Download VHelper

VHelper 9.0 Major-release VAPPAD 1.0

Technical information

Public key token: 98b4585e962061f7

• No installation is required. Extract the whole ZIP file to a local folder, then double-click VHelper.exe. Don't run VHelper from inside the ZIP: Windows then runs it from a temporary folder, and the AI assistant tools that come with it (vhelper-cli.exe and the mcp folder) can't be used from there.
• If Windows displays an unknown publisher warning, confirm that you downloaded VHelper from trananswers.com before choosing the option to proceed. Each release is also submitted to Microsoft Defender for analysis.
• We plan to offer VHelper as a Microsoft Store MSIX package. The Store version will be signed by Microsoft and should eliminate the unknown publisher warning for Store installations.
• You can keep multiple VHelper versions on the same computer as long as each version is extracted to a separate folder. The same activation code can be used for each version.
• Some corporate security systems may block ActiproSoftware.Docking.Wpf.dll. This is a legitimate third-party user-interface component used by VHelper and VAPPAD. Code obfuscation can occasionally cause antivirus software to report a false positive. If the file is blocked, ask your IT department to review and allow it.
• To request an activation key, open Help → Register in VHelper and email the displayed serial number to support@trananswers.com.

Release Notes

Major release: 9.0 - 10/14/2026 Major-release

Highlights

• Build and edit the whole network in VHelper. Every object type in Vissim's Network Objects list can now be added, moved, edited and deleted on the map, as in Vissim: draw links and connectors, split links, and add signal heads, stop signs, detectors, vehicle inputs, parking lots, public transport stops and lines, nodes, sections, obstacles, pavement markings, priority rules, conflict area statuses, measurements and more. Every edit can be undone, and saving writes it into the .inpx.
• Start a new network. New network (Ctrl+N) creates a Vissim network from VHelper's templates for Vissim 11 and 2020 to 2026, with road-class display types, named speed distributions and driving behavior presets.
• See behavior changes on the map. Links whose driving behavior differs from Vissim's defaults are outlined, and the freeway and arterial presets are drawn as rings that show their capacity and lane changing levels.
• Safer files, more accurate results. Saving changes only what you edited and keeps the rest of the file as it was, and a broad audit fixed more than 50 problems in saving, results, demand and corridor ODME (see Fixes).
• See what needs fixing, and what isn't used. Export the issues Diagnostics finds, see each simulation run error once across all seeds and on the map, and find the driving behaviors, distributions and other base data nothing uses.
• Use VHelper with AI assistants. Claude, Codex and other AI apps can open a network, run VHelper's network checks, look at the objects a finding names and save fixes to a new file; vhelper-cli does the same from a terminal.

Keyboard and mouse, as in Vissim

• Ctrl+Y redoes (Ctrl+Shift+Z still does), Ctrl+M measures a distance, Ctrl+B shows or hides the background map, Page Up and Page Down zoom, and Enter shows the selected map object in Network Objects.
• Calculate Speed moves to Ctrl+Shift+U, beside Calculate Volume (Ctrl+U), and volume bandwidths to Ctrl+Shift+B. Help › Keyboard Shortcuts lists them all.
• Choose the object type to edit in the toolbar at the top of the map. With one of these tools, a right-click inserts an object of that type, as Vissim's "right-click creates a new object" setting does, and Ctrl + right-click opens the map menu. In Select, nothing on the map can be moved by accident.
• Hold the middle mouse button and drag to pan, in any tool.

Links, connectors and lanes

• Draw links and connectors. With the Links tool, hold the right button where the road starts, tap the left button for bends, and release where it ends; start and end on links to draw a connector. The Link dialog opens, as in Vissim. New roads take the lowest free number.
• Reshape, move and split. Right-click a link to add a point, drop a point on another to merge them, drag a whole link to move it with everything on it, or Ctrl + right-click a link and choose Split Link Here, as in Vissim 2026: routes and public transport lines over the split carry on through the new connector and link.
• Delete links and connectors. As in Vissim, the connectors joined to a deleted link go with it, and so do the routing decisions, routes ending on it, and objects on them. A panel lists what goes, shown in red on the map, before anything is deleted. Routes that only pass over the link are kept with a broken path, listed in Diagnostics, and fixed with Repair route.
• Edit links in Network Objects: name, number of lanes, link behavior type, display type, level, connectors' lane change distances, and user-defined attributes. Type one value with several rows selected to change them all.
• A Lanes pane, as in Vissim's Lanes list: lane widths, each lane's link behavior type and display type, blocked vehicle classes and lane-change bans; add a lane, or remove any lane of a link or connector. This replaces the sidebar's Link & Connector Tools.

Every other object type on the map

• Vehicle inputs: right-click a link to add one, drag it to another link, and set names, volumes (paste them from Excel) and vehicle compositions in Network Objects.
• Signal heads and stop signs: right-click a lane to open Vissim's dialog (signal group, type, OR or flashing yellow arrow signal group, compliance and vehicle classes; the RTOR signal group for stop signs).
• Desired speed decisions, reduced speed areas and detectors: right-click a lane, or drag along it with the right button; the dialog sets each vehicle class's desired speed distribution, or a detector's port, signal controller and type.
• Vehicle attribute decisions: right-click a lane and pick the attribute and its formula or distribution; they are drawn on the map as a purple bar across the lane.
• Parking lots and public transport stops: drag along a lane with the right button; the dialog opens on release.
• Public transport lines: right-click the road a line enters on, then where it ends; set its departures and the stops it serves in the dialog, and drag its entry or destination to re-route it.
• Conflict areas: right-click one to step it through A has the right of way, B has it, undetermined and passive; drawn roads get passive ones where they overlap.
• Priority rules: right-click a lane for the stop line, then one for the conflict marker; Shift + right-click adds another conflict marker.
• Nodes, sections and obstacles: right-click the corners and double-click (or press Enter) to close; Backspace takes back the last corner. Obstacles can also be rectangles or circles.
• Pavement markings: right-click a lane and pick the type from drawn samples: arrows, diamond lane, U-turn, Roundabout US, zebra crossing or an image. The map now draws every type.
• Data collection points, vehicle travel time measurements and queue counters: right-click a road to add one, as in Vissim.
• Drag any of these to move it, double-click it to open its dialog, or press Delete. Undo and Redo cover every edit.

New networks and templates

• New network (Ctrl+N, on the toolbar, the start screen and the Project panel): choose the Vissim version, name and folder. Vissim's reference point is set where you draw the first road, so the network's origin is in your study area.
• Templates share road-class display types (Road, GP freeway, C-D road, Arterial, Local street, HOV / HOT / Express) and the same vehicle speed distributions, named by speed, class and range, for example "45 mph Arterial (40-50)". Their evaluation settings avoid the Vissim defaults VHelper warns about. Importing roads from OpenStreetMap uses these display types.
• Driving behavior presets: 12 freeway (Wiedemann 99) and 12 arterial (Wiedemann 74) driving behaviors and link behavior types combine four capacity levels (CAP--, CAP-, CAP, CAP+) with three lane changing levels (LC, LC+, LC++), within FDOT's calibration ranges.
• The start screen has Open and New network tiles, and recent files show their folder and when they were opened.

Map and display

• Outline Driving Behavior Changes (map menu › More Map Layers) outlines the links and connectors whose driving behavior differs from Vissim's defaults for its car-following model (Wiedemann 74 or 99), or from a behavior of the same model you choose. The tooltip lists each changed parameter, and the freeway and arterial presets show as rings.
• Link Color and Link Label in the status bar open a list of every choice, as the map menu and Options do; choices whose results aren't loaded yet are grayed out, and Ctrl+A and Ctrl+T skip them.
• Link Color › Gradient colors roads by slope, uphill and downhill; gradients are shown in percent.
• The map toolbar groups its tools as Network Objects does and folds them on a narrow window; the active tool is marked, with a hint naming its mouse actions. Every object type can show its numbers as labels.
• Undo, Redo, Zoom All and Zoom to Area (which now works on diagrams too) are on the main toolbar.
• Export the whole network to an image or GeoJSON, or the current view (Ctrl+E), at a size you choose up to 12,000 px. Print fills the page at any zoom and paper size.

Simulation, results and demand

• Edit every simulation parameter of an .inpx network in the Simulation Parameters dialog, with a live summary and range checks.
• MOE Outputs is now Evaluation, and the bottom panel's tabs are Network Objects, Base Data, Traffic and Evaluation.
• A route through a link closed to some of its routing decision's vehicle classes is flagged when you add or reroute it; when lane closures leave no way, the message names the closed link.
• Editing routes, roads, lanes, vehicle inputs or parking lots marks calculated demand as out of date, so it can't be exported until demand is calculated again.

Diagnostics and simulation run errors

• Copy and export the issues. Copy issues or run errors with a right-click or Ctrl+C, or Export… them as a CSV file for Excel, headed by the Vissim file and when they were found.
• Run errors from newer Vissim versions are read in full again: vehicles removed after waiting for a lane change, and vehicles that found no next link of their route, were left out before; older .err files still load.
• One row per problem across seeds. Loading the .err files of several runs lists each problem once, with the Seeds it happened in ("All (10)" when every run has it), its average per run and its worst seed. Removed vehicles are counted per link, and a run without errors still counts in the averages.
• Run errors on the map: each kind has its own shape and color, a problem is drawn solid when it happens in most seeds and as a ring when it's occasional, the marker's size follows the average per run, and a legend explains them. A vehicle without its next link is shown at the end of the link it reached.

Lists and base data

• Base Data shows what uses each item. A Used by column counts what refers to each driving behavior, link behavior type, display type, vehicle type and class, distribution, 2D/3D model and level. Unused means nothing in the file refers to it, so it's safe to delete in Vissim. Driving behaviors count the links that reach them through their link behavior types, lanes' own types included.
• Counts and statuses show as colored pills: an amber None or Unused marks something that does nothing, and statuses are green, amber, red or gray in ODME, Corridor Analysis, Evaluation and the conflict area list. Estimated base capacity shows beside each driving behavior.
• Routes, public transport departures and served stops sit beside the name, so they show without scrolling.

AI assistants and the command line

• Connect Claude, Codex or another AI app that supports MCP servers, with the steps in Help › AI Assistants. The page fills in the paths for your VHelper folder, with Copy buttons.
• An assistant can summarize a network, run the same checks as Ctrl+K, list the links, routes and other objects a finding names, and make a set of edits (desired speed decisions, signal heads, detectors, lane change distances, route relative flows, reduced speed areas and queue evaluation limits), saved to a file it names. If one edit fails, nothing is saved.
• Calculate demand for a time window, as Ctrl+U does: link volumes by vehicle type and demand per static route. Where the project has hourly link counts, each link gets its count and GEH, with a calibration summary.
• vhelper-cli runs the checks, edits and demand from a terminal or a batch file, with --json output for scripts.
• The assistant uses this computer's VHelper activation.

Saving

• Saving changes only what you edited. VHelper no longer rewrites whole sections of the .inpx: links, vehicle inputs, compositions, detectors, data collection, travel times, nodes, sections and obstacles are patched in place, so attributes VHelper doesn't read and the file's own number formatting are kept.
• A save writes a temporary file first and replaces the network only when it is complete, retrying if a virus scanner or sync program briefly holds the file.
• Save for an older Vissim. In Save As, choose Vissim 2025, 2024, 2023 or 2022 network in the file type list; it lists the versions older than the network's. VHelper writes a copy for that version, won't overwrite the open network, and then continues with the copy, so later edits and Run in Vissim use the older file. Connectors that merge or diverge keep feeding the same lanes.
• Base capacities are saved right away. Estimate Base Capacity and Import Base Capacity save them with the project at once, so they survive a crash.

Changed

• The side panel's Save as Vissim 2022 button is replaced by the Vissim versions in Save As (see Saving).
• New links and objects never take a number deleted since the last save; save first to reuse it. Numbers of objects you created and then undid are free again.
• OpenStreetMap import into an open network adds the roads and buildings as an edit you can undo and save, instead of saving the file and opening it again.
• Open in Vissim asks you to save or discard unsaved edits first, as Run in Vissim does. When previous runs are kept, new runs continue the seeds instead of repeating them.
• Transform Coordinates also moves background images, 3D models and signal heads, camera positions, pedestrian areas and ramps, and names anything it can't move.
• Combine Routings no longer saves the file by itself.
• Options applies project settings only when you click OK.
• Corridor ODME adds vehicle input intervals at the 15-minute distribution's start times, and takes the HGV share of its vehicle compositions from the input link's truck count where one exists (5% otherwise).

Fixes

• Activation is kept when the license server can't be reached (a firewall, proxy or time-out); before, the key could be removed. Activate saves only after the key checks out, so a mistyped key can't erase a working license, and a license or .vhelper file that can't be read for a moment is never overwritten.
• OpenStreetMap import no longer joins a divided road's carriageways with U-turns, turn lanes connect to the right receiving lanes (left turns to the leftmost), and through lanes keep their connector at skewed junctions.
• Network coding checks: a route that starts and ends on the same link is no longer called a looping trip; conflict areas on Vissim 2025 connectors that add or drop a lane are checked; a desired speed decision on an off-ramp no longer counts for traffic staying on the link; the lane change distance check uses a distribution's shortest distance; and Mark as grade-separated is offered only where it takes effect.
• Run errors: each .err file is its own run, so A_001 and B_001 no longer add up as one seed, and vehicles that ignore a desired speed decision are one row per decision.
• Synchro ODME paths no longer make U-turns at bends, so an imbalance across a bend is reported; sessions with zero-lane external roads save and reopen, ODME sessions are far smaller (0.6 MB instead of 14.8 MB), and saves retry when a scanner holds the file.
• Corridor periods split at routing interval changes round once (a 30 veh/h ramp no longer becomes 32), and zones sharing an off-ramp split its HOT target correctly.
• Throughput/Demand and Demand/Capacity labels show the same ratio as the link color, and Compare uses each network's own base capacities.
• The travel time chart shows a gap for a measurement without results; Queue Zones draw each queue counter's average once; All Lanes density colors each lane; the Sankey diagram applies turn overrides.
• Deleting a parking lot, PT line or stop removes the routes and detector references to it; reshaping or splitting roads moves zone connectors, abstract parking lots and node segments with them; Split Link keeps routes that enter from upstream.
• Vehicle input and composition imports check every row before changing anything, skip blank rows and read Excel percentages as values; a bad count cell is skipped with a warning; counts for links or nodes the network doesn't have are listed in Diagnostics; diagonal turning counts (NEBL, SWBT…) work.
• Rename RBC handles names with dots and asks before replacing a file; Create Detectors keeps a parking lot's detectors inside it; TNTP files with space-separated columns load, and a file that can't be read says why.
• A Synchro ODME session is no longer out of date because the project's working hour changed, and CC0 or ax at an excluded minimum shows as out of range.
• A link drawn after deleting another one is saved; it could take the deleted link's number and be lost. Undoing a deletion after a save writes back everything it restores, and deleting a road or lane also removes the priority rules and vehicle attribute decisions on it.
• Runs without vehicles are left out of link speed, node delay and travel time averages, as Vissim's own AVG does, and results for objects deleted from the network are skipped instead of stopping the import.
• HOT itinerary ODME runs again, and arterial origins that share an off-ramp no longer overwrite each other's routes.
• Routes created by the OD and VISUM imports get a relative flow for every routing interval, so Vissim splits traffic as imported.
• Networks with nodes defined by link segments no longer stop the arterial diagram, corridor analysis and travel time tools.
• Values of 1,000 or more can be edited in Network Objects, and saving after renaming RBC files with "&" in their names works.
• SSAM conversion reads metric speeds correctly, and the speed heat map keeps the intervals after an excluded one.
• A save that fails partway no longer leaves a cut-off .inpx; the previous version becomes the .bak only once the new file is complete.
• Names with accents or in other scripts are saved as UTF-8; they could make the saved network unreadable.
• Link segment volumes from the results database are in veh/h, as in the .att files (they were per evaluation interval), and Throughput/Demand and Demand/Capacity compare demand in veh/h.
• Data collection results with intervals without vehicles import completely, and averages leave those intervals out, as Vissim's own AVG does.
• A road's speed is the same whether link evaluation is written per lane or for all lanes; a lane, interval or link without results shows no data instead of other values.
• The mean of a desired speed or time distribution is weighted by its points, as Vissim interpolates between them, instead of halfway between its lowest and highest value.
• Time-Space Diagram signal bars start with the state each signal is in when the window starts, and no longer carry over from an earlier diagram.
• Routes for a routing decision with several vehicle classes can be added and rerouted on the map with lane closures considered.
• Sub-area export keeps conflict areas' visibility distances and older networks' conflict areas, and drops references to objects it removed.
• Route filters match routes that pass the same links more than once, and Delete All Static Routings no longer leaves route ends on the map.
• Tool windows such as Diagnostics show the Vissim file they belong to in their title, so the windows of two VHelper instances can't be mixed up.
• The driving behavior tables and the comparison of several behaviors scroll one row per click; before, one click could jump a whole group.

Major release: 8.0 - 10/8/2026 Major-release

Highlights

• Edit your Vissim network in VHelper. Add, move, reroute, and delete routing decisions and static routes on the map, reshape links by dragging their points, and edit names, relative flows, and vehicle classes in the routing tables. Every edit can be undone with Ctrl+Z, and saving writes your changes back into the .inpx, keeping everything else in the file as it was.
• A start screen and safer files. Open recent and pinned files from the start screen, drop files anywhere on VHelper, cancel a slow open without losing the network you have open, and choose Yes, No, or Cancel before unsaved Vissim edits are lost.
• Simulation settings next to your results. A Simulation Parameters dialog laid out like Vissim's, a Configuration view in MOE Outputs that flags settings that can affect your results, and Copy on every results table.
• Save as Vissim 2022. Convert networks from Vissim 2023 and later to the 2022 format, for example to use them with VISUM.

Editing routes on the map

• Add vehicle routes with clicks. Choose Add vehicle routes in the toolbar at the top of the map (or Add on map above the routing table), click a link to place a routing decision, then click links to add its routes. The shortest path is previewed as you point; a box beside the pointer shows the link number and name, the position, and the route length; and the pointer turns into an X where a click can't add anything. Press Esc when you're done.
• Move and reroute by dragging. Drag a routing decision or a route destination to move it, or drag a selected route onto another link to send it through there. Drag a decision or destination off the network to delete it.
• Route guards keep long routes intact. Click a selected route to set guards. Dragging the route then recalculates only the part between the guards, and the rest keeps its path even where a shorter one exists.
• Delete a selected decision or route with the Delete key or the trash buttons above the routing tables. Removing empty routes or all routes is a single step you can undo.
• The selected route is highlighted across the full width of the road, in the same yellow as the routing table, and the map and the routing tables always show the same selection.

Routing tables

• Edit relative flows in place, with one column per routing time interval. Type a value for several selected routes at once, or paste a block from Excel.
• Rename routing decisions and routes, and choose the vehicle classes a decision applies to, or all vehicle types.
• Right-click a decision or route to Zoom to it or Delete it.

Link shapes

• Reshape links and connectors on the map. Select one to show its points, then drag a point. Connector ends follow their links, and signal heads, detectors, routing decisions, and other objects on the road keep their place. Available for .inpx networks.

Map

• One toolbar for what the mouse does: Select, Zoom to area, Measure, Add vehicle routes, Undo, and Redo. The active tool is highlighted, and the measured distance appears below the toolbar.
• Network objects button. Show, hide, label, and color each object type from the map. Each color swatch shows the object as the map draws it.
• Base map button. Show or hide the base map in one click (Ctrl+M), and use its arrow to choose the map and overlays. New zoom buttons show the zoom level, and pointer coordinates moved to the top-right corner.
• Right-click the map to select the object under the pointer, find it in Network Objects, or copy its ID, and to copy coordinates or change overlays and display settings.

Simulation and results

• Simulation Parameters… shows every parameter as Vissim's dialog does. Set the random seed and number of runs for runs you start from VHelper; the Run Vissim panel shows a one-line summary.
• Delete previous runs and their results before running, so averages cover only the new runs.
• Configuration in MOE Outputs lists the simulation and evaluation settings behind your results, and warns when an evaluation window falls outside the simulation period or a queue or node setting is still at a Vissim default that can affect results.
• Copy the selected rows, or all rows, from every results view, ready to paste into Excel.
• Long reads run in the background with progress and Cancel: MOE .att imports, the Time-Space Diagram, SSAM file conversion and conflict import, and traffic count imports.

Files and saving

• Start screen with your recent and pinned files. Search the full recent list, and open recent files from the Windows taskbar.
• Drop files anywhere on VHelper: a network opens, .att result files go to MOE Outputs, and .err run-error files go to Diagnostics.
• Cancel a slow open. If a file can't be opened, the network you had open stays open.
• VHelper asks before unsaved Vissim edits are lost, marks the title bar with * while there are unsaved edits, and tells you if a save fails.
• Save as Vissim 2022… converts networks from Vissim 2023 and later, and warns you about connectors that Vissim 2022 can't represent.
• Windows, the bottom panel, and the sidebar reopen where you left them.

Also new

• Status messages with icons and a history of recent messages (the clock button in the status bar).
• Help has What's New, Getting Started, and Keyboard Shortcuts tabs, linked from the start screen.
• Buttons that need a network stay disabled until one is open, and their tooltips say why. Esc closes dialogs, and Ctrl+F jumps to the search box.
• Copy rows from every Network Objects table, and select several vehicle inputs, compositions, or routing decisions at once.
• In Compare, change or swap either file without closing the window, or drop a file onto either side.
• After activation, VHelper shows when your license is valid until, and no restart is needed.
• Problems are explained in a clear message with Copy details, instead of a technical error report.

Changed or removed

• The product name is spelled Vissim on screen, as PTV now writes it.
• The Network and Utility sidebar panes are combined into Network, and RBC File Management is now Signal Controller Files (RBC).
• Network object display settings moved from the sidebar and the Network Objects Display button to the network objects button on the map.
• Undo and Redo moved from the main toolbar to the map toolbar.

Fixes

• Deleting previous simulation runs now removes all of them; before, some could remain and be included in the averages.
• MOE Outputs tables no longer select their first row on their own.
• SSAM conflict files are read correctly on computers that use a comma for decimals.
• Clicking a bottom-panel tab while the panel is closed now opens it.

Major release: 7.5 - 10/6/2026 Major-release

Demand calculation

• One engine for whole-link and segment demand. Both calculation modes now use the same routing logic, so nested and same-link partial routes, repeated link visits, vehicle-class restrictions, relative route weights, and active time periods are handled consistently. Contributions from different parent routes are no longer lost or overwritten, and partial routes and parking demand now work in both modes.
• Routing loops are solved. When vehicles can leave a routing loop, VHelper now calculates the traffic that circulates through it instead of stopping. If part of the network still can't be resolved (a loop no vehicle can leave, or an unsupported active formula), you get the volumes it could calculate, clearly marked as incomplete, with the affected links listed. Double-click a routing-cycle issue in Diagnostics to see its links and connectors on the map. If you cancel a calculation, the last complete result stays.
• See demand along each part of a link. The Link Demand Volume window lists every segment with its start and end positions, connectors, total, and vehicle-type volumes. Hover over a segment on the map to highlight it and see its breakdown. Segment demand counts every pass over a segment, so on routes that revisit a link it can be higher than whole-link demand.
• Clearer reports and exports. Tables, tooltips, Network Objects, CSV, and GeoJSON now label Whole-Link Demand and Peak Segment Demand consistently and identify the peak segment. CSV files open cleanly in spreadsheets.
• Parking demand estimates. Turn on Calculate Parking Demand to see requests by parking decision and estimated allocations by lot and vehicle type in the new Parking Requests and Lot Estimates window, also available from Network Objects → Parking Demand…. These are estimates; they don't simulate occupancy, availability, or searching for a space.
• Safer demand-reference imports. Files in the original whole-link or the new peak-segment format are checked in full before anything is replaced, with clear messages about any problems. A failed import leaves your current data untouched.

Comparison, speeds, and connectors

• Compare two models side by side. Both networks appear on synchronized maps with shared display controls, alongside an XML difference view with line numbers, filtering, and a numeric tolerance that hides formatting-only changes.
• More accurate desired speeds. Speed checks now understand Vissim 2025+ connectors where lanes begin or end, lane closures, and lane-change restrictions, and they follow speeds across diverging branches. Diagnostics also flag Vehicle Input composition changes that alter desired speeds.
• Speed colors stay current. They refresh automatically in Speed mode. Use Refresh & Check Speed for a quick review, or Check Network Coding for a full check that also finds possibly missing reduced-speed areas.
• Better connector drawing. On Vissim 2025+ connectors that add or drop lanes, tapers, lane markings, and direction arrows now line up with the lanes they connect.

Simulation

• Smoother simulation runs. The simulation panel is split into Current Network and Multiple Networks. VHelper stays responsive while Vissim runs, checks your files first, keeps going if one batch run fails, and finishes with a summary. If the network has unsaved edits, choose Save and Run, Discard and Run, or Cancel.
• Results update after every run, including when Vissim writes them to a custom or relative output folder.

Project data and reliability

• Browse your saved project data. The new Browse Saved Data window lets you search and export everything stored with a project: traffic counts, 15-minute distributions, StreetLight data, OD records, ODME results, and crossing evidence.
• 15-minute distributions are saved with the project, so you no longer need to re-import them every session. A failed import keeps the previous factors.
• Safer saving. If VHelper can't save your project settings, it tells you and keeps the previous .vhelper file intact.
• Works with any Windows region setting. On computers that use a comma for decimals (for example, German or French settings), networks, results, and exports are now read and written correctly; before, coordinates could load incorrectly and saved networks could be damaged. Type reference-point coordinates with a period for decimals.
• Revise Coordinates moves everything on the links. Signal heads, detectors, data collection points, speed decisions and reduced-speed areas, stop signs, priority rules, routing decisions, PT stops, parking lots, queue counters, and travel-time sections keep their relative positions on transformed links.
• Faster network opening. Signal-controller files are now read only when you need their details.

Freeway diagrams

• More accurate speed heatmaps. Heatmaps built from data collection results now ignore measurements on parts of a link that the corridor doesn't use.
• Ramp names stay with the right ramp, even when a nearby ramp has no name.
• Stick diagrams follow your settings. The ramp-length setting now applies to every stick diagram, and path connections line up with the roads when you use a custom lane width.

Licensing and your account

• Create your own activation key with a firm-wide license. If your firm has a firm-wide VHelper license, sign in or create an account with your work email on the Account page, verify the email, and paste your computer's serial number (copy it from the Activate VHelper window). Your key appears right away; enter your work email as the user name in VHelper. The Activate VHelper window now explains these steps.
• See your licenses online. After you verify your email, the Account page lists every VHelper license linked to it, with the serial number, issue and expiry dates, version, and the activation key with a Copy button.
• Easier sign-in. Press Enter to sign in, get plain-language messages, and return to the Account page from the verification email. New accounts need a password of at least 8 characters.

Also new

• Driving behaviors laid out like Vissim. Base Data now opens driving behaviors in a Details view with the Following, Car following model, and Lane change tabs arranged as in Vissim. Values that differ from Vissim's defaults are bold, and values outside the suggested calibration range are red. Select several behaviors to compare them side by side, with an option to show only the differences.
• Filter MOE results. The MOE output grids have a filter bar: run, interval, IDs (lists and ranges such as 101, 105-110), direction or lane, and a text search, with a count of the rows shown.
• Long descriptions in Diagnostics are shortened in the list; hover to read them in full.
• View User-Defined Attributes in Base Data, including their data types and formulas.
• New Geoapify Positron basemaps with your own API key and offline tile caching.
• Clearer comparison, Help, and activation dialogs, and shortest-path tools now say whether they expect Link or Connector IDs.

Changed or removed

• The Base Capacity tools (Estimate, Import, and Export Base Capacity…) moved from the simulation panel to Base Data → Driving Behaviors.
• Discard volumes without a determined route now also decides whether ambiguous demand continues through the first connector.
• Removed the Stop Assigning Volume Below and Avoid double-counting cyclic routes options. Routing loops are now found and solved automatically.
• Removed the Copy Results To and Keep Only AVG Rows columns from batch runs.
• Upgrading from 6.0 or earlier? Some project settings were renamed. After opening a project last saved in 5.2 or 6.0, check the working period and the freeway diagram and heatmap layout settings, then save.

Fixes

• Driving behaviors now show the real look-ahead and look-back distances, interaction objects and vehicles, standstill distance, and per-class following settings from your network instead of defaults; minimum clearance is also read correctly from newer Vissim files.
• Typing a new start time in the demand window no longer freezes the map on large networks.
• Advanced Routing can import a workbook that is open in Excel.
• Copying to the clipboard no longer fails when clipboard history, cloud sync, or Remote Desktop is busy with it.
• Vehicle types with hyphens in their names are now read correctly.
• Ramp demand now follows the selected calculation mode.
• Static demand is kept when every partial route on a decision is inactive in the period.
• Invalid node outlines in older networks no longer stop the demand calculation.
• An error during the OpenStreetMap crossing check no longer closes VHelper.
• Creating data collection points along a path with no usable links now shows a message instead of an error.

Major release: 7.0 - 9/28/2026 Major-release

Highlights

• OD Matrix Estimation for a whole network. The new OD Matrix Estimation window works from Vissim link counts or Synchro turning movements, with saved sessions, editable starting matrices, locked cells, count-fit tolerances, and interactive review of OD pairs and count sections.
• One working hour for the whole project. A single project setting now drives traffic counts, ODME, routing, demand displays, and desired-speed analysis, instead of a separate time selection in each tool.
• Find network problems faster. Networks open and are checked in the background with progress. The redesigned Diagnostics list groups related findings, highlights every affected road, and explains each proposed fix without changing your model.
• Simulation results beside the map. The new MOE Outputs panel shows Data Collection, Queue Counter, Link, Node, Vehicle Travel Time, Simulation Run, and Vehicle Network Performance results below the map, with .att import and map navigation.
• Start models from OpenStreetMap. Import the whole network, the current view, selected sections, or an area you draw, with configurable road types, Vissim 2024, 2025, and 2026 templates, and lane-aware handling of turn lanes, divided roads, roundabouts, ramps, and turn restrictions.

OD Matrix Estimation and demand

• Process every corridor in one step. VHelper handles freeways before arterials, coordinates the demand handed between them, and prevents duplicate inputs where they meet.
• Map Synchro boundary movements to Vissim links automatically, manually, on the map, or from CSV. OD-pair rules can force selected pairs to zero or a fixed value in both network and corridor ODME.
• Compare assigned demand with imported counts in a reusable comparison window: set a threshold, see over- and under-assigned locations on the map, and double-click a row to zoom to it.
• Import 15- and 30-minute demand distributions from Excel; they're applied when ODME creates Vehicle Inputs.
• Redesigned Auto Generate builds Vehicle Compositions, Vehicle Inputs, and routing OD matrices from text files or Excel ranges, and remembers your workbook, sheet, and range.
• Routing periods are picked automatically, you're warned when a calculation spans a routing change, and missing route fractions are written as zero instead of being read by Vissim as one.
• Count and StreetLight imports read Excel files that are still open, treat missing Day Type or Day Part values as ALL, skip invalid cells with a warning, and give clearer guidance.
• Imported counts and StreetLight data are stored in a compact database next to the project, restored when it opens, and carried over by Save As.
• ODME Vehicle Compositions use the desired speeds that apply to each vehicle type and class on the entry link, falling back to reduced-speed areas, with clear messages when speed data is missing.
• OD-zone and corridor count diagrams have stable zone IDs, tidier markers and labels, less overlap on closely spaced ramps, and an adjustable ramp length.
• Choose whether ODME results are saved in the project file; by default they're kept for the session only, to keep files small.
• Reset all generated zones and ODME results across the project while keeping your corridors, imported data, and network.
• More room and clearer steps in the OD matrix, corridor analysis, and routing windows. Advanced Routing is now Vehicle Inputs & Routing, with shortcuts to the corridor and node diagrams.

Network checks

• Desired-speed analysis finds conflicts at merges, ramps, lane additions, connectors, and receiving lanes, shows speeds by lane, vehicle type, time, and distance, and suggests where speed decisions are missing or misplaced.
• Conflict-area checks tell real conflicts apart from merges, shared departures, yielding, and signal-controlled crossings. The Crossing checks window uses OpenStreetMap, elevation, and geometry evidence to review grade-separated crossings, even offline.
• VHelper warns when Vissim's default evaluation settings may limit your results: the 500 m maximum queue length can cut off longer queues, and the 100 m node delay segment can under-report delays.

Maps and display

• Search the web map by US ZIP code, address, city, county, or state; drag to zoom; and measure multi-segment distances.
• Show or clear analysis overlays, such as volume bandwidth, queue zones, and path highlights, in one place without changing the network display. Press Esc to clear them.
• Queue zones can use Queue Counter or Node Evaluation results, grouped by approach or turn movement. Lane-change and emergency-stop zones show their distance ranges and the likely upstream queue.
• Customize path and overlay colors and speed and density palettes, with live previews. Labels are placed along roads and fit their objects better.
• New icons and clearer layouts throughout, a reorganized Options window, and better turning-movement arrows and labels.

Network Objects and editing

• Browse DTA paths and matrices, zones, data collection points and measurements, detectors, conflict areas, obstacles, pavement markings, bus stops, parking lots, and queue counters, with related tools and map navigation alongside.
• View DTA matrices as a sortable heatmap grid, and create data collection points along a manual or saved corridor path.
• Set object visibility, colors, and labels directly from Network Objects; labels pick a readable color automatically.
• A new Base Data tab collects speed distributions, driving behaviors, and link behavior types.
• Press Tab or Shift+Tab to cycle through overlapping objects. Multi-link selections persist, and selection works the same way across maps.
• Route-path replacement updates static destinations, checks eligibility more safely, and shows better path details.

Signals, results, and tools

• Signal details and timing diagrams show rings, barriers, phases, patterns, schedules, overlaps, pedestrian intervals, detectors, preemption, and transit priority, with split warnings and detector-port checks. VHelper now reads older ring-barrier controller files itself.
• MOE time periods are chosen as start-to-end ranges, and periods and result-file paths are saved with each project.
• .db simulation results load faster. Older .sdf result files are no longer loaded, and VHelper tells you when it finds them.
• Analyze surrogate safety in the redesigned SSAM Analysis window: import conflicts, filter and summarize them, find them on the map, export GeoJSON, and convert Vissim vehicle records to trajectory files.
• Plot vehicle records in a dedicated Time-Space Diagram window. Node diagram layouts and turn overrides are saved per project.
• Run traffic assignment in its own Traffic Assignment (TNTP) window, with progress, cancellation, convergence charts, and CSV export.
• Extract a subarea from Vissim Sections, with a preview and INPX export that trims boundary links, rewrites routes, and adds boundary inputs.
• Calibration guidance for VDOT, WisDOT, Oregon DOT, WSDOT, MDOT SHA (Maryland), FDOT, Iowa DOT, and Michigan DOT, with parameter ranges, previews, and source links, plus clearer driving-behavior comparisons.
• The batch-run editor is an editable grid with multi-file add, validation, and CSV import and export.
• Clearer metric and imperial labels.

Fixes

• Revise Coordinates keeps connectors attached at the right place on transformed links.

Major release: 6.0 - 9/13/2026 Major-release

• Traffic counts in, a ready-to-run Vissim model out. VHelper estimates corridor OD matrices from traffic counts and StreetLight OD data, then creates the Vehicle Inputs, Vehicle Compositions (95% car / 5% HGV for general-purpose demand), and Static Routings for each corridor, linking freeway and arterial corridors where they meet.
• ODME handles general-purpose, Express/HOT, collector-distributor, and arterial demand separately, and can use counts on internal links and connectors.
• VHelper finds corridor zones, ramps, managed-lane transfers, and possible paths automatically, avoiding false turn-bay zones, misplaced ramps, and unrealistic ramp detours.
• ODME results are kept by corridor, demand type, and time period, with stable zone IDs, per-zone controls, balance summaries, count comparison, matrix export, and OD-path display.
• New Corridor Analysis window. Speed heatmaps moved here from the MOE tab, and you can draw just the stick diagram without calculating volumes for every period.
• Corridor OD zones are drawn on the main map, with a status-bar toggle to show or hide them.
• Network Objects now lists links and connectors, routing decisions and routes, Vehicle Inputs and Compositions, driving behaviors, Levels, signal controllers, transit lines, travel-time measurements, and Sections.
• Create and manage travel-time measurements in one place, including from INRIX segments, crossed nodes, or saved corridor paths.
• Demand and routing calculations run in the background with progress. Diagnostics and SSAM have their own windows, and new checks catch looping routes, freeway detours, and signal-head bypasses.
• Revise Coordinates also transforms Nodes, Sections, and obstacles, and backs up the source file. The old USGS elevation and bulk link XYZ tools were retired.
• Safer project files: VHelper keeps a .vhelper.bak backup and uses it if the project file is missing or damaged, and it won't overwrite settings created by a newer version.
• Utility tools were reorganized and the Link & Connector pane was removed. Vehicle-type demand can now be explored interactively.
• Logs and temporary files are now stored in %LocalAppData%\VHelper instead of the installation folder.

5.2 - 8/25/2026

Freeway diagrams

• Multi-period stick diagrams. Freeway volume stick diagrams can now show several time periods, including ramp volumes, with schematic layouts and more detailed tooltips. On-ramps are drawn in green and off-ramps in red.
• Congestion and queue estimates. VHelper estimates demand and capacity for each freeway segment to point out bottlenecks and likely queues, which helps with model calibration.
• More freeway diagram settings, including horizontal eastbound and westbound layouts and clearer labels.

Traffic counts

• Import traffic counts from Excel. Bring in intersection turning-movement counts and freeway or link volumes and show them on the network map.
• Count source settings (workbook, worksheet, range, count type, and display period) are saved with the VHelper project. You can also import them from another .vhelper file.
• Turning-movement arrows and volume labels at nodes are better aligned and overlap less.

Routing and Vissim

• Route Replacements in the Advanced Routing window can be edited in place and have zoom buttons.
• Added Vissim 2026 COM support.

5.1 - 7/19/2026

• Export to VISUM. Save a network in Vissim 2022 format so VISUM can read it, working around format changes in newer Vissim versions.
• Link labels are easier to read, with a halo behind the text.

5.0 - 5/13/2026

• Shortest-path searches between two nodes now respect link direction and measure the correct distance when a single link passes through both nodes.
• Links and connectors that use an invisible display type are now drawn as a dashed outline.
• INRIX segment-definition files are read with alternate column names (for example "Start Latitude" as well as "start_latitude", or "Segment ID") when creating Vissim travel-time measurements.

4.9.2 - 2/13/2026

• Vissim 2026 files. VHelper reads the Vissim 2026 file format, which replaces <desSpeedDistributions> with <speedDistributions>.
• Delete empty static routes. A new button removes static routes whose fractions are 0 in every time period.
• Static-route fractions now default to 1 when a time period is missing from the .inpx file, matching Vissim.
• Demand calculation no longer gets stuck in an endless loop when Vehicle Inputs feed a loop with missing routings.
• The status bar shows the Vehicle Input and routing times used for demand calculation.

4.9.1 - 5/13/2025

• Batch-rename RBC files. Rename RBC signal files (.rbc and .prbc) in a batch using custom patterns.
• Copying the RBC files used by the current Vissim file to another folder is simpler.

4.9 - 5/2/2025

Evaluation results

• More results from the database. Simulation Runs, Vehicle Network Performance, and Data Collection Measurement results are now read directly from the Vissim evaluation database.
• Evaluation results are loaded when you open the MOE window rather than when you open the network, so networks open quickly even when the database is on a server.
• The Statistics and MOE windows show the evaluation configuration and simulation settings (period, number of runs, and seed).

Demand and inputs

• Export and import estimated driving-behavior capacities.
• Selecting "Calculate by Segment" now turns off partial routes and parking demand, which don't apply in that mode.
• Errors when creating Traffic Compositions and Vehicle Inputs from files include the line number, and serious errors are shown instead of only logged.
• Added Vissim 2024 and 2025 COM support.

Fixes

• VHelper no longer crashes on .prbc signal files that have no pattern schedule.
• VHelper no longer crashes when connectors reference links that are missing from the network.
• Adding or removing lanes no longer crashes on Vissim 2025 merge/diverge connectors.

4.8 - 4/16/2025

Evaluation results

• Results straight from the database. Link, Node, Queue Counter, and Vehicle Travel Time results are now read directly from the Vissim evaluation database.
• Exported evaluation .att files are imported in full, not just the "AVG" rows. If the "AVG" rows are missing, VHelper calculates them.
• Copy multiple rows at once from MOE lists.

VISUM and demand

• When transferring VISUM routes, routes that already exist have their fractions updated, and problems are logged as warnings instead of pop-up messages.
• A Traffic Composition used by a Vehicle Input but missing from the Vissim network is now logged.

Changed or removed

• Queue display options moved to Options > MOE.
• Images are exported as JPEG instead of PNG by default.

Fixes

• Turning on logging no longer slows VHelper down.
• Network coding checks no longer crash when an RBC file is missing.

4.7 - 3/20/2025

• Lane closures in path selection. An option lets route creation avoid links that are fully closed to a vehicle class.
• Extract OD from static routings. After calculating volumes, extract an OD matrix from the static routings in the Advanced Routing window and export it to CSV.
• Cycle lengths and offsets for all .prbc signals are read when you open a Vissim file, since .prbc files are much lighter than older .rbc files.
• Clearer wording for the extra volume-loading options, including importing user-defined volumes and bandwidth differences.
• Removed the Stamen map background. Its free version was discontinued and replaced by Stadia, which requires an API key.
• Freeway stick diagrams are created correctly again.

4.6.1 - 2/20/2025

• Simpler Link Display Options, including adjustable pen thickness. The Link Color option now uses display type instead of link type.
• Simpler labeling when "Calculate Volume by Segment" is enabled.
• Improved routing layout in the sidebar.
• When "Calculate by Segment" is selected, link demands are exported by segment.
• Removed the "Show Orphan Links" (dummy links) and "Show Intermediate Points" options.

4.6 - 2/13/2025

• Vissim 2025 files. Read and save the Vissim 2025 file format, and see its merge/diverge connectors on the map.
• Pavement markings. Turn arrows, zebra crossings, and HOV diamonds are drawn on the map, and solid lane lines show where lane changes are prohibited.
• Customize the default lane markings.

4.5.1 - 1/16/2025

• Volumes are now calculated correctly when a route ends exactly where a routing decision starts.
• Network checks now flag incomplete routes: routes with a valid link/connector sequence that can't reach their destination because of their end position.
• The route list shows each route's start and end positions.
• VHelper restores the last map view saved in the .vhelper file.

4.5 - 11/10/2024

• Import from OpenStreetMap. Bring in OSM roads as links and buildings as obstacles, choosing which road types to include. Link behavior and display types are set from the OSM road type, and two-way streets get links in both directions.
• Download OSM data for the current view or for a latitude/longitude polygon.
• Clearer prompts when combining static routings.
• Opening an empty file now works.

4.4 - 6/3/2024

• Vissim 2024 conflict areas. Conflict areas in Vissim 2024 .inpx files are now read correctly.
• Transfer VISUM Path works without a settings file. If a route file has no matching .setting file, VHelper uses defaults: all vehicle classes and the full time range.
• Loading Dynamic Traffic Assignment matrices no longer fails when a matrix refers to zones that are not in the network.
• Demand calculation no longer follows connectors that lead back onto the same link when spreading Vehicle Input volumes downstream.

4.3 - 5/3/2024

• Static routings from VISUM node sequences. Transfer VISUM Path can now build static routings from exported VISUM assignment routes given as sequences of nodes. VHelper finds the Vissim path between each pair of nodes.
• Route settings file for VISUM link sequences. Vehicle class, time period, and favored or disfavored link types are now read from a .setting file next to the exported route file.
• VISUM links that do not exist in the Vissim network are skipped when building routes from link sequences.

4.2 - 4/7/2024

• Static routings from VISUM link sequences. Transfer VISUM Path creates static routings from exported VISUM assignment routes given as sequences of links.
• Missing Conflict Area check. VHelper flags places where a Conflict Area is missing, such as a left turn that should yield to through traffic, and draws Conflict Areas on the map. An option also shows passive Conflict Areas.
• The Advanced Routing window can display the "Replace" and "Replace With" paths, so they are easier to identify.
• Click the connector label item in the status bar to show or hide connector labels.
• Routes are no longer incorrectly reported as cyclic.

4.1 - 3/3/2024

Maps and display

• Google Street View. Right-click a location on the map to open it in Google Street View in your browser.
• Left-hand traffic. Intersection Node Diagrams can be plotted for UK left-hand traffic.
• Click status bar options to toggle them directly, instead of using the Options menu or shortcuts.
• A message explains that Calculate Volume for each Link Segment results are only shown in center line mode.
• A splash screen appears at startup.

Network checks

• Route validation now reports the first problematic Link ID.
• A warning appears when a Traffic Composition contains the same Vehicle Type more than once.

Vissim support

• Vissim 2023 COM. Adds COM support for Vissim 2023 and updates COM support for earlier versions.

Changed or removed

• VHelper now requires .NET Framework 4.8.

Fixes

• .prbc files are now read and checked correctly.

4.0 - 10/19/2023

• Elevations. Import custom elevations, clear elevations, and view elevation statistics for a network.
• Lane change distance checks. Connectors with non-default lane change distances are highlighted, and VHelper warns about default lane change distances along a selected path.
• Links are saved with lane change distance distributions by vehicle class.
• Lane change distances are now displayed correctly.

3.9.9 - 8/22/2023

• Save in Vissim 2023 format. Links are saved with the extra attributes Vissim 2023 uses.
• Networks with large reference point coordinates display with better precision.
• Link coordinates are now saved correctly.

3.9.8 - 8/19/2023

• More display options with Calculate Volume for each Link Segment. While this option is on, you can toggle layer visibility, show links in Normal or All Lanes mode, and see other network objects such as Parking Lots.
• Link Evaluation labels appear on all lanes when "Per Lane" mode is selected.

3.9.7 - 7/29/2023

• Static routings at the same location now match Vissim. When routing decisions sit at exactly the same location with overlapping vehicle types, the decision with the smaller ID takes precedence for the shared vehicle types. Vehicle types unique to a decision still follow that decision.
• Demand Volume and Routing options are combined in one Demand & Routing tab in Options.
• Cyclic route detection and its warning messages are improved.
• "Discard Non-Deterministic Volumes" is now off by default.

3.9.6 - 7/23/2023

• In Volume label mode, you can label links with user-defined volumes.
• Labels no longer go missing when printing a network.

3.9.5 - 6/17/2023

• Plotting a .prbc diagram no longer crashes.
• Route replacement handles find or replace paths that start or end on the original route's start and end links.

3.9.4 - 3/12/2023

• Demand calculation at decision end markers. A static routing decision placed exactly at the end (green marker) of an upstream routing now takes effect.
• Tooltips for selected network objects include Link IDs.
• A message appears when the "movement" field is missing from the Node output attributes file.
• Vehicle Inputs are displayed again.

3.9.3 - 2/7/2023

• Check RBC signal timing against Synchro. Compare RBC cycle length, offset, coordination, recall, min/max green, walk and flashing don't walk, extension, yellow, and red clearance against Synchro CSV files.
• New .prbc format. Open .prbc files and draw their signal diagrams.
• You can choose the label color in the speed heat map.

3.9.2 - 12/13/2022

• VHelper starts up faster.
• Mouse wheel zoom on the map is less sensitive.
• Detectors and RSAs are displayed again.

3.9.1 - 11/2/2022

• Export to GeoJSON. Export a Vissim network to GeoJSON as lines or polygons.
• Longitudes stay within -180 to 180 when stitching multiple Vissim networks together.

Major release: 3.9 - 10/31/2022Major-release

Maps and display

• Web map backgrounds. Show OpenStreetMap, OpenTopoMap, Google Maps, Stamen, CartoDB, or Bing Maps behind your network. Press Ctrl + M to toggle the web map layer.
• Bing Maps needs your own API key, entered in Options. The free tier allows about 10,000 image requests per month.
• An option shows the Vissim network bounding box.
• Zooming to Routes, Shortest Paths, and Links (for example by double-clicking them) now fits their full extent instead of only the start or center point.
• The shortest path tooltip shows its total length.

Export and printing

• Export to image. Right-click to save the current view of the network or a diagram as PNG (transparent background) or JPEG, exactly as displayed.
• Print the entire network. Printing now centers the whole Vissim network or diagram on the page. For large networks, use a larger paper size and a high DPI (such as 4000 DPI) for better quality.

Demand calculation

• Lock OD pairs in ODME. You can lock the volumes of specific OD pairs.
• Press Ctrl + G to toggle Calculate Volume for each Link Segment.

Changed or removed

• The shortcut to change link label mode is now Alt + M (it was Ctrl + M, which now toggles the web map).
• The "Hold Control Key when Scrolling Mouse Wheel" option is removed.

3.8.2 - 10/17/2022

• Vissim 2022 support. Features that run Vissim through COM now work with Vissim 2022.

3.8.1 - 10/16/2022

• Traffic assignment for TNTP networks. Read a TNTP network, trip and node file, run a free traffic assignment, and export the loaded links.
• A new option shows a statistics watermark on the map.
• The sidebar is reorganized into collapsible sections for common Vissim network objects.
• VHelper now requires .NET Framework 4.6.2, because Microsoft ended support for .NET Framework 4.5.2 on April 26, 2022.
• Updated the bundled UI components (Actipro 22.1.3) to reduce false-positive blocking.
• The RBC signal details panel and RBC diagram were removed. The RBC signal list and Copy RBC Files moved to the Network Objects window.

Major release: 3.8 - 10/10/2022Major-release

OD matrix estimation

• OD matrix estimation (ODME). Run ODME in VHelper, with progress shown and the option to cancel.
• Synchro network import. Open a Synchro network for ODME. Link volumes are built from the turning movements, and inbound/outbound mismatches are reported.
• Import and export seed OD matrices, and edit OD matrix cells in place.
• Charts show the ODME statistics.

Maps and diagrams

• Link labels are placed to reduce overlaps.
• Intersection Diagrams ignore pedestrian links by default. You can also exclude specific links, or links with chosen behavior or display types.

Network checks

• Network coding checks now detect missing Signal Heads on adjacent lanes.

Changed or removed

• New registration code system. VHelper uses a new system for registration codes.
• New Vehicle Inputs are numbered starting from 1.
• The DTA Matrix moved to the Network Objects window.

3.7.1 - 9/20/2022

• Double-clicking a link in the list now highlights it in the Map window as well as zooming to it.
• Easier network coding checks. Double-click an error to highlight the network element and zoom to it.
• Network coding checks now detect possible missing lanes in downstream connectors.
• The connector lane change distance check now ignores right-turn and left-turn connectors.
• The missing RSA check now ignores pedestrian links.
• Routing error messages are clearer.
• Imported MOE .att file names are now displayed.

3.7.0 - 9/9/2022

SSAM

• SSAM conflicts on the map. Import SSAM 3 conflict .csv files and see the conflicts in the network.
• Export SSAM 3 result .csv files to GeoJSON.
• Convert Vissim vehicle record (.fzp) files to SSAM 3 trajectory (.trj) files.

Maps and display

• Individual lanes now show their own display type.
• Maps draw faster, because each link's lanes and lane markings are drawn together.
• Prompts and messages in the MOE window are clearer.

Changed or removed

• The Filter in Real Time option for link/connector and route filters was removed. Click the Filter button to apply a filter.

Fixes

• U-turns no longer always appear last in the Intersection Diagram.

3.6.3 - 5/13/2022

• Fixed a warning message problem that could occasionally crash VHelper.
• Routing warnings now appear when you calculate volume by link segment.

3.6.2 - 3/21/2022

• Connector Lane Change Distribution is now supported.
• Demand calculation now handles sibling partial routes with different vehicle classes.
• Selecting a time period for a partial route now works correctly.
• Updating routing destination locations now works correctly.
• Fixed a minor diagram display problem.

3.6.1 - 1/19/2022

• Update Link user-defined attributes (UDAs) and display types.
• Change route origins by a percentage.

Major release: 3.6.0 - 10/17/2021Major-release

Results and diagrams

• Speed heatmaps from travel times. Create speed heatmaps from Vehicle Travel Time results, as well as from Link Evaluation and Data Collection results.
• Simulation errors on the map. Load Vissim run error files and see the errors in the network.
• Create Travel Time segments from paths that cross Nodes, as well as from INRIX files.
• The Freeway Diagram supports choice lanes, left-side entries and exits, and non-proportional display.
• Demand/capacity display. Color and label links by their demand/capacity ratio.

Comparing networks

• Side-by-side networks. Compare two networks with synchronized panning and zooming, and calculate demand volumes in the comparison view.
• Volume bandwidth can show the difference between two scenarios.

Changed or removed

• Less frequently used objects moved to the new Network Objects window, for a simpler main window.
• MOE options moved into the main Options dialog.
• The text comparison in the Compare window was removed.
• The tool for copying and renaming MOE database (.db) files was removed.

3.5.1 - 7/28/2021

• Change link attributes, such as the Link Behavior Type.
• Filter routings by name and by type (static, partial, parking).
• Parking demand. Calculate the demand on parking lots from parking routes.
• When a routing has no fraction for a time period, the fraction is now treated as 1.
• Fraction values with comma thousand separators can now be loaded with routes.
• Clearer messages when creating routes, vehicle inputs and compositions.
• Make links orthogonal.

3.5.0 - 9/27/2020

Driving behavior and capacity

• Throughput capacity per driving behavior. VHelper runs Vissim through COM to estimate the basic throughput capacity of each driving behavior.
• Driving behavior parameters at a glance. Key parameters are plotted, and values outside the suggested ranges are highlighted. You can change the suggested ranges in Options.
• Show where lane changes start for selected connectors, per lane.
• Added support for Vissim 2021 COM.

Signals and detectors

• Vehicle trajectory plots. Plot trajectories from raw vehicle record and signal change files to debug signal offsets.
• Split raw detector record (.ldp) files into columns for easier import into Excel.
• Create detectors along specified parking lots.

Routes and travel times

• Create Travel Time segments from INRIX TMC or XD description files.
• [Free] Filter static routes by non-consecutive links (e.g. "3,50").
• Change the origins and destinations of static routes in a batch.
• The default routeChoiceMeth is now "STATIC" for Vissim 11 and later.

Results

• [Free] Purge MOE .att files: remove individual seed results and keep only the AVG rows.
• [Free] Copy and rename MOE database (.db) files, to combine simulation runs from several sources.
• Intersection Diagrams can show LOS and delay by approach instead of by movement.
• Clearer loading hints and status messages.

Fixes

• Long integer DCP/DCM values are now read correctly.
• Speed heatmap tooltips now show the values for the correct Link Evaluation time period.

3.4.9 - 5/3/2020

Network editing

• [Free] RBC signal viewer. A lightweight, fast display of RBC signal settings.
• Add or remove lanes along a path. Upstream and downstream connectors are kept, so existing routes stay intact.
• Save Link user-defined attributes and individual lane display types.

Loading OD matrices and routes

• Zones with invalid IDs are skipped instead of stopping the load, so imperfect OD matrices need less cleanup.
• Static routings that start on the same link with the same vehicle class can be combined.
• Several destination zones can end on the same link and are treated as separate routes.
• Change the destination Link ID for specified OD pairs, so their routes can end on different links. This makes route replacement easier.
• Ignore selected links for all origin zones, for example bus-only links.
• Path building allows internal connectors that loop back to the same link when the end distance comes before the start distance. This helps with some roundabouts.
• Clearer loading hints and status messages.

Demand calculation

• Clearer warnings about unresolved demand volumes.

Fixes

• Metric networks are now read correctly.

3.4.8 - 1/12/2020

• Batch runs. Run a list of Vissim files through COM and save the result .att files automatically.
• Partial Route calculations now account for vehicle classes. Sibling Partial Routes are handled correctly.
• Display Dynamic Traffic Assignment paths (*.weg) and filter them by Link IDs as well as by edge sequence.
• Clearer messages when loading Compositions and Vehicle Inputs and when replacing routes.

3.4.7 - 5/4/2019

New and improved

• Compare two Vissim networks. View them side by side with synchronized panning and zooming, and see text differences highlighted.
• Partial routings in demand. Demand calculations can include partial routings.
• Show demand volumes for any combination of vehicle classes, not just one class or "All".
• Lane closures are easier to edit, including adding or removing closures from the left-most lane (-1).
• With per-lane Link Evaluation, link-level speed is now reported as Total Volume / Total Density.

Fixes

• Create DCP now applies the starting distance correctly.
• Exit numbers in the Freeway Diagram are no longer partly hidden.
• Demand is now calculated correctly when several routing decisions sit at the same location on a link.

3.4.6 - 11/17/2018

• Vissim 11 files. Open and save files in Vissim 11 format.
• Shortest paths. Show the shortest path between links under the current favor/penalty settings, and copy its Link/Connector IDs.
• View Transit Stops and Transit Lines.
• Filter Links and Connectors by name.
• The sidebar can be minimized.

3.4.5 - 9/15/2018

• Show or hide levels from the Utility tab in the sidebar.
• Copy and move RBC signal files from the Utility tab.
• The Travel Time Diagram can show travel times for specific vehicle classes and plot free-flow speed.

3.4.4 - 9/2/2018

• Vissim-style zoom and pan. Scroll the mouse wheel to zoom and drag with the middle button to pan. Hold Ctrl while scrolling to scroll the window. Left-drag and the arrow keys still pan, and you can change this in Options.
• Intersection Diagram graphics make Node IDs, delays and other values easier to tell apart.
• When generating static routes automatically, you can force specific links for selected OD pairs.
• The MOE window no longer stays on top, so you can move it to a second monitor or bring other windows in front.
• Route names appear in both the Routes list and the Volume Details list.

3.4.3 - 6/24/2018

• 95th percentile queues. Show 95th percentile queue lengths from Node Evaluation or Queue Counter results. Define the percentile in Vissim's result management first.
• View Parking Lots and Detectors.
• Show OD matrices from Dynamic Assignment that are stored in Vissim 9 and later files.
• Link labels are now colored by Link type by default, so link types are easier to tell apart.
• A busy indicator appears while loading volumes and opening Link Evaluation/Data Collection results.
• Queue lengths now extend upstream correctly again (a problem introduced in 3.2).

3.4.2 - 6/17/2018

• Options to hide routings, links and other sidebar items, so very large networks (e.g. 300 MB) stay responsive.
• VHelper now targets .NET Framework 4.

3.4.1 - 6/10/2018

• Show a Travel Time chart.
• The Freeway Diagram no longer starts at the first DCP by mistake.

Major release: 3.4.0 - 6/3/2018Major-release

Results

• Link Evaluation results on the map. Import Link Evaluation results per segment, per lane and per time period. Color and label density, speed and throughput, create a speed heatmap, and hover for details.
• Travel Time results. Import Travel Time results and highlight the matching travel time section on the map.
• Show Data Collection results (speed and throughput) on the map.
• For Vissim 9 and later, Data Collection results also read SPEEDAVGARITH(ALL) and SPEEDAVGHARM(ALL) as well as SPEED(ALL).
• If an MOE result file (*.att) has no AVG rows, VHelper warns you and uses the first seed's data.
• Large MOE files with several seeds load faster.

Network and display

• Vissim files open in the background, so the window stays responsive.
• Clicking no longer selects lane markings, and you can select links under Node polygons.
• Desired speed decision (DSD) labels and tooltips show more information.
• Parallel lines for links and connectors are drawn more accurately on sharp turns.
• Clearer Node Diagram error messages for badly formatted or oriented node matrices.
• You can log calculation steps to a file.
• Volume and speed calculations are faster.

Fixes

• A left click now deselects network objects.
• Freeway diagrams and heatmaps no longer need two clicks after the first load.
• Demand calculation now sorts downstream connectors correctly.
• Segment volumes on internal connectors that run in parallel are now calculated correctly.
• A highlighted route now always shows its last connector.
• Connector arrows display correctly.
• Vissim 5.4 files open even when a Data Collection Point is very close to a link end.

3.3.0 - 5/13/2018

Diagrams

• Intersection diagrams along a path. Build intersection turn diagrams for the intersections along a path, laid out automatically in a schematic view.
• Freeway diagrams and demand stick diagrams are improved.

Maps and display

• Reduced Speed Areas. Reduced Speed Areas (RSA) now appear on the map.
• Missing RSA warnings. The speed check now warns about possibly missing Reduced Speed Areas on loop-ramp links and on left- and right-turn connectors at intersections.
• Vissim colors. Network objects use the same default colors as Vissim, and you can choose your own label colors.
• Press Ctrl + B to show or hide the demand bandwidth.
• Inner and outer lanes on curved links now have the same length, matching Vissim.
• The active row in the Routing, Error and Link lists is shown in red text.
• The Options window has a cleaner layout.

Demand and routing

• Loading OD demand is more reliable, with clearer tooltips and a message when loading succeeds.
• For network version 301 or later, routing start distances are saved at full double precision (15–16 digits), matching Vissim.

Fixes

• Desired Speed Decisions in Vissim 5.4 and earlier files are now read correctly.

3.2.0 - 2/25/2018

New and improved

• Demand stick diagrams. Show demand volumes as stick diagrams in the schematic view.
• Link elevations. Import elevation (Z coordinates) for all links from the USGS web service.
• Better speed heat maps. Clearer instructions for building speed heat maps, the option to exclude some data collection measurements along a path, and gradient colors.
• Loading OD demand now ignores internal connectors (connectors that start and end on the same link).
• The Options window has scroll bars, so it fits on smaller screens.

Fixes

• Routings are now saved when the original file contains empty routings.
• Link names containing special characters such as en dashes (–) and em dashes (—) now save correctly.
• Vissim files opened by drag and drop now appear in the recent files list.

3.1.0 - 1/7/2018

Signals

• VAPPad. Work with VAP signal control files in VAPPad.

Demand and routing

• Exclude links from OD demand. When loading demand for a specific OD pair, you can disable links by ID.
• Routing distances by link. Set routing start and end distances for individual links by link ID.
• Route Find & Replace files can contain comments, and problems in them are reported more clearly.
• Decimal values are no longer saved in scientific notation.
• VHelper starts faster.

Fixes

• Route fraction values are now displayed.
• Demand by segment is now calculated correctly when several connectors are at exactly the same location.

Major release: 3.0.0 - 8/6/2017Major-release

• Demand by segment. Calculate demand volumes for each link segment instead of the whole Vissim link, so you can get turn-by-turn volumes on grid networks. It is slower than the link-based calculation and is recommended for grid networks without end-to-end routing.
• Node Evaluation results on the map. Show queue, volume and delay from node evaluation directly on the map.
• Intersection diagrams. View volume, delay and queue for an intersection, with a Sankey diagram for volumes and a gauge showing signal delay and LOS.
• Double-click a link, node, queue counter, data collection point, routing or error in a list to zoom to it on the map.
• Vehicle Inputs and node polygons now appear on the map.
• Lane closures are shown graphically.

2.9.1 - 2/18/2017

• Last version for legacy MOE files. This is the last version that reads the legacy MOE output formats (*.str, *.rsz, *.kna, and others).
• Speed heat maps and freeway diagrams. Build speed contour heat maps and freeway segment diagrams from data collection results.
• Data collection measurements. When creating data collection points, you can add and delete data collection measurements, and they are saved to the file.
• Signal heads now appear on the map.
• The MOE window remembers your inputs after you close it.
• VHelper checks for updates automatically.
• For Vissim 8 Pack 1 and later, X/Y coordinates are saved at full double precision (15–16 digits) instead of 6 decimals.
• Labels for data collection points, Desired Speed Decisions and routings now display correctly.
• New data collection points are now saved even when the file has no other data collection points.
• Distances calculated near the end of a link no longer come out too large.
• Signal controllers in Vissim 9 files are now read correctly.

2.8 - 12/11/2016

• Multiple time periods. Combining routes and creating vehicle inputs and compositions now support multiple time periods.
• Desired Speed Decisions with large ID numbers are now supported.
• Combining static routes now works correctly.

2.7 - 5/28/2016

• Route fractions left empty (relFlow="") are now treated as 1 instead of 0.
• Reads Vissim MOE results in the newer .att file format.

2.6 - 4/16/2016

• Combine static routes.
• Vehicle inputs and compositions. Create Vehicle Inputs and vehicle compositions.
• Importing vehicle inputs on links that don't exist now shows a warning and logs it.

2.5 - 2/21/2016

• Route creation can load several OD files at once, handle multiple time periods, and set routing start and end distances for each link.

2.4 - 12/12/2015

• Vissim 8 files now open and save correctly.

2.1 - 4/24/2014

Vissim 6

• Vissim 6 networks. Open and save Vissim 6 network files (*.inpx) as well as *.inp files.
• Open a network by dragging the file onto the map, or pick it from the new Recent Files list.
• Open the working directory of the current network (Ctrl + D).

Map and display

• New View menu. Color links by link type, gray, speed, density or throughput/demand, and choose what link labels show: demand, throughput, density, speed or number of lanes. Labels with a value of 0 can be hidden.
• Volume bandwidth. Draw links with a width proportional to demand, throughput or user-defined volumes.
• Show or hide routing decision markers, queue counters and queues, Desired Speed Decisions, signal heads and data collection points, and label each of them.
• Drag with the right mouse button to zoom to an area.

Demand and results

• User-defined volumes. Import volumes by vehicle type from a CSV file in the same format as the exported demand volume file.
• Speeds can be shown as desired speeds or from link evaluation results, and throughput, density and speed are read from link evaluation files.
• Keyboard shortcuts changed: Calculate demand is now Ctrl + U, Calculate desired speed is Ctrl + Y, and the MOE window is Ctrl + M.
• The Help window links to the VHelper manual and website.

1.2 - 9/10/2012

Speeds

• Desired speeds. Calculate the desired speed on every link from Desired Speed Decisions (Ctrl + D) and color links by desired speed.
• Check Coding Error now reports desired speed conflicts and problems with Desired Speed Decisions.

Links, connectors and lane closures

• Link & Connector panel. See the name, length, gradient, number of lanes and lane closures of each link and connector.
• Lane closures. Lane closures are shown on the map, and you can add or remove them by lane and vehicle class.
• Check that a string of link and connector IDs forms a valid path.

MOE and data collection

• More queue measures. Show average, maximum (averaged), maximum and 95th percentile queue lengths.
• Create data collection points along a path. Enter a string of links and connectors, a starting ID and a spacing (default 0.5 mile), and VHelper places the data collection points for you.
• Average data collection speeds by time period across several *.mes files.

Also new

• Advanced Routing creates Vehicle Inputs, traffic compositions and static routings by importing text files, including O-D demand matrices.
• VHelper can be registered with a key code.

0.97 - 5/9/2011

First public release

• Network viewer. Open, view, print and save Vissim network files (*.inp). Zoom with Ctrl + mouse wheel, pan by dragging, and switch links between center line, normal and all-lane display.
• Demand from static routings. Calculate the demand volume on every link from static routings (Ctrl + E), see the volume components of a selected link, and export all link volumes to a text file.
• Routing tools. Filter routes by link and connector IDs, and find and replace route paths, either one at a time or from a text file.
• Advanced Routing. Generate Vehicle Inputs, traffic compositions and static routings from an O-D demand matrix, or delete them all at once.
• Check Coding Error. Find routing decisions whose fractions sum to 0, traffic that can't be routed downstream, signal heads placed right before or after connectors, connector lane-change distances longer than the upstream link, overlapping routing decisions, and unrecognized link colors (Ctrl + K).
• MOE window. Read queue (*.stz), data collection (*.mes), travel time (*.rsz), delay (*.vlz) and link evaluation (*.str) results, and color links by density or speed.