How to Use S20 Tools

The information in this Wiki Page applies to Surveyor 2.0 (S20) as found in Trainz Plus. The original reference 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 add it and all nearby identical objects into a single 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 (or ALL objects if multiple objects have been selected)  Ctrl   E  press Ctrl + E to open the Route Editor (to edit the route name, description, thumbnail, scale, etc)  Ctrl   F  press Ctrl + F to open the Object Finder  Ctrl   F1  press Ctrl + F1 to switch from Driver to Surveyor via the UDS inteface  Ctrl   F2  press Ctrl + F2 to switch from Surveyor to Driver via the UDS inteface  Ctrl   M  press Ctrl + M to open the Mini Map  Ctrl   R  press Ctrl + R to open the Session Editor (to edit the session name, description and rules)  Ctrl   S  press Ctrl + S to Save the current route and/or session (which ever has been edited)  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   Y  press Ctrl + Y to Redo (reverse) the last  Ctrl   Z  command  Ctrl   Z  press Ctrl + Z to Undo previous actions  Ctrl   Space  press Ctrl + Space to show/hide the User Interface (the Trainz Main Menu icons and all the docked palettes - undocked palettes will still be visible)  Alt  hold down the Alt key and hover the tool 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 from the route  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 in Trainz Plus. S20 is also available in TRS22 for Trainz Plus subscribers only. TRS22 without the subscription will have Surveyor Classic.
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 or operation to them all

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. Some of the tools are new while others have been given a makeover and new abilities.

The  Context Tool  is attached as an icon to a selected or newly placed object. The icon design 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 invisible (hidden) palettes have no ticks next to their names to make a hidden palette visible simply Left Click on its name or on the next to its name. This will add a and make the Tools Palette visible make sure that the Tool Options Palette is also visible There is a Trainz Wiki Page specifically covering the S20 Palettes at  How to Use the S20 Palettes

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 the Trainz World

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. Left Click on the drop down box and on a Target to select it:- 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 Target raises or lowers the Ground Surface Height by using a "painting" action

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 brush actions that control how the height is adjusted.

The actions are:-
Height Up Height Down Set Height Grade		Height Up   Height Down  raises/lowers the ground at a rate controlled by the Tool Options Palette  Sensitivity  setting    Set Height  "plateaus" the ground to the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting    Grade  creates a smooth slope at the Tool Options Palette  Grade  and  Angle  settings at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting

The active height brush 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 direction

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.

Steps: To set the Ground Surface Height:- select the Brush Tool from the Tools Palette (or press the  W  key) select the brush Target (in this case  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

Ground Texture

This tool paints the currently selected Ground Texture (from the Assets Palette) on the ground

This brush tool uses the Tool Options Palette and the Assets Palette. If these palettes are 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 active texture brush 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.  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, 100% = full size, >100% larger than 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 Tool 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 The  Height  setting has no effect on textures as they are always painted on the existing ground surface.

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 while painting the texture. 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 TRS22 grid pattern).
	The easiest option is to disable the current default ground texture Steps: open the Surveyor Display Menu select the  Ground  option select the  Grid  sub-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 TRS22 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 tool paints the currently selected Scrapbook (from the Scrapbook Palette) on the ground

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: 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

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 in  The Scrapbook Filters that will control which of these data categories are transferred and how they are transferred from the scrapbook into a route.

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 Brush Actions 

When the  Scrapbook Data  Target is selected, the second drop down box will give a choice of two brush actions that control how the scrapbook is applied.

The actions are:-
Scrapbook Brush Scrapbook Clone		Scrapbook Brush  will resize the scrapbook contents to fit the selected brush shape and size  Scrapbook Clone  will paint the scrapbook sized according to the Tool Options Palette  Scale  setting. See Notes below

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  setting 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 same 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 Warning: The  Scale  and  Radius  settings must be carefully selected. Using  extreme  settings for both (a very large brush radius and a very small scale value) can cause  performance issues  (i.e. long delays) while the program attempts to scale and clone the scrapbook contents

The active scrapbook brush 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  Sensitivity  if the  Ground Height  option has been enabled in the Scrapbook Palette filter settings, then this will set the rate or speed at which the ground height will change Range:  1% = slowest, 100% = fastest  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, 100% = full size, >100% larger than full size  Shape  brush shape Options:   Circle  and  Square  will set the brush to the selected shape with the  Radius  setting the brush size    Natural  will set the brush to the same shape as the Marquee that created the scrapbook, which may be rectangular. The  Radius  setting will scale the brush size The Tool Options Palette  Height  setting has no effect on the Scrapbook. This feature is controlled by the Scrapbook Palette Filter  Ground Height  options.

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  Ground Height  options in the Scrapbook Filters control how the terrain heights in the Scrapbook are applied

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 Tool first drop down menu select a brush action ( Scrapbook Brush  or  Scrapbook Clone ) from the Brush Tool second drop down menu select a Scrapbook asset to be painted (see the The Scrapbook Palette below) open the Scrapbook Filter in the Scrapbook Palette and select the features to be pasted and their method of pasting (see The Scrapbook Filters below) set any Brush controls (e.g.  Radius ) from the Tool Options Palette Left Click and Drag on the terrain to paint with the scrapbook asset

 The Scrapbook Palette 

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 on how to deal with the exceptions to this) The thumbnail of the currently displayed scrapbook and the one that will be painted or pasted into the route 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: To disable built-in scrapbooks 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 the  Disable  option You can reverse this and enable any or all of these scrapbooks later if you need them.

 The Scrapbook Filters 

You will probably need to undock and resize the Scrapbook palette to make full use of its filters. See the Trainz Wiki page at  How to Use Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for undocking and resizing instructions

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.

You can vary the appearance of the scrapbook when added to a route by painting or pasting it with different filter combinations. For Example:-  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 You can also add more variety when painting a Scrapbook by changing its Tool Options Palette  Scale  setting in combination with different Filter selections (as shown above)

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, Water Layer) used in the scrapbook  How to Transfer the Data     None  do not paste/paint this feature     Add  add this feature to those already present     Overwrite  use this feature to replace those already present For the Ground Height:-     None  do not paste/paint the scrapbook ground heights, use the existing ground heights instead     Absolute  use the ground heights in the scrapbook to replace the existing ground heights     Relative  use the difference between the existing ground heights and those used in the scrapbook

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

Effect Layers

This tool paints a selected Effect Layer onto the ground surface

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.

If the route has Effect Layers installed then they will be listed individually as additional Targets.

Steps: Simply Left Click on an Effect Layer name in the Brush Target List and immediately start painting with the brush using the current Tool Options Palette settings. More details are shown below. Notes: Effect Layers are created using the Edit Effect Layers options found in both the Surveyor Edit Menu at the top of the screen and also in the Brush Tools drop down list. 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.

You can also select an Effect Layer from the Assets Palette filter list. This will also add the Effect Layer into the Brush Target List. Steps: Simply Left Click on an effect layer name in the Assets Palette and immediately start painting using the current Brush Tool Options Palette settings. More details are shown below.

TurfFX and Clutter	Water	Radius  the brush radius (metres) - see Notes: below Range:  5m and above  Height  the water layer height (metres) Range:  -3000m to +3000m  Sensitivity  the rate at which the Intensity (TurfFX, Clutter) or Height (Water) setting changes Range:  1% (very slowly) to 100% (very quickly)  Intensity  effect density or coverage within the brush Range:  1% (almost none) to 100% (maximum)
	The  Height  setting is ignored for TurfFX and Clutter because these effect layers will be painted at the existing ground surface height. For an exception, see Notes: Floating Turf below.

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.

 TurfFX and Clutter Effect Layers 

When a TurfFX or Clutter Effect Layer has been selected as the Target, the second drop down box will give a choice of three actions. The actions are very similar to those found in the  Ground Height  Target:-
Increase Decrease Set Intensity		Increase  increases the Tool Options Palette  Intensity  of the effect layer at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting, upto a maximum of 100%, as the brush is swept back and forth over an area    Decrease  decreases the Tool Options Palette  Intensity  of the effect layer at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting as the brush is swept back and forth over an area    Set Intensity  will paint the effect layer in one sweep using the full Tool Options Palette  Intensity  setting

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 ( Increase ,  Decrease  or  Set Intensity ) set any required Brush settings -  Radius ,  Intensity  and  Sensitivity  - from the Tool Options Palette Left Click or Left Click and Drag on the terrain to paint with the Effect Layer

Notes: Floating Turf When painting with an Effect Layer brush, care must be taken when near the edge of the layout. Painting over the edge will create "floating" effect layer artifacts. This can occur in both Surveyor 2.0 and Surveyor Classic. In the image on the left, an Effect Layer brush has been used to paint a TurfFX layer near the boundary of the layout. Some of the brush has strayed over that boundary edge into the empty space beyond. The result is a "floating" section of TurfFX or Clutter hovering "off the grid" and sometimes high above the terrain, as shown in the image. The height of the floating region will depend on the ground surface height, the World Origin height and other mysterious factors. The Solution: (The Lawn Mower) Set the Effect Brush Tool action to  Decrease  Set both the  Intensity  and  Sensitivity  to 100% Using the same Effect Layer that created the problem, repaint over the floating Effect Layer areas. This will also remove some of the effect layer from the edges of the boundary baseboards. Prevention: DO NOT paint TurfFX and Clutter Effect Layers right up to the edges of boundary baseboards

 Water Effect Layer 

A Water Effect Layer will cover the entire route. Use the Ground Height Brush to raise or lower the ground to hide and reveal the water where required

When a Water Effect Layer has been selected as theTarget, the second drop down box will give a choice of five actions. The actions are identical to those found in the  Ground Height  Target plus a new action:-
Height Up Height Down Set Height Grade Bulk Adjust		Height Up   Height Down  raises/lowers the water layer at a rate controlled by the Tool Options Palette  Sensitivity  setting    Set Height  will "plateau" the water level to the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting    Grade  creates a smooth water slope at the Tool Options Palette  Grade  and  Angle  settings at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting - see Notes: below    Bulk Adjust  will move the entire water layer up or down - see Notes: below

Water Laying: To create a flat water layer use  Set Height  rather than  Height Up/Height Down  and set the Tool Options Palette  Sensitivity  to 100% The  Grade  action can be used to create a river that slowly (or rapidly) falls over a set distance

Notes: It is NOT recommended that you use both Water Effect Layers and the original Legacy Water in the same route. Use one or the other but, where possible, avoid using both. The  Grade  setting is the 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 (e.g. a waterfall) would have an infinite grade which is currently impossible in Surveyor. The  Bulk Adjust  action is not fully intuitive and will require some experimentation. It will raise and lower the water effect layer in the baseboard where the Left Click and Drag was executed. Areas within that baseboard where the water effect layer had previously been set to a different height will not be affected until the water level reaches the same height. The Water Effect Layer in surrounding baseboards will also start to move when the level reaches their current heights.

Edit Effect Layers...

When this Target is selected, the Edit Effect Layer dialogue box will appear. This is the same as selecting  Edit Effect Layers ...  from the Surveyor 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 Trainz World

This tool uses the Tool Options Palette and the Assets Palette. If these palettes are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

When selected, this tool has a distinctive pointer icon which makes it easier to identify that the Placement Tool is active

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  settings 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 asset you want to add. Steps , and are common to placing ALL types of objects but the selection of the object in step will change for different types of objects.

In the Asset Palette either:-

Left Click on an asset selection icon all ground textures all non-spline scenery assets all spline scenery assets all track spline assets all track (non spline) assets (signals, etc) all rolling stock assets all Effect Layer presets

OR

Left Click the Content Drop-down Box Then select Scenery Objects

OR

Shortcut  If you already have the same object placed in your route then:- move the tool 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 and automatically select it for placement with the Placement Tool. Release the key Jump to Step  below (for a Scenery Mesh Object) or to Step  in one of the sections below (for a different type of object).

Optional: 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 or description. Left Click on the required item in the list. 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 either:- Double-Left click on the name to bring up its rotating and resizeable 3D image and description window OR open the Asset Preview Palette to view its rotating and resizeable 3D image 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

 Moving Scenery Mesh Objects 

Once an scenery mesh object has been added to a route its height can be changed with the Placement Tool. See  Placement Tool Options below. It can also be easily deleted. See  Deleting Placed Objects below. But to move most placed objects (Track Objects and Rolling Stock Objects are exceptions - see below) you must switch to either:-  The Free Move Tool OR  The Fine Ajustment Tool

Placing a Scenery or Track Spline

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.

Steps: Start the process of laying a track or spline by identifying and selecting the track or scenery spline as described in steps 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 icons:- spline scenery assets OR track spline assets	OR	Select from the Assets Palette drop down list:-  Scenery Splines  OR  Track

Then continue as shown below:-
		Left Click on the spot where the spline will start. This will 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 tool 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.
	Notes: Curves for Trainz Geeks Splines and track splines are created and stored using Bezier Curves, a mathematical formula commonly used for curves in computer graphics. Each spline segment, curved or straight, is described using just 4 points regardless of its length and complexity. This gives significant savings in storage and processing. Unfortunately, real world curves are rarely described by simple Bezier Curves. This can sometimes create difficulties when modelling curves from the real world so approximations often have to be used in the Trainz World.
		When you have the tool 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.
	Adding a Junction and Editing 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 Palette  Height  setting.

However, you can set the end point heights of any selected segment.

Steps: To set the height of a Spline Segment:- Lay the spline segment and while it is still highlighted... Enter a setting in the Tool Options Palette  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 (e.g. signals, speed signs, switches, etc), both visible and invisible, 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

Steps: Follow steps in  Placing a Scenery Mesh Object above but in Step select the Track Object filter in the Assets Palette.

Select from the Assets Palette icons:- track (non spline) assets

OR

Select from the Assets Palette drop down list:-  Track Objects

Then continue as shown below:-

Left Click on the track at the position where you want the Track Object to be placed. Once it has been placed it can be moved, Left Click and Drag the Anchor Point (the small yellow dot in the middle of the track), to any position along the track or to another track. Moving Track Objects can also be performed, with more control and additional options, using the Free Move Tool or the Fine Adjustment Tool.

Placing Rolling Stock Objects

Rolling Stock Objects (e.g. locomotives, passenger cars and wagons) can only be attached to track splines.

Steps: Follow steps in  Placing a Scenery Mesh Object above but in Step select the Rolling Stock filter in the Assets Palette.

Select from the Assets Palette icons:- rolling stock assets

OR

Select from the Assets Palette drop down list:-  Rolling Stock

Then continue as shown below:-

Left Click on the track at the position where you want the Rolling Stock Object to be placed. Once it has been placed it can be moved, Left Click and Drag the Anchor Point (the small yellow dot), to any position along the track or to another track. It can also be coupled to a consist and then decoupled by dragging the same Anchor Point. Moving, coupling and decoupling Rolling Stock Objects can also be performed, with more control, using the Free Move Tool or the Fine Adjustment Tool.

Placement Tool Options

Notes:   These options do not apply to Rolling Stock Objects To use the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting with the Placement Tool a value must be entered followed by the  Enter  key OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu to use the current setting. This must be performed after the object has been been placed.

 Placement Mesh Objects 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:- in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, enter a value OR from the objects Context Menu select the  Apply Height  option to apply an existing height setting, OR in the Info Palette enter a value in the objects  z  (height) setting or Left Click and Drag Up/Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm 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.

 Placement Spline (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  setting is often active without showing the  Gold  icon. This allows the height of the object to be adjusted after it has been placed.

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 or Left Click and Drag Up/Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm 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 and selects objects in a Trainz World

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.

When selected, this tool has a distinctive pointer icon which makes it easy to identify that the Eyedropper Tool is active

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 tool 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 tool 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 or descriptions 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 Trainz World

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.

 Free Move: Move a 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.

 Free Move: Set the Height of a Mesh Object 

Steps: To set the height of a selected scenery mesh object:- in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, enter a value OR from the objects Context Menu select the  Apply Height  option to apply an existing height value, OR in the Info Palette enter a value in the objects  z  (height) setting or Left Click and Drag Up/Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). The object will be moved to the set height above (or below) the terrain.

 Free Move: Mesh Object Context Menu 

A selected scenery mesh object, or a group of selected scenery mesh objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. Left Click on the icon or press the  T  key. The icon design will vary between object types.

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 no object has been selected in the Assets Palette or it is the wrong type (e.g. a scenery spline instead of a mesh object) 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 Palette 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, as far as possible, the height of each 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 Palette  Height  option  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 around its vertical axis  Select in Assets Palette  highlights the selected object in the Assets Palette  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected object

Free Move: 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.

 Free Move: Move a Track Object 

Track objects can be moved to new positions along the track and to positions closer to the track or further away from the track.

Steps: To move a track object horizontally:- Left Click and Drag the object anywhere in the horizontal plane including away from the track

Situations where it is useful to be able to move a track object away from the track include:- placing Track Marks and Triggers above (see the next section) 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 objects that have been moved away from or closer to the track will still function normally.

 Free Move: Set the Height of a Track Object 

Track objects can be raised above and lowered below the track level.

Throw Lever track object level with the track

Steps: To move a selected track object vertically:- in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, enter a value OR from the objects Context Menu select the  Apply Height  option to apply an existing height value, OR in the Info Palette enter a value in the objects  z  (height) setting or Left Click and Drag Up/Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). The object will be moved to the set height above (or below) the track. Track objects that have been "height adjusted" will still function normally and can still be moved along the track without reversing the height change .

After being moved vertically

 Free Move: Track Object Context Menu 

A selected track mesh object, or a group of selected track mesh objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. The icon design will vary between object types.

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

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 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 Palette 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, as far as possible, the height of each 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 Palette  Height  setting  Reattach to Track  if the object has been moved away from the track then it will be reset to its correct position on the track  Rotate Trackside  reverses the position of the object on the track (e.g. to the other side)  Change Junction Direction  if the object is a track switch then its switch direction will be reversed  Select  in Assets Palette  highlights the selected object in the Assets Palette  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected object

Notes:   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

 Free Move: Move 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.

 Free Move: Move 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

 Free Move: Spline Object Context Menu 

A selected scenery spline object, or a group of selected scenery spline objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. The icon design will vary between object types.

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-Left Click then the segment that was clicked will have the icons.

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

Endpoint Context Menu

Segment Context Menu

Cut  remove the segment or segments and move them into the Scrapbook (not available for Endpoints)  Copy  remove the segment or segments and move them into the Scrapbook (not available for Endpoints)  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 Palette 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 Palette  Height  setting  Apply Height  sets the height of the selected segment or segments to the value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting  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 Palette  Grade  setting  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 segment 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  highlights the selected object in the Assets Palette  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected spline

Free Move: Rolling Stock Objects

Rolling Stock Objects (locomotives, wagons, etc) can only be moved along the track that they are attached to. If they are moved off the track then they will immediately "snap back" to the nearest track when they are released.

 Free Move: Move Rolling Stock Objects 

Use the Free Move tool to move a selected rolling stock object along the track.

To move an entire consist of rolling stock objects, Double Left click on any one of the objects in the consist to select them all and then move them as one object

Notes: It is possible to place a rolling stock object so that it "overlaps" (occupies the same space as) another rolling stock object. A large yellow X rotating above the rolling stock object is a sign of this "conflict". This can happen if a rolling stock object is moved off the track and released. It will instantly snap to the nearest track position even if that position is already occupied. The simple solution is to use the Free Move Tool to move the incorrectly placed object to an unoccupied section of the track.

 Free Move: Decouple Rolling Stock Objects 

All decoupling operations between Rolling Stock Objects are performed using just a Left Click and Drag.

Steps To Decouple rolling stock objects:- Select (Left Click) the rolling stock object to be decoupled from the consist If more than one object has to be decoupled then use a  Shift  Left Click to select each object. The objects do not have to be connected to each other in the consist Left Click and Drag the object away from the consist. When dragged rolling stock objects will "drop" or lower their height a few cms Release the object on an unoccupied section of track

To decouple a string of joined rolling stock objects from a consist (for example, the first or last 5 wagons), Shift Left Click (hold down the  Shift  key and Left Click) on each of the objects to be selected and then drag them away from the consist

A rolling stock object or objects in the middle of a consist can also be decoupled. This will break the consist into 3 sections.

		Select one (Left Click) or more ( Shift  Left Click) rolling stock objects inside a consist
>	Left Click and Drag the object or objects out of the consist Do not release the mouse button otherwise they will simply "snap back" onto the same track position or to the nearest track, regardless of whether it is already occupied or not. Think of the yellow connecting line between the wagon and the track shown in the image as if it is a "stretched rubber band" The rotating yellow X floating above the selected and now disconnected consist in the image indicates that it has been "derailed" from the track. This will disappear when it is "rerailled" again   Drag the objects to a suitable section of vacant track before releasing the mouse button

 Free Move: Couple Rolling Stock Objects 

All coupling operations between Rolling Stock Objects can be performed using just a Left Click and Drag or through the objects Context Menu.

Using Click and Drag

Steps: To Couple rolling stock objects:- Select (Left Click) the rolling stock object to be coupled to a consist or another rolling stock object If more than one object has to be selected then use a  Shift  Left Click to individually select each object Left Click and Drag the object along the track to its target object. When dragged rolling stock objects will "drop" or lower their height a few cms If the selected object (or objects) is already part of a consist then dragging it will decouple it from the consist before moving it When it reaches the target object and couples it cannot be moved any further. Release the object and it will return to its correct height

Consider the following simple situation:-

The guard van (caboose) standing at the rear of a consist has to be coupled to the rear gondola wagon.
	Steps: Left Click and Drag the rolling stock object towards the consist. When dragged rolling stock objects will "drop" or lower their height a few cms When it reaches the consist the object will stop and cannot be moved forward any further.
	When the rolling stock object cannot be moved any further forward release the mouse button. The object will "jump" up (raise its height) a few cms back to the correct level. It will be coupled to the consist.

Using the Context Menu

Using the same situation as above, the isolated guard van and the gondola wagon at the end of a consist are to be coupled together.

Steps: Select, Shift Left Click (hold down the  Shift  key when Left Clicking), on both objects The order of selection IS important. Select the "destination" object, where the others will be coupled, last The Context Icon will appear on the last rolling stock object selected. Open the Rolling Stock Object Context Menu by either:- clicking the icon on the last selected rolling stock object, OR pressing the  T  key Select the option  Merge into Single Train

Using the Merge into a Single Train option with the Context Icon on the gondola wagon at the end of the consist. The guard van couples to the gondola wagon and the consist

Using the Merge into a Single Train option with the Context Icon on the guard van. The gondola wagon decouples from the consist and couples to the guard van

Using a more complex example involving multiple objects from several different consists. The selected wagons shown below are to form a single consist based on the loco.

The loco was the last object to be selected so it has the Context Icon. The Context Menu is opened and the option  Merge into Single Train  is selected with the result as shown below.

The wagons and loco have been combined into a single consist but not necessarily in a useful order. It will be a simple Left Click and Drag operation to move the flat car from the front to the rear of the consist.

 Free Move: Rolling Stock Object Context Menu 

A selected rolling stock object, or a group of selected rolling stock objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. The icon design will vary between object types.

To open a selected rolling stock objects Context menu either:- Left Click its Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

Notes: Unlike other Context Menus, the  Cut  and  Copy  menu options are not selectable for Rolling Stock Objects because these objects cannot be added to a Scrapbook. The  Save to Consist Asset...  option performs some of the Scrapbook functions for rolling stock.  Paste  the contents of the current Scrapbook will be pasted at the cursor (focus) point  Delete  the selected rolling stock objects will be deleted. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the Assets Palette will be painted under the selected rolling stock object. The Tool Options Palette 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 rolling stock object to match its set height  Reattach to Track  this option is only selecteable if a rolling stock object has derailed  Rotate Vehicle  rotates (reverses) the facing direction of a selected rolling stock object. If more than one object has been selected then they will all have their directions reversed but they will remain in the same order  Change Consist Heading  reverses the consist heading as indicated by the directions of the red and green arrows above the start and end of the consist  Rotate Consist Heading  the entire consist is reversed, both in the order of the vehicles and the direction they face  Merge into Single Train  when two or more separated rolling stock assets have been selected they will be coupled into a single consist. See  Coupling Rolling Stock Objects for more details  Save to Consist Asset...  saves the selected rolling stock objects as a new consist asset in the Assets Palette  Select in Assets Palette  highlights the selected rolling stock object in the Assets Palette  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected rolling stock object

The Fine Adjustment Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  D

The  Fine Adjustment Tool  makes 3D adjustments (position and rotations) to objects in a Trainz World

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 a selected object. The frame is made of 3 straight and 3 curved coloured lines, called Anchors, which control the position and orientation of an object or a group of objects.

The Anchor controls are:-  The Horizontal and Vertical Anchors   Red   Green   Blue  move the object (forward/back or up/down) 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 centred around the Anchor Straight Line of the same colour Not all objects will have  Red  and/or  Green  rotational Anchors.  The Object Anchor       (black central dot) moves the object in any horizontal direction Steps: To use the Fine Adjustment Tool controls:- move the tool pointer onto an Anchor - its colour will change to yellow for Anchor lines or green for the Object Anchor Left Click and Drag the Object Anchor in any direction or move the pointer along the chosen Anchor Line in the required direction (e.g. up on the blue vertical Anchor or clockwise around the arc of the red rotational 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. These arrows can be used to set the height and position to cm 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.

 Fine Adjustment: Move a Mesh Object 

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 These operations can also be performed on a group of selected objects. The 3D Anchor Frame will be on the last object added to the group.

Blue  vertical Anchor movement

Green  Anchor rotation

Red  Anchor rotation

Blue  Anchor rotation

Notes: Not all objects will have  Red  or  Green  Rotational Anchors 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 - the  Blue  Rotational Anchor.

 Fine Adjustment: Mesh Object Context Menu 

A selected scenery mesh object, or a group of selected scenery mesh objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. Left Click on the icon or press the  T  key. The icon design will vary between object types.

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 no object has been selected in the Assets Palette or it is the wrong type (e.g. a scenery spline instead of a mesh object) 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 Palette 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, as far as possible, the height of each 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 Palette  Height  option  Reset Object Rotation  resets the rotation angle of the objects to their default values  Randomise Object Rotation  applies a random  Blue  Rotation Anchor angle to each object around its vertical axis  Select in Assets Palette  highlights the selected object in the Assets Palette  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.

 Fine Adjustment: Move a Track Object 

Track objects can be moved to new positions along the track and to positions closer to the track or further away from the track.

Steps: To move a track object horizontally:- 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 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 (see next section) 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 objects that have been moved away from or closer to the track will still function normally.

 Fine Adjustment: Set the Height of a Track Object 

Track objects can be raised above and lowered below the track level.

Throw Lever track object level with track

Steps: To move a selected track object vertically:- Left Click and Drag on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line (movement is restricted to the Anchor line only), OR in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting, enter a value OR from the objects Context Menu select the  Apply Height  option to apply an existing height value, OR in the Info Palette enter a value in the objects  z  (height) setting or Left Click and Drag Up/Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). For most track objects the Rotational Anchors have no effect

After being moved vertically

Track objects that have been "height adjusted" will still function normally and can still be moved along the track without reversing the height change .

 Fine Adjustment: Track Object Context Menu 

A selected track mesh object, or a group of selected track mesh objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. The icon design will vary between object types.

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

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 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 Palette 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, as far as possible, the height of each 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 Palette  Height  setting  Reattach to Track  if the object has been moved away from the track then it will be reset to its correct position on the track  Rotate Trackside  reverses the position of the object on the track (e.g. to the other side)  Change Junction Direction  if the object is a track switch then its switch direction will be reversed  Select in Assets Palette  highlights the selected object in the Assets Palette  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected object

Notes:   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.

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

 Fine Adjustment: Move 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

 Fine Adjustment: Move 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	Red   Green   Blue  straight anchor lines will move the whole segment along the direction of the line
Segment rotated anti-clockwise around the  Blue  rotational Anchor arc line	Segment rotated clockwise around the  Red  rotational Anchor arc line	Red   Blue  curved anchor lines will rotate the whole segment around the axis of the same colour

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: Spline Object Context Menu 

A selected scenery spline object, or a group of selected scenery spline 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

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-Left Click then the segment that was clicked will have the icons.

Endpoint Context Menu

Segment Context Menu

Cut  remove the segment or segments and move them into the Scrapbook (not available for Endpoints)  Copy  remove the segment or segments and move them into the Scrapbook (not available for Endpoints)  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 Palette 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 Palette  Height  setting  Apply Height  sets the height of the selected segment or segments to the value in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting  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 Palette  Grade  setting  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 segment 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  highlights the selected object in the Assets Palette  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected spline

Fine Adjustment: Rolling Stock Objects

Rolling Stock Objects (locomotives, wagons, etc) can only be moved along the track that they are attached to. If they are moved off the track then they will immediately "snap back" to the nearest track when they are released.

 Fine Adjustment: Move Rolling Stock Objects 

Use the Fine Adjustment tool to move a selected rolling stock object along the track.

To move an entire consist of rolling stock objects, Double Left click on any one of the objects in the consist to select them all and then move them as one object

Despite their presence in the Fine Adjustment Tool 3D Anchor Frame the  Red   Green   Blue  Rotational Anchor lines and the  Blue  Vertical Anchor Line will NOT work on Rolling Stock Objects The Object Anchor (the central dot) will move the selected rolling stock object or objects in any horizontal direction but they will always be attached to the nearest track spline The  Green  Horizontal Anchor Line will move the selected rolling stock object or objects along the track The  Red  Horizontal Anchor Line will move the selected rolling stock object or objects horizontally off the track but they will always be attached to the nearest track spline

Notes: It is possible to place a rolling stock object so that it "overlaps" (occupies the same space as) another rolling stock object. A large yellow X rotating above the rolling stock object is a sign of this "conflict".   This can happen if a rolling stock object is moved off the track and released. It will instantly snap to the nearest track position even if that position is already occupied. The simple solution is to use the Fine Adjustment Tool to move the incorrectly placed object to an unoccupied section of the track.

 Fine Adjustment: Decouple Rolling Stock Objects 

All decoupling operations between Rolling Stock Objects are performed using just a Left Click and Drag.

Steps To Decouple rolling stock objects:- Select (Left Click) the rolling stock object to be decoupled from the consist If more than one object has to be decoupled then use a  Shift  Left Click to select each object. The objects do not have to be connected to each other in the consist Left Click and Drag the object away from the consist. When dragged rolling stock objects will "drop" or lower their height a few cms Release the object on an unoccupied section of track

To decouple a string of joined rolling stock objects from a consist (for example, the first or last 5 wagons), Shift Left Click (hold down the  Shift  key and Left Click) on each of the objects to be selected and then drag them away from the consist

A rolling stock object or objects in the middle of a consist can also be decoupled. This will break the consist into 3 sections.

		Select one (Left Click) or more ( Shift  Left Click) rolling stock objects inside a consist
>	Left Click and Drag the object or objects out of the consist Do not release the mouse button otherwise they will simply "snap back" onto the same track position or to the nearest track, regardless of whether it is already occupied or not. Think of the yellow connecting line between the wagon and the track shown in the image as if it is a "stretched rubber band" The rotating yellow X floating above the selected and now disconnected consist in the image indicates that it has been "derailed" from the track. This will disappear when it is "rerailled" again   Drag the objects to a suitable section of vacant track before releasing the mouse button

 Fine Adjustment: Couple Rolling Stock Objects 

All coupling operations between Rolling Stock Objects can be performed using just a Left Click and Drag or through the objects Context Menu.

Using Click and Drag

Steps: To Couple rolling stock objects:- Select (Left Click) the rolling stock object to be coupled to a consist or another rolling stock object If more than one object has to be selected then use a  Shift  Left Click to individually select each object Left Click and Drag the object along the track to its target object. When dragged rolling stock objects will "drop" or lower their height a few cms If the selected object (or objects) is already part of a consist then dragging it will decouple it from the consist before moving it When it reaches the target object and couples it cannot be moved any further. Release the object and it will return to its correct height

Consider the following simple situation:-

The guard van (caboose) standing at the rear of a consist has to be coupled to the rear gondola wagon.
	Steps: Left Click and Drag the rolling stock object towards the consist. When dragged rolling stock objects will "drop" or lower their height a few cms When it reaches the consist the object will stop and cannot be moved forward any further.
	When the rolling stock object cannot be moved any further forward release the mouse button. The object will "jump" up (raise its height) a few cms back to the correct level. It will be coupled to the consist.

Using the Context Menu

Using the same situation as above, the isolated guard van and the gondola wagon at the end of a consist are to be coupled together.

Steps: Select, Shift Left Click (hold down the  Shift  key when Left Clicking), on both objects The order of selection IS important. Select the "destination" object, where the others will be coupled, last The Context Icon will appear on the last rolling stock object selected. Open the Rolling Stock Object Context Menu by either:- clicking the icon on the last selected rolling stock object, OR pressing the  T  key Select the option  Merge into Single Train

Using the Merge into a Single Train option with the Context Icon on the gondola wagon at the end of the consist. The guard van couples to the gondola wagon and the consist

Using the Merge into a Single Train option with the Context Icon on the guard van. The gondola wagon decouples from the consist and couples to the guard van

Using a more complex example involving multiple objects from several different consists. The selected wagons shown below are to form a single consist based on the loco.

The loco was the last object to be selected so it has the Context Icon. The Context Menu is opened and the option  Merge into Single Train  is selected with the result as shown below.

The wagons and loco have been combined into a single consist but not necessarily in a useful order. It will be a simple Left Click and Drag operation to move the flat car from the front to the rear of the consist.

 Fine Adjustment: Rolling Stock Object Context Menu 

A selected rolling stock object, or a group of selected rolling stock objects, will have a Context Icon that opens a Context Menu. The icon design will vary between object types.

To open a selected rolling stock objects Context menu either:- Left Click its Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

Notes: Unlike other Context Menus, the  Cut  and  Copy  menu options are not selectable for Rolling Stock Objects because these objects cannot be added to a Scrapbook. The  Save to Consist Asset...  option performs some of the Scrapbook functions for rolling stock.  Paste  the contents of the current Scrapbook will be pasted at the cursor (focus) point  Delete  the selected rolling stock objects will be deleted. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the Assets Palette will be painted under the selected rolling stock object. The Tool Options Palette 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 rolling stock object to match its set height  Reattach to Track  this option is only selecteable if a rolling stock object has derailed  Rotate Vehicle  rotates (reverses) the facing direction of a selected rolling stock object. If more than one object has been selected then they will all have their directions reversed but they will remain in the same order  Change Consist Heading  reverses the consist heading as indicated by the directions of the red and green arrows above the start and end of the consist  Rotate Consist Heading  the entire consist is reversed, both in the order of the vehicles and the direction they face  Merge into Single Train  when two or more separated rolling stock assets have been selected they will be coupled into a single consist. See  Coupling Rolling Stock Objects for more details  Save to Consist Asset...  saves the selected rolling stock objects as a new consist asset in the Assets Palette  Select in Assets Palette  highlights the selected rolling stock object in the Assets Palette  Edit Properties  opens the Properties window of the selected rolling stock object

Fine Adjustment: Object Height Problem Solutions

Two Anchor Points on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line determine the height of an endpoint or an object above the ground. the height of a Rolling Stock Object (locomotive, wagon, etc) cannot be altered the Object Height Anchor, which is normally Black but turns Green when it is selected, controls the height of the object (including spline Endpoints) above the ground. This Anchor point can be moved vertically by the tool 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 tool 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 the height Anchor point, either:- zoom in closer to the Anchor point, OR use the  z  fine adjustment arrows in the Info Palette object Pos controls. This can be used to set the height and position to cm 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  setting 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 and copies the objects, deletes baseboards, adds new baseboards and sets their properties in a Trainz World

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 has no drop down menu lists.

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. You can use the Asset Palette filters to restrict the objects that will be selected in the Marquee Selection Area

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

The Marquee Tool and 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

To open the Marquee Context menu either:- Left Click the Marquee Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

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 at the height in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting and filled with the selected texture from the Assets Palette  Set Marquee to Brush Height  the Ground Surface 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 texture specified in the Surveyor Display Menu (see Default Baseboard Ground Texture) or for the set Region in the Route Editor.  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 at the height in the Tool Options Palette  Height  setting and set their grid resolution to the selected value. The new baseboards will be filled with the texture specified in the Surveyor Display Menu (see Default Baseboard Ground Texture) or for the set Region in the Route Editor.  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 baseboards 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: 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.

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 in the Scrapbook Filters that will control which of these data categories are transferred and how they are transferred from the scrapbook into a route.

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

The Surveyor Edit Menu will show some additional options specifically for the Marquee Tool:-  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

Deleting a Scrapbook after it has been pasted does not delete the objects that it has added to 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. To set its new name Left Click on the image (pressing  Enter  does not work - a known bug) Make it permanent - Left Click the white Pin icon () to change it to blue. 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.

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 it will include the Ground Surface Height, Ground Textures and any 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 cannot 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 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. After selecting the last object, release the key You can apply the  Height  setting in the Tool Options Palette to the entire group of selected objects.
	Steps: To move multiple objects:- Left Click and Drag on any highlighted object in the group Release the mouse button when the group of objects are in position The Fine Adjustment Tool  Blue  Rotation Anchor can be used to rotate all the members of the group with the last selected object (the one with the Context Icon) as the centre of rotation

 Selecting Multiple Identical Objects 

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

This also applies to all the wagons in a consist. Double-Left Click 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-Left Click on a tree to select all the identical trees in the forest.

Hold down the  Shift  key and Double-Left Click 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.

Known Issues: Cloning does not work with Track Objects (signals, speed signs, switches, etc) but it does work with track spline and rolling stock objects. This has been reported as a bug.

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  Hiding and Showing 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:- providing precise data and control over the "focus" - the position of the cursor providing precise data and control over the position and orientation of objects (it can be used instead of the Free Move Tool and the Fine Adjustment Tool) identifying and setting the "home" layer and binding layer of a selected object used for locking and unlocking a selected objects layer

The components of the Info Palette are identified 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. If that baseboard is later deleted then distances will still be measured from its original and now "virtual" North-West corner.  +  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 settings. These values can be edited to move the cursor to a new position but CARE will be needed. On the right of each data entry box is a pair of Up/Down arrow controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the 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 cursor will be refocused at a point on the baseboard edge that is the closest to the entered co-ordinates.

If it has not been deleted you can identify the original (first) baseboard by entering 0 as the Focus  x  and  y  co-ordinates

Next to the z co-ordinate is a small white down arrowhead. Left Click on the arrowhead 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 for this menu to be available.

If more than one object has been selected then the name and position data shown will be for the last selected object. If different objects (with different kuid codes) have been selected 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.

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) - copies the objects text details into the OS Clipboard for pasting, for example, 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  selects and 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 settings. These values can be edited to move the object or objects to a new position but CARE will be needed. On the right of each data entry box is a pair of Up/Down arrow controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the 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.

Next to the z co-ordinate is a small white down arrowhead. Left Click on the arrowhead 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 settings (the letters stand for Roll, Pitch and Yaw). These values can be edited to rotate the object or objects in 3D space BUT not all objects can be rotated in certain directions. Notes: If several objects have been selected then the last selected object, the one with the Context Icon, will be the centre of all rotations. Not all objects will allow rotations. For example, SpeedTree objects can only be rotated using the  y  setting ( r  and  p  entries will be ignored) while Spline objects cannot be rotated at all On the right of each box is a pair of Up/Down arrow controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the rotation angle in increments of 1°.

Notes: The rotation data and controls are defined in the following ways:-  r  ALWAYS rotates in the vertical plane around the selected objects main axis of orientation (the direction given by its  y  setting)  p  ALWAYS rotates in the vertical plane at an angle of 90° to the selected objects main axis of orientation (the direction given by its  y  setting)  y  ALWAYS rotates in the horizontal plane around the  Vertical  direction (perpendicular to the compass directions) regardless of how the object has been rolled or pitched y=  0° East 90° North 180° West 270° South Original Roll:  r = 45  Pitch:  p = 45  Yaw:  y = 45  all angles are measured in degrees  +  positive angles are anticlockwise when viewed facing the rotation axis direction  -  negative angles are clockwise when viewed facing the rotation axis direction angles greater than 360° can be entered but will give the same result as the angle minus 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° (clockwise) will give the same angle as entering +90° (anticlockwise)

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: the Info Palette is best used to show and edit the layer and binding layer assignments of individual selected objects operations such as creating, deleting, merging, renaming, moving and hiding layers are performed using the Layers Palette layers can be Locked and Unlocked using the Info Palette or the Layers Palette but the Layers Palette is often the better choice for these tasks

This will show the:- current layer assigned to the selected object its assigned Binding Layer (if any) the Locked/Unlocked state 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 to the layer name in the Layers Palette Notes: Objects in a Locked Layer cannot be deleted or moved Locked Layers can be deleted, moved and merged with other layers

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. WARNING: Setting a layer for multiple objects that are in different layers will move ALL those objects to that layer If objects are moved from one layer group to another (such as from the Route Layers to the Session Layers) then it will change where those objects are saved (in the Route or in the Session)

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.

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. See Warning above 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 list in the Layers 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.

Assigned Layer Binding Layer Object Status Unlocked or None Unlocked LOCKED or or None LOCKED Unlocked LOCKED LOCKED Visible or None Visible HIDDEN or or None HIDDEN Visible HIDDEN HIDDEN

In Summary:- If the Assigned Layer or the Binding Layer of an object is Locked then the object will be Locked If the Assigned Layer or the Binding Layer of an object is Hidden then the object will be Hidden Notes: Objects in a Hidden Layer cannot be seen and therefore, cannot be selected, deleted or moved The Layers Palette is the ONLY way to create, delete, name and hide layers

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: Use the Layers Palette to create a new empty layer and lock it. Set the Binding Layer of the object to the new locked layer. The object will then be locked so it cannot be selected or moved even though its original layer is unlocked. When the edit has been completed delete the empty locked layer you just created to unlock all its bound objects and remove all their bindings  Example 2:  The problem: A group of objects (e.g trees) are blocking access to another object. The solution: Use the Layers Palette to create a new empty layer and hide it. Set the Binding Layer of the blocking objects to the new hidden layer. The blocking objects will no longer be visible and cannot be selected even though their original layer is still visible. When the edit has been completed delete the empty hidden layer you just created to make all its bound objects visible and remove all their bindings

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. Note: the objects assigned layer will not appear in the list because an object cannot be bound to its own layer 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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