:TEAPAC Ver 8.20 18NOV09

Build 00 - 18NOV09

>VISSIM Simulation and Animation Has Been Added to TEAPAC's Export Function.

The popular VISSIM simulation and animation program (Ver 5.10 distributed by PTV America) has been added as one of the many third-party programs which are supported by the Export function in TEAPAC. A complete signalized network can be exported to a .anm file which can be dragged to the VISSIM main window or imported with VISSIM's File-Import-ANM menu.

When using the AUTO option for VISSIM, VISSIM will be opened and the path to the TMPVIS.anm file which is created will be selected. Then the user should use the File-Import-ANM menu to perform the import. In the dialog that opens, the browse button for the Static Network Data file should be used to select the TMPVIS.anm file and the Import routing option should be unchecked. Specifying a target VISSIM input file is not necessary. As an alternative, the TMPVIS.anm file (or any .anm file created by the Export) can be dragged to the main VISSIM window.

>New Tru-Traffic Program Fully Supported by TEAPAC's Export and Import.

The newest version of TS/PP-Draft which is now called Tru-Traffic (Ver 8.00.40) is now fully supported by the Export and Import functions of TEAPAC. In addition to all of the prior support for TS/PP-Draft, the newest features for managing the background images in Tru-Traffic are also supported by TEAPAC's Export to Tru-Traffic.

>Conditional Turns Are Now Modeled in CORSIM.

CORSIM's feature that allows upstream-downstream assignments between adjacent intersections has been implemented so that the Limited assignment option of TEAPAC's Network entry can be modeled the same way it is optimized in TRANSYT when Limited assignment is selected. This provides an animation of the TRANSYT-optimized results which is more consistent with the traffic flows which were optimized in TRANSYT. Limited assignment can be quite useful for many situations such as closely-spaced intersections, and in particular, to model the upstream-downstream flows which are likely to exist at most diamond interchange situations.

>New Option to Include Warrants Which have Been Analyzed Externally.

A new option has been added to the warrant Conditions dialog to include warrants which have been analyzed externally to TEAPAC. Warrants for pedestrians, schools, coordination and networks are not analyzed directly by TEAPAC since they require data which is not included in TEAPAC. However, if the analyst would like to show that any of these warrants have either been Met or Not Met in the TEAPAC warrant analysis summary, inputs on the Conditions dialog can be made to include any or all of these warrants. The default remains the same as before - these four warrants are not shown in the warrant analysis at all.

>Windows 7 Is Fully Supported.

TEAPAC Complete has been tested and optimized for Windows 7 usage, and takes advantage of many of the nifty interface features offered by Windows 7. No changes will be apparent for usage under any of the other 32-bit Windows platforms such as Windows XP and Vista.

:TEAPAC Ver 8.10 08APR09

Build 14 - 27OCT09

>Synchro Import Prevented from Setting IdealSatflows Equal to 0.

A Synchro Import is now prevented from setting IdealSatflows equal to zero for lane groups that do not exist. These zero values have been seen to be problematic when an analyst alters the geometry after the import and doesn't realize that the ideal satflows are zero. Rather than importing zeros, such values are now set to a more appropriate default of 1900.
 

>Fixed Synchronization for Edit-TrafficImpact and -CountAnalysis Menus.

Synchronization between the Edit-TrafficImpact menu selection and the dialog displayed has been corrected, where previously the selected menu did not always open the desired dialog. The same has been done for the Edit-CountAnalysis menu.

Build 12 - 15SEP09

>Improved Display of T-Intersections in Network Display.

T-Intersections which have only a shared 'through' lane for turns on the stem of the T will now display correctly as a T-intersection in the network display. Previously, the display could errantly show a fourth leg at the intersection in anticipation of a possible 1-way exiting leg - this display is now used only when through traffic in such a through lane validates the existence of the 1-way exiting leg.

>Scenario Template Function Fixed.

Access to the pre-programmed scenario templates provided with TEAPAC has been restored. The pre-programmed templates found in the Scenario dialog of the Edit menu provide a wide range of typical multi-scenario definitions that can be implemented quickly, and are a quick way to learn and experiment with the powerful scenario function built into TEAPAC.

>PDF User Guide Can Be Displayed from Help Menu.

A new option to open the PDF User Guide has been added to the Help menu. The PDF User Guide has the same content as the context-sensitive, interactive help system, but is formatted like a book for easy reading and is printable, either selectively or in its entirety. The PDF User Guide also provides a more context-friendly search function than the help system. The PDF User Guide is not included with the software download due to its size and redundancy with the Help content, but it can be downloaded at no charge from the Downloads section of StrongConcepts.com. After downloading, it should be saved in the folder where TEAPAC was installed (c:\Program Files\Strong Concepts\TEAPAC by default) so it can be accessed by the Help menu.

Build 09 - 11JUL09

>Synchro Import Enhancements Made.

The new REQYELLOWS input is now set when importing a complete network from SYNCHRO so that the yellow change and red clearance times which are imported will match those found in the Synchro data. The node which is selected in the TEAPAC display prior to a Synchro Import is also retained as the current node after the import is completed. A fix has been made to address difficulties importing certain problematic data situations from Synchro which caused unpredictable TEAPAC behavior after the Import.

>Data Input Checks for NOSTOP Export Modified.

Since volumes are not a real requirement for a TEAPAC Progression ANalysis (NOSTOP), the data check before an Export which requires volumes to be present for every defined lane group is now omitted for a NOSTOP Export. A band ratio which is normally based on directional arterial volumes is set to 1.0 when this is the case.

>Cycle Length Added to Output Display for TIMINGS and QUEUECALCS.

The cycle length which appears in the text-only outputs for the TIMINGS and QUEUECALCS results has been added to the graphical formatted output results for these actions.

>Approach Labels Added to Edit-Movement Menus.

The APPLABELS dialog has been added to the Edit menu for Movement data, primarily to been seen as column headings for entry of the movement data in the Tabular View.

>Approach and Movement Labels Added to TrafficImpact & CountAnalysis Menus.

The APPLABELS and MOVLABELS dialogs have been added to the Edit menus for TrafficImpact and CountAnalysis, primarily to been seen as column headings for entry of movement data (like VehicleCounts) in the Tabular View. This matches the presentation of the Tabular View that appeared in the prior WARRANTS and TURNS programs of TEAPAC.

Build 06 - 20JUN09

>Problem Caused by Deleting Dummy Nodes Resolved.

A problem which appeared in Build 03 has been resolved where deleting dummy nodes could potentially cause unexpected changes to other data values as the references to the deleted node were updated. This Build 06 update is strongly recommended for users of any version of TEAPAC Ver 8.10 starting with Build 03.

>New Lost Time Method Supported for Export/Import to/from Synchro Ver 7.

Synchro Ver 7 uses a new technique for describing lost time for movements, and ignores any attempts to use the prior method of describing lost time. TEAPAC has been adjusted to reflect this change in method so that lost time will be reflected consistently when data is exchanged between TEAPAC and Synchro Ver 7. This Build 06 update is strongly recommended for TEAPAC users exchanging data with Synchro Ver 7 either via Export or Import. Data exchange with earlier versions of Synchro is not affected.

>Default Import Folder Adjusted to Match Export AUTO Folder.

An earlier release of TEAPAC provided a new feature whereby the data folder used by Import functions was maintained separately from the user data folder so that import source files could be retained in a separate folder from other user data files. This feature can cause difficulties when executing Export AUTO functions followed by Import AUTO functions when the user data folder is being changed between each Export function. To resolve this, the default Import folder is now set to match the Export folder each time Export AUTO is used so that Import AUTO will use the same folder as Export AUTO in all cases.

Build 04 - 21MAY09

>Adjustment to License Key Processing Assures Qualified Licenses Self-Update.

A minor adjustment has been made to how license key information is processed to assure that all licenses with paid-up maintenance contracts self-update to allow full usage of all releases issued within the maintenance period, regardless of any change in version number.

Build 03 - 18MAY09

>Red Clearance (All-Red) Time Now Supported Directly by TEAPAC.

A new entry for entering signal timings called REDCLEARTIMES can be used to define red clearance time which follows yellow change time at the end of a phase. For optimizing timings, the previous entry called REQCLEARANCES has been renamed to REQCHANGE+CLEARS because it encompasses all change and clearance time required (yellow + all-red), as before. A new entry called REQYELLOWS is now used to define how much of the REQC+C time is yellow, and the remainder will be red clearance (all-red). Setting REQYELLOWS to zero will prevent any red clearance from being used, making all of the REQC+C time YELLOWTIME, as before. For an HCM2000 capacity analysis, red clearance and yellow change have the same effect, so sub-dividing the change+clearance time into yellow and red clearance has no effect on capacity analysis results. Timings exported to HCS+ will now include red clearance, and timings imported from and exported to Synchro and TS/PP-Draft will now retain the red-clearance times which have been defined. REDCLEARTIMES are included in the Edit-Phasing menu and REQYELLOWS are in the Edit-Movement menu under the new REQCHANGE+CLEARS entry. They are both displayed in the Signalized Summary of Parameter Values report.

>Pedestrian-Specific Signal Timing Parameters Can Now be Entered.

Pedestrian-specific signal timing parameters can now be entered and are maintained separately in the data base, and are used separately as constraints on optimization. Previously, if a ped signal timing requirement was larger than a vehicle minimum, that requirement was entered as the MINIMUM for the associated thru movement. Now new PEDWALKS and PEDFDWS entries can be made for each approach and these values are applied as optimization constraints in addition to the MINIMUMS constraint. Where previously TEAPAC would display an 'm' in the phasing for a phase which was constrained by a MINIMUMS entry, it now displays a 'p' for a phase which was constrained by a ped requirement. Since often it is desirable to test operation of a signal without ped constraints, a PEDWALKS factor can be entered to adjust the ped requirements. Setting it to 0.0 eliminates the peds requirements, while setting it to 1.0 uses the entered values, but other factors can also be used to test the sensitivity of the ped walk and flash don't walk (FDW) requirements. PEDWALKS and PEDFDWS are both found in the Edit-Approach menu under the PEDLEVELS entry. They are both displayed in the Signalized Summary of Parameter Values report and all phasing diagrams show the ped crossing as a dashed line in the appropriate phases.

>TIMINGPLAN Output Report Has Been Significantly Enhanced.

The TIMINGPLAN output report has been significantly enhanced, primarily to accommodate the display of the new timing intervals for red clearance times and ped walk and flash-don't-walk times mentioned above, but other major enhancements have also been provided. These include the display of nema phase times when the phasing is defined 'by-movement' so the times displayed reflect the times which would be implemented on a typical dual-ring controller. Boxes around the various phases and/or nema movement results have been added to make it more clear to which displayed phases these numbers apply, and a proportional display of the actual phase/ring interval timings is provided at the bottom of the report. A related change now shows by-movement timings in the various Summary of Parameter Values reports when the user has selected this entry mode.

>New NEMAPHASES Entry Allows Labeling of Phases.

A new NEMAPHASES entry allows labeling of phases according to what is or will be implemented on a dual-ring controller. If these entries are zeros (the default), no change in the display is made, but entries which define which protected nema phase numbers have been assigned to each of the twelve entry movements will be displayed in any phase diagram, such as TIMINGPLAN above, a capacity analysis, or a SEQUENCES or GREENTIMES dialog. The NEMAPHASES entries are exported to Synchro so that the same phase numbering is used in Synchro, and when a complete network is imported from Synchro, the NEMAPHASES used in Synchro are imported into TEAPAC. NEMAPHASES is included at the bottom of the Edit-Movements menu.

>PLOTTSD Function Expanded for the Possibility of Two Green Bands per Cycle.

This eliminates a previous problem in displaying bands where a short red that disrupts an otherwise wide green band thru a system was not properly represented. Furthermore, if the offset units of the master node in a PLOTTSD result are provided in seconds, the PLOTTSD results will also be displayed in seconds instead of percent of cycle. If the PLOTTSD does not include a master node, the units of the first node in the system are used to define the PLOTTSD units. Other cleanup items have also been performed on this output report, one being the removal of an extra page at the end of the PLOTTSD that sometimes was displayed, and another being problems when all the nodes to be plotted are not properly connected.

>Importing Timings from 3rd-party Programs Expanded for By-Movement Timings.

Importing timings from third-party programs which use by-phase timings can now be performed when the TEAPAC timings are defined by-movement. This includes importing from PASSER, TRANSYT and NOSTOP optimizations. Further, when timings are imported from Synchro (which is always by-movement), the TEAPAC timing entry scheme in use is retained, either by-phase or by-movement; and if a whole network is being imported from Synchro, then the timing entry scheme assigned for all the intersections is now designated as by-movement to match the scheme used in Synchro, rather than by-phase which was used previously.

>ARRIVALTYPE Set to Reasonable Value for Network Import from Synchro.

Previously, this was the responsibility of the user, and still should be considered carefully by the user. Since this is not a direct input for Synchro or a result available in the UTDF file format, the best TEAPAC can do is as follows - if the signalized approach being imported has a real upstream node that is signalized and is no more than 1/3 of a mile away, then the arrival type is set to 4, otherwise the arrival type is set to 3.

>Example Data Files Renamed.

Example data files have been renamed so that the file names reflect the type of Results analysis in TEAPAC that the data has been set up for. On a related note, all prior user data files are upwards-compatible with all the changes described above.

>Internal Flags Reset After COMPUTEPATHS & COUNTANALYZE for New Volumes.

After new volumes are generated by either the COMPUTEPATHS or the COUNTANALYZE function, the volumes and geometrics for the intersection are re-scanned and internal flags are re-set to reflect the new conditions. In particular, when these functions add volumes to movements that otherwise had no volumes, certain flags that indicate the existence of the movements are now re-set for use by subsequent functions of the program, such as capacity analysis and optimization.

>Unconnected Dummy Nodes Ignored By Export.

Dummy nodes which may exist in a network after it has been edited, but are no longer connected to other nodes in the network, are now ignored when EXPORTing to third-party programs to avoid unpredicatable results and crashes due to these extraneous nodes.

>Improved Display of List of Phasing SEQUENCES to be Optimized.

Long lists of phasing SEQUENCES to be optimized are now displayed properly.

>Prevent Crash in PROGRESSION Optimization for 1-Node Arterial.

A PROGRESSION analysis normally cannot be performed unless two or more intersections are entered in the PROGRESSION inputs. However, a one-intersection analysis can be populated by an EXPORT function, resulting in a crash in the PROGRESSION optimization, so checks in the optimization function now prevent this crash and deliver a 'No Solutions found' message which also includes the number of intersections attempted by the optimization.

>EXPORT AUTO Now Checks Data and Host Paths for Invalid Characters.

Certain characters (such as '%') in a file path specification for both data files and host programs that are allowed by Windows can confound the linkage techniques used between TEAPAC and third-party host programs when the AUTO option of EXPORT is used. The data and host file paths are now scanned for such invalid characters with a clear message and clean termination of the EXPORT AUTO function.

>Remove Caution Message About HCS+ Export Using New XML File Format.

A cautionary message about usage of the new XML data file format for HCS+ exports has now been removed in light of the proven functionality of this method of exporting both signalized and unsignalized intersections to HCS+.

>Mouse Sensitivity Reduced for Intersection Selection Clicks.

Slight movement of the mouse during an intersection selection click could be misinterpreted as a drag-and-drop SUBSYSTEM selection, and one that might go un-noticed because of potential minor differences in the colors used to represent selected nodes and SUBSYSTEM nodes in the graphical display. To limit the possibility of this confusion, the size of a drag area which is needed to invoke SUBSYSTEM selection has been increased, making intersection selection less sensitive to slight mouse movement during selection clicks.

:TEAPAC Ver 8.01 08DEC08

Build 04 - 27JAN09

>IMPORT Folder Can Be Independent From the Data Folder.

Previously, the folder from which import activities were performed was presumed (required) to be the same as the user data folder. However, by using the Browse button in the IMPORT and COUNTIMPORT dialogs, this joint-use folder could be changed, and possibly without the user's specific understanding of the specific ramifications. This could create a potential problem when saving the user's data file if it was assumed to be at an unchanged location from where it was opened or previously saved.
 

To remedy this, specifying a folder where an import file is located (either with the <Data File> specificaton or the Browse button in the dialog) no longer adjusts the folder location where future data file save activities will occur. The location of the last Import (IMPORT/COUNTIMPORT) file is remembered for use as the default folder for the next Import action, and the default folder for the first Import action is the data folder which is current for the first Import action.

>Direct Support for CORSIM Ver 6.1.

TEAPAC now directly supports the newest version of CORSIM (Ver 6.1) for the Export function of TEAPAC. Export support for prior versions of CORSIM remains in TEAPAC.

>CORSIM Export Option Corrected.

The CORSIM Export option was incorrectly displayed as Import instead of Animate in the EXPORT dialog box. This has been corrected. The Animate option allows a direct animate-only result after exporting to CORSIM without the need to view the simulation statistics.

>Node Number Delete and Renumber Prevented from Damaging Multi-Scenario Files.

The methods used to delete and renumber nodes are currently inconsistent with the data file structure used for multi-scenario data files, so these features have been disabled for multi-scenario situations to avoid potential damage to the integrity of the data files. A message to this effect is now displayed and the user is referred to Strong Concepts for a detailed discussion of the issues and potential methods around the problem.

>Help File Improvements.

Help for a number of Results dialogs has been restored for the Help buttons which appear in these dialogs. Also, a large number of pre-indexed search entries which had disappeared from the Help file have been restored.

>More Consistent Use of Enter Key for Dialog Entries.

An improvement has been made in the use of the Enter key in dialog displays for more consistent behavior for effecting a press of the default dialog button with the Enter key.

PreRelease 03 - 02JAN09

>IMPORT Problems from PROGRESSION (NOSTOP) Results Fixed.

Difficulties importing results from a PROGRESSION optimization (NOSTOP) for an arterial which has bend nodes or unsignalized intersections have been corrected.

>Problem Viewing NOSTOP Exported Data Fixed.

A problem scrolling through all of the output when including a view of the exported data for a PROGRESSION (NOSTOP) analysis has been corrected.

PreRelease 02 - 24DEC08

>COUNTIMPORT Dialog Repaired.

The COUNTIMPORT dialog produced from the Results menu to Import traffic count data from electronic counters was discovered to be inadvertantly damaged by a previous (incomplete) modification. This problem has been repaired.

Build 01 - 08DEC08

>Direct Support for TS/PP-Draft Ver 8 Export and Import.

TEAPAC now directly supports the newest version of TS/PP-Draft (Ver 8) for both the Export and Import functions of TEAPAC. TEAPAC automatically detects that Ver 8 is installed and adjusts the Export and Import functions accordingly. Export and Import support for prior versions of TS/PP-Draft remains in TEAPAC.

>Synchro 7 Export Workaround Improved.

Trafficware has not yet fixed the problem with the 1-file UTDF 2006 .csv file format used by Synchro Ver 7, but a simpler workaround has been generated that involves only re-reading the .csv file with Synchro's File-Merge menu after the Exported .csv file is first opened. This simpler method has been added to the warning message that is issued when TEAPAC Exports to Synchro Ver 7.

>More Complete Doc for OUTPUT Options in Dialog, Help and PDF.

All of the options for the OUTPUT dialog are now included in the on-screen help and printable pdf user guide. Previously, only those options relating to the Signal Analysis aspects of the program were included.

>Added Capability to Double-Click Files with Blanks in File Name.

The capability has been added to be able to double-click TEAPAC data files that have spaces in their name as a way to launch TEAPAC and open the clicked file. This capability has existed previously for files without spaces in their name, but was recently noticed as an unintended exception for files with spaces in their names. A related improvement allows such files to be opened directly from attachments in an email program.

>Help System Changes.

A hierarchical table of contents has been added to the on-screen help system for TEAPAC, and is accessible from the Contents button in the main Help window which is displayed when the F1 button is pressed or the Help-Contents menu is selected.

The original Windows Help-On-Help function (F2) has diminished in value over the years, and has been removed completely from Windows Vista, so it has now been removed from TEAPAC. Also, under Windows Vista, the standard Help system used by TEAPAC is available as a free download from Microsoft - go to www.support.microsoft.com and search for 'KB917607' to get the correct download for your system.

>Fixed Synchronization for Edit-Intersection Menu and OUTPUT Dialog.

Synchronization between the Edit-Intersection menu selection and the dialog displayed has been corrected, where previously the selected menu did not always open the desired dialog. A similar adjustment has been made to the OUTPUT dialog which occasionally would display an un-selected program in its drop-down list.

:TEAPAC Ver 8.00 27AUG08

Build 02 - 08SEP08

>First release of TEAPAC Complete, Ver 8.00.

This is the first release of TEAPAC Complete, Ver 8.00, which brings together all of the prior TEAPAC application programs into a single, fully-integrated program. TEAPAC Complete has all the functionality of the prior TEAPAC programs, and is distributed as a single-user, single-computer license. The application functions in the single TEAPAC Complete program now include:

HCM2000-compliant signalized capacity analysis and full HCM optimization of splits, cycle and phasing (previously known as SIGNAL2000).

Estimation of projected volumes for traffic impact studies, including user-adjustable, automated on-screen assignments of site traffic (previously known as SITE).

MUTCD-compliant signal warrant and multi-way stop warrant analyses (previously known as WARRANTS).

Complete traffic count analysis, including peak period determination and import of count data from a multitude of electronic traffic counters (previously known as TURNS).

Simplified bandwidth arterial progression optimization with full-color time-space diagrams (previously known as NOSTOP).

Full Export Capabilities for well-established third-party programs, such as HCS, TRANSYT-7F, PASSER-II, CORSIM, TS/PP-DRAFT and SYNCHRO/SIMTRAFFIC (previously known as SIGNAL2000, PRETRANSYT, PREPASSR, PRENETSIM, PRETSPPD and PRESYNCHRO).

Full Import Capabilities for a complete network created in SYNCHRO Ver 5, 6 or 7 (previously known as PRESYNCHRO).

Revolutionary TEAPAC multi-variable, multi-scenario data management for all applications above (previously known as SCENARIO).

Seamless exchange of inputs and results between all combined applications, such as peak period volumes, projected traffic volumes, optimized signal timings, computed saturation flow rates. etc.

One downloadable manual (and one on-screen help system) covers the entire breadth of TEAPAC applications, with full index and improved graphics and output examples.

Upgrade pricing from prior TEAPAC licenses is available.