HowTo/Camera View Modes / Navigation

The camera mode menu allows to change camera views while on the Driver and Surveyour modes. It is marked on the picture below. The current camera mode is shown on the Trainz menubar. Clicking it will bring down the camera menu, allowing you to choose from one of 5 camera modes. There are several 3D views, as well as a 2D top down one. You can zoom in and out, pan around, and change the camera focus point with each of these views.

Cab Interior View

Firstly, make sure the view is focused on a locomotive (Click LMB on a locomotive to focus the view), then click LMB on the Cab Interior View (or “Cab View”) entry in the camera menu (you can also press the “1” key). Your view is now from the driver’s seat of the cab. Hold the RMB and move the mouse to look around the cab and out of the windows. You can change your viewpoint within the cab by pressing the “[“ and “]” keys. If the locomotive has a second cab, press ALT + C to switch between the cabs.

Chase View

When you first start a Driver session, you will normally be in Chase (or “External”) View by default. The scene will be focused on a particular locomotive. Selecting Chase View, or pressing the “2” key, will return you to this camera mode. While in Chase View, use RMB + Drag to rotate and elevate the view, and the mouse wheel (or Page Up / Page Down keys) to zoom. Chase View will follow the currently selected vehicle as it moves around the map. If you Click LMB on one of the cars attached to the locomotive, the view will move along the train so that the selected car becomes the new focus. You can also press the “-“ and “+” keys on the keyboard to select the next or previous car in the consist. You can still control the locomotive using the HUD or keyboard controls even while viewing a parts of the consist other than the engine. To shift the focus to a different train, simply Click LMB on the desired train, use the driver selector in the bottom left of the screen, or click on the consist icons in the 2D Map View.

Lineside View (Tracking Camera)

Click on Lineside View (or “Tracking Camera”) and your view changes to the nearest pre-placed camera. You can also go to Lineside View view by pushing the “3” key. There are two types of cameras, static and tracking. These cameras are placed in the 3D world in Surveyor mode. Static cameras will stay fixed in a direction, and allow the tracked object to enter, cross and move out of the frame. Tracking cameras are fixed in place, but pan with the tracked object, keeping it in the centre of the view. If there are no cameras within visual range of the tracked object, the view reverts back to Chase View functionality until a camera comes within range.

Free Roaming View

The fourth camera mode is Free Roaming View. This is accessed by selecting it from the menu or pushing the “4” key. It operates in a similar fashion to navigating in the route editor (Surveyor). To move the camera focus point, simply Click RMB in the 3D world to where you want the new central focus point to be. The view will then smoothly move to the new focus point. You can use the cursor keys to rotate or change elevation. To zoom in and out scroll the mouse wheel or press the Page Up/Page Down keys. Like in Surveyor, in Free Roaming Mode you are able to zoom out all the way to satellite altitudes at which point it transitions into Map View. Hold down RMB and move the mouse to continuously change the focus point, and hence the view point. By combining this mouse movement with the cursor keys and the zoom function, you will be able to roam around the route with great speed and precision.

Map View

The fifth camera mode isn’t really a camera mode at all - it is the 2D map view. You can get to the map by using the Map View menu item, or by pressing ‘M’. You will find the Map View is useful for getting an overview of where your trains are in relation to the industries, the track configuration, plotting your train movements and checking turnout settings and signal states. In the Map View you will see the position, length, and name of each Consist, the direction set for each turnout and important names for assets such as turnouts, industries and stations. Zoom in and out using the mouse wheel or the Page Up/Page Down keys. Unlike entering Map View from Free Roaming View, you are able to zoom in close without it transitioning into the 3D map. The map follows the movement of the currently selected Consist. The currently selected Consist shows as green, and all other Consists show as gray on the map. Click on one of the gray Consists to centre the Map view on that Consist. Click RMB on a point on the map to centre the map view to a new location, losing focus on any particular consist. You can also set the turnouts by clicking on them and seeing the direction arrows change. Also visible is the state of any signals on the route. Exit the map screen either by picking another camera mode, or pressing CTRL + M again to close the map.