Traffic Simulation

A Python-based traffic simulation built using Pygame, featuring dynamic pathfinding with Dijkstra's algorithm, vehicle collision detection, and a user-friendly interface to spawn custom vehicles. This project simulates traffic flow in a virtual city grid, accounting for congestion and real-time vehicle interactions.

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Table of Contents

• Features
• Demo
• Installation
• Usage
• Dependencies
• Project Structure
• Contributing
• Acknowledgements

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Features

• Dynamic Pathfinding: Utilizes a custom Dijkstra's algorithm with congestion-aware weights to find the shortest path between nodes.
• Vehicle Behavior: Vehicles navigate the city grid with collision avoidance and pushback mechanics.
• Interactive UI: Users can spawn vehicles by selecting source and destination points via a menu bar.
• Real-Time Traffic: Random vehicle spawning with adjustable intervals and visual path indicators.
• Audio Effects: Ambient city sounds and interaction sound effects enhance the experience.
• Customizable: Supports different vehicle types (e.g., cars, trucks) with unique visuals.

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Demo

Caption: A demonstration of vehicles navigating the city grid with path visualization.

Installation

To set up and run the simulation locally, follow these steps:

1. Prerequisites: Ensure you have Python 3.8 or higher installed on your system.

2. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/traffic-simulation.git
   cd traffic-simulation

3. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

4. Run the Simulation:

    python main.py

Usage

Once the simulation is running, you’ll be greeted with a home screen. Here’s how to interact with Traffic Simulation:

1. Home Screen Navigation

   • Click Start to enter the simulation.
   • Click Quit to exit the program.

2. Simulation Interface

   • Menu Bar: Located at the top-right corner. Click to toggle the source/destination selection mode.
   • Vehicle Spawning:
     • Random vehicles spawn automatically every 4 seconds.
     • To spawn a custom vehicle, activate the menu bar, then click two points on the map to set the source and destination.
   • Path Visualization: Click a vehicle to toggle its path display.

3. Controls

   • Mouse Click: Interact with the menu or vehicles.
   • Quit: Close the window or press the quit button to exit.

The simulation dynamically adjusts vehicle paths based on traffic congestion, visualized through a city map with moving cars, trucks, and race cars.

  graph TD;
    A[Start Simulation] -->|Initialize Pygame & Load Assets| B[Home Screen];
    B -->|Start| C[City Simulation];
    B -->|Quit| D[End Simulation];

    C -->|Load Map & Sounds| E[Vehicle Movement];
    E -->|Pathfinding & Collision Check| F[Update UI];
    F -->|Render Map & Vehicles| G[Check for Quit];

    G -->|Quit| D;
    G -->|Continue| C;

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Dependencies

To run Traffic Simulation, ensure the following dependencies are installed on your system:

• Python 3.8+: The core programming language used for the project. Download it from python.org.
• Pygame: A Python library for game development, used for rendering the simulation and handling user input. Install it via pip:

  pip install pygame
    D -->|Stop Sounds & Exit| H[End];
  

Traffic Simulation Project Structure

• 📁 traffic-simulation/
  • 📁 traffic/
    • 📁 src/
      • 📁 fonts/
        • small_pixel.ttf
      • 📁 images/
        • city.jpg
        • truck.png
        • redcar.png
        • race_car.png
        • location_icon.png
        • menu_bar.png
      • 📁 sound/
        • city_sound.mp3
        • select_sound.mp3
        • intro_sound.mp3
    • city_graph.py
    • consts.py
    • main.py
    • sound.py
    • ui_class.py
    • utility_func.py
    • vehicle_class.py
  • README.md

Contributing to Traffic Simulation

We welcome contributions to enhance Traffic Simulation! Whether you’re fixing bugs, adding features, or improving documentation, your input is valuable. Please follow these 7 steps to contribute:

1. Fork the Repository
   Click the Fork button at the top-right of this page to create your own copy of the repository.

2. Clone Your Fork
   Download your fork to your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/traffic-simulation.git
   cd traffic-simulation

3. Create a Branch

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

4. Commit Your Changes
   Commit your updates with a clear message:

   git add .
   git commit -m "Add feature: describe your changes here"

5. Push to Your Fork
   Upload your branch to GitHub:

   git push origin feature/your-feature-name

Acknowledgments

Traffic Simulation wouldn’t be possible without the following contributions and resources:

• Pygame: A heartfelt thank you to the Pygame community for providing a robust and versatile library that powers the simulation’s graphics, input handling, and audio features.
• Inspiration: This project draws inspiration from real-world traffic simulation systems and graph theory applications, blending theoretical concepts with interactive visualization.
• Open-Source Community: Gratitude to the broader open-source ecosystem for tools like Python and Git, which enable collaborative development and deployment.

This project reflects a passion for simulating complex systems and is made better by the support of these foundational elements. If you’ve contributed in any way, your efforts are deeply appreciated!