To View the Data Associated with the Street Layer

1. Choose File > New or click on the Standard toolbar to display the New File dialog
box.

2. Choose Dataview from the list of file types and click OK to display the New Dataview
dialog box.

3. Choose Flintbury Streets + FL STDAT from the scroll list.

4. Click OK.

In particular, note the [TRAV TIME] field, which contains the time it takes for an
automobile to travel each section of street (in minutes), and the PARADE RTE field, which
contains a value of 1 if the section of the street will be closed during the parade, or is otherwise
empty. You will be using these fields later in your analysis.

Your Flintbury map has a hidden layer in it called Flintbury Nodes, which is a point layer
of intersections in the Flintbury Street layer. Let’s show this layer in the map.

To Show the Street Node Layer

1. Click on the map window or choose Window > Flintbury Traffic.map-FLINTBURY
to make the map the current window.

37
 2. Choose Map > Layers or click on the Standard toolbar.

3. Click on Flintbury Nodes in the scroll list.

4. Click the Show Layer button.

5. Click Close.

TransCAD redraws the map, and the nodes are displayed. Let’s look at the data contained
in the Flintbury Nodes layer.

To View the Data Included in the Node Layer

1. Verify that Flintbury Nodes is displayed in the drop-down on the toolbar.

2. Click on the Standard toolbar.

Note the field called Centroid. We’ll assume that all traffic flow into or out of any zone
begins or ends at a single point within the zone. These special points are called zone centroids.
The entry in the Centroid field designates whether or not each point is a zone centroid: all
zone centroid points contain an integer value in the Centroid field. Since there are only 12 zone
centroids and 1740 nodes, most of the Centroid column is empty.
Let’s create a selection set of the zone centroids to use later in the analysis. You will use
a different method than you used to create a selection set of bus riders earlier, but the type of
output — a list of elements in a single map layer or dataview — is the same.

To Select the Node Centroids

1. Choose Selection > Select by Condition or click on the Selection toolbar.

2. Type the condition ”Centroid<>null” in the Enter a Condition text box.

You can enter the formula by typing it directly into the text box, or by using the Condition
Builder drop-down lists.

3. Type “Centroids” in the Set Name editable drop-down list.

38
 4. Click OK.

TransCAD creates a selection set of zone centroids, and displays the selection set in the
dataview. TransCAD also highlights them in a different color on the map. You can create
selection sets in TransCAD many different ways.

You have a matrix file that contains the number of people traveling between any pair of zone
centroids, which represents travel in Flintbury on a typical day. Let’s open it.

To Open the Origin-Destination Flow Matrix

1. Choose File-Open or click on the Standard toolbar.

2. Choose Matrix from the Files of Type drop-down list.

3. Select the matrix file FL OD.MTX from the Tutorial folder.

4. Click Open.

TransCAD opens the matrix file and displays it in a matrix view. Take a moment to browse
through the matrix using the scroll bars and the arrow keys on your keyboard.

39
 In this project, we’ll use several matrix tools. TransCAD contains a full line of powerful
tools to store, display, edit, and manipulate data in matrix form.
The final input necessary for your analysis is a network of the streets in Flintbury. A network
is a special TransCAD data structure that stores important characteristics of transportation
systems and facilities. TransCAD uses networks to solve transportation problems.

To Create a Network
1. Click on the Flintbury map window or choose Window > Flintbury Traffic.map-FLINTBURY
to make the map the active window.

2. Choose Flintbury Streets from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. If the Networks/Paths menu is not displayed, choose Procedures > Networks/Paths.

4. Choose Networks/Paths > Create to display the Create Network dialog box.

5. Click Choose Link Fields to display the Choose Link Fields dialog box.

6. Ctrl-click on [TRAV TIME] and PARADE RTE at the bottom of the Available Fields
scroll list, so that both [TRAV TIME] and PARADE RTE are highlighted.

7. Click Add>> to move the [TRAV TIME] and PARADE RTE fields to the Selected
Fields scroll list.

8. Click OK to return to the Create Network dialog box.

40
 9. Click OK. TransCAD displays the Save Network As dialog box.

10. Choose the Tutorial folder on your hard disk, type “MY NETWORK” as the file name,
and click Save.

TransCAD creates the network file, and makes it the currently active network. The name of
the active network is shown in the status bar. You included the [TRAV TIME] and PARADE RTE
fields in the network, because you will be using the data in these fields in the following transportation
analysis.

Stage 2: Generating Shortest Path

You are going to use the TransCAD shortest path tools to calculate the travel time along the
shortest path between each pair of zones. You will calculate two sets of travel times: one set for
typical conditions, and one set with the parade route closed.
Let’s first calculate the minimum travel time for the typical situation, when the parade route
isn’t blocked off.

To Calculate the Typical Travel Times Between Zones

1. Choose Networks/Paths > Multiple Paths to display the Multiple Path dialog box.

2. Choose to minimize [TRAV TIME].

3. Choose Centroids from the From and To drop-down lists.

41
4. Choose the Matrix File radio button.

5. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

6. Type “MY TYPICAL TIME” in the Short File Name cell.

7. Double-click on Output Matrix in the Output cell to display the Output Matrix Settings
dialog box.
8. Type “Typical TT” in the Matrix text box.

9. Click OK to return to the Output File Settings dialog box.

42
 10. Click OK.

TransCAD solves the shortest path problem, and stores and displays the results. This matrix
looks a lot like the FL OD matrix that you opened earlier. The only difference is that this
matrix stores travel times, and the FL OD matrix stores traffic flows. TransCAD also displays
the Results Summary dialog box.
Click Close to close the Results Summary dialog box.

Next you must exclude the roads that will be closed from the network.

To Disable Links in a Network

1. Click on the Flintbury map window or choose Window >Flintbury Traffic.map-Flintbury
to make the map the active window.

2. Choose Networks/Paths > Settings to display the Network Settings dialog box.

3. Click Update to display the Update Network dialog box.

4. Choose Disable Links from the Action drop-down list.

5. Choose By Expression from the Using drop-down list to display the Expression dialog
box.

6. Type “PARADE RTE=1” as the expression.

43
 7. Click OK three times to navigate through three successive dialog boxes.

TransCAD disables the parade route in the network. All subsequent analysis that you do
will use the updated network. Now you can calculate the travel times during the parade.

To Calculate Travel Time Between Zones During the Parade

1. Choose Networks/Paths > Multiple Paths to display the Multiple Path dialog box.

2. Choose to minimize [TRAV TIME].

3. Choose Centroids from the From and To drop-down lists.

4. Choose the Matrix File radio button.

5. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

6. Type “MY PARADE TIME” in the Short File Name cell.

7. Double-click on Output Matrix in the Output cell to display the Output Matrix Settings
dialog box.

8. Type “Parade TT” in the Matrix text box.

9. Click OK to return to the Output File Settings dialog box.

10. Click OK.

44
 TransCAD finds the shortest paths, taking into account the closed streets, and stores and
displays the results. This matrix looks just like the previous two matrices, but it stores the
parade travel times.

Stage 3: Manipulating Matrices

All you need to do now is to manipulate the data in the matrices to obtain the change in
person-hours spent traveling as a result of the parade. You will do this in four quick steps.
TransCAD can put any number of matrices together within one matrix file. Let’s combine
the relevant matrices into one matrix file to make the data manipulation a little easier.

To Combine Several Matrices into One Matrix File

1. Choose Matrix-Combine or click on the Standard toolbar to display the Combine

Matrix File dialog box.
2. Click Select All to highlight the two travel time matrices and the OD flow matrix.

3. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

4. Type “MY PARADE” in the Short File Name cell and click OK.

TransCAD creates a new matrix file that contains all three matrices. You can select the
matrix that is visible by choosing a matrix from the drop-down list on the toolbar.

45
 Before you continue with the analysis, let’s make a couple of cosmetic changes to the matrix.
First the labels. All of your matrices thus far have been labeled with ID values from the
Flintbury Nodes layer. You can easily label your matrices with other integer values or descriptive
strings. Let’s label this matrix with the ID of the zones.

To Change the Labels

1. Choose Matrix > Labels to display the Matrix Labels dialog box.

2. Choose Flintbury Nodes from the drop-down list in the Dataview row.

3. Choose ID from the drop-down list in the ID row.

4. Choose Centroid from the drop-down list in the Label With row.

5. Click OK.

TransCAD displays the matrix, labeling the rows and columns with the values found in the
Centroid field, which are, in this case, the zone IDs.
Now let’s sort the matrix rows and columns so that the zones are shown in order.

To Sort a Matrix View

1. Choose Matrix > Sort to display the Sort Matrix View dialog box.

2. Choose Labels from the Sort By radio list.

3. Choose Ascending from the Sort Order radio list.

46
 4. Click OK.

TransCAD sorts the matrix view, displaying the rows and columns in order by zone ID.

Now, back to the analysis. Let’s add an empty matrix to the new matrix file. You will use
this matrix to store the results of your data manipulation.

To Add a Matrix to a Matrix File

1. Choose Matrix > Contents or click on the Standard toolbar to display the Matrix
Contents dialog box.

2. Click Add Matrix. TransCAD adds the matrix, called Matrix 4, to the Matrix Name list.

3. Click on Matrix 4.

4. Click Rename to display the Rename Matrix dialog box.

5. Type ”Results” as the New Name and click OK.

47
 6. Click Close.

TransCAD adds another matrix called Results to the matrix file. Now let’s fill in the results.

To Calculate the Extra Travel for Each Zone Pair

1. Choose Results from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar to make the Results
matrix the visible matrix in the matrix view.

2. Choose Matrix > Fill or click on the toolbar to display the Fill Matrix dialog box.

3. Click the Formula tab.

4. Use the formula builder to create the following formula:

• Choose [FLOW] from the Matrix List drop-down list

• Choose * from the Operator drop-down list
• Type ( in the formula text box
• Choose [PARADE TT - [TRAV TIME]] from the Matrix List drop-down list
• Choose − from the Operator drop-down list
• Choose [TYPICAL TT - [TRAV TIME]] from the Matrix List drop-down list
• Type ) in the formula text box
• Choose / from the Operator drop-down list
• Type 60 in the formula text box

48
 You can enter the formula by typing it directly into the Formula text box, or by using the
Formula Builder drop-down lists.
5. Click OK.
TransCAD computes the formula for each cell and writes the results in the Results matrix.
You have just filled in the extra person-hours of travel due to the parade for each pair of
zones. What you are really interested in is the total extra travel for the city of Flintbury, that
is, the sum of all the cells in the parade analysis Results matrix.

To Calculate the Total Extra Person-Hours Traveled in Flintbury

1. Choose Sum from the Marginals drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.
TransCAD computes the sum of each row and column and displays them in the matrix
view. The total difference in person-hours traveled caused by the parade is shown in the
bottom right shaded cell in the matrix.

Congratulations! You’ve completed all three projects and have practiced the basics of
mapping, databases, layouts, charts, route systems, statistical analysis, networks, routing,
and matrices in TransCAD.
2. Choose File > Close All and click No to All at the prompt to close the windows without
saving changes.
49
Where to Go From Here
This Quick Start Tutorial has given you quite a bit of hands-on experience with TransCAD.
Where you go from here is up to you. Here are a few of your choices:

• Read the manual, one section at a time, learning all about TransCAD and its capabilities.
As you read a section, use the Tutorials for practice.

• Use the Table of Contents or the Index to find the parts of the book that tell you what
you want to learn.

• If your principal application is travel demand modeling, begin reading the Travel Demand
Modeling with TransCAD User’s Guide and trying the tutorials contained in it. If your
principal application is routing or logistics, begin reading the Routing and Logistics with
TransCAD User’s Guide and trying the tutorials contained in it.

• Forget about the rest of the book for now, and dive in and play with the software. If you
get stuck and need help, press F1 to use the TransCAD Help, or refer to the manual for
more information.

50
Chapter 3

Travel Demand Modeling Tutorials

The tutorials in this chapter will give you a chance to try out and learn some of the travel
demand modeling features of TransCAD. These “60-Second Tutorials” come from the TransCAD
documentation set and cover trip production, trip distribution, mode split, traffic assignment,
transit skims, and OD matrix estimation.
The tutorials in this chapter require you to use commands in the Planning and Transit
menus. If they do not appear on the menu bar, choose Procedures > Planning and Procedures
> Transit to display the respective menus.

Generating Productions by Cross-Classifications

1. Choose File > Open Workspace and open the workspace CROSS CLASSIFICATION.WRK
in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map of Vermont MCD zones and a cross-classification
table.

2. Choose Planning > Trip Productions > Cross-Classification to display the Cross-Classification
dialog box.

3. Choose MCD from the Input Data drop-down list.

4. Choose Vmt crcl from the Rates Table drop-down list.

5. Choose all three trip purposes that are shown in the Rate Fields scroll list.

6. Click Choose Segments to display the Choose Zone/Subzone dialog box.

7. Click Households in the Available Fields scroll list and click Add>>.

8. Click OK to return to the Cross-Classification dialog box.

9. Choose [AUTO/HH] from the drop-down list in the [Avg Car/HH] column and [INC/HH]
from the drop-down list in the [Avg Inc/HH] column.

51
 10. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

11. Type “MYPROD1” as the Output Table file name in the Short File Name column and
click OK. TransCAD computes the productions for all zones and all purposes, and displays
a dataview of the cross-classification results in a joined view. The Results Summary dialog
box appears indicating the number of lines of text written to the master log and report
files. You will notice that there are six warnings. These warnings refer to the fact that
the external zones you see on the map are missing demographic data.

12. Click Close to close the dialog box, and scroll to the far right of the dataview to see the
trip productions.

13. Choose File > Close All to close the map and dataviews.

Applying a Gravity Model

1. Choose File > Open Workspace and open the workspace DISTRIBUTION APPLY
GRAVITY.WRK from the TransCAD tutorial folder. A map and a friction factor matrix
are displayed.

2. Choose Planning > Trip Distribution > Gravity Application to display the Gravity
Application dialog box.

3. Choose TAZ from the Table drop-down list, FRICTION FACTORS from the FF Table
dropdown list, TIME from the FF Time drop-down list, Doubly from the Constraint
drop-down list, Shortest Path from the Impedance Matrix drop-down list, and None
from the FF Matrix and K Matrix drop-down lists.

4. Change the name of the Purpose 1 purpose, home-based work trips, by typing “HBW”
in the cell in the Purpose row and press the Enter key. HBW P is automatically chosen
in the Production row and HBW A is automatically chosen in the Attraction row.

5. Make the following changes to the HBW purpose: - Click on the cell in the Method row
and choose Gamma from the drop-down list. - Type ”20” in the Iteration row. This
52
 limits the procedure to a maximum of 20 iterations for this trip purpose. - Type 28507
for the value of a, 0.02 for the value of b, and 0.123 for the value of c. - Verify that
Shortest Path - FF Time is the chosen field in the Impedance Core row.

6. Click to add a second purpose.

7. Change the name of the new purpose, home-based non-work trips to “HBNW” and press
Enter. HBNW P is automatically chosen in the Production row and HBNW A is
automatically chosen in the Attraction row.

8. Make the following changes to the HBNW purpose: - Click on the cell in the Method row
and choose Inverse from the drop-down list. - Type 1.4 for the value of b. - Verify that
Shortest Path [FF Time] is the chosen field in the Imp Core row.

9. Click to add a third purpose.

10. Change the name of the new purpose to “NHB” and press the Enter key. NHB P is
automatically chosen in the Production row and NHB A is automatically chosen in the
Attraction row.

11. Make the following changes to the NHB purpose: - Click on the cell in the Method row and
choose Table from the drop-down list. - Click on the cell in the F Factor row and choose
NHB FF from the drop-down list. - Verify that Shortest Path [FF TimeTime] is the
chosen field in the Imp Core row.

12. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

13. Type ”my graveval” as the Output file name in the Short File Name cell and click OK.
TransCAD evaluates the three models, displays a Results dialog box with the model
convergence results.

14. Click Close. TransCAD displays the Results Summary dialog box.

53
 15. Click Close. TransCAD displays a matrix view containing the results.

16. Choose File > Close All to close all of the windows.

Applying a Single-Segment Nested Logit Model on a Matrix

1. Choose File > Open Workspace and open the workspace MODE CHOICE AGGREGATE
APPLICATION.WRK.

2. Choose Planning > Mode Split > Logit Model Application to open the Logit Model
Application dialog box.

3. Click the Load button, choose the model file Nested Logit Aggregate Model.mdl, and click
Open.

4. Click the Apply tab and select additional outputs by checking the “Output Logsum Values”
and “Output Utility Values” boxes.

5. Check the “Open Outputs” box to ensure that the output files are opened after the model
has been applied.

6. Choose either trip purpose in the Segments frame or click Select All to choose both
purposes.
54
 7. Click Run. Click Yes in the Confirmation dialog box to save the changes, type “My NLM”
as the file name, and click Save. The Mode Choice Model Application Outputs dialog box
is displayed with file names for each of the desired outputs.

8. Check the “Overwrite all files” box and click OK. TransCAD applies the Nested Logit
model, reports the results in a report form, and displays the Results Summary dialog box.

9. Click Close. TransCAD opens the Utility, Logsum, Probability and Applied Totals matrices.

10. Choose File > Close All to close all of the windows.

Performing a User Equilibrium Traffic Assignment

1. Choose File > Open Workspace, then open the workspace TRAFFIC ASSIGN.WRK
in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a street map and a flow matrix. You want to
assign flow to the links using the User Equilibrium model.

2. Choose Planning > Static Traffic Assignment > Traffic Assignment to display
the Traffic Assignment dialog box.

3. Choose N-Conjugate UE from the Method drop-down list, AM Peak Period Trips
from the Matrix File drop-down list, Total (7-9) from the Matrix drop-down list, and
type “100” in the Iterations edit box.

4. In the Field column of the grid view, verify that [Freeflow Time] is chosen for Time
and [AB AMCapacity/BA AMCapacity] is chosen for Capacity drop-down list. The
other settings are correct.

55
 5. Click Options to display the Options dialog box.

6. Check the Create Themes box, type “3” in the Max V/C edit box, and click OK.

7. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

8. Type “My Assign” as the Flow Table file name in the Short File Name cell and click OK.
TransCAD assigns the flow to the links in the network, and displays the Results Summary
dialog box.

9. Click Close. TransCAD displays the results in a joined view, and displays a color theme
of the volume-to-capacity ratio and a scaled-symbol theme of flow on the map.

10. Choose Planning > Assignment Utilities > Convergence Chart to open the Convergence
Chart dialog box.

11. Click OK to show the Traffic Assignment Convergence Chart

12. Choose File > Close All and click No to close the map, dataview, and matrix without
saving changes.

56
Performing Multi-Modal Assignment
1. Choose File > Open Workspace, then open the workspace Traffic Assign Multi Modal
SE MA.wrk in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map of highways in Massachusetts,
along with a flow matrix for cars, light trucks and heavy trucks, and a toll matrix describing
tolls between entry and exit nodes on the Massachusetts Turnpike. A network is also
loaded. You want to assign the multiple-mode flow matrix to the network using fixed tolls
and the toll matrix.

2. Choose Base Year Network from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Planning > Static Traffic Assignment > Multi-Modal Multi-Class Assignment
to display the Multi-Modal Multi-Class Assignment dialog box.

4. Verify that N Conjugate UE is chosen from the Method drop-down list, Bureau of
Public Roads (BPR) is chosen from the Delay Function drop-down list, and AM Peak
Period Trips is chosen from the O-D Matrix drop-down list.

5. Click Tolls to display the Toll Settings dialog box, choose SR24 Toll Schedule from
the Toll Matrix drop-down list, and click OK to return to the Multi-Modal Multi-Class
Assignment dialog box.

6. Click on the Choose OD Classes button, highlight all available matrices, and click on the
Add >> button to select The Auto (7-9) and the Truck (7-9) matrices and click OK.

7. Make the following changes in the Auto (7-9) row:

- Click on the cell in the Link Toll column and choose [Link Toll (Auto)] from the
drop-down list
- Click on the cell in the OD Toll column and choose Auto from the drop-down list

8. Make the following changes in the Truck (7-9) row:

- Click on the cell in the PCE Global column and type “2.0”
- Click on the cell in the Link Toll column and choose [Link Toll (Truck)] from the
drop-down list
- Click on the cell in the OD Toll column and choose Truck from the drop-down list
- Click on the cell in the Exclusion Set column and choose Truck Exclusion from the
drop-down list

9. In the Delay Function Parameters grid, verify that [Freeflow Time] is the field chosen
for Time and [AB AMCapacity/BA AMCapacity] is the field chosen for Capacity.
The other settings are correct.

57
10. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

11. Type “My Boston” in the File Prefix edit box and click OK. TransCAD assigns the flows
to the links in the network and displays the Results Summary dialog box.

12. Click Close. TransCAD displays the results in a joined view.

13. Choose Planning > Assignment Utilities > Create Flow Map, to display the Create
Flow Map dbox.

14. Click OK to create a flow map

15. Choose File > Close All and click No to All to close all of the windows without saving.

58
Creating Transit Skim Matrices
1. Choose File > Open Workspace and open the workspace TRANSIT SKIMS.WRK in
the Tutorial folder. The transit network TRANSIT.TNW is also opened.

2. Choose Node from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Transit > Skimming > Shortest Path to display the Transit Skims dialog
box. If it is your first time opening this dialog box, you will automatically be directed
to the Shortest Path Network Settings dialog box. In this case, click OK to display the
Transit Skims dialog box.

4. Choose Centroids from the Origins and Destinations drop-down lists.

5. Highlight Generalized Cost, Fare, Number of Transfers, Total Time, LENGTH,

and IVTT in the Skim Variable scroll list by holding the Ctrl key and clicking on the
variables.

6. Make sure that the Skimming on Modes box is not checked.

7. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

8. Type “My Transit Skim” as the file name in the Short File Name cell and click OK.
TransCAD solves the transit skims and displays the Results Summary dialog box

9. Click Close. TransCAD displays the output matrix.

10. Choose a matrix from the drop-down list on the toolbar to see any of the five skim variables
you chose in step 5.

11. Choose File > Close All to close the map and matrix.

59
Estimating an O-D Matrix from Traffic Counts
1. Choose File > Open Workspace, then open the workspace ODME FROM TRAFFIC
COUNTS.WRK in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map of traffic zones in
UTOWN, along with a seed matrix to use as a starting point for estimation. You want to
estimate an O-D matrix using network link information, including observed traffic counts.

2. Choose Street from the drop-down list on the standard toolbar.

3. Choose Planning > OD Matrix Estimation > Single Class Matrix Estimation
to display the Single Class Matrix Estimation dialog box.

4. Choose User Equilibrium from the Method drop-down list and Bureau of Public
Roads (BPR) from the Delay Function drop-down list.

5. Choose OD FLOW MATRIX from the Matrix File drop-down list and Seed OD
Values from the Matrix drop-down list.

6. Select [[AB Count Peak Hour]/[BA Count Peak Hour]] for the Count field.

7. Verify that [[AB FF Time]/[BA FF Time]] and [[AB Capacity]/[BA Capacity]]

are chosen in the Time and Capacity drop-down lists. The remaining settings are correct.

8. Under Assignment Settings, type 20 for Iterations and 0.01 for the relative gap.

9. Under O-D Matrix Estimation Settings, choose Multiple Paths, and make sure that
Iterations and Convergence are set to 10 and 0.0001 respectively.

10. Click Options to display the Options dialog box, check the Create Themes box, and click
OK to return to the O-D Matrix Estimation dialog box.

11. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

12. Type “My ODME” in the File Prefix edit box.

13. Click OK. TransCAD estimates the O-D matrix, displays the O-D matrix and a joined
view showing the link flows associated with the estimated O-D matrix, and displays the
Results Summary dialog box.

60
 14. Click Close to close the Results Summary dialog box.

15. Choose Window > Matrix > Estimated OD Matrix (Seed OD values) to see the
estimated matrix.

16. Choose File > Close All and click No to close all of the windows.

Model Manager
While various travel demand modeling (TDM) components may be configured and run interactively
through TransCAD’s graphical user interface, they may also be assembled into a compact and
integrated model. Such a model automatically launches the entire TDM at the touch of a button.
This can also be an efficient way to manage model input files and parameters, analyze multiple
scenarios, archive output results and reports, and conduct what-if/sensitivity tests.
TransCAD’s flowchart model interface provides flexible tools to define individual steps,
associate each step with macros that perform specific actions, and connect these steps in a
logical sequence reflecting the desired TDM structure. Feedback iterations, where the model is
re-run from a previous step until convergence, can also be easily incorporated and configured.

1. Choose File > Open

2. Change the file type to Planning Model and open the file PlanningModel.model

61
 This will open the structure of a simple 4-step planning model and its scenario manager

3. To run the model, click , type a description of the model run and click OK.

4. Click to open the data manager window. The data manager lets you view reports, logs
and input and output files associated with the model and your specific run.

5. Click Assignment to expand the assignment section and then right click on Assign FlowTable
and choose Visualize to create a map showing model flows and congestion levels.

6. To view individual files click on a section to expand it and double click on the file parameter
to open it.

62
Chapter 4

Network and Route System Tutorials

The tutorials in this chapter will give you a chance to try out and learn some of the network
and route system features of TransCAD. These ”60-Second Tutorials” come from the TransCAD
documentation set and cover finding shortest paths and toll shortest paths, solving a traveling
salesman problem, partitioning a network, creating network bands, modifying route systems,
and creating strip charts.
The tutorials in this section require you to use commands in the Networks/Paths and
Route Systems menus. If they do not appear on the menu bar, choose Procedures >
Networks/Paths and Procedures > Route Systems to display the respective menus.

Finding a Shortest Path

1. Choose File > Open or click on the Standard toolbar, then open the map SHORTEST
PATH.MAP in the Tutorial folder.

2. Make sure that Highway shows in the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Networks/Paths > Shortest Path Toolbox or click on the Standard toolbar
to display the Shortest Path toolbox.

4. Click to display the Network Settings dialog box. Verify that NES HWY.NET is the
active network and click OK.

5. Click to display the Route Options dialog box, choose [Route 1] from the Direction
Field drop-down list, and click OK.

6. Choose [Travel Time] from the Minimizing drop-down list.

7. Click , then click on the map at the point labeled HERE and click again at the point
labeled THERE.

8. Click Find Route. TransCAD displays the shortest path based on travel time.

9. Click , then click on the middle of the path to add a stop and drag it to the point labeled
THROUGH POINT. TransCAD updates the shortest path to include the stop.

10. Right-click on the first stop in the Shortest Path toolbox and choose Choose as End.

11. Click Yes to confirm that you want the first stop to also be the last stop.

63
 12. Click Optimize. TransCAD updates the shortest path to include the return trip.

13. Click in the Shortest Path Toolbox next to one or more stops to see the directions.

14. Click on the Standard toolbar to close the Shortest Path toolbox and click Drop when
prompted.

15. Choose File > Close and click No to close the map without saving any changes.

Computing a Shortest Path with Tolls

1. Choose File > Open Workspace, then open the workspace Toll Shortest Path
SE MA.wrk in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map of Massachusetts. The
Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), a toll facility utilizing an entry-to-exit toll structure, is
highlighted. The workspace also includes a node-to-node toll matrix that specifies the
entry-to-exit tolls for the toll facility.

2. Choose Base Year Network from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Networks/Paths > Toll Shortest Path to display the Toll Shortest Path
toolbox.

4. Choose [Freeflow Time] from the Based on drop-down list.

5. Click in the Toll Shortest Path dialog box to display the Toll Skim Settings dialog box.

6. Ctrl-Click Generalized Cost, Entry/Exit Toll, and AutoToll in the scroll list to
highlight them and click OK.

7. Click to display the Toll Settings dialog box.

8. Verify that SR24 Toll Schedule is chosen in the Toll Matrix drop-down list, Auto is
chosen in the Matrix Core drop-down list, and Endpoints (Entry) is chosen in the Row
Index and Endpoints (Exit) Column Index drop-down lists. Choose AutoToll from the
Toll Field drop-down list and click OK.

9. Click to display the Network Settings dialog box and click the Toll tab.

10. Verify that the In network radio option is chosen in both radio lists and click OK.

11. Click to activate the Add a Location tool.

12. Click on the map first at the point marked “Here” and then at the point marked “There.”

13. Click . TransCAD finds the shortest path that minimizes the travel time and displays
it on the map. TransCAD also displays the skim results.

14. Click the Close button in the top right corner of the Toll Shortest Path toolbox to close it
and the Shortest Path Results window.

15. Choose File > Close All and click No to close the workspace without saving changes.

64
Traveling Salesman Problem

1. Choose File > Open or click on the Standard toolbar, and then open the map
TRAVELING SALESMAN.MAP in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map
of highways and stops and opens the network NES HWY.NET.

2. Choose Highway from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Networks/Paths > Shortest Path Toolbox or click to display the Shortest
Path toolbox.

4. Make sure that [Travel Time] is selected in the Minimize drop-down list.

5. Click on the Shortest path toolbar to add stops, and choose STOPS (8) from the
Features drop-down list.

6. Click OK. TransCAD populates the eight stops on your map.

7. Right click on the seventh listed stop (in the Shortest Path Toolbox). Click Choose as
Start. Scroll to the same stop, now listed as the first stop. Right click it, and click
Choose as End.

8. Click Optimize. TransCAD finds the shortest path, based on travel time, going from
HOME to each of the stops, and back to HOME. The path is displayed on the screen, and
a message window displays the total travel time.

9. Choose File > Close and click No to close the map without saving any changes.

Partitioning a Network

1. Choose File > Open or click on the Standard toolbar, then open the map NETWORK
PARTITIONING.MAP in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map of city streets
with three ambulance locations and opens the network NET PART.NET.

2. Make sure that Streets is shown in the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Networks/Paths > Network Partitioning to display the Network Partitioning

dialog box. The settings filled in automatically are correct.

4. Click the Options tab.

5. Check the Create Zone Layer box, the Create Link Table box, and the Display
Theme boxes.

6. Click OK to display the Output File Settings dialog box.

7. Click OK to use the default names for link table and zone layer. TransCAD partitions
the streets into three zones, one for each ambulance, displays a color theme to show the
three zones, and displays the zone layer.

8. Choose File > Close All and click No to All to close the map and dataview without
saving any changes.

65
Creating Travel Bands

1. Choose File > Open or click on the Standard toolbar, then open the map NETWORK
PARTITIONING.map in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map of city streets
and opens the network NET PART.NET.

2. Make sure that Streets is shown in the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Networks/Paths > Travel Bands or click on the Standard toolbar to display
the Travel Bands toolbox.

4. Click and click on the center of the map.

5. Create 1 band at 1 mile/km interval.

6. Click . TransCAD adds a network band for one mile/kilometer around the point where
you clicked.

7. Click to clear your stop.

8. Click and verify that Street Node is chosen in the Layer drop-down list and Ambulance
is chosen in the Using drop-down list.

9. Click . TransCAD adds network bands around the three selected nodes.

10. Choose File > Close and click No to close the map without saving any changes.

Setting Route System Styles

1. Choose File > Open or click on the Standard toolbar, then open the map shipping.map
in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map showing a warehouse and shipping routes.

2. Choose the Route System layer from the layer list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Click on the Standard toolbar to display the Style dialog box.

4. Choose 3.5 from the Width drop-down list and choose Around Centerline from the
Offsets drop-down list.

5. Click OK. TransCAD redraws the map, with a separate line for each of the 15 routes.

6. Click again to display the Style dialog box.

7. Choose Territory from the Tracking drop-down list.

8. Click OK. TransCAD redraws the Map. Routes with the same Territory value are
displayed on top of one another.

9. Choose File > Close and click No to close the map without saving any changes.

66
Working with Strip Charts

1. Choose File > Open or click on the Standard toolbar, then open the map LRS.MAP
in the Tutorial folder. TransCAD displays a map of southern New England. The Route
System layer contains 3 Interstate highway routes. A linear referencing layer named
HIGHWAY LRS is attached to the Route System layer.

2. Choose Route System from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar.

3. Choose Route Systems > Linear Referencing > Strip Chart to display the Strip
Chart toolbox.

4. Choose I - 90 from the Route drop-down list.

5. Click to display the Strip Chart Settings dialog box.

6. Click and drag on the [HIGHWAY LRS].PAVEMENT, [HIGHWAY LRS].FLOW,

[HIGHWAY LRS].LANES, and [HIGHWAY LRS].SPEED fields in the Fields scroll
list to highlight the four fields.

7. Click OK to close the Strip Chart Settings dialog box.

8. Click . TransCAD opens a new window containing a strip chart showing the highway
pavement, flow, number of lanes, and speed by milepost, along I - 90.

9. Choose File > Close All and click No to All to close the map and strip chart without
saving any changes.

67