How to Use S20 Palettes

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

This document is still under construction

The Surveyor 2.0 World

When you start Trainz in Survayor 2.0 the world presented will look something like the following image, but what you actually see can be highly customised to yur own preferences.

The grey boxes on the left and right of the screen are Palettes, where selections can be made, information displayed and controls set.

Shown in the image above are 5 Palettes:- Assets Layers Info Tools Tool Options

Not shown in the image above are 3 Palettes because they are currently hidden from view. They are:- Scrapbook Asset Preview Content Packages

Hiding and Showing Palettes

Palettes are hidden and revealed using the Window Menu on the top Surveyor Menu bar.

The 5 visible and 3 hidden Palettes in the screenshot image shown above have been configured by:-

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 or to hide a visible palete simply Left click on its name or on the or next to its name

Closing Palettes

This is the same as hiding a palette. Once a palette has been undocked it can be closed (hidden) by a Left click on its Close X icon. The palette will not be deleted and can be shown again as described above at  Hiding and Showing Palettes

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.

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

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

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

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

Focus Info and Controls

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

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

The current cursor position is shown in the X, Y and Z text boxes. These values can be edited to move the cursor to a new position but CARE will be needed. Notes: If you enter an X or Y value that is "out in empty space" (beyond the edge of a boundary baseboard) then the cursor will be refocussed at a point on the baseboard edge that is the closest to the entered co-ordinates. On the right of each box is a pair of Up/Down controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the cursor position in smaller increments down to centimetres

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

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

Asset Name Menu

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

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

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

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

Position Info and Controls

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

The position of the selected object (or the last object if more than one is selected) is shown in the X, Y and Z text boxes. These values can be edited to move the object or objects to a new position but CARE will be needed. Notes: If you enter an X or Y value that is "out in empty space" (beyond the edge of a boundary baseboard) then the objects will be moved to that position and may vanish from view. The Undo command can be used to reverse the move or the Marquee Tool can be used to add a baseboard under the "floating" objects. On the right of each box is a pair of Up/Down controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the position in smaller increments down to centimetres

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

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

Rotation Info and Controls

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

The rotational orientation of the selected object (or the last object if more than one is selected) is shown in the R, P and Y text boxes. These values can be edited to rotate the object or objects in 3D space BUT not all objects can be rotated in certain directions. On the right of each box is a pair of Up/Down controls. Left Click and Drag up or down on these to adjust the rotation angle in increments of 1°.

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

Layer Info and Controls

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

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

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

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

Assigning Objects to a Different Layer

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

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

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

Once a target layer has been selected then the  Select Layer  button, which sets the Active Layer, may become active. The Active Layer is the layer used by the Placement Tool when objects are added to a route (or session). This button gives you the opportunity to set the Active Layer to the same layer that you just used to assign to an object. Its use is optional. You can also set the Active Layer by selecting its name from the 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.

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

Some examples of using the Binding Layer:-  Example 1:  The problem: You need to stop an object from being selected so that you can you move other objects on or around it The solution: The easiest solution is to 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: The easiest solution is to 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 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

The Tools Palette

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

The Tools Palette is at the core of the new interface and takes the place of all the Tool Flyouts that have been the standard for Trainz Surveyor for many years now. Some of the tools are new while others have been given a makeover and new abilities.
	The  Context Tool  is attached as an icon to a selected or newly placed object. The icon and its Context menu will vary according to the type of object.

For a detailed description of all the tools in the Tools Palette see the Trainz Wiki page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Tools

Various brush tools make use of the Tool Options Palette, the Assets Palette, the Info Palette, the Layers Palette and the Scrapbook Palette. If a palette required by one of the brush tools is not visible on the screen then refer to  Hiding and Showing Palettes at the top of this document.

The Brush Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  W

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

The Placement Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  E

The  Placement Tool  adds objects to a route

The Eyedropper Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  R

The  Eyedropper Tool  identifies and selects objects in a route

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 Free Move Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  S

The  Free Move Tool  moves objects around a route

The Fine Adjustment Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  D

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

The Marquee Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  F

The  Marquee Tool  selects the content in areas of a route, creates and deletes baseboards and sets their properties. It can also used in creating Scrapbooks

The Tool Options Palette

This palette is used by the various tools (listed above) to set controls and parameters. For a detailed description of all the options presented by the Tools Palette for the different tools, see the Trainz Wiki page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Tools

The Assets Palette

The Layers Palette

The Scrapbook Palette

This palette manages the Scrapbooks that you have created yourself, installed from other sources (such as the DLS) or came installed with Trainz. It also controls which parts of a scrapbook are pasted or painted into a route.

Notes: Scrapbooks, when created, will contain:- Ground Heights Ground Textures Effect Layers - if present Assets - scenery items, splines, track, track objects, etc  But NOT Rolling Stock (Trains)

Notes: Scrapbooks, when painted or pasted, can contain any predetermined combinations of:- Ground Heights Ground Textures Effect Layers Assets - scenery items, splines, track, track objects, etc You can also control how these objects are added to a route - by adding to or replace any existing objects in the painted or pasted area

A new scrapbook can be created by:- Select one or more assets and pressing  Ctrl   C  OR Draw a Marquee Selection Area around one or more assets and press  Ctrl   C  Existing Scrapbooks can be painted into a route using the Brush Tool (see the Trainz Wiki page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Tools) or Pasted into a route. The current Scrapbook can be Pasted into a route at the cursor (the Compass Rose) position by:- pressing  Ctrl   V , OR selecting  Paste  from the Context Menu of a selected object In both cases the scrapbook contents will be pasted using the original scrapbooks size. It will be pasted inside a Marquee Selection Area that can be moved and resized. The objects that are pasted and how they are pasted is controlled by the current Scrapbook Palette filter settings

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

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

The Preview Palette

This palette gives a rotating 3D view of a selected asset

The Packages Palette

This palette .

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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 February 2023 and was last updated as shown below.

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