The current cursor position is shown in the X, Y and Z text boxes. These values can be edited to move the cursor to a new position but CARE will be needed.

Notes: If you enter an X or Y value that is "out in empty space" (beyond the edge of a boundary baseboard) then the cursor will be refocussed at a point on the baseboard edge that is the closest to the entered co-ordinates.

On the right of each box is a pair of Up/Down controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the cursor position in smaller increments down to centimetres

Notes: If you enter an X or Y value that is "out in empty space" (beyond the edge of a boundary baseboard) then the objects will be moved to that position and may vanish from view. The Undo command can be used to reverse the move or the Marquee Tool can be used to add a baseboard under the "floating" objects.

On the right of each box is a pair of Up/Down controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the position in smaller increments down to centimetres

On the right of each box is a pair of Up/Down controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the rotation angle in increments of 1°.

The Active Layer is the layer used by the Placement Tool when objects are added to a route (or session). This button gives you the opportunity to set the Active Layer to the same layer that you just used to assign to an object. Its use is optional.

More information on creating, editing and using Layers can be found on the Trainz Wiki at:-

• How to Use Layers

Lock the Route Layer Group

All the layers in the Route Layer Group can be locked against accidental alteration. the Route Layer Group has a padlock icon next to its name - shown as (unlocked).
	Left click on the unlocked (open padlock) icon to lock ALL the layers in the Route Layer Group
	The icon will change to (locked)
	Left click on the locked (closed padlock) icon to unlock all its layers.
	The icon will change to (unlocked)

Open a Layer Group

To the left of each Layer Group name is a small arrowhead pointing to the right. Left click on the arrowhead to open up the group.

The image on the left shows that the Session Layers Group is open and its individual layers are now displayed. To close or minimise the group Left click on the arrow again. The image shows that the Session Layers Group contains 3 individual layers:- the top layer in the Session Layers Group is always named session-layer and is always present even in a new route where you have not yet added anything likewise, the top layer in the Route Layers Group is always named route-layer and is also always present there are two user created layers named Track Markers and Rail Workers (layer names are chosen by the creator and do not necessarily indicate their contents or purpose)

 Add a New Layer 

You cannot create new layer groups but you can add new layers to a existing group.
Each Layer Group has a icon next to its name. Left click on the icon to add and name a new layer to that group. If you are adding a new Effect Layer then you will also have to identify the type of effect - TurfFX, Clutter or Water.

 Renaming a Layer 

Right click on a layer name and select  Rename Layer..  from the popup menu. You will be asked to enter a new name for the layer.

 Deleting a Layer 

Right click on a layer name and select  Delete Layer  from the popup menu. You will be given a warning that you are about to delete a layer. if you confirm the delete order then the layer and all its contents will be deleted depending on the contents of the layer, the process may take some time. You will be shown a progress bar during the deleting operation the deleted layer and its contents can be restored (after the delete has completed) using the  Ctrl   Z  keys

 Moving a Layer 

Layers can be individually moved up and down within the same layer group or between the Route Layers Group and the Session Layers Group.

Notes: Moving a layer between the Session Layer Group and the Route Layer Group will move the layer and its contents between the Route and the Session and this will affect where the layer and its contents are saved There is no advantage in moving a layer within the same layer group except when preparing for a layer merge operation (see Merging a Layer below) layers in the Effect Layers Group cannot be moved layers from the other groups cannot be moved into the Effect Layers Group

Left click on a layer name and, while holding the left button down, drag the layer up or down to its new position.

• depending on the contents of the layer, the process may take some time. You will be shown a progress bar during the move operation
• the move can be reversed (after it has completed) by using the  Ctrl   Z  keys

 Merging a Layer 

Right click on a layer name and select  Merge Layer Up  from the popup menu. the selected layer will be merged with the layer immediately above it you may need to move the layer being merged into the correct position before the merge (see Moving a Layer above) depending on the contents of the layer, the process may take some time. You will be shown a progress bar during the merge operation the merged layers and their contents can be restored (after the merge has completed) back into two separate layers by using the  Ctrl   Z  keys layers in the Effect Layers Group cannot be merged. In place of  Merge Layer Up  the Effect Layers will have an  Edit Layer  command

 Hiding Layers 

Each individual layer has an Eye icon that controls the state (visible or hidden) of that layer. Left click on the icon to toggle its state between visible and hidden.
If the Eye is:-

open then layer is visible in both Surveyor and Driver

closed then layer is hidden in both Surveyor and Driver

 Locking Layers 

Each individual layer has a Padlock icon that controls the state (locked or unlocked) of that layer. Left click on the icon to toggle its state between locked and unlocked.
If the Padlock is:-

open then the layer is unlocked and can be edited

closed then the layer is locked and cannot be edited

Notes: Locking a layer will protect its contents from being individually selected, deleted and physically moved New assets cannot be added to a locked layer Locked layers can still be deleted, renamed, moved and merged

 Setting the Active Layer 

the Active Layer is the layer where new objects will be automatically added when using the Placement Tool. The active layer is shown in the palette with its name on a blue background. In the image on the left the Rail Workers layer is the current Active Layer. The name of the current Active Layer is also shown in the Layer Palette Title Bar. To set a new Active Layer, Double Left click on a layer name.

 Move an Object to a New Layer 

The Info Palette will show the layer assigned to the currently selected object. An object is selected by using the Free Move Tool (the  S  key) or the Fine Adjustment Tool (the  D  key) found in the Tools Palette. To the left of the layer name is a small arrow object.

click the small arrow next to the layer name. This will open the layer properties for the selected object click the Layer drop down box to select a new layer for the object if required, click the Binding drop down box to select a new binding layer for the object if required, click the  Lock Layer  button to lock the selected layer. If the layer is already locked then this will be shown as an  Unlock Layer  button

The Scrapbook Palette

If the Scrapbook Palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Hiding and Showing Palettes at the top of this document.

Notes: Scrapbooks, when created, will contain:- Ground Heights Ground Textures Effect Layers - if present Selected Objects - scenery items, splines, track, signals, etc  But NOT Rolling Stock (Trains)  Ground heights, textures and effect layers are always included in a scrapbook but you can control which visible objects are added by manually selecting them or using the filter controls in the Assets Palette

Notes: Scrapbooks, when painted or pasted, can contain any combinations of:- Ground Heights Ground Textures Effect Layers Scenery Objects (Meshes) - individual buildings, trees, signals, etc Scenery Splines - roads, track, fences, etc You have options that will control which of these data categories are transferred and how they are transferred from the scrapbook into a route.

Left click on the pin icon to Lock (blue pin) and Unlock (white pin) the scrapbook. Locked scrapbooks are permanent (but can still be deleted). Unlocked scrapbooks will "expire" (self delete) after 5 days Left click on the delete icon to delete the current scrapbook - most scrapbooks can be deleted (see Notes: Deleting Built-in Scrapbooks below for the exceptions to this) Identifies the currently displayed scrapbook (the first number) and the total number of stored scrapbooks (the second number) Left click on the  <  or  >  to move forwards or backwards through the stored scrapbooks to select the scrapbook that will be added to the route   The scrapbook name can be edited. Simply Left click inside the name box to edit or replace the current name. Left click on the image to make the name change permanent and pin (lock) the scrapbook

Notes: Deleting Built-in Scrapbooks Some scrapbooks are installed with Trainz and cannot be deleted. These scrapbooks have the label Prefab at the front of their names (you may have to scroll to the front of the name to see it). While they cannot be deleted they can be "disabled" so that they won't appear as an installed scrapbook. Unlocking them will not cause them to "expire" - after 5 days they will just become locked again. Steps: Open Content Manager and locate the "permanent" scrapbook or scrapbooks. Search Tips: Name: starts with "Prefab"; Status: is Built-in; Type: is Misc Highlight (select) the Scrapbook assets Open the Content menu and select Disable You can reverse this and Enable any or all of these scrapbooks later if you need them.

Creating a New Scrapbook

A new scrapbook can be created by:- Selecting one or more assets and pressing  Ctrl   C  OR Drawing a Marquee Selection Area around one or more assets and either:- press  Ctrl   C  OR open the Trainz Edit Menu and select  Cut  or  Copy

You don't have to use the Marquee Tool to create a new Scrapbook. You can use the Free Move Tool or the Fine Adjustment Tool to select any number of objects and then press  Ctrl   C . The selected objects, along with the ground height, ground textures, and any effect layers, will be copied into a new Scrapbook

When a new Scrapbook is created by a  Cut  or  Copy , it will appear in the Scrapbook palette with some basic details.

The newly created scrapbook will be given:- a name consisting of the date and time of its creation a thumbnail The thumbnail image will be taken using the current camera POV (point of view). To get a better image adjust the camera position and view to give the best possible shot of the Scrapbook objects before giving the  Cut  or  Copy  command a scrapbook number (it will be inserted as №1 scrapbook) an expiry date which will be set 5 days after its creation - this will countdown each day until 0 when the new scrapbook will be deleted

Notes: Scrapbooks use very little memory so there is no real limit to how many you can store in the palette but finding the one you want will be more difficult as the list grows longer

Most scrapbooks, old and new, can be deleted at any time by clicking the Delete icon. See Notes: Deleting Built-in Scrapbooks in the section above for the exceptions Deleting a Scrapbook after it has been pasted does not delete the objects that it pasted into the route

There are two changes that can be made to the new scrapbook:- Give it a name - Left click inside the Name Text Box and type a new name Make it permanent - Left click the white Pin icon (). The scrapbook will no longer expire but it can still be deleted at any time Pinned scrapbooks are always shown with a blue pin icon and the words "pinned, no expiry" displayed next to their scrapbook № The Pinning of any scrapbook can be reversed so that it will then expire in 5 days time. Simply Left click the blue pin icon.

Once a scrapbook has been Pinned it becomes an asset and will appear in Content Manager

The scrapbook can be uploaded to the DLS and saved as a CDP file.

You can archive your scrapbooks as CDP files to keep the number of installed scrapbooks to a minimum. If an archived scrapbook is needed then you can use the Import Content Files option in Content Manager to add it to the Scrapbook Palette. It can be deleted from the palette later, when no longer needed.

Painting or Pasting a Scrapbook

Existing Scrapbooks can be painted into a route using the Brush Tool (see the Trainz Wiki page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Tools) or Pasted into a route.

The current Scrapbook can be Pasted into a route at the cursor (the Compass Rose) position by:- pressing  Ctrl   V , OR selecting  Paste  from the Context Menu of a selected object In both cases the scrapbook contents will be pasted using the original scrapbooks size. It will be pasted inside a Marquee Selection Area that can be moved and resized. The objects that are pasted and how they are pasted is controlled by the current Scrapbook Palette filter settings

Left click on the arrowhead next to the  Filters:  label below the scrapbook image to open the scrapbook filter controls. These filters will control which elements in the scrapbook will be added to the route and how thay will be added.

For example: To paint a scrapbook asset onto a route with certain conditions set:-  Ground Height:   None  ground height data will not be pasted and the ground heights already in the target area will be used  Ground Texture:  Overwrite  textures present in the scrapbook will replace those already in the target area  Meshes:  Add  scenery objects in the scrapbook will be added to those already in the target area  Splines:  Add  scenery splines in the scrapbook will be added to those already in the target area  Effect Layers:   None  effect layers in the scrapbook will not be pasted and any already in the target area will be used

Scrapbook Painting/Pasting Options   What Data to Transfer      Ground Height  terrain height(s) used in the scrapbook     Texture  textures used in the scrapbook     Meshes  scenery objects (e.g. trees, buildings) used in the scrapbook     Splines  spline objects used in the scrapbook     Effect Layers  effect layers (TurfFX, Clutter) used in the scrapbook  How to Transfer the Data     None  do not paste this feature     Add  add this feature to those already present     Overwrite  use this feature to replace those already present For the Ground Height:-     Absolute  use the ground heights in the scrapbook to replace the existing ground heights     Relative  modify the existing ground heights according to those used in the scrapbook (to ignore the scrapbook ground heights completely select the option None)

The Preview Palette

The Packages Palette

Trainz Wiki

More Tutorials and Guides to Using Trainz How to Guides Driver Commands List Session Rules List (Alphabetical) with Parameters Session Rules List (Categories) With Parameters

This page was created by Trainz user pware in February 2023 and was last updated as shown below.