Training
We also offer in-company training, and can customize course content to suit your needs.
Practical information
In order to accommodate travel restrictions in some areas due to Covid-19, our upcoming training courses are also available remotely. Please contact info@aimsun.com.
While there is no need for prior experience with Aimsun Next software to attend the beginners’ courses, we recommend that complete novices run through the tutorials in the Aimsun Next installer beforehand to familiarize themselves with the software.
Available courses languages are English, French and Spanish.
All courses comprise 7 hours per day of instruction plus a 1-hour lunch break and two 15-minute coffee breaks. Standard start/finish time is 09:00 to 17:30.
We can supply official certificates upon course completion.
Registration fees depend on the course content and location. They include instruction, training materials and refreshments.
For the hands-on exercises, participants need to bring their own laptops, unless advised otherwise. We provide temporary licences of Aimsun Next software.
Registrations are subject to availability and payment must be received in full in advance of the course. We accept wire transfers and major credit cards.
Aimsun Next Training for Beginners
About
Our beginners’ courses for Aimsun Next are offered in three modules, usually together in the same week.
The courses recommended vary based on your Aimsun Next edition.
Edition
Recommended Courses
Pro Micro
Pro Meso
Pro TDM
Advanced
Our most popular training course, this is a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of building a model in Aimsun Next, with a focus on simulation at the microscopic level.
This course will take you all the way through the workflow of a typical project, from editing to traffic management, scenarios, outputs and calibration. There are hands-on exercises every step of the way to make sure you have mastered the basic concepts and you should finish this course ready to start experimenting with Aimsun Next software.
Day 1
Editing exercises
Geometry
Signal plans
Public transport
Traffic demand
Managing scenarios
Dynamic scenarios, experiments and replications
Attribute overrides and geometry configurations
Day 2
Outputs
Output calculation
Time series, thematic maps
Scenario comparison
Dynamic traffic assignment
Cost functions
Stochastic route choice algorithm and parameters
Dynamic user equilibrium algorithm and parameters
Combining paths
Day 3
Microscopic network loading
Microscopic vehicle behavior
Calibration of a microscopic model
Traffic management
Traffic management actions
Modeling incidents and mitigation strategies
Modeling turn restrictions, reversible lanes, and other scheduled events
This course zooms out from microscopic simulation to look at larger scale modeling. You’ll learn about the event-based mesoscopic model and how to combine it with a more detailed time-sliced microsimulator.
Then you’ll get to experiment with static macroscopic modelling, which is often used as a preliminary step to dynamic modeling to extract the demand of a subarea from a regional model, to adjust and time-slice it, and to get an initial set of paths to warm-start dynamic assignment.
Day 1
Mesoscopic network loading
Mesoscopic vehicle behavior
Calibration of a mesoscopic model
Hybrid microscopic-mesoscopic simulation
Macroscopic modeling
Static traffic assignment
Traversal demand calculation
Demand adjustment
The Strategic Modeling course covers the traditional four-step modeling process of trip generation, trip distribution, mode choice, and trip assignment.
You should finish this course with an understanding of the role of travel forecasting within transportation planning and of the principles of each of the four modeling steps. You’ll be able to demonstrate how input data is used, and interpret the outputs from each step.
Day 1
Travel Demand Modeling the four-step model
Trip generation
Trip distribution
Modal Split
Static public transport assignment
Aimsun Next Training for Experienced Users
About
These are more advanced courses, designed for modelers who already have some practical experience.
Edition
Recommended Courses
Pro Micro
Pro Meso
Pro TDM
Advanced
Scripting in Aimsun Next is a powerful means of modifying a model, importing or exporting data and calculating and displaying results. This course teaches you how Aimsun Next scripts can dramatically increase your efficiency, including a full day of hands-on exercises.
Note that while the course includes a review of the Python language, you will definitely need a decent level of familiarity with Python and the concepts of programming.
Day 1
Introduction to Python
Variables & data types
Operations
Control flow statements
Defining a function
Introduction to scripting in Aimsun Next
Applications
Creating a script
Executing a script
Using the scripting documentation
Architecture of the Aimsun platform
Day 2
Aimsun Next scripting in practice – Exercises
Error-checking inputs
Post-processing outputs
Exporting data
Editing the model
Importing data
Running a simulation
Customizing cost functions
If you are ready to start building more complex models that are on a larger scale and/or that integrate micro, meso and macro levels, then this is the course for you.
We’ll take you on a detailed walk-through of the methodology and workflow for complex projects with exhaustive tuition on calibration techniques, covering behavior parameters and route calculation, as well as real data comparison techniques.
Day 1
Multi-resolution modeling
Macroscopic, mesoscopic and microscopic modeling approach
Hybrid simulation
Static and dynamic cost functions
Path calculation techniques
Demand preparation
Multi-resolution modeling project workflow
Exercise
Day 2
Advanced calibration of mesoscopic and microscopic models
Calibration workflow
Procedures to estimate calibration parameters from real data
Tips and techniques to troubleshoot calibration issues
Validation criteria
Importing real data
Statistic indicators to compare simulation outputs with real data