration.

Note: Make sure you remember where you saved the ASCII file. We suggest giving the file a mnemonic name like YR2005AM_TTL, which would indicate: year 2005, AM peak, total traffic. The preferred (and default) file extension is .txt but you can make it anything if you wish.

Example Step 4 - Prepare Base AutoCAD Exhibit

Prepare the street network base exhibit. In AutoCAD, draw the basic elements of the exhibit: the street network, site boundaries, street name labels. Do not draw or insert any "intersection volume blocks". (Some folks use pre-defined shapes such as circles or squares, into which they manually type-in the intersection turning movements that are output by Traffix. As long as the AutoCAD block you manually insert into your exhibit drawing is not named "intvol.dwg", you have nothing to worry about.) An example of what your exhibit might look like at this stage is illustrated below.

Please note: intersection ID numbers, 1 through 6, may not be necessary in your exhibit and were added here only to illustrate the operation of the program.

Example Step 5 - Bring Intersection Volumes into the AutoCAD Exhibit

Use TIAH to transfer traffic volumes from the text file generated by Traffix into your AutoCAD exhibit. TIA Helper consists of two basic elements: a program that extracts traffic volumes from an ASCII file and a "intersection circle" block (an AutoCAD drawing, see below) called "intvol.dwg", which stores and displays those volumes.

(a) Once TIA Helper is installed, it becomes part of the AutoCAD menu system . To start using it, click on the menu item "TIAH Main Toolbox":

(b) The main TIAH toolbox will open where you can browse to the locations of the ASCII data file(s) your created in Step 3. This toolbox is also used to set up your working session options (see image below).

To locate your Traffix intersection volume files, first check the "Traffix" box under "Select File Format" part of the toolbox.

Next, click on the "AM File" button to browse for the first volume data file (note that the AM⁄PM convention is used throughout this Help to refer to any volume files that you may use. Obviously, any analysis period can be represented by File1 and File2).

A standard Windows file-open dialog box will open asking you to browse to the location of the "AM" data file. Here, navigate to the directory on your hard drive where you saved the ASCII file(s) earlier. Keep in mind that Traffix data files can be named almost anything, as long as their file extensions are .TXT.

If using two data files, click on the "PM File" button next and locate the second file:

(d) Check the box named "Display Intersections" - this will cause the intersection ID and intersection name to be shown on the computer screen during the volume insertion process. Check the "Insert Street Names" box to show street names inside the intersection volume blocks.

(e) Check any of the remaining options:

(f) Click on the "Proceed" button. This step will take you back to your AutoCAD exhibit layout. Look at the Command line - TIAH is asking where to place the first intersection volume symbol (block). Note that the current (one being inserted) intersection ID and name are both displayed in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Click anywhere in your layout to place the symbol block. The intersection symbol "placeholder" is graphically displayed in the layout window.

If the user selected the option to draw leader lines, TIAH is now expecting a couple of clicks from the user to place the line. Double click to indicate you are done with the 1st symbol.

TIAH will now move on to the next intersection and so on, until all volumes have been placed in the layout.

Once al the intersections have been inserted ⁄ placed within the layout, TIAH will inform the user that all volumes have been inserted via a Command line message.