How to Use S20 Tools

The information in this Wiki Page applies to Surveyor 2.0 (S20) as found in Trainz Plus. The original refernce material for this document can be found at  Surveyor 2.0 Overview

Surveyor 2.0  Mouse  and  Keyboard  Aids and Shortcuts  Operations   LClick  Left Click on an object to select it  Shift   LClick  hold down the Shift key and Left Click on another object to add it to the selection  LClick   Drag  Left Click and Drag to move an object or a group of selected objects  RClick  Right Click on the terrain to move the Compass Rose and Focus to that location  DLClick  Double Left Click on an object to place it and all nearby identical objects into one selection when used on a consist all the wagons in the consist, regardless of type, will be selected when used on a spline or track all the segments upto the next junction will be selected  Shift   DLClick  hold down the Shift key and Double Left Click on another object to add it and its nearby identical objects to those already in the selection  Ctrl   LClick   Drag  hold down the Ctrl key and Left Click and Drag to clone an object or selected objects  Ctrl   C  press Ctrl C to copy selected objects (including the ground height, ground textures and any effect layers) into a new Scrapbook  Ctrl   D  press Ctrl D to unselect a selected object  Ctrl   V  press Ctrl V to paste the current Scrapbook into the route at the cursor position (the Surveyor Compass Rose). The current settings in the Scrapbook Palette Filter will control which objects are pasted and how they are pasted  Ctrl   X  press Ctrl X to cut and remove selected objects from the route and place them into a new Scrapbook. The ground height, ground textures, effect layers and any objects in locked layers will be copied, not cut  Ctrl   Z  press Ctrl Z to undo actions  Alt  hold down the Alt key and hover the pointer over an object to identify it  Alt   LClick  hold down the Alt key and Left Click on an object to select it in the Assets Palette  Delete  press the Delete key to delete a selected object or objects  Tools   W  selects the Brush Tool  E  selects the Placement Tool  R  selects the Eyedropper Tool  S  selects the Free Move Tool  D  selects the Fine Adjustment Tool  F  selects the Marquee Tool  T  opens the Context Menu of a selected object

Assets and Objects (from the Surveyor 2.0 Overview document) In this online documentation, the term Asset is used when talking about the items listed in Content Manager and the Asset Palette. Every asset has a KUID (unique identifier). When an asset (selected in the Assets Palette) is placed into the world, the instance of the asset in the world is referred to as an Object. There are multiple types of object, such as Scenery, Splines, Trains, Trackside, etc.

Surveyor 2.0 vs Surveyor Classic

Surveyor 2.0
Surveyor 2.0 (or S20) is the new Surveyor interface provided to Trainz Plus Gold and Trainz Plus Standard subscribers as an alternative to Surveyor Classic. Classic is still available as an option to subscribers.
Whats New
	a single set of common tools that can be applied to ALL types of objects
	the ability to select multiple objects of different types that can be manipulated as one with more freedom than was previously possible
	each object has its own Context Menu that applies specific actions depending on the type of object
	information and controls in dockable and moveable Palettes that can be hidden when not needed
	a new Scrapbook asset to store "scenes" that can be pasted anywhere in a route, between routes and shared through the DLS
	a new Marquee Tool that allows:- multiple baseboards to be added, deleted and have their height, ground texture and grid resolution changed in a single operation objects, ground heights, ground textures and effect layers to be moved and copied

The following screen images help illustrate the change in philosophy that has occurred with the release of the Surveyor 2.0 user interface.

Surveyor Classic  2002 - 2022 all the tools are in separate fixed Tabbed Flyouts with a different Flyout and set of tools for each type of object (scenery, track, terrain, textures, trains, etc) the workflow forces you to select the correct tool for the type of object and then apply it to just a single object at a time

Surveyor 2.0  2022 - there is just one set of tools that can be applied to all types of objects the workflow allows you to select multiple objects (that can be of different types) and then apply a selected tool

The Tools Palette

The Tools Palette is at the core of the new interface and takes the place of all the Tool Flyouts that have been the standard for Trainz Surveyor for many years now. Some of the tools are new while others have been given new abilities.

The  Context Tool  is attached as an icon to a selected or newly placed object. The icon will vary according to the type of object.

Notes: Palettes If the Tools Palette is not shown on the screen, then:- Steps: open the Window Menu from the menu icons at the top of the screen   visible palettes have ticks next to their names Left click on the item Tools Palette   this will add a and make the Tools Palette visible make sure that the Tool Options Palette is also visible

An Eyedropper is inside all the tools so you can quickly identify any object without having to switch to the Eyedropper Tool and back again. Just hold down the  Alt  key as you move your selected tool onto an object to reveal its name. Left click on the object while holding down the key to select it in the Assets Palette list.

The Brush Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  W

The  Brush Tool  "paints" the ground height, ground textures, effect layers and scrapbook scenes in a route

The Brush Tool has two drop down menu lists.

The first drop down menu will set the "Brush Target" which is the type of brush. The Targets are:- Ground Height Ground Texture Scrapbook Data <List of Effect Layers> Edit Effect Layers If you have any Effect Layers then they will appear as Targets in this drop down list. Select an Effect Layer to use the brush to paint with that layer.

Ground Height

This brush tool uses the Tool Options Palette. If this palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

When the Ground Height Target is selected, the second drop down box will give a choice of several Ground Height actions.

The actions are:-
Height Up Height Down Set Height Grade

The brush tool options for each action are shown in the Tool Options Palette with a  Gold  coloured icon next to their names. Those options that have their icon greyed out will be ignored by the selected action, but they can still be edited.
Height Up/Height Down	Set Height	Grade	Radius  the brush radius (metres) - see Notes: below Range:  5m and above  Height  the brush height (metres) Range:  -3000m to 3000m  Sensitivity  the rate at which the height changes Range:  1% (very slowly) to 100% (very quickly)  Grade  slope gradient - see Notes: below Range:  0% = flat ("Plateau" in Classic) to   ±100% = steep (but not vertical)  Angle  grade direction (compass degrees) Range:  0° (North) to ±359° a negative value reverses the grade

Steps: To set the Ground Height:- select the Brush Tool from the Tools Palette (or press the  W  key) select the brush Target  Ground Height  select the brush Action (Height Up, Height Down, etc) set any brush controls (radius, height, sensitivity, etc) in the Tool Options Palette Left Click and Drag on the terrain to change the terrain height

Notes: Unlike Surveyor Classic, there is no upper limit to the brush  Radius . Brushes of hundreds of metres (even kilometres) in size are possible. However, the performance will decrease as the brush radius increases. If you are using the brush to set an entire baseboard, or many baseboards, to a specific height then the Marquee Tool would be a better choice. The  Grade  is defined as vertical rise divided by horizontal distance converted to a percentage figure. So a grade of 100% (the maximum allowed) would mean a slope formed by the height and distance both being the same value (e.g. a height increase of 50m over a distance of 50m). A vertical slope (a cliff) would have an infinite grade which is currently impossible in Surveyor.

Ground Texture

This brush tool uses the Tool Options Palette. If this palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

When the Ground Texture Target is selected, the second drop down box will be disabled - there are no brush texture actions.

The brush tool options for each action are shown in the Tool Options Palette with a  Gold  coloured icon next to their names. Those options that have their icon greyed out will be ignored, but they can still be edited.

Radius  the brush radius (metres) - see Notes: below Range:  5m and above  Sensitivity  texture transparency Range:  1% = almost transparent to   100% = solid (opaque)  Rotation  initial rotation angle - see Notes: below Range:  0° to ±360° (larger angles can be entered)  Scale  the texture pattern scaling factor Range:  0.01% = smallest to 100% = full size Steps: To paint a Ground Texture:- select your Ground Texture in the Assets Palette - you can use the Assets Palette filter options to narrow down the selection select the Brush Tool from the Tools Palette (or press the  W  key) select the Ground Texture target from the Brush drop down menu set any brush controls (radius, sensitivity, rotation, scale) in the Tool Options Palette Left Click and Drag on the terrain to paint with the texture Notes: Unlike Surveyor Classic, there is no upper limit to the brush  Radius . Brushes of hundreds of metres (even kilometres) in size are possible. However, the performance will decrease as the brush radius increases. If you are using the brush to paint an entire baseboard, or many baseboards, then the Marquee Tool will be quicker but it will not give the options of changing the scale and rotation. The  Rotation  controls the starting angle for the texture when painting and is often used to avoid pattern repetition. As in Surveyor Classic, holding down the  [  or  ]  keys while painting will continuously change the rotation angle. Warning: Changing the rotation angle during painting is not recommended for PBR Textures as this will significantly increase the memory useage (each rotation will load in another copy of the PBR texture).  Default Baseboard Ground Texture  When a new route is created or a new baseboard is added it will be covered with the Default ground texture for the selected Region. This can be temporarily disabled or permanently changed to a different texture (including to the standard TRS19 grid pattern). The easiest option is to disable the current default ground texture Steps: open the Display Menu select the Ground option select the Grid option. This will use the current grid texture. A more complex solution is to edit an existing Region or create one of your own to add your preferred ground texture (such as the standard TRS19 grid pattern) to each new route you create and every new baseboard that you add. Information on creating and editing Region assets can be found on the Trainz Wiki at:- How to Create a Region Asset Scrapbook Data This brush tool uses both the Tool Options Palette and the Scrapbook Palette. If these palettes are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document. Instructions on how to create Scrapbooks can be found in the  Marquee Tool section of this document. Notes: Scrapbook Data can be made from:- Ground Heights Ground Textures Effect Layers Assets - scenery items, splines, track, track objects, etc  But NOT Rolling Stock (Trains)  The current Scrapbook can be Pasted into a route at the position of the screen cursor (the Compass Rose) by:- pressing  Ctrl   V , OR selecting  Paste  from the Context Menu of a selected object In both cases the Scrapbook 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  The Scrapbook Actions  When the Scrapbook Data Target is selected, the second drop down box will give a choice of two actions. The actions are:- Scrapbook Brush Scrapbook Clone Notes:  Scrapbook Brush  will resize the scrapbook contents to fit the selected brush shape and size. If the brush is small then the scrapbook contents will be compressed closer together If the brush is large then the contents will be spaced further apart Every Left Click will paste another complete scrapbook copy The Scale control in the Tool Options Palette is ignored.  Scrapbook Clone  will paste the scrapbook sized according to the Scale setting (100% = original size) If the brush is the same size as the scaled scrapbook then a single exact copy will be pasted If the brush is smaller than the scaled scrapbook in size then only the central part of the scrapbook will be revealed and more will be added when the brush is moved around until the "painted" area covers the saem area as the scaled scrapbook. Further painting will clone or tile the scrapbook contents If the brush is larger than the scaled scrapbook in size then the contents will be cloned or tiled to fill the set brush radius The Scale and Radius settings must be carefully selected. Setting  extreme  values for both (e.g. a very large brush radius and a very small scale value) can cause  performance issues  (e.g. long delays) while the program attempts to scale and clone the scrapbook contents The available brush tool options are shown in the Tool Options Palette with a  Gold  coloured icon next to their names. Those options that have their icon greyed out will be ignored, but they can still be edited.  Scrapbook Brush   Scrapbook Clone   Radius  the brush radius (metres) - see Notes: below Range:  5m and above  Rotation  initial rotation angle (degrees) - see Notes: below Range:  0° to ±360° (larger angles can be entered)  Scale  the scrapbook scaling factor Range:  0.01% = smallest to 100% = full size  Shape  brush shape Options:  Circle and Square will set the brush to the selected shape   Natural will set the brush to the same shape as the Marquee that created the scrapbook, which may be rectangular. The Radius setting will set the relative brush dimensions Steps: To "paint" with a Scrapbook asset:- select the Brush Tool from the Tools Palette (or press the  W  key) select the Scrapbook Data target from the Brush first drop down menu select a brush action (Brush or Clone) from the Brush second drop down menu select a Scrapbook asset from the Scrapbook Palette open the Scrapbook Filter in the Scrapbook Palette and select the features to be pasted and their method of pasting (see The Scrapbook Palette below) set any Brush controls from the Tool Options Palette Left Click and Drag on the terrain to paint with the scrapbook asset Notes: Unlike Surveyor Classic, there is no upper limit to the brush  Radius . Brushes of hundreds of metres (even kilometres) in size are possible. However, the performance will decrease as the brush radius increases. The  Rotation  controls the starting angle for pasting the scrapbook objects. In Surveyor Classic you could only rotate and paste in 90° increments. In S20 you can rotate and paste at any angle.  The Scrapbook Palette   Scrapbook Pasting Options   What Features to Paste      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 Paste Each Feature     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 feature:-     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) 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 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 Effect Layers If the route has Effect Layers installed then they will be listed individually as additional Targets. You can also select an Effect Layer from the Assets Palette filter list and immediately start "painting" using the current Tool Options Palette settings. This will also add the Effect Layer into the Brush Target List Notes: Effect Layers are created using the Edit Effect Layers options found in both the Edit Menu at the top of the screen and also in the Brush Tools drop down list (see below). They can also be loaded from .CDP files and installed from the Download Station (DLS). Once installed or created, Effect Layers can be added to a route as presets using either of the Edit Effect Layers options. When an Effect Layer Target has been selected, the second drop down box will give a choice of three actions. The actions are:- Increase Decrease Set Intensity Set Intensity will paint the layer using the Intensity setting stored in the Tool Options Palette. Increase and Decrease will raise or lower the intensity as it is painted Steps: To paint with an Effect Layer select the Brush Tool from the Tools Palette (or press the  W  key) select the <effect layer name> from the Brush Target drop down menu. If there are no Effect Layers listed then none have been created or installed select a Brush action from the second drop down list  Set Intensity  will paint the Effect Layer at the Intensity level in the Tool Options Palette  Increase  will paint the Effect Layer with each "sweep" of the brush increasing the layer Intensity up to the maximum (100%) at a rate controlled by the Sensitivity level  Decrease  will paint the Effect Layer with each "sweep" of the brush decreasing the layer Intensity at a rate controlled by the Sensitivity level set any required Brush  Radius ,  Intensity  and  Sensitivity  controls from the Tool Options Palette Left Click or Left Click and Drag on the terrain to paint with the Effect Layer Edit Effect Layers... When this Target is selected, the Edit Effect Layers options will appear. This is the same as selecting Edit Effect Layers ... from the Trainz Edit Menu. If no Effect Layers are present then you can create a new one If Effect Layers are present then select one to edit Effect Layers are created for each route. You can select and edit a previously saved Effect Layer rather than having to recreate the entire effect each time. More information on creating and editing Effect Layers can be found on the Trainz Wiki at:- TurfFX_Effect_Layer Clutter_Effect_Layer Water_Effect_Layer The Placement Tool Keyboard Shortcut:  E  The  Placement Tool  adds objects to a route This tool uses the Assets Palette. If this palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document. The Placement Tool has no drop down menu lists. More Placement Options After an object has been placed in a route its position and height can be changed by:- using the  Free Move Tool using the  Fine Adjustment Tool editing its  X   Y   Z  values in  The Info Palette selecting the  Apply Height  option in its Context Menu The first step is to identify and select the particular object that you want to add to the route. Placing a Scenery Mesh Object Individual "non-spline" scenery objects that are not attached to track are often referred to in Trainz terminology as  Scenery Mesh Objects . Steps: To add a Scenery Mesh Object the first step is to identify the exact object you want to add. In the Asset Palette either:- Left click on an object selection icon all ground textures all non-spline scenery objects all spline scenery objects all track spline objects all track objects (signals, etc) all rolling stock all Effect Layer presets OR Left click the Content Drop-down Box Then select Scenery Objects  Shortcut  If you already have the same object placed in your route then:- move the pointer over the object to be selected and hold down the  Alt  key. The object name will appear in a ToolTip attached to the pointer while holding down the  Alt  key Left click on the object to identify it in the Assets Palette. Release the key Left click on the object name in the Assets Palette filter list to select it for the Placement Tool Jump to Step below. To narrow down the filter list type part of the object name into the Search Text Box. For example if you have selected Scenery Objects and want to find "barns", then type "barn" (UPPER/lower case does not matter). This will list all the Scenery Objects containing the text "barn" in their name. Left click on the required item in the list (e.g. "wooden barn"). When selected the object will be highlighted on a blue background and its name will appear in the Assets Palette title bar. If you are not sure about an object then Double-Left click on the name to bring up its image and description or view its rotatimg and resizeable 3D image in the Preview Palate. Left clicking an object in the Assets Palette filter list will automatically activate the Placement Tool so the next Left click in the route will place that object in the route. The final step is to place the selected object into the route. If the Placement Tool is not selected then Left click it or press the  E  key Click on the spot where you want to place the object Notes: the Placement Tool will remain on and active until another tool has been selected. So everytime you click another copy of the object (or another object if you change your selection) will be added to the route the last object placed will be highlighted (covered in "green/yellow"). This will be the selected object if you switch control to the Free Move Tool or the Fine Adjustment Tool Placing a Scenery or Track Spline Start the process of laying a track or spline by identifying and selecting the track or scenery spline as described in steps to in  Placing a Scenery Mesh Object above but in Step select the Scenery Spline or the Track filter in the Assets Palette Select from the Assets Palette object icons:- spline scenery objects OR track spline objects OR Select from the Assets Palette object drop down list:-  Scenery Splines  OR  Track  Then continue with the steps listed below:- "Click on the spot" as shown in Step above to place the start or first endpoint of the spline. Move the mouse in the direction you want to lay the spline or track. The spline will follow the mouse wherever you move it. When you have the pointer in the final position for the first spline segment, Left click the mouse. This will anchor the second spline endpoint. The spline between the two endpoints is the first spline segment. The spline segment will now have three Context Icons, one for each endpoint and one for the spline segment. Different context menu options are provided depending on which icon you click on Left click on the new endpoint and move the mouse in the direction you want to continue laying the spline or track. The spline will follow the mouse wherever you move it. When you have the pointer in the final position for the second spline segment, Left click. This will anchor the third spline endpoint and the Context Icons will move to the new segment. To add a junction to a spline segment Left click on it with the Placement Tool at the point where you want to insert the junction, including at an endpoint. Then move the mouse to draw out the new spline segment. To edit a spline segment  DO NOT  click on it with the Placement Tool as this will insert a junction. Select the Free Move Tool or the Fine Adjustment Tool and then click on the segment to be edited. Repeat Steps and above to continue laying the spline.  Spline Segment Heights  When you start adding a spline to a route it will always be placed at the height of the terrain regardless of the Tool Options  Height  setting. However, you can set the height of the last segment that was added or of any selected segment. Steps: To set the height of a Spline:- Lay the first spline segment which will be added at the terrain ground height Enter a value in the Tool Options  Height  and press the  Enter  key The endpoints of the current spline segment will immediately be adjusted to the new height setting Placing Track Objects Track Objects are objects, both visible and invisible, that can only be attached to track splines. Notes: Visible examples of track objects include:- Signals, speed signs, end buffers, switches Invisible examples of track objects include:- Trackmarks, triggers, direction and priority markers Start the process of adding a track object by identifying and selecting the object as described in steps to in  Placing a Scenery Mesh Object above but in Step select the Track Object filter in the Assets Palette. Select from the Assets Palette object icons:- Track objects OR Select from the Assets Palette object drop down list:-  Track Objects  Step Left click on the track segment at the position where you want to place the track object. Placement Tool Options The Tool Options Palette  Height  setting for Scenery Mesh Objects, Scenery Splines, Track Splines and Track Objects when using the Placement Tool does not always show a gold coloured icon which indicates an "active" control setting but the setting is active.  Scenery and Track Mesh Object Tool Options  In Surveyor 2.0 track objects can be given a height above (or below) the track. Steps: To set the height of a selected Scenery or Track Mesh Object:- enter a value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to apply an existing height value, OR enter a value in the objects  Z  (height) setting in the Info Palette. This can be used to set the height to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). The object will be moved to the set height above (or below) the terrain. The vertical yellow line shown in the second image on the left indicates the height change. The small yellow dot at the base of the line is the terrain attachment point for the object.  Spline (Scenery and Track) Tool Options  Splines have two Placement Tool settings in the Tool Options Palette.  Grade  spline gradient (see Notes: below). The finishing endpoint of each spline segment will be set higher (for a positive grade) or lower (for a negative grade) than the starting endpoint Range:  0% (flat) to ±100% (steep but not vertical)  Condition  this applies to Track Spline objects and sets the track condition (or "ride comfort") for each segment Range:  1% (terrible track condition) to 100% (perfect track condition) The Track Condition can also be set for each track segment in its Context Menu  Edit Properties  option The height of a selected spline endpoint or segment can be set by:- entering a value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, OR selecting the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to apply an existing height value, OR entering a value in the objects  Z  (height) setting in the Info Palette. This can be used to set the height to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). Notes:   The  Grade  is defined as vertical rise divided by horizontal distance converted to a percentage figure. So a grade of 100% (the maximum allowed) would mean a gradient formed by both measurements having the same value (e.g. a rise of 50m over a distance of 50m). A vertical grade (such as up a cliff face) would have an infinite grade which is currently impossible in Surveyor. Deleting Placed Objects Steps: To delete objects:- Select the object or a group of objects using either the:- Free Move Tool (or press  S ) OR Fine Adjustment Tool (or press  D )   Multiple objects can be selected by holding down the  Shift  key when using these tools Then .. Either:- Press the  Delete  key, OR Open the Context Menu of the object (or object group) and select the  Delete  option You can also use the Marquee Tool to select an area of the route to delete its objects With these tools (Free Move, Fine Adjustment and Marquee) you can restrict the objects that can be selected and deleted by using filters in the Assets Palette. For more information see  Narrowing the Search in the Eyedropper Tool section below The Eyedropper Tool Keyboard Shortcut:  R  The  Eyedropper Tool  identifies objects in a route This tool uses the Assets Palette. If this palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document. The Eyedropper Tool has no drop down menu lists. An Eyedropper is available in all the tools. Hold down the  Alt  key when using another tool and move the pointer onto an object to reveal its name When selected, the Eyedropper Tool will change the mouse pointer to an "eyedropper" icon. move the eyedropper pointer over any object to reveal its name in a  ToolTip  below the pointer hold the eyedropper over any object for a few seconds to reveal more information Left click on an object to select it in the Assets Palette Quick Steps With the Eyedropper Tool selected, move the mouse pointer (which will now be an eyedropper symbol) onto any object in view. Left click on the object to identify it (highlighted in grey) in the Assets Palette filter list Left click on the object name in the Assets Palette filter list to select it (highlighted in blue) and switch control to the Placement Tool Narrowing the Search Sometimes (or often) a scene will be too crowded with different scenery objects to be able to use the Eyedropper Tool to easily select a single object. In these cases additional options are available to help "remove the clutter". These filter options can be used with the Placement Tool, Free Move Tool, Fine Adjustment Tool and the Marquee Tool as well as with the Eyedropper Tool At the top of the Assets Palette is a drop down box which controls how the Tool works with the filters that you set. The drop down box will provide three options:- Filter List Filter Selection Filter Visibility These options work with the Asset Filters to help narrow the search for a specific object or type of object that is in the route.  Filter List  this option will have no effect on the operation of the Tool or on the objects displayed on the screen. It is the default setting and any selections made with the Tool will be shown in the Assets Palette as described in the section Quick Steps above.  Filter Selection  this option will restrict the Tool to only working on those objects that are in the filtered list. Objects that are not in the filtered list cannot be selected.  Filter Visibility  this option will hide all objects that are not in the filtered list. The only exceptions are Ground Textures and Effect Layers which will be visible but, unless they are also in the filtered list, cannot be selected. As an example the following images show the progressive application of a Visibility Filter. No filter has been applied. All the objects are visible on the Surveyor screen. ALL objects can be selected. The Visibility Filter option has been applied and the filtered list has been set to display only Scenery Splines. All objects except Scenery Splines, Ground Textures and Effect Layers are now hidden. Now only Scenery Splines can be selected. An additional filter has been applied. The word "fence" has been added to the search text box. All Scenery Splines that do not have the text "fence" in their names have now been hidden. Now only the remaining visible Scenery Splines can be selected. The Free Move Tool Keyboard Shortcut:  S  The  Free Move Tool  moves objects around a route This tool uses the Tool Options Palette. If this palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document. The Free Move Tool has no drop down menu lists. Free Move Alternatives In addition to the Free Move Tool the position and height of objects can be changed by:- using the  Fine Adjustment Tool editing its  X   Y   Z  values in  The Info Palette selecting the  Apply Height  option in its Context Menu Free Move: Scenery Mesh Objects Individual "non-spline" scenery objects that are not attached to track are often referred to in Trainz terminology as  Scenery Mesh Objects .  Moving a Scenery Mesh Object  Steps: To move a Scenery Mesh Object:- Select the Free Move Tool (or press the  S  key) Left Click and Drag the object in any horizontal direction When moving a scenery object, its height will be fixed to the terrain height.  Set the Height for a Scenery Mesh Object  When placed in a route by the Placement Tool a scenery object will take the height of the terrain as its set height. It will be fixed to the terrain so when you move it around it will always be at the same height as the terrain it is over. This can be changed to fix the object to a set height above or below the terrain. Steps: To set the height of a selected Scenery Mesh Object:- enter a value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to apply an existing height value, OR enter a value in the objects  Z  (height) setting in the Info Palette. This can be used to set the height to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). The scenery object will now be fixed at the entered height above (or below) the terrain as it is moved around. The vertical yellow line shown in the second image on the left indicates the height change. The small yellow dot at the base of the line is the terrain attachment point for the object.  Mesh Object Context Menu  A selected scenery object, or a group of selected scenery objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. The icon design will vary between object types. To open a selected objects Context menu either:- Left click the Context Icon, OR Press the  T  key  Mesh Object Context Menu   Cut  remove the selected object or objects and move them into the Scrapbook  Copy  copy the selected object or objects and place them into the Scrapbook  Paste  paste the contents of the current Scrapbook at the cursor (focus) point  Delete  delete the selected objects. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Replace Object with Selected Asset  the highlighted object will be replaced with the asset currently selected in the Assets Palette. If the asset selected in the Assets Palette is the wrong type (e.g. a mesh object instead of a scenery spline) then this option will be greyed out  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the Assets Palette will be painted under the highlighted object. The Tool Options for the Brush Tool (Radius and Sensitivity) will control how the texture is applied. If no ground texture has been selected in the Assets Palette then this option will be greyed out  Smooth Ground Under Selected  changes the height of the terrain under the object to match the set height of the object. If multiple objects at different heights have been selected then the terrain height will be set to match the height of the lowest object  Settle on Ground  sets the height of the objects to match the height of the terrain beneath them ("drops them back to earth")  Apply Height  sets the height of the objects to the value in the Tool Options  Height  text box  Reset Object Rotation  resets the rotation angle of the objects to their default values  Randomise Object Rotation  applies a random rotation angle to each object  Select in Assets Palette  selects and identifies the highlighted object in the Asset Palette, like the Eyedropper Tool  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected object Free Move: Track Objects Track Objects (signals, switches, speed signs, etc) are always attached to an existing track. They can be moved to new positions along the track and in Surveyor Classic that was the limit of their movement. Surveyor 2.0 brings a new freedom of movement to track objects. They can be moved away from the track to the left or right as well as above and below the track. The operation of a track object is not affected by these changes. Throw Lever track object in its original position Steps: To move a track object horizontally:- Left Click and Drag the object anywhere in the horizontal plane To move a track object vertically:- enter a value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to apply an existing height value, OR enter a value in the objects  Z  (height) setting in the Info Palette. This can be used to set the height to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). Situations where it is useful to be able to move a track object away from the track include:- placing Track Marks and Triggers above or beside the track so that they are not hidden by consists parked on top of them repositioning switches, signals, track signs closer to or further away from the track - particularly useful if the track object was originally created for a different gauge track After being moved horizontally and vertically The track object can still be moved along the track with the Free Move Tool.  Track Object Context Menu  To open a selected track objects Context menu either:- Left click the Context Icon OR Press the  T  key Track objects can be restored to their original height and position (on the track) by opening their Context Menu and selecting:-  Reattach to Track  to cancel the both the height and position changes, OR  Settle on Ground  to cancel the height change only Track objects can also be rotated to the opposite side of the track. Steps: To rotate a track object:- Open the track objects Context Menu (click the icon or press the  T  key) Select the option  Rotate Trackside  Rotating a track object does not change its distance from the track or its height. Free Move: Spline Objects (Including Track) Scenery splines and track splines are defined by their endpoints. Splines are usually added to a route as a series of joined segments linked at the endpoints. Moving a spline can involve moving:- an endpoint, OR a segment, OR multiple segments including the whole length of the spline  Moving Spline Endpoints  Steps: To move an individual spline endpoint:- Select the Free Move Tool or press the  S  key Left Click and Drag the selected spline endpoint in any horizontal direction Active (selected) endpoints are shown as green. Inactive spline endpoints are shown as black The spline endpoint will be fixed at its original height.  Moving Spline Segments  Splines are frequently made of multiple segments joined together. You can easily move a spline by moving its segments, individually or as a group. Not all splines have endpoints at each ends. As shown in the image on the left, some splines will have an "endcap" that is attached to the start of the first segment and to the end of the last segment. The use of an endcap is a purely cosmetic effect - to give the spline a more distinctive appearance. Steps: To move an individual segment or multiple segments:- Select the Free Move Tool or press the  S  key Left click on the spline segment to be moved - click anywhere between the two spline endpoints on the segment Notes: the selected segment will be highlighted in green/yellow. The segment will have a temporary endpoint inserted at the location you clicked. Temporary spline endpoints can be made permanent by selecting the  Insert Spline Point Here  option from the segment Context Menu IF you are going to select and move more than one spline segment, then:- hold the  Shift  key down and individually Left click between the endpoints on each additional segment. The last segment that you click will have the temporary endpoint added. To select ALL the segments in a spline, Double-Left click on a segment If the spline contains a junction then this will only select all the segments upto the junction point The segment that you double-clicked will have the context icons and the temporary endpoint added Left Click and Drag the selected segment(s) in any horizontal direction. If you had selected:- only a single spline segment then only that segment will be moved and the adjacent segments that were not selected will have their shapes (but not their endpoints) adjusted multiple spline segments then those segments will be moved and the adjacent segments that were not selected will also have their shapes adjusted the entire spline then ALL the segments and endpoints will be moved  Spline Object Height Adjustment  Steps: To det the height of a spline endpoint or segment:- enter a value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to apply an existing height value, OR enter a value in the objects  Z  (height) setting in the Info Palette. This can be used to set the height to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). The object will be moved to the set height above (or below) the terrain.

 Spline Object Context Menu 

Notes: Splines have two different Context Icons that lead to two slightly different Context Menus. one context icon and menu for each endpoint one context icon and menu for the segment If multiple segments have been selected then the last segment added to the selection will have the context icons. If all the segments were selected by a Double-LeftClick then the segment that was clicked will have the icons.

Left click on an icon to open its Context Menu.

Endpoint Context Menu   Segment Context Menu   Cut  remove the segment or segments and move them into the Scrapbook  Copy  copy the segment or segments and place them into the Scrapbook  Paste  paste the contents of the current Scrapbook at the cursor (focus) point  Delete  delete the segment, segments or endpoint. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Replace Spline with Selected Asset  the highlighted spline will be replaced with the asset currently selected in the Assets Palette. If the asset selected in the Assets Palette is the wrong type (e.g. a mesh object instead of a scenery spline) then this option will be greyed out  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the Assets Palette will be painted under the highlighted spline segments. The Tool Options for the Brush Tool (Radius and Sensitivity) will control how the texture is applied. If no ground texture has been selected in the Assets Palette then this option will be greyed out  Smooth Ground Under Selected  changes the height of the terrain under the segment or segments to match the set height of the spline (does not work on endpoints)  Settle on Ground  sets the height of the selected endpoint to match the height of the terrain beneath them ("drops them back to earth"). When used on segments the spline will follow the height changes of the terrain  Apply Height to this Spline Endpoint  sets the height of the selected endpoint to the value in the Tool Options  Height  text box  Apply Height  sets the height of the selected segment or segments to the value in the Tool Options  Height  text box  Apply Grade to this Spline Endpoint  sets the height of the endpoint to give a Grade to the surrounding segments that matches the value in the Tool Options  Grade  text box  Straighten Spline  forces a straight line (as far as possible) between the endpoints of a single segment. This option will be ticked if the segment has already been straightened in which case selecting this option will "un-straighten" the segment and remove the tick  Separate Splines  breaks the spline into two separate splines at the endpoint  Merge Splines  removes the selected endpoint and merges the segments on both sides into one segment. The two segments can also be joined by selecting and deleting the endpoint with the  Delete  key  Insert Spline Point Here  inserts a new endpoint in a segment at the point where it was clicked. This will create a new segment at the endpoint  Select in Assets Palette  identifies the selected spline in the Asset Palette like the Eyedropper Tool  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected spline The Fine Adjustment Tool Keyboard Shortcut:  D  The  Fine Adjustment Tool  makes 3D adjustments (position and rotations) to objects in a route This tool uses the Tool Options Palette. If this palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document. The Fine Adjustment Tool has no drop down menu lists. Fine Adjustment Alternatives In addition to the Fine Adjustment Tool the position and height of objects can be changed by:- using the  Free Move Tool editing its  X   Y   Z   R   P   Y  values in  The Info Palette selecting the  Apply Height  option in its Context Menu The most obvious feature of the Fine Adjustment Tool is the 3D Anchor Frame it adds to the selected object. The coloured lines, called  Anchors , allow manual positional and rotational controls:-  The Horizontal and Vertical Anchors   Red   Green   Blue  move the object (forward and back) in the direction of the Anchor line  The Rotational Anchors   Red   Green   Blue  rotate the object (clockwise and anti-clockwise) along the Anchor arc line  The Object Anchor       (black central dot) moves the object in any horizontal direction Steps: To use the Fine Adjustment Tool controls:- move the mouse pointer onto an Anchor - its colour will change to yellow for Anchor lines or green for the Object Anchor Left Click and Drag along the chosen line in the required direction (e.g. up on the blue vertical Anchor or clockwise around the arc of the red rotational Anchor) Not all objects will have  Red  and/or  Green  rotational Anchors. To achieve finer and more accurate control when moving anchor points, either:- zoom in closer to the anchor point, OR use the  X   Y   Z  fine adjustment arrows in the Info Palette object Pos controls. These arrows can be used to set the height and position to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). Fine Adjustment: Scenery Mesh Objects Individual "non-spline" scenery objects that are not attached to track are often referred to in Trainz terminology as  Scenery Mesh Objects . Steps: To move an object with the Fine Adjustment Tool:- Left Click and Drag anywhere on the selected object (except on an Anchor line) to move it freely in any horizontal direction OR Left Click and Drag on an Anchor line to move or rotate it in the direction of the line or arc  Blue  vertical Anchor movement    Green  Anchor rotation    Red  Anchor rotation    Blue  Anchor rotation Notes: Objects can be restored to their original height and rotation settings by opening their Context Menu and selecting either:-  Reset Object Rotation  to cancel the rotation changes, OR  Settle on Ground  to cancel the height change The  Randomise Object Rotation  option in the Context Menu only affects rotations around the vertical axis.  Scenery Mesh Object Height Adjustment  Steps: To set the height of a scenery mesh object:- enter a value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to apply an existing height value, OR enter a value in the objects  Z  (height) setting in the Info Palette. This can be used to set the height to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). The object will be moved to the set height above (or below) the terrain.

 Scenery Mesh Object Context Menu 

Cut  remove the selected object or objects and move them into the Scrapbook  Copy  copy the selected object or objects and place them into the Scrapbook  Paste  paste the contents of the current Scrapbook at the cursor (focus) point  Delete  delete the selected objects. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Replace Object with Selected Asset  the highlighted object will be replaced with the asset currently selected in the Assets Palette. If the asset selected in the Assets Palette is the wrong type (e.g. a mesh object instead of a scenery spline) then this option will be greyed out  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the Assets Palette will be painted under the highlighted object. The Tool Options for the Brush Tool (Radius and Sensitivity) will control how the texture is applied. If no ground texture has been selected in the Assets Palette then this option will be greyed out  Smooth Ground Under Selected  changes the height of the terrain under the object to match the set height of the object. If multiple objects at different heights have been selected then the terrain height will be set to match the height of the lowest object  Settle on Ground  sets the height of the objects to match the height of the terrain beneath them ("drops them back to earth")  Apply Height  sets the height of the objects to the value in the Tool Options  Height  text box  Reset Object Rotation  resets the rotation angle of the objects to their default values  Randomise Object Rotation  applies a random rotation angle to each object  Select in Assets Palette  identifies the selected object in the Asset Palette like the Eyedropper Tool  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected object

Fine Adjustment: Track Objects

Track Objects (signals, switches, speed signs, markers, etc) are always attached to an existing track. They can be moved to new positions along the track and in Surveyor Classic that was the limit of their movement. Surveyor 2.0 brings a new freedom of movement to track objects. They can be moved away from the track to the left or right as well as above and below the track. The operation of a track object is not affected by these changes.

For movements along the track - Left Click and Drag:- anywhere within the object (except on an Anchor Line or Anchor Point), OR on the  Green  horizontal Anchor line (movement is restricted to the Anchor line and track only) For movements left or right of the track - Left Click and Drag on the  Red  horizontal Anchor line (movement is restricted to the Anchor line only), OR on the Object Anchor (the black dot) to get unrestricted horizontal movement, OR anywhere on the object except on an Anchor line or point to get unrestricted horizontal movement) To move a track object vertically:- Left Click and Drag on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line (movement is restricted to the Anchor line only), OR enter a value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to apply an existing height value, OR enter a value in the objects  Z  (height) setting in the Info Palette. This can be used to set the height to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). For most track objects the Rotational Anchors have no effect

Situations where it is useful to be able to move a track object away from the track include:- placing Track Marks and Triggers above or beside the track so that they are not hidden by consists parked on top of them repositioning switches, signals, track signs closer to or further away from the track - particularly useful if the track object was originally created for a different gauge track

 Track Object Context Menu 

To open a selected track objects Context menu either:- Left click the Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

Track objects can be restored to their original height and position (on the track) by opening their Context Menu and selecting:-  Reattach to Track  to cancel the both the height and position changes, OR  Settle on Ground  to cancel the height change only

Track objects can also be rotated to the opposite side of the track.

Steps: To rotate a track object:- Open the track objects Context Menu (click the icon or press the  T  key) Select the option  Rotate Trackside  Rotating a track object does not change its distance from the track.

Fine Adjustment: Spline Objects (Including Track)

Scenery splines and track splines are defined by their endpoints. Splines are usually added to a route as a series of joined segments linked at the endpoints.

Moving a spline can involve moving:- an endpoint, OR a segment, OR multiple segments including the whole length of the spline

 Moving Spline Endpoints 

The 3D Anchor Frame shown is for a spline endpoint. Steps: To move an individual spline endpoint:- Select the Fine Adjustment Tool. Select, Left click on, the spline endpoint to be moved. Note: only the horizontal  Red  and  Green  and the vertical  Blue  lines can be selected. Left Click and Drag either:- an Anchor to move the endpoint in that specific direction, OR the endpoint itself to move it in any direction in the horizontal plane

 Moving Spline Segments 

The  Green  rotational Anchor CANNOT be used on Track splines

The 3D Anchor Frame shown is for a spline segment. Steps: To move spline segments:- Select the Fine Adjustment Tool. Select, Left click on, the spline segment to be moved. Left Click and Drag either:-   an Anchor to move the endpoint in that specific direction, OR anywhere in a segment to move it in any direction in the horizontal plane

To select:- more than one segment. Hold the  Shift  key down and individually Left click on each segment ALL the segments. Double-Left click on a segment. If the spline contains a junction then this will only select all the segments upto the junction point

Selecting a spline segment with the Fine Adjustment Tool will add a Temporary Endpoint at the point where the segment was clicked. This will produce 3 Fine Adjustment Tool control frames, one at each end of the segment and one at the click point, as shown in the image on the left. The whole segment can be moved, as shown in the following images, by a Left Click and Drag anywhere within the segment.

Segment moved to the right along the  Red  horizontal Anchor line	Segment moved up along the  Blue  vertical Anchor line
Segment rotated anti-clockwise around the  Blue  rotational Anchor arc line	Segment rotated clockwise around the  Red  rotational Anchor arc line

a  Blue  line height change and a  Red  Anchor rotation can be cancelled at any time (even after saving and reloading the route) by selecting the  Settle on Ground  option from the segments Context Menu a  Blue  Anchor rotation can be straightened at any time (even after saving and reloading the route) by selecting the  Straighten Spline  option from the segments Context Menu but this will not return the endpoints to their original positions

Fine Adjustment: Heights

Two Anchor Points on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line determine the height of an endpoint or an object above the ground. the Object Height Anchor, which is normally Black but turns Green when it is selected, controls the height of the object (including a spline Endpoints) above the ground. This Anchor point can be moved vertically by the pointer the Ground Height Anchor, which is Yellow, marks the position of the object on the ground. This Anchor point cannot be moved vertically by the pointer but its height can be changed by setting the Tool Options Palette  Height  value It is common for both height anchors to be at the same height but there are many situation where the two will be at different heights. The examples below show situations where the two are at different heights and the height of the Object Height Anchor will need to be adjusted.

Object Height Above Ground Height  Steps: To bring the object height down to the ground height:- Left Click and Drag downwards on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line to bring the Object Height Anchor down to the same level as the Ground Height Anchor To achieve finer and more accurate control when moving anchor points, either:- zoom in closer to the anchor point, OR use the  X   Y   Z  fine adjustment arrows in the Info Palette object Pos controls. This can be used to set the height and position to mm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below).

Object Height Below Ground Height  Steps: To bring the object height up to the ground height:- Left Click and Drag upwards on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line to bring the Object Height Anchor up to the same level as the Ground Height Anchor

Where this method fails is when the height difference between the two Anchor points exceeds the length of the  Blue  vertical Anchor line so the Ground Height Anchor or the Object Height Anchor is at the very top of the Anchor line. Once it is in that position the Object Height Anchor can no longer be moved up or down because there is no vertical Anchor line to grab. The Quick Solution to this problem is to:- open the object or endpont Context Menu select the option  Settle on Ground . For splines this option will force the spline segment to follow the contours of the ground but it will now be at the same height as the ground

A more complex alternative method is to use the Surveyor Compass Rose, the Info Palette and the Tool Options Palette.

The Surveyor Compass Rose

Steps: Right click on the terrain at a point which has the height that will be used by the object. This will position the Surveyor Compass Rose and record its data as the Focus Open the Focus controls in the Info Palette by a Left click on the small Right Arrowhead to the left of the Focus label The Info Palette stores the positional data, including the Height (the  Z  value), of the Compass Rose under the label Focus Left click on the white Down Arrowhead next to the  Z  value and select the menu option  Use Height for Brush . This will transfer the Focus  Z  value to the Tool Options Palette  Height  control Open the Context Menu for the object (or spline endpoint) Select the option  Apply Height  or  Apply Height to this Spline Endpoint

The Marquee Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  F

The  Marquee Tool  selects the content in areas of a route, creates and deletes baseboards and sets their properties

Some features of this tool use the Scrapbook Palette, Assets Palette and Tool Options Palette. If these palettes are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

The Marquee Tool draws out a rectangular area, the Marquee Selection Area, on the route. Any objects (including Ground Heights, Ground Textures and Effect Layers) that are inside the Marquee Selection Area or touched by its boundary will be selected.

In the image above:-
	a road spline at the bottom and a house at the lower left of the Marquee Selection Area have been overlain by the drawn rectangle so they have been included in the selection.
	the Marquee Selection Area was drawn from the top left to the bottom right which places the Marquee Context Icon at the bottom right of the rectangle.
	the bottom right of the Marquee Selection Area also has a 3D Anchor Frame.
	The road spline was the last object that was included in the selection area so its Context Icons are also present.

Not shown in the image, because they are not highlighted, are the Ground Heights, Ground Textures and Effect Layers that are also included in the Marquee Selection Area.

The Marquee Selection Area 3D Anchor Frame has some similarities to the one used with the Fine Adjustment Tool. the  Green  and  Red  horizontal Anchors will move the Marquee and all its contents in the Anchor direction the  Blue  rotational Anchor will rotate the Marquee with all its contents in the direction of the rotation movement there are no  Green  and  Red  rotational Anchors at the centre of the 3D Anchor Frame is a Select Area Anchor. Left Click and Drag this Anchor point to move the Marquee with all its contents in any horizontal direction each of the  Green  and  Red  horizontal Anchors has a resize Anchor, an orange coloured dot, located at its end. Left Click and Drag these Anchor points to resize the Marquee Selection Area (and its contents) in that specific direction

Steps: To Create a Marquee Selection Area:- select the Marquee Tool (or press the  F  key) Left Click and Drag out the Marquee Selection Area around the objects to be selected

 Using the Assets Palette Filter 

The Assets Palette filter tools can be used to restrict the objects selected by the Marquee Tool.

Steps: To restrict the objects selected by the Marquee Tool:- set the Filter Type in the Assets Palette to  Filter Selection  set the other filter options in the Assets Palette to narrow down the type of objects (e.g.  Scenery Splines  and/or enter a partial name in the Text Box) select the Marquee Tool from the Tools Palette (or press the  F  key) Left Click and Drag out the Marquee Selection Area around the objects to be selected Only those objects identified in the Assets Palette filters will be selected by the Marquee

Using the Filters shown above, the Marquee Selection Area only selects scenery spline objects.

Marquee Anchor Controls

The following images demonstrate the effect of using the Marquee Anchor Controls on the image shown at the top of this section as the starting point.

 Horizontal Anchor Shift 

The  Green  horizontal Anchor has been used to shift the Marquee Selection Area to the left. Note that the 3 trees and a small building that were on the left of the Marquee Selection Area in the image above have been replaced (overwritten) by the Marquee contents. Also note that the texture has been moved leaving a gap showing the original grid texture.

 Rotational Anchor Shift 

The  Blue  rotational Anchor has been used to rotate the Marquee Selection Area about 45° anti-clockwise. Again, anything that was originally in the area now covered by the Marquee Selection Area has been replaced by the contents of the Marquee. Also note that the texture has been moved leaving a gap showing the original grid texture.

 Vertical Anchor Shift 

The  Blue  vertical Anchor has been used to lift the Marquee Selection Area upwards.

Notes: The Marquee Anchors will move:- the selected scenery objects. If the objects are in locked layers then they will be copied before being moved and the original objects will remain in place the ground textures. As shown in two of the images this will leave the original baseboard ground texture showing the effect layers the ground heights

Marquee Context Menu

Left click on the Marquee Context Icon or press the  T  key to open the Context Menu for the Marquee.

Marquee Context Menu

Cut  the objects selected in the Marquee area (including the ground heights, ground textures and effect layers) will be copied and placed into a new Scrapbook. Any scenery objects (excluding ground heights, ground textures and effect layers) that are not in a locked layer will be removed from the Marquee area.  Copy  the objects selected in the Marquee area (including ground heights, ground textures and effect layers) will be copied and placed into a new Scrapbook.  Paste to Selected Area  the contents of the current Scrapbook will be pasted into the Marquee area. Which contents will be pasted and how they will be pasted are controlled by the Filters in the Scrapbook Palette (see  Scrapbook Data for more details). This option will always be available with and without a Marquee area being marked if there is a scrapbook available to be pasted.  Delete  the selected scenery objects that are not in locked layers will be removed from the Marquee area but NOT the selected ground heights, ground textures and effect layers.

Paint Within Marquee	the currently selected Ground Texture will be painted into the Marquee area using the  Radius  and  Sensitivity  settings in the Brush Tool Options. If no texture has been selected in the Assets Palette then this option will be greyed out.
If the Marquee Selection Area goes beyond the current baseboards into "empty space" then this command will create new baseboards in those empty spaces and fill them with the selected texture

Set Marquee to Brush Height	the Ground Height in the Marquee area will be set using the  Height  setting in the Brush Tool Options.
If the Marquee Selection Area goes beyond the current baseboards into "empty space" then this command will create new baseboards in those empty spaces and set their height to the value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting. The new baseboards will be filled with the default texture for the selected Region

Convert Baseboards To	the entire baseboard where the Marquee selection area is located will be converted to a  5 metre  or a  10 metre  grid size (select one from the sub menu). The 5 metre grid gives a more accurate ground shape but it uses 4x as much memory.
If the Marquee Selection Area goes beyond the current baseboards into "empty space" then this command will create new baseboards in those empty spaces and set their grid resolution to the seleted value. The new baseboards will be filled with the default texture for the selected Region

Delete Baseboards in Marquee

when a Marquee Selection Area is drawn inside a baseboard, the entire baseboard will be given a green border. If the Marquee is drawn over the boundary between basebaords then both will have a green border. This option will delete ALL the baseboards that have a green border.

Select in Assets Palette

when a single object has been highlighted, including ground textures and effect layers, this will identify the asset in the Assets Palette.

Scrapbook Operations

Notes: Scrapbook Data can be made from:- Ground Heights Ground Textures Effect Layers Assets - scenery items, splines, track, track objects, etc  But NOT Rolling Stock (Trains)

Once an area has been marked out by the Marquee Tool a number of options become available.

The Trainz Edit Menu will show some additional options:-  Cut  the objects selected in the Marquee area (including the ground heights, ground textures and effect layers) will be copied and placed into a new Scrapbook. Any scenery objects (excluding ground heights, ground textures and effect layers) that are not in a locked layer will be removed from the Marquee area.  Copy  the objects selected in the Marquee area (including ground heights, ground textures and effect layers) will be copied and placed into a new Scrapbook.  Paste  the contents of the current Scrapbook will be pasted into the route at the cursor (focus) point. Which contents will be pasted and how they will be pasted are controlled by the Filters in the Scrapbook Palette (see  Scrapbook Data for more details). This option will always be available with and without a Marquee area being marked if there is a scrapbook available to be pasted.  Clear  the selected scenery objects that are not in locked layers will be removed from the Marquee area but NOT the selected ground heights, ground textures and effect layers.  Select None  the Marquee Selection Area boundary lines are removed from the route cancelling the selection process. Nothing that was inside the area will be removed.

 Adding a New Scrapbook 

The  Cut  and  Copy  Scrapbook operations are also found in the Marquee Context Menu (see the Marquee Context Menu section above).

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

Scrapbooks, old and new, can be deleted at any time by clicking the Delete icon. Deleting a Scrapbook does not delete the objects it contains

There are two changes that can be made to the new scrapbook:- Give it a name - click inside the Name Text Box and type a new name Make it permanent - click the Pin icon. It 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 №

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.

Managing Baseboards

The Marquee is a powerful tool for adding, deleting and changing the properties of multiple baseboards.

Steps: To add new baseboards:- select the Marquee Tool (or press the  F  key). Left Click and Drag to draw out an area where the new baseboards will be added. This area can include the current baseboard. The Marquee Selection Area, shown with a green border in the image on the left, covers the existing baseboard (black, bottom left) and where 3 new baseboards will be created. The Marquee has a Context Icon as shown in the image. Left click on the Context Icon or press the  T  key to open up the Marquee Context Menu (see Marquee Context Menu above). Create, Convert, Delete To Create new baseboards, and to Convert selected baseboards to a different Grid Resolution, select the Context Menu option  Convert Baseboards To >  then select a resolution from two sub-options,  5m Grid  and  10m Grid . If existing baseboards have been selected then they will also be converted to the new resolution. To Delete baseboards select the Context Menu option  Delete Baseboards in Marquee . The  Ctrl   Z  keys can Undo the deletion. To set the selected baseboards to the  Height  value in the Tool Options Palette select the Context Menu option  Set Marquee to Brush Height . If the Marquee extends over "empty space" then new baseboards will be created at the set  Height  value.

Mass Object Moves and Clones

Both the Free Move Tool and the Fine Adjustment Tool can move and clone (copy) single and multiple objects. The Marquee Tool can also move and clone objects but will include Ground Height, Ground Textures and Effect Layers in the cloning and moving operations.

Selecting and Moving Multiple Objects

Multiple objects can be selected and moved with the Free Move Tool and the Fine Adjustment Tool.

Notes: Mass Moves The objects do not have to be:- the same type. They can be a mixture of scenery splines and mesh objects in the same layers but objects in Locked layers will not be moved

You can also use the Marquee Tool to move objects but this will move Ground Heights, Ground Textures and Effect Layers as well as objects.

Steps: To select and move multiple objects:- Select the Free Move Tool or Fine Adjustment Tool Hold the  Shift  key down Left click on every object that is to be included in the selection group. Release the key The last object selected will have the Context Icon attached to it Left Click and Drag on any highlighted object in the group You can apply the  Height  setting in the Tool Options to the entire group of selected objects.

 Selecting Multiple Identical Objects 

You can quickly select all nearby identical objects by a Double-LeftClick on an object.

This also applies to all the wagons in a consist. Double-LeftClick on any one of them to select all of them - they do not have to be identical wagons.

A forest of many different trees. Only one has been selected.	Double-LeftClick on a tree to select all the identical trees in the forest.

Hold down the  Shift  key and Double-LeftClick on another object. It and all its identical copies will be added to the selection.

Cloning Objects

You can easily clone single and multiple selected objects. If you have selected a group of objects they do not have to be the same type - you can select scenery objects and scenery splines.

Notes: Layers and Cloning the objects can be in different layers the layers can be locked and the objects will still be cloned all the cloned objects will be placed into the current Active Layer which must be Unlocked For more information on layers see  The Info Palette at the end of this document.

Steps: To clone an object or a group of objects:- use either the Free Move Tool or the Fine Adjustment Tool to select the object or objects hold down the  Ctrl  key and Left Click and Drag on any of the selected objects

The Info Palette

If the Info Palette is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document. Some Info Palette functions will also require the Assets Palette and the Tool Options Palette.

This palette can be easily overlooked but it has some very useful features.

Its uses are:-
	to display precise data on the "focus" - the position of the cursor
	to display precise data on the position and attitude of objects
	to allow precise control over the position and attitude of objects (i.e. it can be used instead of the Free Move Tool and the Fine Adjustment Tool)
	to change the "home" layer and binding layer of a selected object
	to lock and unlock layers

The Info Palette will appear as shown in the image below.

Each of the small arrowhead icons will open the palette to display more information and some controls.

Notes: All the positional data and controls in the Info Palette are defined in the following ways:-  X  is ALWAYS the  North-South  compass direction regardless of the direction that an object is facing  Y  is ALWAYS the  East-West  compass direction regardless of the direction that an object is facing  Z  is ALWAYS the  Vertical  direction (perpendicular to the compass directions) regardless of how an object has been rolled or tilted distances are measured in metres from the North-West corner of the first baseboard.  (+)  positive distances are in the  South  and  East  directions  (-)  negative distances are in the  North  and  West  directions. New boards added to the North of the first baseboard will have negative X coordinates and new boards added to the West of the first baseboard will have negative Y coordinates.

Focus Info and Controls

The Focus shows the current position and height of the Cursor object. Open up the Focus by Left clicking on its arrowhead icon.

Before changing the cursor position with the Focus controls, set a Bookmark at its current position.

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.

Next to the Z co-ordinate is a small white down arrowhead. Left click on the arrow to open its menu.

There is only one item in the sub-menu.  Use Height for Brush  Left click on the option to copy the current cursor height (Z) value from the Info Palette to the Tool Options Palette  Height  entry.

Asset Name Menu

You must have an object (or objects) selected for a name to be shown and the menu to be available.

If the selected objects are different then a count of the additional objects will be added. The (+2) shown in the object name in the image on the left indicates that "2" additional different objects are in the group of selected objects. The name and position data shown will be for the last selected object.

Next to the objects name is a small white Down Arrowhead. Left click on the arrowhead to open its menu.

The menu options are:-  Copy  NOT WORKING (a known bug) - this option copies the objects details as text for pasting into a text editor  Show Asset Details  opens a new window showing the image and description of the selected object  List Assets in New Window  opens up Content Manager and lists all the selected objects  Add to Picklist  adds selected objects to a Picklist  Remove from Picklist  removes selected objects from a Picklist (objects must already be in a Picklist)  Select in Assets Palette  highlights the selected object in the Assets Palette

Position Info and Controls

You must have an object (or objects) selected for the position data to be shown and edited. Open up the position data by Left clicking on its Pos: arrowhead icon.

The position of the selected object (or the last object if more than one is selected) is shown in the X, Y and Z text boxes. These values can be edited to move the object or objects 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 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.

Next to the Z co-ordinate is a small white down arrowhead. Left click on the arrow to open its menu.

There is only one item in the sub-menu.  Use Height for Brush  Left click on the option to copy the height (Z) value for the selected object from the Info Palette to the Tool Options Palette  Height  entry.

Rotation Info and Controls

You must have an object (or objects) selected for the rotation data to be shown and edited. Open up the rotation data by Left clicking on its Rot: arrowhead icon.

The rotational orientation of the selected object (or the last object if more than one is selected) is shown in the R, P and Y text boxes. These values can be edited to rotate the object or objects in 3D space BUT not all objects can be rotated in certain directions. 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 smaller increments.

Notes: The rotation data and controls are defined in the following ways:-  R  ALWAYS rotates in the vertical plane around the  North-South  compass direction regard;ess of the object or objects orientation  P  ALWAYS rotates in the vertical plane around the  East-West  compass direction regard;ess of the object or objects orientation  Y  ALWAYS rotates in the horizontal plane around the  Vertical  direction (perpendicular to the compass directions) regardless of the object or objects orientation all angles are measured in degrees  (+)  positive angles are clockwise when facing the primary direction ( North  or  East ) and clockwise around the  Vertical  axis  (-)  negative angles are anti-clockwise when facing the primary direction ( North  or  East ) and anti-clockwise around the  Vertical  axis angles greater than ±360° can be entered but will give the same result as the corresponding angle less than 360°. For example: 450° is exactly the same angle as 90° (450-360=90) clockwise and anti-clockwise angles are complementary. For example: entering -270° (anti-clockwise) will give the same angle as entering 90° (clockwise)

Layer Info and Controls

You must have an object (or objects) selected for the layer data to be shown and edited. Open up the layer data by Left clicking on its Layer: arrowhead icon.

Notes: operations such as creating, deleting, merging, renaming, moving and hiding layers are performed using the Assets Palette layers can be Locked and Unlocked using the Info Palette or the Assets Palette but the Assets Palette is the better option for this the Info Palette is used to change the assignment of individual objects to layers and to set their optional Binding Layer

This will show the:- current layer assigned to the selected object its assigned Binding Layer (if any) the Locked/Unlocked status of the assigned layer   Layer is currently Unlocked. Click this button to Lock the layer   Layer is currently Locked. Click this button to Unlock the layer   Using this button will also change the Locked/Unlocked padlock icon shown next the to layer name in the Assets Palette

If multiple objects from different layers have been selected then no layer name will be shown in the Layer and Binding boxes. Instead they will be left "blank" as shown in the image on the left. Both boxes can still be opened to assign layers to objects.

Assigning Objects to a Different Layer

A selected object or group of selected objects can be assigned to a different layer. If multiple objects have been selected then they do not have to all be in the same layer.

Notes: Before changing any objects to another layer, make sure that the source layer (or source layers for multiple objects) and the destination layer are unlocked. unlocked layers are shown in the Assets Palette with an open padlock icon locked layers are shown in the Assets Palette with a closed padlock icon. Left click the icon to unlock the layer

This operation will TOTALLY FAIL if the destination layer is locked and it will FAIL for any object in a source layer that is locked Steps: To change the assigned layer of an object or group of objects:- Left click on the Layer drop down box. The layer containing the object (for a single selected object only) will be shown with a in front of its name Select the destination layer name from the drop down list The layer reassignment will start the instant the destination layer is selected If you see a Debugging Window on the screen as the task is processed, it will inform you when the task has been completed. You can then close the window

Once a target layer has been selected then the  Select Layer  button, which sets the Active Layer, may become active.

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.

You can also set the Active Layer by selecting its name from the layer list in the Assets Palette.

If the  Select Layer  button is greyed out then the selected object is now assigned to the current Active Layer so there is no need to use this option If it is NOT greyed out then the selected object is now assigned to a layer that is not the current Active Layer. You have the option to Left click on this button to switch the Active Layer to the same layer as the object

Assigning Objects to a Binding Layer

The Binding Layer, or Bound Layer as it is also called, is a tool used in the development of a route or session.

It allows you to temporarily assign an object to a second layer while it is still in its original layer. The object will then take on the properties (Locked/Unlocked, Hidden/Visible) of both layers.

So if the original layer or the binding layer is:-
	LOCKED then the object will be LOCKED
	HIDDEN then the object will be HIDDEN

Some examples of using the Binding Layer:-

Example 1:  The problem: You need to stop an object from being selected so that you can you move other objects on or around it The solution: Set the Binding Layer of the object to a locked layer (or use the Layers Palette to create a new empty layer and lock it). The object will then be locked even though its original layer is unlocked so it cannot be selected or moved. When the edit has been completed, reset the object Binding Layer to <none> or delete the empty locked layer you just created  Example 2:  The problem: A group of objects (e.g trees) are blocking access to another object. The solution: Set the Binding Layer of the blocking objects to a hidden layer (or use the Layers Palette to create a new empty layer and hide it). The blocking objects will no longer be visible even though their original layer is visible. When the edit has been completed, use the Layers Palette to make the hidden visible and reset the Binding Layer of all the objects to <none> or use the far easier solution of simply deleting the empty hidden layer you just created

Steps: To change the assigned binding layer of an object or group of objects:- Left click on the Binding drop down box. If the object is already bound to a layer (for a single selected object only) the binding layer will be shown with a in front of its name Select the Binding layer name from the drop down list The layer reassignment will start the instant the layer is selected If you see a Debugging Window on the screen as the task is processed, it will inform you when the task has been completed. You can then close the window

As an example, the image below shows what you will see for a single object that has had:-
	its assigned layer changed (in the example from "route-layer" to "Station Buildings") its binding layer set (in the example to "Multi Industries") the newly assigned layer is not locked so you have the option to lock it the newly assigned layer is not the Active Layer so you have the option to make it the Active Layer

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

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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

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

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