How to Use S20 Tools

The information in this Wiki Page applies to Surveyor 2.0 (S20) as found in Trainz Plus and TRS22 Platinum. There is a companion Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes that covers the all Palettes and Windows, both for Surveyor 2.0 and Driver, found in Trainz Plus and TRS22 Platinum.

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 or to open a setting menu in a palette  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 or last endpoint (in both directions) will be selected. This is a useful trick for finding track (or any spline) endpoints that have not been correctly joined together  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 heights, ground textures and any TurfFX/Clutter 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). Also removes the boundary lines from a Marquee Selection Area  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 interface  Ctrl   F2  press Ctrl + F2 to switch from Surveyor to Driver via the UDS interface  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 heights, ground textures, TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers and any selected objects that are in locked layers will be copied into the Scrapbook, 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 in the sidebars will be hidden while "free floating" palettes will still be visible and usable  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  and to copy some data from the object to the  Tool Options Palette   Delete  press the Delete key to Delete a selected object or objects from the route  Tools  a  LClick  on an Icon will also select it  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   Object Context Icons: Further information on the topics mentioned in the above list can be found in Trainz Wiki Pages at:- The Session Editor The Route Editor The UDS Interface The Surveyor Tools Assets and Objects (based on the  Surveyor 2.0 Overview document) In this online documentation, the term Asset is used when discussing the items listed in Content Manager and the  Assets Palette . When an asset is placed into the Trainz World then it will be referred to as an Object. Navigation Icons used in this Document   at Chapter Headings to jump to the top/bottom of the document   at Chapter Headings to jump to the next or previous Chapter e.g. 1. to 2. to 3., etc   within Chapters to jump to the next or previous Section e.g. 3.1 to 3.2 to 3.3, etc within Sections to return to the current Chapter Heading e.g. 3.3 back to 3.0   within Sections to jump to the next or previous Sub-section e.g. 3.1.1 to 3.1.2 to 3.1.3, etc  Link Internal link to another section within this document  Link External link to another document Colour Coded Labels used in this Document  Palette  Name of a palette e.g.  Assets Palette   Option  Drop Down Menu option e.g.  Copy   Key  Keystroke or keystroke combination e.g.  Shift  or  Ctrl  +  C   Control  A control setting in the  Tool Options Palette  e.g.  Radius   Mouse  An action to be performed using the mouse e.g.  Left Click and Drag

Surveyor 2.0 vs Surveyor Classic

Surveyor 2.0
Surveyor 2.0 (or S20) is the new Surveyor interface provided to Trainz Plus and TRS22 Platinum as an alternative to Surveyor Classic which has existed since 2002. Surveyor Classic is still available as an option in Trainz Plus and TRS22 Platinum.
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 heights, ground texture and grid resolutions changed in a single operation objects, ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers to be moved and copied
	HD Resolution in Trainz Plus
	Color Effect Layer in Trainz Plus routes that use HD Resolution

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 Surveyor 2.0 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.

A Palette is a screen box containing tools, controls and/or information that can be hidden/revealed, moved around the screen, resized, docked and undocked with other palettes. There is a Trainz Wiki Page specifically covering the S20 Palettes at  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes

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: To display palettes:- 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 if the  Tools Palette , or any required palette, does not have a tick next to its name then  Left Click  on the name of the palette or on the empty box next to its name. This will add a and make the palette visible make sure that the  Tool Options Palette  is also visible Dispatch Manager is a window found under the Tools Menu in both Surveyor and Driver in  Trainz Plus  only There is a Trainz Wiki Page specifically covering the S20 Palettes at  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes

Detailed information and instructions for using each of these tools can be found in the links below:- The Brush Tool The Placement Tool The Eyedropper Tool The Free Move Tool The Fine Adjustment Tool The Marquee Tool

The Brush Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  W

The  Brush Tool  "paints" ground heights, ground textures, effect layers and scrapbook scenes into your Trainz World

Various function of this tool use the  Scrapbook Palette   Tool Options Palette   Info Palette   Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette . If these palettes are not visible on the screen when required then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

The  Brush Tool has two drop down menu lists.

Brush Targets  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. The Brush Targets are:- Ground Height Ground Texture Scrapbook Data <List of Effect Layers> Edit Effect Layers If you have any Effect Layers then they will appear as Targets in this Drop Down Menu. Select an Effect Layer to use the brush to paint with that layer. See  Effect Layers below for more details   Brush Actions  The second drop down menu will set the "Brush Action" which is how the brush works. Its options will vary with the bush target selected (see the following sections) and for some targets no options will appear meaning that the selected brush target does not have any different actions

The  Brush Tool is used to "paint" the following data and object types into a route:-  Ground or Terrain Heights    Ground Textures    Scrapbooks    Effect Layers as well as  Edit Effect Layers

Ground Height

This Brush Target raises or lowers the Ground Surface Height by using a "painting" action

Nearly all the Terrain Features in your Trainz World such as hills, valleys, railway cuttings and embankments, river and lake beds, are created using the Ground Height Brush

This Brush Target 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.

Brush Actions  When the   Ground Height  Target is selected, the second drop down box will give a choice of several brush actions that control how the ground height is adjusted.

The actions are:-

Height Up Height Down Set Height Grade The  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting controls the rate or speed at which the height will be changed under the brush as you move it across the terrain. 100% = fastest: 1% = slowest

Ground Height Brush Actions:   Height Up    Height Down  raises/lowers the ground under the brush at a rate controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting   Set Height  will "plateau" the ground under the brush to the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting   The  Height  is always measured in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.   Grade  creates a smooth slope under the brush at the  Tool Options Palette   Grade  and  Angle  settings at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting

Ground heights are saved in the special Ground Height layer in the  Layers Palette  This layer cannot be renamed, deleted, moved or merged with any other layer Most ground height edits are performed using the  Brush Tool. Edits can also be performed using the  Marquee Tool. Limited ground height edits under a selected object or objects can be performed using the  Smooth Ground Under Selected  option in the objects Context Icon.

5m Resolution, 10m Resolution, HD Resolution

Notes: The terms Grid Size and Grid Resolution when used in this document refer to the following:- Grid Size: - the size of the yellow grid squares shown in an untextured baseboard. The grid squares are always 10m x 10m in size regardless of the Working Scale (Real Scale, G Scale, HO Scale, etc) or the Working Units (metric or imperial). When a ruler object is used to measure the squares it will show their size using the selected Working Scale and Working Units Grid Resolution: - a measure of the level of detail that can be shown when using the Ground Height and Ground Texture brush tools. Grid Resolution is described using the Metric System (in metres). A 10m Resolution will allow the use of a brush of radius 10m and above without restrictions anywhere in the baseboard. Brushes smaller than 10m can be used but with restrictions that will increase as the brush size is reduced. A 5m Resolution will allow the use of a brush of radius 5m and above without restrictions anywhere in the baseboard. Brushes smaller than 5m can be used but with restrictions that will increase as the brush size is reduced. A HD Resolution will allow the use of a brush of radius as small as 0.12m (12cm) without any restrictions anywhere in the baseboard. Note: HD Resolution is only available in Trainz Plus.

The choice of baseboard resolution affects the level of detail that it is possible to achieve in the ground terrain (for ditches, track beds, rail embankments and cuttings, etc) and the ground texture. The choice will also affect the physical size, in KB or MB, of the route when it is saved. Rail cutting through 10m Resolution terrain Rail cutting through HD Resolution terrain For more information on how your choice of resolution affects the ground height and ground textures, see  Ground Height Brush Size and Grid Size,  Ground Texture Brush Size and Grid Size and  HD Resolution and Ground Textures below.

The choices are:-  10m Resolution  This has been the standard resolution since the earliest days. It gives the lowest level of detail and the smallest file sizes. A baseboard with a resolution of 10m will allow the unrestricted use of brushes with a radius down to 10m. Brushes of less than 10m can still be used but with reduced accuracy  5m Resolution  This was a later addition to the Trainz World. It gives about 4x as much detail as the 10m Resolution but with an increase in file sizes. A baseboard with a resolution of 5m will allow the unrestricted use of brushes with a radius down to 5m. Brushes of less than 5m can still be used but with reduced accuracy You can have both 10m Resolution and 5m Resolution baseboards in the same route. Placing, for example, the 10m Resolution baseboards away from the tracks where a higher level of detail may not be needed, and the 5m Resolution baseboards under and close to the tracks where more detail may be needed  HD Resolution  This is the latest addition to the Trainz World. It gives the highest level of detail, up to 6,400x greater than the 10m Resolution, but with a signficant increase in file sizes. A route set to HD Resolution will allow the unrestricted use of brushes with a radius down to 0.12m (12cm). Smaller brush sizes are not possible. Important HD Notes:  HD Resolution is only available in Trainz Plus  It is  NOT RECOMMENDED  that you mix HD Resolution baseboards with 10m or 5m Resolution baseboards in the same route. HD baseboards have unwanted visual effects where they meet 10m and 5m baseboards HD routes are restricted to using a maximum of  16 textures per baseboard , but each baseboard can have 16 different textures. This is a limit imposed by your hardware, not by Trainz. See  HD Resolution and Ground Textures for more details and how to work around this limitation In Trainz Plus and TRS22PE the level of file compression used when saving .cdp files was significantly increased to reduce the size of the files. The size limit for a .cdp file is 1 GB but larger assets, such as routes, can be saved by using Content Manager to open the asset in Windows Explorer and saving the folder using commonly available file compression software such as 7Zip or WinRAR

The resolution is set when a route is created and new baseboards are added but it can be changed at any time

Identifying the Grid Resolution

When you load a route into Surveyor there may be no obvious clues as to what the resolution of its baseboards actually are and routes can have a mixture of baseboards set to 10m Resolution and 5m Resolution.

How Can You Identify the Resolution of a Baseboard or Route?   The only reliable way to check the resolution of a selected baseboard is to use the Ground Height Brush and set its radius to specific values to test the baseboard. The available resolutions are HD (in Trainz Plus only ), 10m and 5m. It is possible to mix both 10m and 5m baseboards in the same route so adjoining baseboards can have different resolutions. Quick HD Check: In Trainz Plus if you are near an edge baseboard then look over the edge. If you see a vertical wall dropping down then the route is using 5m and/or 10m Resolution. If no vertical wall is seen then it is using HD Resolution Steps: To detect HD Resolution in Trainz Plus:- Select the Ground Height Brush in the  Tools Palette  and set its  Radius  value in the  Tool Options Palette  to 0.2m Move the Ground Height Brush in small circles around the surface but DO NOT hold down the mouse button If the brush circle is NOT red then the grid is HD If the brush circle is red everywhere then it is either a 5m Resolution or a 10m Resolution See  Ground Height Brush Size and Grid Resolution for an example of this technique Steps: To detect 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution in Trainz Plus and TRS22PE:-   In Trainz Plus perform Steps  1  and  2  above first and if the baseboard is not HD Resolution then continue with the following steps:- Select the Ground Height Brush in the  Tools Palette  and set its  Radius  value in the  Tool Options Palette  to 3m Move the Ground Height Brush in small circles around the surface but DO NOT hold down the mouse button If the brush circle does NOT turn red at any point of its motion then the resolution for that baseboard is 5m If the brush circle DOES turn red at some places then the resolution for that baseboard is 10m See  Ground Height Brush Size and Grid Resolution for an example of this technique

Setting and Converting Grid Resolutions

Grid Options  In TRS22PE:- 10m Resolution - this is the default resolution when a new route is created and for each new baseboard added but you will have the option of changing the resolution when adding baseboards 5m Resolution - you can set 5m as the resolution for each new baseboard when it is added. You can have a mixture of 5m and 10m Grid baseboards in the same route HD Resolution routes can be loaded into TRS22PE but the HD terrain will not appear at the same level of "sharpness" as it would in Trainz Plus - it will be "smoothed" to a lower resolution. The ground heights in HD routes cannot be edited in TRS22PE unless the baseboards are converted to 5m Resolution or 10m Resolution   In Trainz Plus:- HD Resolution (0.125m or 12.5cm) - this is the default resolution when a new route is created and for each new baseboard added but you will have the option of changing the resolution when adding baseboards. If you are using HD Resolution then it is recommended that ALL the baseboards should use HD Resolution 5m Resolution - you can set 5m as the resolution for each new baseboard when it is added. You can have a mixture of 5m and 10m Grid baseboards in the same route 10m Resolution - you can set 10m as the resolution for each new baseboard when it is added. You can have a mixture of 5m and 10m Grid baseboards in the same route

Grid Conversions  In TRS22PE:- The  Marquee Tool is used to:- add individual and multiple baseboards. You can select their resolution from 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution and you can use both resolutions in the same route convert individual and multiple baseboards between 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution and from HD Resolution to either 5m Resolution or 10m Resolution   See  Managing Baseboards for more details on adding and converting baseboards In Trainz Plus:- The  Marquee Tool is used to:- add individual and multiple baseboards. You can select their resolution from HD Resolution, 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution.  It is NOT RECOMMENDED that you mix HD Resolution baseboards with 10m or 5m Resolution baseboards in the same route convert individual and multiple baseboards between HD Resolution, 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution.  It is NOT RECOMMENDED that you mix HD Resolution baseboards with 10m or 5m Resolution baseboards in the same route   See  Managing Baseboards for more details on adding and converting baseboards The Surveyor Tools Menu has an option that will convert an entire route from 5m and/or 10m Resolution to HD Resolution in a single step. See  Upgrading a Route to HD

Notes: HD Resolution routes are restricted to using just 16 different ground textures per baseboard, but each baseboard can have 16 completely different ground textures. See  HD Resolution and Ground Textures below for more information With each increase in Resolution (from 10m to 5m to HD) there will be an increase in the route file size Converting to a higher Resolution (e.g. from 10m to 5m or to HD) will not automatically increase the surface details that will be shown. You will have to do that work yourself Converting to or from HD Resolution will "smooth" the surface details so a sharp ridge line, for example, will become a smoother ridge line. You may need to manually edit the ground terrain

Ground Height Brush Tool Options

Notes: Tool Options Palette Controls The active ground 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. Most of the data entry boxes in the  Tool Options Palette  have a Popup Menu ( Right Click  inside the box) that can be used to collect and distribute data - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for more details. 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 value in smaller increments

Height Up/Height Down   Set Height   Grade  Ground Heights are Absolute Values Terrain heights are not measured from the height of the current baseboard (unless that baseboard is at a height of 0m) If your current baseboard is at a height of 100m and you enter a  Height  value of 150m then the terrain you paint with the brush will have a height of 150m which will be 50m above the baseboard not 150m above. If your current baseboard is at a height of 100m and you enter a  Height  value of 50m then the terrain you paint with the brush will have a height of 50m which will be 50m below the baseboard not 50m above.

Radius  the brush radius (metres) Range:  for 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution see Notes: below 0.12m and above for HD Resolution (in Trainz Plus only)  Height  the brush height (metres) Range:  -3000m to +3000m  Sensitivity  the rate at which the Height changes under the brush 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 - see Notes: below Range:  0° (North) to ±359° a negative value reverses the grade direction The  Radius  and  Height  settings are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements

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 might be a better choice. There is a lower limit to the brush  Radius  that is dictated by the baseboard resolution (10m Resolution, 5m Resolution or HD Resolution). For the 5m Resolution and the 10m Resolution baseboards it is possible to have brushes smaller than the resolution but they will have restrictions imposed. These restrictions will increase as the brush becomes smaller. For HD Resolution the minimum radius is 0.12m.  Note: HD resolution is only available in Trainz Plus . See  Ground Height Brush Size and Grid Resolution for the details. 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 (cliff height divided by 0) which is currently impossible in Surveyor. The  Grade  setting is only active when the   Grade  Brush Action has been selected. It has no effect on the other Ground Height options. The  Angle  controls the compass direction when creating a grade in the ground surface - 0° = North, 180° = South 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°)

Identifying the Ground Height

You can copy the current Ground Height of any spot in the route into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied the height can be applied to the Ground Height Brush or to any object in the route.

To copy the Ground Height into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting choose one of the following:- Options:
Using the Eyedropper option found in all the tools   Steps: move the mouse pointer to the spot on the terrain hold down the  Alt  key and  Left Click  This option is a good choice when there are no scenery objects (e.g. vegetation, splines, buildings, etc) over the ground being sampled by the eyedropper. Warning: This will switch the  Brush Tool from Ground Height to Ground Texture for painting with the texture or grid pattern at the location clicked OR Using the Compass and the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting   Steps:  Right Click  at the spot on the terrain to move the Compass  Right Click  inside the  Height  setting box  Left Click  on the menu option  Get Height at Compass  This option is recommended when there are scenery objects (e.g. vegetation, splines, buildings, etc) between the ground and the eyedropper. In these cases the object name shown in the eyedropper  Tooltip  is NOT the name of a ground texture or a grid pattern. The  Height  value returned by each of these methods will always be in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.	OR	Using the Compass and the  Info Palette    Steps:  Right Click  at the spot on the terrain to move the Compass Open the  Info Palette  Focus controls  Left Click  the  z:  control down arrowhead icon select the menu option  Use Height for Brush  This option involves more steps but is also recommended when there are scenery objects (e.g. vegetation, splines, buildings, etc) between the ground and the eyedropper. In these cases the object name shown in the eyedropper  Tooltip  is NOT the name of a ground texture or a grid pattern.

"Painting" the Ground Height

The ground surface is "sculptured" up, down or to a set height by using a "painting action" with the  Brush Tool

Steps: To set the Ground Surface Height:- You can jump directly to Step  3  by selecting the Ground Height layer in the  Layers Palette  In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the  Brush Tool or press the  W  key select the   Ground Height  target from the brush top drop down menu select the  ( Height Up ,  Height Down , etc) action from the brush second drop down menu In the  Tool Options Palette  set any of the brush controls -  Radius , Height ,  Grade ,  Angle ,  Sensitivity  The  Radius  and  Height  settings are always measured in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.  Left Click and Drag  on the terrain to change the terrain height Surveyor Classic has a Plateau Tool which allowed you to create a flat surface on the ground. The same task can be performed in Surveyor 2.0 by selecting the   Set Height  brush action and setting the  Tool Options Palette   Height  control to the required value

Notes: The rate or speed at which the ground height changes under the brush is controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting  Sensitivity  Settings: 1% for the smallest possible change with each sweep of the brush 100% for the largest possible change with each sweep of the brush Values between these two limits will give intermediate changes with each sweep of the brush over the same area 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 the terrain of an entire baseboard, or many baseboards, to a set height then the  Marquee Tool may be a better choice. There is a lower limit to the brush  Radius  that is dictated by the baseboard resolution (10m Resolution, 5m Resolution or HD Resolution). For 5m and 10m Resolutions brushes smaller than the set resolution are possible but will have restrictions that will increase as the brush becomes smaller. For HD Resolution the minimum radius is 0.12m.  Note: HD resolution is only available in Trainz Plus . See  Ground Height Brush Size and Grid Resolution for the details.

To make very fine   Height Up  or   Height Down  adjustments to the ground height set the  Sensitivity  in the  Tool Options Palette  to a very small value such as 1% You can use the Marquee Tool to set a large area, an entire baseboard or several baseboards to a specific height. See  Managing Baseboards for more details

Most objects have a height value that can be set and altered using the objects Context Menu or through the Placement, Free Move and Fine Adjustment tools (see the sections below dealing with each of these tools for more details).

Object Context Menu Ground Height Options Once an object has been placed you can open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) to access a range of options and functions. The following Ground Height specific options will appear, along with other more general options, in the objects Context Menu.  Smooth Ground Under Selected  smooths the height of the ground under the selected object to match the set height of the object. The size of the area affected will depend on which has the greater value: the width of the object OR the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  setting. If multiple objects at different heights have been selected then the ground height will be set to match, as far as possible, the heights of each object  Settle on Ground  sets the height of the selected objects to match the height of the ground beneath them ("drops them back to earth")  Apply Height  sets the height of the selected object to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Where multiple objects have been selected the context object, the one with the Context Icon, will have its height set to the  Height  value and the other selected objects will have their heights adjusted up or down by the same amount

Ground Height Brush Size and Grid Resolution

	The minimum allowed brush size is dictated by the set baseboard resolution
	Brushes that are smaller than the set resolution are possible but they will have restrictions on where they can be used

Ground Heights in 5m/10m Resolutions

Ground height brushes can be smaller than the set 5m or 10m baseboard resolution. For example: you can alter the ground height with a brush size of 2.5m on a 10m Resolution baseboard but there will be restrictions on where you can use a bush that small.

	When the brush size is from 50% to under 100% of the Resolution (e.g. from 2.5m to 4.9m in a 5m Resolution baseboard or from 5m to 9.9m in a 10m Resolution baseboard) then it will work best when used on the grid lines - yellow lines for the 10m Resolution, and both grey and yellow lines for the 5m Resolution. Between the grid lines its effect will be reduced.
	When the brush size is less than 50% of the Grid Resolution (e.g. <2.5m for the 5m Resolution or <5.0m for the 10m Resolution) then it will be restricted to the grid line intersections - yellow for the 10m Resolution, and both yellow and grey for the 5m Resolution as shown below.
The RED brush circle in the last panel shown on the left indicates that the brush size is too small to work in that part of the grid square Resolution: 5m Resolution - Brush Size: 1m

Ground Heights in HD Resolution

	You cannot have a brush size smaller than 0.12m (12cm)
	The brush is not restricted to grid lines or intersections and can alter the ground height anywhere within each grid square

The Surveyor Route Editor will allow you to switch between two minimum brush sizes when working with HD Resolution routes.

This option, available in Trainz Plus only, allows you to set the brush size to work in the default HD (High Definition) or at a lower SD (Standard Definition) which is easier to work with over larger areas. The distinction between these two options is:-  HD  This is the full HD Mode where the minimum brush size is 0.12m (12cm). This is the default selection  SD  This is a reduced HD Mode where the minimum brush size is 2m Both modes:- have all the normal HD controls and features will work anywhere within the grid squares of a HD Resolution route and are not restricted to the grid lines or intersections can be used in different areas of the same baseboard Notes: The HD Mode and SD Mode only work on baseboards set to HD Resolution Selecting HD Mode will not convert a 10m or 5m resolution baseboard to HD resolution The setting can be switched during editing without affecting or altering the existing terrain. For example:- you can start editing the terrain using the HD Mode to give you the highest level of precision in one area of a baseboard then switch to SD Mode to work in another area of the same (or a different) baseboard at a lower level of precision - which would be faster than using the HD Mode then switch back to HD Mode to continue working in the same, or another, high precision area Steps: To switch between HD and SD modes at any time:-  Left Click  on the Main Menu  Edit Menu and select the  Edit Route...  option Shortcut: Press  Ctrl  +  E  This will open the Route Editor dialogue window which, in Trainz Plus only, has an additional control, the Route Edit Detail  Left Click  on either the  SD  or the  HD  button  Left Click  on the icon at the bottom right of the dialogue window to make the switch When using  SD  mode brush sizes less than 2m will be ignored and a 2m brush size will be used instead. Larger brush sizes can be set and used

Terrain Forming Tips

Using Splines to Set a Ground Gradient See  Add a Spline Object for the details on laying a spline. Once you have set a spline segment to a specific gradient you can bring the terrain up or down to match the gradient beneath the spline so that it will sit smoothly on top of the ground Steps: To Use Splines to Form the Terrain:- After laying the spline segment set its gradient to the required value or its endpoints to the required heights In the  Tool Options Palette  set the  Radius  control to the required brush radius. The distance on each side of the spline that will be affected will increase with larger entered values. The minimum radius value will depend on the set baseboard resolution - approximately 10m radius for 10m and 5m resolutions, 5m for HD resolution Open the spline segments Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Smooth Ground Under Selected  If it is no longer needed you can delete the spline leaving the ground with its new gradient You can also perform this operation with multiple spline segments, each with a different gradient if needed. See the example below. Using Splines to Smooth Out "Bumpy" Terrain See  Add a Spline Object for the details on laying a spline. This technique uses several joined spline segments to create a smoothly curved suface. Using just a single spline segment, as in the example above, will result in a straight (not curved) gradient. Steps: To Use Splines to Set the Shape of the Terrain:- In the  Tool Options Palette  set the  Radius  control to the required brush radius (see step  2  in the example above) Lay a sequence of connected identical spline segments across the terrain. Set all their endpoints to the required heights OR leave them at their current heights resting on the terrain surface. Track or Ruler splines are ideal for this purpose  Double Left Click  on one of the segments to select (highlight) them all It is important that ALL the spline segments are highlighted (selected) for all the following steps. If they lose the highlighting at any stage then repeat this step to select them all again In the  Info Palette  open the spline Pos (x: y: z: controls) On the right of the z: control data box are a pair of Up/Down arrows. Perform a single  Left Click  on one of the two arrows. This will smooth out the spline between the endpoints Open the spline Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Smooth Ground Under Selected  If you are going to smooth out a wider area of terrain using the same spline then use the  Free Move Tool to drag the highlighted spline segments to the left or right to their new position. If necessary (because in their new positions the endpoints may need to be at a different height) open the spline Context Menu and select the option  Settle on Ground  or manually adjust the height of each endpoint Repeat steps  4  to  7  above until the process is complete

Ground Texture

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

All the Terrain Textures in your Trainz World are painted onto the terrain using the Ground Texture Brush. These textures create the appearance of different soils, rocks, grasses and artificial surfaces (concrete, asphalt, gravel, etc)

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

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

Ground textures are saved in the special Ground Texture layer in the  Layers Palette  This layer cannot be renamed, deleted, moved or merged with any other layer Ground texture edits are mostly performed using the  Brush Tool. They can also be performed using the  Marquee Tool. Limited ground texture edits under a selected object or objects can be performed using the  Paint Under Selected  option in the objects Context Icon.

Ground Texture Brush Tool Options

Notes: Tool Options Palette Controls 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. Most of the data entry boxes in the  Tool Options Palette  have a Popup Menu ( Right Click  inside the box) that can be used to collect and distribute data - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for more details. 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 value in smaller increments

Radius  the brush radius (metres) Range:  for 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution see Notes: below 0.12m and above for HD Resolution (in Trainz Plus only)  Sensitivity  texture transparency Range:  1% = almost transparent to   100% = solid (opaque)  Rotation  initial rotation angle - see Notes: below Range:  0° to ±359° (larger angles can be entered)  Scale  the texture pattern scaling factor as a % Range:  0.01% = smallest 100% = full size >100% larger than full size The  Radius  setting is always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements. The  Height   Grade  and  Angle  settings have 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 you the options of changing the scale and rotation while painting the texture. There is a lower limit to the brush  Radius  that is dictated by the baseboard resolution (10m, 5m or HD). For the 5m and the 10m Resolutions it is possible to have brushes smaller than the set Resolution but they will have restrictions imposed. These restrictions will increase as the brush becomes smaller. For HD Resolution the minimum radius is 0.12m.  Note: HD resolution is only available in Trainz Plus . See  Ground Texture Brush Size and Grid Resolution for the details. The  Rotation  controls the starting compass angle (0° = North, 180° = South) 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 in increments of ±10° If you are painting with PBR textures then see  Using PBR textures for more information on using the  [  or  ]  keys.

Identifying and Selecting a Ground Texture

There are two different types of ground textures available for use. Standard Textures which are the flat (2D) textures that have always existed in Trainz. They usually have no performance issues and can be quickly painted, rotated, resized, etc. PBR Textures which are 3D texures that first appeared in TRS19. They are usually identified by the letters "PBR" in their name. PBR textures have a height component that will usually give a much more realistic appearence in a scene but can come with some performance and visual issues, particularly where they overlap older standard textures. With care they can be used throughout an entire route. See  Using PBR textures for more details.

Texture Selection Options:

If you have a ground texture in your route that you want to identify or select again.

Steps: To Identify an existing Ground Texture used in the Route:- Move the mouse pointer onto the texture to be identified and hold down the  Alt  key. The textures name name will appear in the pointers  ToolTip  Steps: To Select an existing Ground Texture used in the Route:- While holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the texture The texture will be selected in the  Assets Palette , the  Brush Tool and its Ground Texture target will also be activated so you can immediately start painting with that texture using the current  Tool Options Palette  settings. This will also copy the Ground Height at the selected point into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting but this value is ignored when painting with a texture.

If a ground texture is not in your route or if it is in your route but is not visible in your Surveyor view, then it can be selected from the  Assets Palette .

Steps: To select a new Texture:- In the  Filter Palette  if the Ground Textures icon, the first icon in the list, is not selected (shown in blue) then  Left Click  on the icon or select Ground Textures from the Content Drop Down Menu.   You can create a Picklist of your favourite or most used textures which will always be available every time you load Surveyor. See the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Create a Picklist for the details In the  Assets Palette  you have the option of adding a text string to the  Search  box to narrow down the search results In the  Assets Palette  when the ground texture you want is shown in the list  Left Click  on its name to select it After selecting a texture both the  Brush Tool and its Ground Texture target will be selected so you can immediately start painting with that texture using the current  Tool Options Palette  settings You can see images of the actual textures by a  Left Click  on the Thumbnail icon in the  Assets Palette . This works best when the  Assets Palette  has been undocked and expanded - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes - Assets Palette for more details. Another  Left Click  on the icon will restore the list of asset names

Notes: The  Assets Palette  display is controlled by the selections made in the  Filter Palette . Selecting Ground Textures in the  Filter Palette  will produce a list of all the installed ground textures in the  Assets Palette . For more information about the  Filter Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Filter Palette For more information about the  Assets Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Assets Palette

Painting a Ground Texture

Steps: To Paint with a Ground Texture:- If the  Assets Palette  is already showing the list of ground textures then you can jump directly to Step  5  or Step  4  Otherwise you can still jump directly to Step  4  or Step  5  by selecting the Ground Texture layer in the  Layers Palette  In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the  Brush Tool or press the  W  key select the  Ground Texture  from the brush Target Drop Down Menu In the  Filter Palette  select the Ground Texture list by a  Left Click  on the icon (the first icon in the row) In the  Assets Palette  you have the option of narrowing the search by entering the name or a partial name of the texture in the  Search  box In the  Assets Palette  select the required Ground Texture from the filtered list In the  Tool Options Palette  set any brush controls -  Radius ,  Sensitivity ,  Rotation ,  Scale   Left Click and Drag  on the terrain to start painting You can use the Marquee Tool to paint a large area, an entire baseboard or several baseboards with a selected ground texture. See  Managing Baseboards for more details You can set a default Ground Texture that will automatically cover every new baseboard added. See  Default Baseboard Ground Texture below for more details

Notes: The intensity at which the ground texture is painted is controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting. This allows you to paint over an existing texture (including the Grid pattern) in a way that will let most, some or none of the original texture show through  Sensitivity  Settings: 1% to make the new texture almost transparent. The level of transparency will decrease with each new brush sweep over the same area 50% to make the new texture 50% or semi-transparent 100% to make the new texture completely hide the original texture with a single sweep of the brush Values between these two limits will give intermediate changes with each sweep of the brush over the same area 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 you options for changing the brush properties when painting. There is a lower limit to the brush  Radius  that is dictated by the baseboard resolution (10m, 5m or HD). For the 5m and the 10m Resolutions it is possible to have brushes smaller than the set Resolution but they will have restrictions imposed. These restrictions will increase as the brush becomes smaller. For HD Resolution the minimum radius is 0.12m.  Note: HD resolution is only available in Trainz Plus . See  Ground Texture Brush Size and Grid Resolution for the details.

Most objects can have a Ground Texture automatically painted beneath them.

Object Context Menu Ground Texture Option Once an object has been placed you can open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) to access a range of options and functions. The following Ground Texture specific options will appear, along with other more general options, in the objects Context Menu.  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the  Assets Palette  will be painted under the selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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. This option is frequently used to paint a texture under selected track (or other) splines. Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.

Ground Texture Brush Size and Grid Resolution

All Grid Resolutions are always measured and expressed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Ground Textures in 5m/10m Resolutions

Ground texture brushes can be smaller than the set 5m Resolution or 10m Resolution baseboard size. For example: you can paint a ground texture with a brush size of 2.5m on a 10m Resolution baseboard but there will be restrictions on where you can use a bush that small.

	When the brush size is from 50% to under 100% of the Grid Resolution (e.g. from 2.5m to 4.9m in a 5m Resolution or from 5m to 9.9m in a 10m Resolution) then it will work best when used on the grid lines - yellow lines for the 10m Resolution, and both grey and yellow lines for the 5m Resolution. Between the grid lines its effect will be reduced.
	When the brush size is less than 50% of the Grid Resolution (e.g. <2.5m for the 5m Resolution or <5.0m for the 10m Resolution) then it will be restricted to the grid line intersections - yellow for the 10m Resolution, and both yellow and grey for the 5m Resolution as shown below.
The RED brush circle in the last panel shown on the left indicates that the brush size is too small to work in that part of the grid square Resolution: 5m Resolution - Brush Size: 1m

Ground Textures in HD Resolution

	You cannot have a brush size smaller than 0.12m (12cm)
	The brush is not restricted to grid lines or intersections and can paint a ground texture anywhere within each grid square
	You are restricted to using a maximum of 16 ground textures per baseboard (but each baseboard can have up to 16 different textures)

The Surveyor Route Editor will allow you to switch between two minimum brush sizes when working with HD Resolution routes.

This option, available in Trainz Plus only, allows you to set the brush size to work in the default HD (High Definition) or at a lower SD (Standard Definition) which is easier to work with over larger areas. The distinction between these two options is:-  HD  This is the full HD Mode where the minimum brush size is 0.12m (12cm). This is the default selection  SD  This is a reduced HD Mode where the minimum brush size is 2m Both modes:- have all the normal HD controls and features will work anywhere within the grid squares of a HD Resolution route and are not restricted to the grid lines or intersections can be used in different areas of the same baseboard Notes: The HD Mode and SD Mode only work on baseboards set to HD Resolution Selecting HD Mode will not convert a 10m or 5m resolution baseboard to HD resolution The setting can be switched during editing without affecting or altering the existing terrain. For example:- you can start painting the terrain using the HD Mode to give you the highest level of precision in one area of a baseboard then switch to SD Mode to work in another area of the same (or a different) baseboard at a lower level of precision - which would be faster than using the HD Mode then switch back to HD Mode to continue working in the same, or another, high precision area Steps: To switch between HD and SD modes at any time:-  Left Click  on the Main Menu  Edit Menu and select the  Edit Route...  option Shortcut: Press  Ctrl  +  E  This will open the Route Editor dialogue window which, in Trainz Plus only, has an additional control, the Route Edit Detail  Left Click  on either the  SD  or the  HD  button  Left Click  on the icon at the bottom right of the dialogue window to make the switch When using  SD  mode brush sizes less than 2m will be ignored and a 2m brush size will be used instead. Larger brush sizes can be set and used

You are limited to using a maximum of 16 ground textures in each HD baseboard See  HD Resolution and Ground Textures below for information on this restriction

Texture Painting Tips

Rotate the Brush While Painting The texture brush can be rotated while painting to help breakup any repetition patterns that may form. These patterns can appear when a non-uniform texture (e.g. a photoimage of an actual ground surface) is used as the texture. The rotation will "randomise" the texture appearance to avoid the patterns forming. Use one of the following techniques:- While painting with the texture brush periodically alter the  Rotation  setting in the  Tool Options Palette  by any required angle OR While painting with the texture brush hold down the  [  or the  ]  key. This will continuosly rotate the brush texture in ±10° increments while painting BUT it can result in the texture image looking "blurred" and losing detail. This will be particulary noticeable where the texture is made from a photo image, such as the rocks in a cliff face or the "litter" on a forest floor. A variation of this technique that avoids this blurring effect in such situations is to periodically "tap" one of those keys instead of holding it down continuously. Each "tap" will rotate the brush by 10°. The periodic tapping of these keys can also be used when painting with a Scrapbook Brush. See  Scrapbook Painting Tips for the details When using PBR textures then care must be taken when rotating during painting. There can be performance penalties from excessive PBR texture rotations. See  Using PBR textures for more details and workarounds. Paint Under Splines and Mesh Objects Once a spline or scenery mesh object has been added it can have a ground texture painted beneath it:- Steps: To Paint a Texture Under any Object:- Use either the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool to select the object, spline segment or multiple spline segments. You can also use the  Placement Tool on a single object immediately after it has been added by the Placement Tool In the  Assets Palette  select a texture In the  Tool Options Palette  set the brush  Radius  value which will set the width of the painted area out from the centre of the object. The smaller the radius the less "realistic" the texture painting can appear Open the Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) of the selected object Select the option  Paint Under Selected  - if you have not selected a texture in the  Assets Palette  then this option will not be available Use a Color Effect Layer to Enhance a Ground Texture  The Color Effect Layer is only available in Trainz Plus when using the HD resolution  A color effect layer is used to add tinting to existing ground textures in selected areas of a route:- Steps: To Paint a Color Effect Layer Over a Texture:- In the  Layers Palette  select the Color Effect Layer. If no color effect layer is present then you will need to create one (see  Edit a Color Effect Layer) or load one (see  Load a Preset Effect Layer) In the  Tool Options Palette  select the brush  Radius ,  Sensitivity  and the  Color  to be painted. See  Color Effect Layer for the details Use the brush to paint the effect over a selected area Identify an Existing Ground Texture and its Settings You can identify a texture already in the route and duplicate its settings for use somewhere else:- Steps: To Identify a Ground Texture and Copy its Settings:- Move the mouse pointer onto the texture used in the route Hold down the  Alt  key and  Left Click  on the texture. This will copy the  Rotation  and  Scale  settings from the placed texture into the  Tool Options Palette  as well as select that texture in the  Assets Palette

Default Baseboard Ground Texture

When a new route is created or a new baseboard is added it will be covered with the ground texture for the selected Region or the default texture if no region has been set. This can be changed to a different texture (including to the standard TRS19/TRS22 grid pattern).
	Steps: To disable the current default ground texture (easiest method):- 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 TRS19/22 grid pattern) to each new route you create and every new baseboard that you add.

Notes: The Baseboard Ground Texture, chosen from the Surveyor Display Menu or by specifying a Region, will become the default for every new route you create and every new baseboard you add, until you change it to something else. Information on creating and editing Region assets can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page  at:- How to Create a Region Asset

HD Resolution and Ground Textures

HD Resolution is only available as an option in Trainz Plus

The HD option provides a surface resolution in Trainz Plus of 0.125m (12.5cm) from the standard 5m or 10m resolutions. This gives you far more realistic terrain for cuttings, embankments, ditches, drains, the track bed, etc. However, there is a price that has to be paid for using this feature.  You will be limited to a maximum of 16 different ground textures PER BASEBOARD.  This is a limitation imposed by your computer hardware and not one "plucked out of the air" by N3V to make life more difficult for route creators. Other sims/games that use High Definition (HD), or its equivalent, have the same or an even more restrictive limit (e.g. 8 textures per baseboard equivalent).   But each baseboard can have 16 completely different ground textures.

What happens if you exceed the limit of 16 textures in a baseboard? If you have upgraded a route from 5m Resolution or 10m Resolution to HD Resolution (see Upgrading a Route to HD) then Trainz Plus will replace any textures in any baseboards that are over the limit with textures already used in those baseboards. The upgrade process will give you the x and y co-ordinates of all the altered baseboards so you can check for any visible changes If you are adding ground textures to a HD route and paint a new texture onto a baseboard that already has 16 ground textures, then the new texture will be replaced by one that is already present in that baseboard

There is a simple way to get around the 16 textures per baseboard limit - add a Color Effect Layer (in Trainz Plus and HD routes only). This layer allows different coloured tints to be painted over individual areas of the existing ground textures to alter their appearence and increase the range of colours in a baseboard. The Color Effect Layer only works in routes that use the HD resolution. Details can be found in the  Effect Layers section below.

Using PBR Textures

	PBR textures provide 3D effects such as a roughness or uneveness to surfaces
	When used as ground textures PBR can add a 3D effect

PBR (Physically Based Rendering) textures have been a part of Trainz since TRS19. They are now found in the textures used to paint the surfaces of objects to provide more realism in the way that the surfaces reflect light. They are also commonly used as ground textures in layouts to provide more realistic 3D and lighting effects on ground surfaces. PBR textures are available in both Surveyor Classic and Surveyor 2.0 and are normally identified by the letters "PBR" in their names and/or descriptions but that is entirely up to the texture creator. Currently, at the time of writing, over 1500 named PBR ground textures are available on the DLS. PBR textures have a height component which adds to their realism but can, under some circustances, cause issues. Some PBR ground texture examples:-

Painting with a PBR Texture is no different from painting with any ground texture.

Steps: To Use PBR Ground Textures in a Layout:- In the  Filter Palette  select the icon or  Ground Textures  option from the drop down list In the  Assets Palette  type PBR in the  Search  box Select a PBR texture from the filtered list - to see the actual textures  Left Click  on the Thumbnail View icon. Selecting a texture will automatically select the  Brush Tool and set its target to  Ground Texture  Optional: In the  Tool Options Palette  set any required brush controls -  Radius ,  Sensitivity ,  Rotation ,  Scale   Left Click and Drag  on the terrain to start painting the texture You can use the  [  and  ]  texture rotation keys while painting with a PBR texture to break up any pattern repetitions but this can cause a "blurring" of the texture. A better technique is to periodically tap one of these keys as you paint with the texture instead of holding them down continuously. Each "tap" will rotate the texture by 10° There is a penalty in that each texture rotation will load in a new copy of the PBR texture but personal experience suggests that even when PBR textures are used as the only textures throughout a large route the penalty is about a 5% increase in file size

PBR Textures do have a few downsides compared to non-PBR textures. Specifically:- They do not mix well with non-PBR textures (including textures used as ballast in track) and, sometimes, with other PBR textures as well. This can cause "height issues" where the two different textures meet. There are techniques that can be used to remove these conflicts Sudden (steep) changes in the ground height under a PBR texture can cause an "animation effect" under the texture that has been likened to "wobbling jelly" or moving "jellyfish guts". There are techniques that can be used to hide this effect These issues are not unique to Trainz and can be found in all games/sims that use PBR ground textures. Solutions and "work-arounds" are listed below. If none of the solutions described below solve these issues to your satisfaction, then one drastic solution is to reduce the Shader Quality setting in Trainz. Steps: To eliminate PBR issues:- From the Trainz Launcher select Trainz Settings Open the Performance tab Change the Shader Quality setting to Basic Exit the Launcher and restart Trainz This change will remove the 3D height effect of PBR textures, which is often the main reason for using them. It may also reduce the overall visual quality of your Trainz World. But it can be easily reversed by resetting the Shader Quality back to its original setting.

Fix PBR Texture Conflicts

Symptoms

Texture conflicts are at their most obvious where the PBR texture crosses a spline, such as a road or track. Triangle shapes and "shadow gaps" are formed where the overlap occurs, as shown in the images on the right.	Triangle Textures Shadow Gaps
Treatment
There are two different methods that you can try:- Increase the Texture Area - for both "Texture Triangles" and "Shadow Gaps" Use the same texture found in the triangle or around the gaps and paint it in a wider area under and around the problem area. With texture triangles you usually only need to apply the texture under the spline and on the broad side of the triangle shape Decrease the Ground Height - for "Texture Triangles" Using the  Ground Height  brush target and   Height Down  brush action set the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  to a small value (e.g. 10m or less), and set the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  to a very small value (e.g. 1%) use the brush to lower the ground under the overlap area

Fix PBR Height Effects

Symptoms

PBR Textures have problems dealing with sudden changes in the height of the ground beneath them. This problem appears as an "animation effect" where the texture on the slope appears to move up or down as you change your point of view around the affected area. The effect is difficult to show using still images but the dotted line in the images on the right mark the texture upper surface lines in two different views of the same scene, an embankment leading to a rail bridge. As the camera view shifts the texture appears to change its height
Treatment
The recommended method is to use foliage to cover the area

Scrapbook Data

This Brush Target paints the currently selected Scrapbook (from the  Scrapbook Palette ) onto the ground

The Scrapbook is a Surveyor 2.0 Clipboard that can hold multiple objects of different types. Like your operating system clipboard you can Cut or Copy selected objects into a new scrapbook and then Paste them anywhere in your route. The Scrapbook has additional features:- you can have multiple scrapbooks, that can be permanent or temporary, ready for use whenever Surveyor is started permanent scrapbooks can be saved as .cdp files by Content Manager and uploaded to the DLS for others to use you can Paint a scrapbook into a scene, using the  Brush Tool, with a range of control options and Brush Actions you can control which types of objects in a scrapbook are painted or pasted and how they are painted/pasted. You can alter these controls to suit different situations

This Brush Target 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.

Creating a Scrapbook

A new scrapbook is created by one of two methods:-

Options: use the  Marquee Tool to select an area of the route containing objects. You can use the filters in the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  to restrict the objects that will be selected for the scrapbook OR use the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool to select a group of individual objects for the scrapbook. You can use the filters in the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  to restrict the objects that will be selected for the scrapbook In both cases the Ground Height, Ground Textures and any Effect Layers (except Water Effect Layers and the Color Effect Layer) that are under the selected objects will also be included in the scrapbook but you will have the option to not include any (or all) of these "extras" when the scrapbook is pasted or painted into a scene

Steps: Copy or Move the Selected Objects into the Scrapbook:- use either Option or Option above to select the objects to be included in the scrapbook if you intend to keep this scrapbook (make it permanent) then position your camera (screen point of view) to give the best view of the selected objects. The screen view will become the thumbnail when the scrapbook is created in Step  3  below then either:-  Left Click  on the displayed Context Menu icon (or press the  T  key) and select either the  Copy  or  Cut  option OR press either  Ctrl  +  C  (Copy) or  Ctrl  +  X  (Cut) In both cases using the  Ctrl  +  X  or  Cut  options will remove the selected objects from your Trainz World if they are NOT in locked layers More detailed instructions on creating Scrapbooks can be found in the  Marquee Tool section of this document Scrapbooks will normally expire (self delete) after 5 days. Instructions on how to make a scrapbook permanent can be found at  The Scrapbook Palette below

Notes: Scrapbooks, when created, will contain:- Ground Heights Ground Textures TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers - if present Selected Objects - scenery items, splines, track, signals, etc But  NOT Rolling Stock (Trains) . Rolling Stock consists can be saved for later use as new Consist Assets. See  Rolling Stock Object Context Menu for the details. The ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers in the Marquee Selection Area (method above) or under the selected objects (method ) will always be added to the scrapbook. You can use the filters in the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  to control which other objects will also be added Water Effect Layers and the Color Effect Layer (available in Trainz Plus only when using HD ground resolution) CANNOT be added to a scrapbook as they already cover the entire route.

Pasting a Scrapbook

To paste a scrapbook into your Trainz World:-

Steps: To Paste a Scrapbook:- Move the Compass Rose to the position where the scrapbook will be placed You can immediately paste the current scrapbook (Step  4 ), even if the  Scrapbook Palette  is not visible on the screen, using the settings in the  The Scrapbook Filters and the  Tool Options Palette  In the  Scrapbook Palette  select the required Scrapbook. Its image will be shown in the palette thumbnails. See  The Scrapbook Palette for more details Set the  The Scrapbook Filters to include/exclude any objects or features Press the keys  Ctrl  +  V . You can also select an object, open its Context Menu and select the  Paste  option - the scrapbook will still be placed at the current position of the compass rose The scrapbook will be pasted inside a Marquee Selection Area which can be moved, rotated and/or resized. See the  Marquee Tool for more details. The  Tool Options Palette  controls  Scale  and  Rotation  have no effect when pasting a scrapbook If you change your mind immediately after the Scrapbook has been pasted and while it is still surrounded by the Marquee Selection Area, you can remove the scrapbook objects by pressing the  Delete  key To remove the Marquee Selection Area but leave the pasted scrapbook intact,  Left Click  anywhere outside the area or press the  Ctrl  +  D  keys

Notes: Scrapbooks, when painted or pasted, can contain any combinations of:- Ground Heights Ground Textures TurfFX/Clutter 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 types are added to your Trainz World and how they are added.

Scrapbook Pasting Tips

Add Variety to Pasting a Scrapbook A single scrapbook can be pasted many times in a layout but each instance can have variations that will make it different from the others:- Steps: To add variety to Pasting a Scrapbook:- Use the  Scrapbook Filters to change the elements that are placed into the route (e.g. Ground, Scenery, Textures, Splines, Effect Layers) and how they are added (None, Add, Overwrite) each time it is pasted

Scrapbook Brush Actions

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 will be painted.

The actions are:-
Scrapbook Brush Scrapbook Clone		Scrapbook Brush Actions:  Scrapbook Brush  will resize the scrapbook contents to fit the  Tool Options Palette   Shape  and  Radius  settings  Scrapbook Clone  will paint the scrapbook sized according to the  Tool Options Palette   Scale  and  Radius  settings. 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  Tool Options Palette   Scale  setting (100% = original size) If the brush is the same size as the scaled scrapbook then a single exact copy will be painted 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 See  Using the Scrapbook Clone Brush below for examples and more information   WARNING: Take care if setting both the  Scale  and  Radius . Using extreme values for both, such as 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 (see  Using the Scrapbook Clone Brush for more details)

Scrapbook Brush Tool Options

Notes: Tool Options Palette Controls The active scrapbook 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. Most of the data entry boxes in the  Tool Options Palette  have a Popup Menu ( Right Click  inside the box) that can be used to collect and distribute data - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for more details. 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 value in smaller increments

Scrapbook Brush   Scrapbook Clone

Radius  the brush radius (metres) Range:  for 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution see Notes: below 0.12m and above for HD Resolution (in Trainz Plus only)  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 under the brush Range:  1% = slowest 100% = fastest  Rotation  initial rotation angle (degrees) - see Notes: below Range:  0° to ±359° (larger angles can be entered)  Scale  the scrapbook scaling factor (Scrapbook Clone brush action only) - see Notes: below 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  Radius  setting is always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements. The  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. There is a lower limit to the brush  Radius  that is dictated by the baseboard resolution (10m, 5m or HD). For small brushes using the 5m and 10m Resolutions the scrapbook is not confined to the grid lines or intersections unlike small Ground Height and Ground Texture brushes. For the HD Resolution the minimum brush radius is 0.12m. Painting with a small brush size using the Scrapbook Brush target will compress the entire scrapbook into the brush size.

Painting with the Scrapbook Brush

Steps: To "paint" with a Scrapbook asset:- The minimum steps needed to paint the scrapbook currently shown as a thumbnail in the  Scrapbook Palette  are  1   2   3  and  7 . This will paint using the current settings in the Scrapbook Filter and the  Tool Options Palette . The  Scrapbook Palette  does not have to be visible on the screen In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the  Brush Tool 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 second drop down menu In the  Scrapbook Palette  select a Scrapbook asset to be painted (see  The Scrapbook Palette below) In the  Scrapbook Palette  open the Scrapbook Filter and select the features to be painted and the method used (see  Scrapbook Filters below) In the  Tool Options Palette  set any Brush controls such as the  Radius   Left Click  or  Left Click and Drag  (depending on your brush selection in Step  3 ) on the terrain to paint with the scrapbook asset

Notes: Scrapbooks, when painted or pasted, can contain any combinations of:- Ground Heights Ground Textures TurfFX/Clutter 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 types are added to your Trainz World and how they are added.

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  control in the  Tool Options Palette  sets the starting angle for painting the scrapbook objects and you can adjust that angle in increments of 1° The  [  and  ]  keys will rotate the angle for painting the scrapbook objects in increments of 10° BUT unlike painting with a Ground Texture you CANNOT hold down these keys to continuously rotate the brush while painting with a Scrapbook. The best option while painting is to periodically release the mouse, "tap" one of the rotation keys (each "tap" will rotate the brush by 10°) and then resume painting - repeat as necessary The  Ground Height  options in the Scrapbook Filters controls how the terrain heights in the Scrapbook are applied. The  Height  setting in the  Tool Options Palette  will be ignored Setting extreme values for the  Scale  and  Radius  when using the   Scrapbook Clone  brush action can cause performance issues (i.e. long delays, even "freezing") while the program attempts to scale and clone the scrapbook contents into the route (see  Using the Scrapbook Clone Brush for more details)

If you have set the  Ground Height  Scrapbook Filter Option to Add or Overwrite (see  Scrapbook Filters below) then the rate or speed at which the ground height changes will be controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting  Sensitivity  Settings: 1% for the smallest possible change with each sweep of the brush 100% for the largest possible change with each sweep of the brush Values between these two limits will give intermediate changes with each sweep of the brush over the same area

Using the Scrapbook Clone Brush

When using the  Scrapbook Clone  brush its  Radius  and  Scale  settings in the  Tool Options Palette  are important.

For Example: Two trees as shown below are captured as a Scrapbook with a size of 2x1 grid squares. When Using the Clone Brush Remember: If the brush is the same size as the scaled scrapbook then a single exact copy will be painted If the brush is smaller than the scaled scrapbook then only the central part of the scrapbook will be painted and more will be added when the brush is moved around until the "painted" area covers the same area as the scaled scrapbook 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 In all cases continuing to sweep with the brush will clone the scrapbook into the new areas WARNING: Take care if setting both the  Scale  and the  Radius . Using extreme values for both, such as 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 Brush Tool target is set to  Scrapbook Data and its action set to  Scrapbook Clone. The effects of different  Radius  and  Scale  settings in the  Tool Options Palette  are shown below. The Scrapbook Clone brush action will normally show the scaled size and shape of the scrapbook within the brush shape itself, in this case a circle. When the brush radius is the same as the scaled scrapbook size then a single copy of the scrapbook will be painted into the brush. An exception will be when the scrapbook is not square, as shown, in which case some of the scrapbook may be cloned and painted in the spaces on each side of the marked scrapbook shape but this will depend on the contents of the scrapbook. In this situation it may be better to select the  Natural  brush shape in the  Tool Options Palette . A single  Left Click  will paint the entire scrapbook within the brush shape. A  Left Click and Drag  will paint and clone the scrapbook as the brush moves across the terrain. Using the  Natural  brush shape By reducing the brush radius or increasing its scale (or both) then only part of the scrapbook will fit into the brush (no scrapbook brush outline will be shown) A single  Left Click  will only paint the central part of the scrapbook. A  Left Click and Drag  will paint and reveal more of the scrapbook as the brush moves across the terrain. By increasing the brush radius or reducing its scale (or both) then the scrapbook will be cloned so that several copies will be painted into the brush. These are shown as additional scrapbook shapes within the brush area. A single  Left Click  will paint multiple copies of the scrapbook within the brush shape as shown below. By reducing the brush scale to an extreme (e.g. 1%) then the scrapbook will be cloned multiple times. A single  Left Click  will fill each individual "micro-grid" inside the brush shape (shown as a "mesh pattern" in the image) with a scaled down but complete copy of the entire scrapbook. This will almost certainly cause performance issues (long delays, "freezing") as the program attempts to both scale and clone the scrapbook. The end result is shown below.

Scrapbook Painting Tips

Add Variety to Painting a Scrapbook A single scrapbook can be reused many times in a layout but each instance can have variations that will make it different from the others:- Steps: To add variety to Painting a Scrapbook:- Use the  Scrapbook Filters to change the elements that are placed into the route (e.g. Ground, Scenery, Textures, Splines, Effect Layers) and how they are added (None, Add, Overwrite) each time it is painted In the  Tool Options Palette  alter the  Scale  and  Rotation  settings . This works best when the Ground Height and Effect Layers scrapbook filter options have been set to  None    Steps: To avoid repetition patterns forming when painting with a scrapbook:- Press the  [  or  ]  rotation keys between mouse clicks or brush strokes. Each key press will rotate the brush by ±10°.  NOTE: Unlike painting a ground texture, you cannot hold down these keys while painting with a scrapbook . The best option while painting is to periodically release the mouse, "tap" one of the rotation keys (each "tap" will rotate the brush by 10°) and then resume painting - repeat as necessary.   Caution: Take care when switching between the   Ground Texture  and the   Scrapbook Data  Brush Tools Steps: When switching to the   Scrapbook Data  Brush Tool:- ALWAYS check the  Tool Options Palette   Scale  setting before painting with the   Scrapbook Clone  action. If the Scale is set to a very small value then Trainz may freeze while attempting to scale and clone the scrapbook.   Using the Scrapbook Brush as an "Eraser" You can replace the objects that have been painted into an area using a scrapbook (or simply added with the  Placement Tool) with the objects in another scrapbook (or even the same scrapbook at a different scale setting) in a simple replacement operation. This can be extended to create an eraser that will remove ALL objects from an area. Steps: To perform a replace/erase operation:- Select a replacement scrapbook from the  Scrapbook Palette . If you are using the second scrapbook as a "eraser" then pick one with just a few simple items, for example grasses and/or small bushes if possible Set the required Filter(s) (e.g. "mesh", "spline", etc) in the  Scrapbook Palette  to  Overwrite . Set the other filters as needed. In the  Tool Options Palette  set the  Radius  to a suitable value. If you are using the scrapbook as an eraser then set the  Scale  to a ridiculously high value, such as 10000%. Use a painting action to paint over the area or areas covered by the objects to be removed/replaced. Take care around the edges to avoid replacing other objects   Using the Scrapbook Brush to Paint Ground Cover Because the Scrapbook Clone Brush can be used to quickly cover areas of the ground with vegetation (grasses, small bushes, etc) then it can be tempting to use this feature to cover large areas. While this will work, experience has shown that care must be taken with the selection of assets to be included in the scrapbook, the  Scale  setting in the  Tool Options Palette , and the size of the area to be covered. Asset Selection: Painting with a scrapbook clone brush will result in its assets being duplicated many, many times over an area that could be quite large. Each time an asset is placed into a scene it has to be individually rendered in 3D by the game engine. If the brush adds hundreds or thousands of copies of an asset into the same scene then there will come a point where this will noticeably affect the display frame rate and the performance of your Trainz route and session. Recommendations Make sure that when you create and/or paint the scrapbook that unwanted features (e.g ground textures, effect layers, spines, etc) are not included. Check the file size of each asset you have added to the scrapbook. Simple grasses, for example, should not have file sizes of more than a few 10s of kilobytes. A grass asset that uses 100s of kilobytes or more (some small grasses can hold 1MB or more of data) should not be used. Brush Settings: The  Tool Options Palette   Scale  setting can have an important effect on the frame rate and performance of your Trainz route and session. If the chosen scale setting is small then the assets will be crowded closer together and there will be more of them that will have to be rendered. Other factors here are the original spacing of the assets when the scrapbook was created and the size of the ground area to be painted. Recommendations To spread the assets out use a larger  Scale  setting - e.g. 200% or more If a small  Scale  setting has to be used then restrict the area to be painted Ground Coverage: Even if you have carefully dealt with the two points above then your efforts can still be undone by painting over an area that is too large. Most ground cover consists of small plants (mostly grasses) and perhaps some stones. These will not normally be visible at large distances from a speeding train. Recommendations Restrict your painted area to within a baseboard or so of the track If you are using a small  Scale  setting then restrict the painted area to even closer to the track or to isolated areas. A final recommendation is to consider using a Clutter Effect Layer instead of a scrapbook, particularly if the ground cover is to be placed right alongside the track.

The Scrapbook Palette

This palette selects the scrapbook to be painted or pasted as well as performing a very limited range of management tasks

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) Deleting a scrapbook WILL NOT delete any objects that it has painted or pasted into the route. The scrapbook simply identifies the objects, it has no control over them after they have been added to the route. 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. A scrapbook will be selected when its name and thumbnail appear in the palette   The scrapbook name can be edited. Simply  Left Click  inside the name box to edit or replace the current name then  Left Click  on the image OR press the  Enter  key to confirm the edit

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 individually or as a group Open the Content menu and select the  Disable  option You can reverse this and enable any or all of these scrapbooks at any time if you need them. When enabled they will reappear in the palette

The Scrapbook Filters

The filters control which elements in the scrapbook are added to the route and how they are added.

Step: To Open the Scrapbook Filters  Left Click  on the arrowhead next to the  Filters:  label below the scrapbook image to open the scrapbook filters.

Sample Filter Settings:- 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  and  Rotation  settings in combination with different Filter selections (as shown above). These settings have no effect when pasting a Scrapbook

Scrapbook Painting/Pasting Options   What Data to Transfer      Ground Height  terrain height(s) used in the scrapbook     Texture  ground 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  TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers used in the scrapbook Water and Color Effect Layers cannot be added to a scrapbook as they already cover the entire route  How to Transfer the Data     None  do not paint/paste this data     Add  add this data to that already present     Overwrite  replace the data already present For the Ground Height:-     None  do not paint/paste 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

Effect Layers

This Brush Target paints a selected Effect Layer into your Trainz World. The name of the selected layer will appear next to the Brush Tool icon

You must have Effect Layers already installed in Surveyor for this Brush Target to be selected.

Effect Layers allow you to create and add special scenery effects to your Trainz World. Depending on your Trainz version, operating system and hardware there are four different types of Effect Layers you can add:- TurfFX -  only available for Nvidia graphic cards and Windows systems . TurfFX consists of 3D animated (e.g. swaying in a breeze) plants that can be used to cover areas of terrain. An example would be a wheat crop. TurfFX layers are painted onto the terrain like a texture and will follow the terrain shape. You can have multiple TurfFX layers. Clutter - similar to TurfFX but restricted to smaller objects such as ground cover plants and small rocks. Clutter layers are painted onto the terrain like a texture and will follow the terrain shape. You can have multiple Clutter layers. Water - when added a Water Effect Layer will cover the entire layout and will normally sit below the terrain surface (default height is 0m). Areas of a water layer can be raised up to become visible to form a stream, lake, pond or an ocean. You can have multiple water layers each with different water colours and surface effects (calm, ripples, stormy). Color -  only available in Trainz Plus when using HD Terrain. The Color Layer allows you to add color tints and lightening/darkening effects to different areas of the terrain. The Color Layer sits on the terrain surface but is only visible when it is painted if its default color has been set to neutral grey (0.500 - see Edit Effect Layers below). Only a single Color Layer can be added but it can be painted with different colour effects in different areas.

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 Tool Action Drop Down Menu. They can also be loaded from .cdp files and installed from the DLS (Download Station) Once created Effect Layers can be saved as Presets to be used in other routes

Each effect layer that you add or create will be saved as a seperate layer in the Effect Layers Group in the  Layers Palette  The Effects Layer Group cannot be renamed, deleted, moved or merged with any other layer Individual effect layers can be renamed, deleted and edited, but not moved or merged with any other layer group All effect layer edits are performed using the  Brush Tool, or by selecting the layer in the  Layers Palette , or from the Surveyor Edit Menu

Selecting an Existing Effect Layer

Effect Layers that you have created for the current route (see Edit Effect Layers) or installed into the current route (see Loading Preset Effect Layers) will be listed in both the  Layers Palette  and in the  Brush Tool Action Drop Down Menu.

 Selecting an Effect Layer from the Brush Tool:

Step: To select an Effect Layer as the brush tool:-  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. If no named Effect Layers are present in the Brush Target List then none have been created or loaded

 Selecting an Effect Layer from the Layers Palette:

Step: To select an Effect Layer as the brush tool:- In the  Layers Palette   Left Click  on an Effect Layer name. You can immediately start painting the effect layer using the current  Tool Options Palette  settings. More details are shown below. If no named Effect Layers are present in the  Layers Palette  then none have been created or loaded

Loading Preset Effect Layers

	Preset effect layers are layers that have been created in other routes and saved into Content Manager or downloaded from the DLS
	Preset effect layers can be added to your existing route

For instructions on saving an effect layer as a Preset, see  Save a Layer as a Preset below.

The quickest method of loading a Preset into a route is to use the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette . Both must be visible on your screen.

Steps: To load a Preset into a route:- In the  Filter Palette  select the Presets icon (the last icon in the list) or select Presets from the Content Drop Down Menu below the icons The  Assets Palette  display is controlled by the selections made in the  Filter Palette . Selecting Presets in the  Filter Palette  the  Assets Palette  will display a list of all the installed effect layers. For more information about the  Assets Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Assets Palette In the  Assets Palette  you can optionally narrow the search results by adding a text string to the  Search  box In the  Assets Palette  when the required preset effect layer is shown in the list  Left Click  on its name to select it. The  Brush Tool will also be selected and its Brush Target will be set to the selected effect layer so you can immediately start painting using the current  Tool Options Palette  settings As soon as you start painting the new effect layer will be added to the Effect Layers group in the  Layers Palette . To remove the new Effect Layer, or any Effect Layer, from the  Layers Palette   Right Click  on the layers name and select  Delete Layer  from the pop-up menu. WARNING: Deleting an Effect Layer will delete it from your route The other options allow you to Rename and Edit the selected Effect Layer

Effect Layer Tool Options

You can control how an effect layer is painted into your Trainz World through the settings in the  Tool Options Palette

The Effect Layer 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.

Notes: Tool Options Palette Controls The active effect layer 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. Most of the data entry boxes in the  Tool Options Palette  have a Popup Menu ( Right Click  inside the box) that can be used to collect and distribute data - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for more details. 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 value in smaller increments

TurfFX and Clutter

Water  Water Effect Grade The Water Effect Layer  Grade  and  Angle  settings are only active if the  Grade  Brush Action has been selected.

Color

Notes: The Color Effect Layer is only available in Trainz Plus and it will only appear when HD Terrain is in use The Water Effect Layer properties of colour and surface effect (calm, ripples, etc) are created using the Edit Effect Layer... controls - see Edit Water Layer below

Radius  the brush radius (metres) Range:  Will depend on the effect layer being added. See Notes: below  Height  Water Effect Layer only - the height of the layer (in metres) as painted by the brush Range:  -3000m to +3000m  Sensitivity  the rate at which the Intensity (TurfFX, Clutter, Color) or Height (Water) setting changes under the brush Range:  1% (very slowly) to 100% (very quickly)  Intensity  effect density or coverage within the brush Range:  1% (almost none) to 100% (maximum)  Grade  Water Effect Layer only - the slope gradient. See Notes: below Range:  0% (flat) to ±100% (steep but not vertical)  Angle  Water Effect Layer only - the grade direction (compass degrees) Range:  0° (North) to ±359° a negative value reverses the grade direction  Color  Color Effect Layer only - the colour selection (RGB and Brightness values) -  in Trainz Plus only and it will only be visible when HD Terrain is being used  Range:   Left Click  on the coloured box next to the title Color to open the colour selector. Set a Colour: Select a colour by either:- a  Left Click  on the colour in the colour picker device, OR enter its RGB value in Hexadecimal Optionally: Set a brightness value for the selected colour by moving the slider up or down Reset:  Left Click  the Reset button (the circular arrow on the bottom right) to cancel your changes and reset the colour to its default value. This default value is set using the  Edit a Color Effect Layer controls shown below The  Radius  and the  Height  settings are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements. The  Height  setting is ignored for TurfFX, Clutter and Color effect layers because these layers will be painted at the existing ground surface height.

Notes: Unlike Surveyor Classic, there is no upper limit to the brush  Radius . Brushes of hundreds of metres (even kilometres) in size are possible. However, the performance will decrease as the brush radius increases The minimum brush  Radius  for a TurfFX and Clutter Effect Layer will depend on its configuration settings - the asset density, the resources used, etc. This minimum size will be different for different Effect Layers. If the  Radius  value is below the required minimum for the selected TurfFX or Clutter Effect Layer then the brush circle will turn RED and it will not paint 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 (cliff height divided by 0) which is currently impossible in Surveyor.

TurfFX and Clutter Effect Layers

	TurfFX and Clutter are Effect Layers that can quickly add vegetation and other ground "artifacts" (e.g. weeds, crops, stones, etc) over large areas
	In a future "soon to be released" TM version of Trainz, TurfFX will be removed as a separate effect layer and become part of an updated Clutter effect layer

CAUTION: The TurfFX Effect Layer is:- an Nvidia product (it is not from N3V) and requires the presence of an Nvidia GPU such as a GTX or RTX video graphics card. The TurfFX Effect Layer will not appear on systems that do not have an Nvidia video card only supported on MS Windows. It will not work on MacOS systems

This section covers using an existing TurfFX or Clutter effect layer. For information on creating TurfFX or Clutter effect layers see  Edit Effect Layers below

Brush Actions  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:-

Increase Decrease Set Intensity Use the  Tool Options Palette   Intensity  and  Sensitivity  settings to control how the Effect Layer is applied to the terrain by the brush

TurfFX and Clutter Effect Layer Actions:   Increase  increases the  Tool Options Palette   Intensity  of the effect layer at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting, upto a maximum of 100%. Each time the brush is moved over the same area the Intensity or Density of the effect layer is increased   Decrease  decreases the  Tool Options Palette   Intensity  of the effect layer at a rate controlled by the  Sensitivity  setting. Each time the brush is moved over the same area the Intensity or Density of the effect layer is decreased   Set Intensity  will paint the effect layer in one sweep using the full  Tool Options Palette   Intensity  setting

Steps: To paint with a TurfFX or Clutter Effect Layer:- You can jump directly to Step  3  by selecting the named Effect Layer in the  Layers Palette  In the  Tools Palette  select the  Brush Tool or press the  W  key select the <TurfFX effect layer name> or the <Clutter effect layer name> from the Brush Target drop down menu. If there are no TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers listed then none have been created or installed for this route select a Brush action from the second Drop Down Menu ( Increase ,  Decrease  or  Set Intensity ) In the  Tool Options Palette  set any required Brush settings -  Radius ,  Intensity  and  Sensitivity   Left Click  or  Left Click and Drag  on the terrain to paint with the selected Effect Layer.  Note: If the brush painting circle is RED then the effect layer will not paint because the brush  Radius  is too small  Both TurfFX and Clutter use LOD data so their visual effect will decrease the further away they are from your point of view. So there is no advantage, but there is a possible performance disadvantage, in painting these effect layers right out to the horizon

Steps: To Delete a TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layer In the  Layers Palette   Right Click  on the TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layer to be deleted Select the option  Delete Layer  Steps: To Rename a TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layer In the  Layers Palette   Right Click  on the TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layer to be renamed Select the option  Rename Layer  Enter a new name for the layer

Notes: The density or coverage of the TurfFX and Clutter ground effects within the brush area is controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Intensity  setting.  Intensity  Settings: 1% to apply the effect very lightly 100% to apply the effect at full density Values between these two limits will give intermediate changes with each sweep of the brush over the same area The rate or speed at which the TurfFX and Clutter ground effects change when using the  Increase  or  Decrease  brush actions is controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting.  Sensitivity  Settings: 1% to increase/decrease the application of the ground effect very slowly when you move the brush 100% increase/decrease the application of the ground effect at the maximum possible rate when you move the brush Values between these two limits will give intermediate changes with each sweep of the brush over the same area

Notes: "Floating Turf" When painting with a TurfFX Effect Layer or a Clutter Effect Layer brush, care must be taken when near the edge of the route. Painting over the edge will create "floating" effect layer artifacts. This can occur in both Surveyor 2.0 and Surveyor Classic. The same effect will occur if an effect layer is painted over a dig-hole, such as those used at tunnel entrances. In the image on the left, a TurfFX Effect Layer brush has been used near the boundary of the route. 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 height, the World Origin height and other mysterious factors. The Solution: (The Lawn Mower) Steps: To remove "floating" TurFX and Clutter:- In the  Tools Palette  set the Effect Brush Tool action to  Decrease  In the  Tool Options Palette  set both the  Intensity  and  Sensitivity  settings to 100% In the  Layers Palette  select the same Effect Layer that created the problem. Use the brush to 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 TurfFX and Clutter Layers do not detect and avoid dig-holes such as those used at tunnel entrances. Use the steps listed above to remove effect layers from dig-holes

Water Effect Layer

	The Water Effect Layer will cover the entire route but different parts can be raised above the ground to reveal the water where required
	A Water Effect Layer will always be added when a new route is created
	You can have more than one Water Effect Layer each with a different colour and/or surface effect (calm, ripples, rough) to simulate different water features (e.g. pond, lake, stream, ocean)
	The Ground Height can also be raised or lowered to hide and reveal the water layer where required

This section covers using an existing Water Effect Layer. For information on creating a Water Effect Layer see  Edit Effect Layers below

Brush Actions  When a Water Effect Layer has been selected as the Target, the second drop down box will give a choice of five actions. These actions are identical to those found in the  Ground Height  Target plus a new action:-

The actions are:-

Height Up Height Down Set Height Grade Bulk Adjust Use the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity   Height   Grade  and  Angle  settings to control how the Water Effect Layer is applied

Water Effect Layer Actions:   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   The Water Effect Layer  Height  is always measured in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.   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

Steps: To paint with a Water Effect Layer:- You can jump directly to Step  3  by selecting the named Water Effect Layer in the  Layers Palette  In the  Tools Palette  select the  Brush Tool or press the  W  key select the <water effect layer name> from the Brush Target drop down menu. If there are no Water Effect Layers listed then none have been created or installed for this route select a  Brush Action from the second Drop Down Menu ( Height Up ,  Height Down ,  Set Height ,  Grade  or  Set Bulk Adjust ) In the  Tool Options Palette  set any required Brush settings -  Radius ,  Height ,  Sensitivity ,  Grade  and  Angle  The colour and surface effect (calm, ripples, rough) of a Water Effect Layer are set in its properties (see  Water Layer Edit Controls below)  Left Click  or  Left Click and Drag  on the terrain to paint with the Effect Layer

Notes: The rate or speed at which the Water Effect Layer height changes under the brush is controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting  Sensitivity  Settings: 1% for the smallest possible change with each sweep of the brush 100% for the largest possible change with each sweep of the brush Values between these two limits will give intermediate changes with each sweep of the brush over the same area Steps: To Delete or Rename a Water Effect Layer In the  Layers Palette   Right Click  on the Water Effect Layer to be deleted or renamed Select the option  Delete Layer  or  Rename Layer  If Renaming the layer enter a new name for the layer

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 (cliff height divided by 0) which is currently impossible in Surveyor. The   Bulk Adjust  brush 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. Also note that the speed at which the layer moves up or down will decrease as the size of the route increases. In a very large route there may not be any noticeable movement at all. In this case it may be easier to delete the Water Effect Layer and create another one at the new height

Water Effect Layer Example

A water layer has been lifted above the terrain by using the  Tools Palette :- The  Brush Target is set to the selected Water Layer The   Set Height  action has been selected from the second drop down menu ... and The  Tool Options Palette   Height  is set, for example, to a few metres above the terrain height The brush painting action is then used to paint the water at the set height. The water  Height  is always in  metres .

Water Effect Layer Tips

The first step with using a Water Effect Layer is to create it at the correct height See  Edit a Water Effect Layer below for the details on creating a Water Effect Layer. When you create a new Water Effect Layer it will cover the entire route at the default height of 0 metres. Depending on the starting height of your route (which is set in the very first baseboard) this may be too high and place the water layer above the route and drown everything. Once you create a Water Effect Layer its height cannot be altered by editing its properties (see  Edit a Water Effect Layer below) and the  Bulk Adjust  option in the Brush Actions for the Water Effect Layer is extremely slow and inefficient when used on large routes. If you have created a Water Effect Layer at the wrong height then the best solution may be to delete it and create a new layer at the correct height Steps: When creating a new Water Effect Layer:- Locate the lowest ground height in your route. Take note of its altitude by placing the Compass on the lowest spot and read its height value in the  Info Palette Set the default water height in the Water Effect Layer Edit Properties window to slightly below (e.g. 1, 2 or 3 metres below) that height. If the minimum ground height is above 0 metres then you can safely leave the default height at 0 metres You can create a flat water layer at a set height:- Steps: To Create a Flat Water Surface:- Select the Water Effect Layer in the  Layers Palette. This will also select that same layer in the  Brush Tool In the  Tools Palette  select the  Set Height  brush action rather than  Height Up/Height Down  actions In the  Tool Options Palette  set the  Height  to the required value so that the water will be visible above the ground surface and the  Sensitivity  to 100% Paint with the brush to bring the Water Effect Layer up to the set height To create a sloping water layer:- Select the Water Effect Layer in the  Layers Palette. This will also select that same effect layer in the  Brush Tool In the  Tools Palette  select the  Grade  brush action In the  Tool Options Palette  set the  Grade  and the  Angle  to the required values Paint with the brush to create the Water Effect Layer surface at the set gradient adjusting the slope direction ( Angle ) when required

Color Effect Layer

	The Color Effect Layer is only available to Trainz Plus subscribers and is only visible in routes using HD resolution
	The Color Effect Layer adds a "colour tinting effect" to selected areas of the route
	Only one Color Effect Layer can be added to a route and it will cover the entire route but it can have different colours in different parts of the route

This section covers using an existing Color Effect Layer. For information on creating a Color Effect Layer see  Edit Effect Layers below

Brush Actions  When the Color Effect Layer has been selected as the Brush Target, the second drop down box will be blank as there are no brush actions for this effect layer.

You can think of the Color Effect Layer as a "skin" that covers the ground throughout the layout. If the three colour (RGB)  Default values  in the layer have all been set at 0.500 (see  Color Layer Edit Controls below) then the "skin" will be transparent and you can add different colours (or "tints") at different places to alter the appearance of the ground textures.

Notes: The Color Effect Layer is only available in routes using HD Resolution. You can add the effect layer to a route that uses 5m Resolution and/or 10m Resolution but the layer will only appear if the route is converted to HD Resolution

Painting a Color Effect Layer The Color Effect Layer is painted in the places where it is needed using the Brush Tool in the same way that you would paint a ground texture. The same restrictions that apply to painting a ground texture also apply to painting a Color Effect Layer. the minimum brush size you can use for unrestricted painting is 5m you can use smaller brush sizes but there will be restrictions on where you can paint. These restrictions are explained at  Ground Texture in 5m/10m Resolutions

Steps: To paint with a Color Effect Layer:- You can jump directly to Step  3  by selecting the Color Effect Layer in the  Layers Palette  In the  Tools Palette  select the  Brush Tool or press the  W  key select the <color effect layer name> from the Brush Target drop down menu. If there are no Color Effect Layers listed then none have been created or installed for this route In the  Tool Options Palette  set any required Brush settings -  Radius ,  Sensitivity  and  Color  The  Color  setting will open the color picker to select the colour to be painted. See  Effect Layer Tool Options above.  Left Click  or  Left Click and Drag  on the terrain to paint the Effect Layer with the selected colour Steps: To Delete or Rename a Color Effect Layer In the  Layers Palette   Right Click  on the Color Effect Layer (there will only be one) Select the option  Delete Layer  or  Rename Layer  If Renaming the layer enter a new name for the layer

Notes: The rate or speed at which the colour changes under the brush is controlled by the  Tool Options Palette   Sensitivity  setting  Sensitivity  Settings: 1% for the smallest possible change with each sweep of the brush 100% for the largest possible change with each sweep of the brush Values between these two limits will give intermediate changes with each sweep of the brush over the same area Applying a Color Effect Layer will only affect the appearance (colours) of the ground textures in the painted area. It will not affect the appearance of any objects placed on the ground in that area

No color effect layer applied	Color effect layer applied
Cricket pitch scene before and after applying a color effect layer that gives the impression of "wear and tear" around the pitch area

Edit Effect Layers...

When this Brush 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.

Brush Actions  When the  Edit Effect Layers...  Target is selected, the second drop down box will be disabled - there are no actions for this brush target.

You will have only one available option if no Effect Layers are present in Surveyor or two options if Effect Layers are present.

Option Create a New Effect Layer If no Effect Layers are present then you can create a new one Steps: To create your first effect layer:-  Left Click  in the  Effect Name  text box and enter a name for your new Effect Layer  Left Click  on the  Effect Type  drop down box and select the type of Effect Layer to be created -  TurfFX   Clutter   Water  or  Color  The Color Effect Layer is only available in Trainz Plus and will only be visible if you are using the HD Terrain option  Left Click  on the icon You will then be presented with Option as shown below. You will probably need to edit your new Effect Layer For specific editing information on each effect layer type see:- Edit the TurfFX Effect Layer Edit the Clutter Effect Layer Edit the Water Effect Layer Edit the Color Effect Layer

Option Edit an Existing Effect Layer
If Effect Layers are present (including the one you just created in Option above) then select an Effect Layer from the Layer drop down box to edit, save or delete, or create another new one
Left Click  on this icon to create a new effect layer then follow the steps in Option  above  Layer:  to select an existing layer to edit, save or delete, either select its name from the  Layer:  drop down box OR  Left Click  on the Picker icon and select the Effect Layer from the Trainz World  Left Click  on this icon to delete a selected Effect Layer from the route  Preset:   Left Click  inside the Preset dropdown box to select an Effect Layer that is currently stored in Content Manager to add it to the route  Left Click  on this icon to save the selected Effect Layer as a Preset in Content Manager so that it can be loaded into other routes or uploaded to the DLS  Left Click  on this icon to open the Edit Effect Layer dialogue window for the selected Effect Layer. This icon will also close the dialogue window. Always edit with  CAUTION  For specific editing information on each effect layer type see:- Edit the TurfFX Effect Layer Edit the Clutter Effect Layer Edit the Water Effect Layer Edit the Color Effect Layer	Effect Layers are created for each route. You can load a Preset Effect Layer or edit an existing one rather than having to recreate the entire effect each time. When you have finished creating or editing an Effect Layer click either the:- icon to accept your changes OR icon to reject your changes

Save a Layer as a Preset

A Preset is an edited or created effect layer that has been saved so that it can be reused in other routes

Once an effect layer has been created or edited, it can be saved and will appear as a new asset in Content Manager. It can be loaded into other routes (see  Loading Preset Effect Layers above), saved as a .cdp file and uploaded to the DLS.

Steps: To save an effect layer as a Preset:- Open the Effect Layers window and select the effect layer to be saved  Left Click  on the icon. The effect layer will be saved using the name you entered for the layer (Grass Short Dry in the example shown on the left)

Notes: A Preset can be deleted from the current route ( Left Click  on the icon) but it will remain as a saved asset in Content Manager and can be reloaded if needed. To permanently delete a preset it must be deleted using Content Manager

TurfFX Layer Edit Controls

The best way to learn how to create and edit an effect layer is to set up a single baseboard and experiment with the various options and controls. If your experiments create an effect layer that you like then save it as a Preset so that it can be used in another route.

WARNING: Always edit these values with caution The TurfFX Effect Layer is:- an Nvidia product (it is not from N3V) and requires the presence of an Nvidia GPU such as a GTX or RTX video graphics card. The TurfFX Effect Layer will not appear on systems that do not have an Nvidia video card only supported on MS Windows. It will not work on MacOS systems Notes: Many of the entered values will alter the appearance of the asset. Features such as the ground coverage (density) of the plants, their heights, stem and leaf thickness, density of seed heads, etc, etc A detailed (but incomplete) description of the TurfFX Effect Layer controls can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- TurfFX_Effect_Layer

Clutter Layer Edit Controls

The best way to learn how to create and edit an effect layer is to set up a single baseboard and experiment with the various options and controls. If your experiments create an effect layer that you like then save it as a Preset so that it can be used in another route.

WARNING: Always edit these values with caution The scenery assets you select to be included in a Clutter Effect Layer:- should be small. Ideally they should fit inside a 1m cube MUST have LOD (Levels Of Detail) built-in. Assets with no LOD or poor LOD will cause performance issues. Built-in scenery assets that contain the word clutter in their names (such as shown in the image on the left) will meet the above two requirements Notes: Each added Mesh Asset (e.g. plant asset or rock asset) will increase the resources used by this layer and that may have an effect on performance. The sliders next to each Mesh Asset control the density (frequency) of that asset in the layer. Extreme Left not displayed at all. This will add a Delete icon to the end of the slider which will allow that asset to be removed from the layer Extreme Right displayed with maximum coverage Intermediate positions along a slider will give effects between these two extremes A detailed description of the Clutter Effect Layer controls can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- Clutter_Effect_Layer

Water Layer Edit Controls

The Water Effect Layer has been introduced mainly for Surveyor 2.0 although an older and more restricted version is available in TRS19 SP4

The best way to learn how to create and edit an effect layer is to set up a single baseboard and experiment with the various options and controls. If your experiments create an effect layer that you like then save it as a Preset so that it can be used in another route.

In Surveyor 2.0 you can have more than one Water Effect Layer. Each can have a different combination of water colour and surface effects (calm, ripples, rough). Each can be raised above the ground height to present a different water surface in different locations.

Settings: The  Default Value  control sets the initial height or altitude in metres of the entire water effect layer. This is initially set to 0m but you can change this to any positive (above) or negative (below) value BUT this must be set when the layer is created, not edited afterwards when it will have no effect The  Constant Value  controls set the colour of the entire water effect layer. Enter the RGB colour values (0.000 to 1.000) for the required colour

WARNING: Always edit these values with caution A Water Effect Layer:- will be automatically added at an altitude of 0m (the  Default Value ) when you create a new Route will appear if you lower the ground surface below the altitude of the layer if the ground surface and the water layer are at the same height at a location then there will be a conflict between the two which will be shown as a "flickering". This can be eliminated by raising or lowering one or the other The Trainz Wiki has an old (TRS19) and very incomplete description of the Water Effect Layer controls at:- Water_Effect_Layer

Color Layer Edit Controls

	The Color Effect Layer is only available to Trainz Plus subscribers
	It can only be used in routes built with HD Resolution

The best way to learn how to create and edit an effect layer is to set up a single baseboard and experiment with the various options and controls. If your experiments create an effect layer that you like then save it as a Preset so that it can be used in another route.

You can only have one Color Effect Layer but through the  Tool Options Palette  it can be given different colours in different locations.

WARNING: Always edit these values with caution only one color effect layer can be added to a Route the color effect layer only works when using HD resolution

If you leave the default RGB colours at 0.500 then the colour layer will be invisible except in those areas where you have applied a colour

Notes: The  Default Value  RGB colours will set the initial colour used and the colour that will be set if the Reset button is clicked in the  Tool Options Palette  while painting a colour. Enter the RGB colour values (0.000 to 1.000) for the required colour. NOTE: Changing the  Default Value  will set the colour of the entire Color Effect Layer and immediately "tint" your entire route with the set colour. To leave the effect layer invisible leave these settings at their default 0.500 values. The Color Effect Layer can be created in a route that uses 5m Resolution or 10m Resolution but it will only appear if the entire route is converted to HD Resolution. See  Converting to HD

When painting with the Color Effect Layer set the brush  Color ,  Radius  and  Sensitivity  values in the  Tool Options Palette . Each time you use the brush these controls can have different settings. A more detailed description of the Color Effect Layer controls can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- Color_effect_layer

The Placement Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  E

The  Placement Tool  adds selected assets to a Trainz World

Various function of this tool use the  Tool Options Palette   Layers Palette   Info Palette   Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette . If these palettes are not visible on the screen when required then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Tool Targets  The Placement Tool has no Target options so it has no drop down menu list When selected, this tool has a distinctive pointer icon which makes it easy to identify that the Placement Tool is active Selecting an asset in the  Assets Palette  or an effect layer in the  Layers Palette  will automatically activate the Placement Tool  Tool Actions  The Placement Tool has no Action options so it has no drop down menu list The Placement Tool is used for adding the following objects to a route:-  Scenery Mesh Objects (e.g. buildings, trees)    Spline Objects (e.g. roads, fences, tracks)  Track Objects (e.g. signals, switches)    Rolling Stock Objects (e.g. locos, wagons)

More Placement Options After an object has been placed in a route its position and/or height can be changed by choosing one of the following:- Options: using the  Free Move Tool OR using the  Fine Adjustment Tool OR editing its  x:   y:   z:  settings in  The Info Palette OR selecting the  Apply Height  option in its Context Menu. This will apply the  Height  value stored in the  Tool Options Palette  to the object

Placement: Setting an Objects Name and Layer

All scenery objects can be given names and can be assigned to layers For some objects a name is needed for the operation of a Session but for most objects a name is optional. At the very basic level the layer assigned to an object will decide whether it is saved as part of the Route or as part of a Session.

Setting an Objects Name

Object names are optional but for some objects they are essential for running a session

You can give any object in your route an identifying name. In some cases a name is vital for AI and session operations, in other cases it will be needed as a display feature - for example: to be shown on a station nameboard. A name also makes it easier to search for a particular object using the Find Tool ( Ctrl  +  F  keys). You must have an object selected (highlighted) before it can be named - for example immediately after it has been added to a layout by the Placement Tool

If the  Info Palette  is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Steps: To name (or rename) an object:- In the  Info Palette   Left Click  inside the Name: text entry box If the Name: text entry box is greyed out and cannot be selected then the layer containing the object is locked. Use the  Layers Palette  to unlock the layer (see  The Layers Palette), reselect the object and try again Enter or edit the name Press the  Enter  key KNOWN BUG: Changes to the name of a Track Object will not save unless something else in the route is also edited. The following additional step is a workaround when renaming Track Objects If renaming a track object then move a non-track object (e.g. a tree) before saving. If you have already edited something else in the route but not yet saved then this step will not be necessary

There is no ban on two or more objects using the same name In the image shown on the left there are 4 objects all named Old Orroroo Rd. This will not cause any problems for scenery objects apart from finding the exact one you want with the Find Tool ( Ctrl  +  F  keys) as shown in the image on the left - Which of the 4 "Old Orroroo Rd" objects is the one that I need? WARNING: Duplicate names will cause problems for Industries (including passenger enabled stations), Locomotives, Track Marks, Triggers, Switches, Signals, etc that have to be identified to control the operation of a session. These objects must have unique names

Setting an Objects Layer

All objects in the Trainz World are in layers. For scenery objects you can set and change the layers where they are placed

Layers are an essential feature of Trainz for managing different objects in Surveyor. Layers can be:- locked to prevent the accidental deletion, movement or alteration of the objects they contain hidden to remove their objects from view so that other nearby objects can be manipulated Layers can also be used in Driver to hide and reveal objects during gameplay. More information on creating, editing and using Layers can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- How to Use Layers

An object will always be placed in the currently set Active Layer. The active layer can be changed before the object has been added and objects can be moved to different layers at any time.

If the  Layers Palette  and the  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

The Active Layer (shown left named route-layer PQ) is indicated by a light grey "highlight" in the list and its name will appear in the  Layers Palette  title.  This is the layer where all objects added by the Placement Tool and the Scrapbook will be placed  Step: To set the Active Layer:- In the  Layers Palette   Left Click  on the layer name. That layer is now the Active Layer where all objects placed in the Route or Session will be added. You can change the Active Layer at any time. Changing the Active Layer will not change the assigned layers of any existing objects. It merely sets the default layer that will be used for new added objects The Ground Height, Ground Texture and Effect Layers are special. They cannot be set as the Active Layer and scenery objects and splines cannot be moved into them.

After an object has been placed into a layer in the Trainz World it can be moved to a different layer

If an object is still selected (highlighted) by the Placement Tool then you can change its assigned layer as often as you like. If it is not selected then you must first select it using either the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool.

Steps: To move a placed object to another layer:- In the  Info Palette   Left Click  on the Layer arrowhead icon (circled in red in the image left). This will open up the layer controls for the selected object the drop down menu box labelled Layer shows the currently assigned layer for that object.  Left Click  on the Up/Down arrows or inside the text box itself to open the list of all available layers. select the destination layer from the list. The object will then be moved to the selected layer - you will be given a warning if the move has failed (usually because the objects layer is locked) Also see:- Assigning Objects to a Different Layer for more details on the Layer Controls in the  Info Palette  How to Use Layers for detailed information on Layers

CAUTION: Take Care when assigning objects to layers Placing an object in the  Route Layer Group  will save it in the Route and it will appear in every Session based on that Route Placing an object in the  Session Layer Group  will save it in the Session and it will only appear in the currently loaded Session Track Objects (e.g. signals, switches, track marks, etc) cannot be placed into a layer that is higher up in the  Layers Palette  list than the layer containing the Track

Placement: Scenery Mesh Objects

Typical Scenery Mesh Objects Buildings, trees, bushes, vehicles, people, "clutter"

Placement: Add 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.
	Scenery Mesh Objects include single (non-spline) scenery items such as buildings, trees, road signs, cars (non moving), people and animals

If the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Steps: To add a Scenery Mesh Object the first step is to identify the exact asset you want to add.

In the  Filter Palette  choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  on the Scenery Mesh 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  on the Content Drop Down Menu Then select Scenery Objects OR  Shortcut  Steps: If you already have the same scenery 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. This will automatically select it in the  Assets Palette  and it will also select the Placement Tool. Release the key Jump to Step  below

In the  Filter Palette  the Scenery Objects icon will be shown in blue when it is selected and the name Scenery Objects will appear in the drop down box below the icons. For more information about the  Filter Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Filter Palette The  Assets Palette  display is controlled by the selections made in the  Filter Palette . Selecting  Scenery Object  in the  Filter Palette  will produce a list of all the installed Scenery Objects in the  Assets Palette . For more information about the  Assets Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Assets Palette

In the  Assets Palette  you have the option to narrow down the filtered list. Type the assets name or part of the name into the  Search  box. For example if you have selected Scenery Objects and want to find "wooden barns", then type "wooden barn" (UPPER/lower case does not matter) - the part names "wooden" or "barn" would also work but will produce longer lists. This will list all the Scenery Objects containing the text "wooden barn" in their names or descriptions.

In the  Assets Palette   Left Click  on the required item in the list. When selected the asset will be highlighted with a light grey background. Notes: A  Left Click  on an asset in the  Assets Palette  filtered list will automatically activate the Placement Tool so the next  Left Click  will place that asset in your Trainz World.

If you are not certain that a selected asset is the right one then try the following:- Options: Double Left Click on the name in the Asset List to bring up its image and description, OR view its rotating and resizeable 3D image in the  Preview Palette , OR switch the asset list to Thumbnail View ( Left Click  the icon). In this view the palette is best used undocked and enlarged - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for instructions on undocking and enlarging palettes.

The final step is to place the selected asset into the route.

Steps: In the  Tools Palette  if, for some reason, the Placement Tool is not selected then  Left Click  on its icon or press the  E  key  Left Click  at the spot where you want to place the asset Holding down the  Ctrl  key when you  Left Click  at the spot will allow you to drag the object to a different position before it is released Notes: the Placement Tool will remain on and active until another tool has been selected. So everytime you  Left Click  another copy of the asset (or another asset 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

Content Manager in a Palette

The Assets Palette can be expanded to provide more information, like in Content Manager, about each listed asset.

Steps: To move and resize columns:- To Move:  Left Click and Drag  the column heading left or right to a new position To Resize:  Left Click and Drag  the dividing line between two column headings left or right to reduce or increase the column width

Steps: To sort the data in a column:- resize the undocked Assets Palette by dragging its right edge further out to the right. This will reveal additional columns of data in an identical display to what you would see in Content Manager to sort the data in a column,  Left Click  on the column heading. Each  Left Click  will cycle through different sorting options Just like in Content Manager, additional columns can be added, removed, resized and moved to a different position. Steps: To add new columns  Right Click  on a column heading where you want to insert a new column Select the option  Insert Column  and then select the column to be added Steps: To remove a column  Right Click  on the column heading and select the option  Remove Column

Placement: Move a Scenery Mesh Object

Warning: To move a scenery mesh object  DO NOT  click on it with the Placement Tool as this will just add another object

To move scenery mesh objects you must switch to either the  Free Move Tool OR the  Fine Adjustment Tool

Steps: To move a scenery mesh object In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on either the  Free Move Tool (or press the  S  key) or the  Fine Adjustment Tool (or press the  D  key) Select ( Left Click ) on the object to be moved. To select multiple objects use  Shift  +  Left Click  on each object  Left Click and Drag  the object(s) in the required direction For more information see the sections Free Move: Scenery Mesh Objects or Fine Adjustment: Scenery Mesh Objects

How to "Roll" a Scenery Mesh Object Surveyor 2.0 makes it possible to roll (or rotate) a scenery mesh object around its two horizontal (X and Y) axes - these rotations are referred to roll and pitch movements. But NOT ALL scenery mesh objects will allow these movements - for example Speedtree objects. Steps: To Roll or Pitch a Scenery Mesh Object Using the Placement Tool and the Info Palette This is the more accurate method and does not involve switching to another tool so the Placement Tool can remain active while an object is rotated. Open the  Info Palette  and enter the rotation angles in the Roll  r:  and/or Pitch  p:  settings. See  The Info Palette for more information. Using the Fine Adjustment Tool This method is quicker but less accurate than using the  Info Palette  plus it involves switching to a different tool. Switch to the  Fine Adjustment Tool and select,  Left Click , the object to be rotated Use the  RED  or  GREEN  rotational anchors (the curved lines) to rotate the object around its X or Y horizontal axes as shown in the image on the right. the  RED  anchor curve controls the Pitch angle the  GREEN  anchor curve controls the Roll angle

Placement: Delete a Scenery Mesh Object

To delete a scenery mesh object (or any object) that has just been added by the  Placement Tool and is still highlighted, choose one of the following:- Options:
	press the  Delete  key, OR
	open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Delete
If the object is not highlighted then you must first switch to either the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool, select the object and then choose one of the above options

Placement: Set the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

	An object that has just been added to a route using the Placement Tool can have its height adjusted immediately after placement
	or it can be adjusted at a later time using the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool

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

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

You can copy the height of a selected scenery mesh object (e.g. a house) into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting while the Placement Tool is still active. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. Steps: To copy the height of any selected object into the  Height  setting:- In the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  in the  Height  setting select the  Get Height from Selection  option   You can check the height of any selected object or endpoint using the  Info Palette . The height is the last value in the Pos: (Position) data set. The heights of all objects in your Trainz World are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Set the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object
In Surveyor 2.0 scenery mesh objects can be given a height that can place them above or below the ground level.

The vertical yellow line shown in the second image above indicates a height change. The small yellow dot at the base of the line is the terrain attachment point for the object - this will be above the object if it is below the ground level.

To set the height of a selected scenery mesh object, choose one of the following:- Options: In the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting, enter a value (in metres) followed by the  Enter  key OR In the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting, enter a value (in metres), or keep the existing value, then  Right Click  and select  Set Height to Selection  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  Pos:   z:  (height) setting or  Left Click and Drag  Up or Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below).

Scenery Mesh Object Heights Are Relative When you place a scenery mesh object in a scene it will be given the same height as the ground on which it has been placed. If you move the object it will change its height to match the height of the ground beneath it. The heights of all objects in your Trainz World are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements. You can set the height of a scenery mesh object to a particular value so that it is above or below the ground on which it has been placed. Again if you move the object it will change its height to match the height difference from the ground beneath it. For example, if the ground height is 50m and you give an object a height of 60m it will be 10m above the ground. If the object is moved to an area where the ground is lower, or higher, then the height of the object will be changed so that it will remain at 10m above the local ground height.   You can cancel a selected objects set height at anytime by opening its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Settle on Ground . This will drop it to ground level.

Placement: Configure an Industry Object

	Some scenery mesh objects have been designed as Industry Objects that can produce and/or consume products
	These objects can be preset to process specific products and quantities when a Session starts

Configuring Industry Objects is covered in great detail in the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes

Placement: Scenery Mesh Object Context Menu

Scenery Mesh Object Context Menu Options Once a scenery mesh object has been placed you can open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) to access a range of options and functions. The following Scenery Mesh Object specific options will appear, along with other more general options, in the objects Context Menu.  Apply Height  sets the height of the selected objects to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting  Reset Object Rotation  resets the rotation angle of the selected objects to their default values  Randomise Object Rotation  applies a random rotation angle to each selected object around its vertical axis See  Free Move: Scenery Mesh Object Context Menu for the full list of Context Menu options for Scenery Mesh Objects.

Placement: Spline Objects (Including Track)

Typical Spline Objects Corrugated iron fence, hedge, sidewalk, power lines, road, rail track

Placement: Add a Spline Object

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

If the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Steps: To add a Scenery Splines or Track Splines the first step is to identify the exact asset you want to add.

In the  Filter Palette  choose one of the following options (for Scenery Splines) or (for Track Splines):-

For Scenery Splines
Options:
Left Click  on the Scenery Spline 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  on the Content Drop Down Menu Then select Track Splines	OR	Shortcut  Steps: If you already have the same spline 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. This will automatically select it in the  Assets Palette  and it will also select the Placement Tool. Release the key Jump to Step  below

In the  Filter Palette  the Scenery Splines icon will be shown in blue when it is selected and the name Scenery Splines will appear in the drop down box below the icons. For more information about the  Filter Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Filter Palette The  Assets Palette  display is controlled by the selections made in the  Filter Palette . Selecting  Scenery Splines  in the  Filter Palette  will produce a list of all the installed Scenery Splines in the  Assets Palette . For more information about the  Assets Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Assets Palette

For Track Splines
Options:
Left Click  on the Track Spline 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  on the Content Drop Down Menu Then select Track	OR	Shortcut  Steps: If you already have the same track spline 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. This will automatically select it in the  Assets Palette  and it will also select the Placement Tool. Release the key Jump to Step  below

In the  Filter Palette  the Track icon will be shown in blue when it is selected and the name Track will appear in the drop down box below the icons. For more information about the  Filter Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Filter Palette The  Assets Palette  display is controlled by the selections made in the  Filter Palette . Selecting  Track  in the  Filter Palette  will produce a list of all the installed Track Splines in the  Assets Palette . For more information about the  Assets Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Assets Palette

In the  Assets Palette  you have the option to narrow down the filtered list. Type the assets name or part of the name into the  Search  box. For example if you have selected Track and want to find track splines with "NG42" in their names, then type "NG42" (UPPER/lower case does not matter). This will list all the Track containing the text "NG42" in their names or descriptions.

In the  Assets Palette   Left Click  on the required item in the list. When selected the asset will be highlighted with a light grey background. Notes: A  Left Click  on an asset in the  Assets Palette  filtered list will automatically activate the Placement Tool so the next  Left Click  will place that asset in your Trainz World.

If you are not certain that a selected asset is the right one then try the following:- Options: Double Left Click on the name in the Asset List to bring up its image and description, OR view its rotating and resizeable 3D image in the  Preview Palette , OR switch the asset list to Thumbnail View ( Left Click  the icon). In this view the palette is best used undocked and enlarged - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for instructions on undocking and enlarging palettes.

Place the starting point of the selected spline or track into the route.

Steps: In the  Tools Palette  if, for some reason, the Placement Tool is not selected then  Left Click  on its icon or press the  E  key  Left Click  at the spot where you want to Start the spline If the spline starting point is on another spline and you do not want the two splines to be joined then hold down the  Shift  key when you  Left Click  Notes: the Placement Tool will remain on and active until another tool has been selected. So everytime you  Left 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

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 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. If there is a % value in the  Grade  setting then the spline will be laid down with a slope using that grade value starting from the terrain height at the first endpoint. If you don't want a grade and want each endpoint placed at the terrain height then delete any value (including 0%) stored in the  Grade  setting.

		When you have the tool pointer in the final position for the first spline segment,  Left Click  again. This will anchor the second spline endpoint. The spline between the two endpoints is the first spline segment. If the spline end point is on another spline and you do not want the two splines to be joined then hold down the  Shift  key when you  Left Click  The spline segment will now have three Context Icons, one for each endpoint () and one for the spline segment ( or depending on the type of spline). Different context menu options are provided depending on whether you click on the icon for an endpoint or a segment. See  Free Move: Spline Object Context Menus for more details
		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: Curvez for Trainz Geekz 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  again. This will anchor the third spline endpoint and the Context Icons will move to the new segment.
	Notes: Adding a Junction 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, this does not have to be an endpoint, then move the pointer out from the junction. See Add a Spline Junction below
	Repeat Steps and above to continue laying the spline.

Spine Laying Tips

Starting/Ending Disconnected Splines On Other Splines If you start or end a spline segment on another identical or compatible spline it will form a junction (see  Add a Spline Junction below) or, if close enough, it will attach itself to a nearby endpoint on that spline. This is perfect if that is what you want but it is an annoyance if it is not what you want. If you start or end a spline segment on an incompatible spline (e.g. placing a ruler spline endpoint on a road spline) you will receive a warning message such as  Incompatible Spline  and you will not be able to add the segment. To prevent a junction/join forming or a segment being rejected, use the following:- Hold down the  Shift  key when performing the  Left Click  (a  Shift  +  Left Click ) on the second spline. If this is the start of a spline then once you have clicked draw the new spline out as you normally would Lay a Spline that Follows the Ground Terrain Normally splines will be laid down so that they follow the shape of the ground terrain. Occasionally they may be laid down at a set gradient that will ignore the shape of the ground terrain between the two endpoints. This can happen if you have used the Eyedropper Tool to select an existing spline object - the eyedropper will copy some of the features of the selected spline (such as its gradient) into the  Tool Options Palette . If you want the spline to follow the ground terrain, not a set gradient, then use the following:- In the  Tool Options Palette  check the  Grade  setting. If it is showing a % value then highlight the value and delete it. It should now show the  -  character which means "follow the shape of the ground" (this is NOT the same as a gradient of 0% which means "flat").

Placement: Move a Spline Object

Warning: To move a spline object  DO NOT  click on it with the Placement Tool as this will just add a junction

To move spline objects you must switch to either the  Free Move Tool OR the  The Fine Ajustment Tool

Steps: To move a spline segment In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on either the  Free Move Tool (or press the  S  key) or the  Fine Adjustment Tool (or press the  D  key) Select ( Left Click ) on the spline segment to be moved. To select multiple spline segments use  Shift  +  Left Click  on each segment  Left Click and Drag  the segment(s) in the required direction Note: always drag on a segment not on an endpoint otherwise only the endpoint will be moved For more information see the sections Free Move: Spline Objects or Fine Adjustment: Spline Objects

Steps: To move a spline endpoint In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on either the  Free Move Tool (or press the  S  key) or the  Fine Adjustment Tool (or press the  D  key)  Left Click and Drag  the endpoint in the required direction For more information see the sections Free Move: Spline Objects or Fine Adjustment: Spline Objects

Placement: Delete a Spline Object

To delete a spline object (or any object) that has just been added by the Placement Tool and is still highlighted, choose one of the following:- Options:
	press the  Delete  key, OR
	open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Delete
If the object is not highlighted then you must first switch to either the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool, select the object and then choose one of the above options

Placement: Add a Spline Junction

A junction is formed when three spline segments are joined at an endpoint. Junctions can be formed using non identical but compatible spline objects, such as different types of track splines.

Steps: To add a junction to a spline object:- Select the spline object to be used for the junction. The easiest method is hold down the  Alt  key and  Left Click  on an existing spline object that you want to use. This will also select the Placement Tool in Step  2  below so you can skip to Step  3  In the  Tools Palette  select the Placement Tool  Left Click  on the spline at the spot where the junction is to be created. This can be on an existing endpoint or between two endpoints where a new endpoint will be inserted All spline junctions will be shown with a red dot (). The only exception is for procedural track junctions where a  red dot indicates a poorly formed junction while a  black dot indicates a correctly formed junction. See Add a Track Junction below for more details move the mouse pointer out from the junction to where the next endpoint of the spline branch will be placed and  Left Click

Notes: Incompatible Splines If, when forming a join or a junction between two splines, the message  Incompatible Spline  appears in the top right corner of the screen, then you are attempting to join two splines that are not compatible with each other. The join or junction between the splines will NOT be created.

Placement: Separate Splines

Steps: To remove a junction or a join between splines but keep all the spline segments:- open the endpoint Context Menu by a  Left Click  on its Context Icon or by pressing the  T  key select the  Separate Splines  menu option. This will separate ALL the spline segments that meet at that endpoint without deleting any of the segments If you have a segment or segments selected (highlighted) when you click the  Separate Splines  menu option then ALL the selected spline segments will be separated at their endpoints

A spline junction or join can also be removed by deleting any spline segment that connects to its endpoint A junction endpoint can be moved by using the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool

Placement: Add a Track Junction

A track junction is formed using track splines in the same way as described above but track junctions have additional features

When a junction is created using Track Spline Objects, a junction switch will be automatically added. IF the Automatic Junction Placement Checkbox (in the  Surveyor Main Menu - Settings option - Interface Settings) has been checked ON the switch will be the one specified in the Region listed in the Route Properties. The region and its switch can be changed by opening the Surveyor Edit Menu and selecting  Edit Route... . If no region has been specified then a default switch (as shown left) will be used use the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool to move or delete the switch and to open its Context Menu for editing Information on creating and editing a Region can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- How to Create a Region Asset

Using Procedural Tracks If the track object used is a Procedural Track and the junction is formed with another Procedural Track then the junction endpoint dot will be coloured:- RED (as shown above) if the junction exceeds the maximum allowed values for a procedural junction. This will not stop the junction from working but it will not display the special features only found in Procedural Tracks, OR BLACK if the junction is within the maximum allowed values for a procedural junction and it will display all the Procedural Track special features A procedural track junction can be changed from red to black by adjusting the height and/or position (depending on the exact cause of the problem) of the junction endpoint and the endpoints on either side of the junction. See the Wiki Page How to Use Procedural Track for more details A junction between two non-procedural tracks and between a procedural track and a non-procedural track will always have a red endpoint dot

Placement: Set a Spline Height

If the  Tool Options Palette  and the  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Spline Object

You can copy the height of a spline segment into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. Choose one of the following:- Options: Use the Eyedropper to copy the height (and gradient) of a spline segment Steps: To copy the Height of a spline segment:- hold down the  Alt  key and move the mouse tool pointer onto the spline segment while holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the spline segment   OR Use the  Height  setting drop down menu Steps: To copy the Height of the currently active (just placed) spline segment:- in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Height  setting box Select the  Get Height from Selection  option Option will also select the clicked object in the  Assets Palette  and it will become the next object added by a  Left Click  in your Trainz World With both options if the segment has a slope then the height at the point clicked with the eyedropper will be copied into the  Height  setting and the spline gradient will be copied into the  Grade  setting. With both options the  Height  setting will be in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Set the Height of a Spline Object

To set the height of a selected spline segment (including track) or endpoint, choose one of the following:- Options: If the selected spline segment has a  Grade  setting then Options and will adjust the height of each endpoint so that the heights will change but the grade will remain the same. Option will set both endpoints to the entered height and the grade will be removed  Left Click  in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting and enter a new value (in metres), or keep the existing value, then press the  Enter  key, OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (in metres), or keep the existing value, then  Right Click  in the setting box and select the  Set Height to Selection  option, OR from the objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on the objects Context Icon or press the  T  key) select the  Apply Height  option, OR in the  Info Palette  enter a value in the objects  Pos:   z:  (height) setting or  Left Click and Drag  Up or 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  Height  setting is always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements

Spline Heights Are Relative AND Absolute When you place a spline (including track) in a scene its endpoints will be given the same height as the ground on which it has been placed. The heights of all its endpoints will be Relative. If you move the entire spline, a segment or just an endpoint it will change its height(s) to match the height of the ground beneath it. If you set the height of a spline (or just one of its endpoints) to a particular value then ALL its endpoint heights will become Absolute. If you then move the spline it will remain at its set height regardless of the height of the ground beneath it. For example, if the ground height is 50m and you give an endpoint a height of 60m it will be 10m above the ground. If the spline is moved to an area where the ground is at a height of 20m then that endpoint will remain at a height of 60m which will now be 40m above the local ground height.   You can cancel the set height of a spline endpoint, a segment or the entire spline at anytime. Select the endpoint, segment (or segments), or the entire spline then open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key). Select the option  Settle on Ground . This will drop (or raise) the spline, its selected segment(s) or endpoint to ground level. See  Terrain Forming Tips for information on how this can be used to smooth an area of the terrain.

Placement: Set a Spline Gradient

If the  Tool Options Palette  and the  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

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 slope (a cliff) would have an infinite grade (cliff height divided by 0) which is currently impossible in Surveyor.

Get the Grade of a Spline Object

You can copy the grade of a spline segment into the  Tool Options Palette   Grade  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. Choose one of the following:- Options: Use the Eyedropper to copy the grade of any spline segment Steps: To copy the Grade of a spline segment:- hold down the  Alt  key and move the mouse tool pointer onto the spline segment while holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the spline segment This will also change the asset selected in the  Assets Palette  to the object clicked and it will become the next object added by a  Left Click  with the Placement Tool This will also copy the height of the segment at the point it was clicked into the  Height  setting   OR Use the  Grade  setting drop down menu Steps: To copy the Grade of the currently active (just placed) spline segment:- in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Grade  setting box Select the  Get Grade from Selection  option

Set the Grade of a Spline Object

To set the gradient of a selected spline segment (including track) after it has been laid by the Placement Tool, choose one of the following:- Options: in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Grade  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Grade  icon is not coloured  Gold . OR select the  Apply Grade to this Spline Endpoint  option from the Context Menu for the segment endpoint (not the segment context icon) -  Left Click  on the endpoint Context Icon to apply the existing grade value. The endpoint that has been selected will be the starting point of the grade. You can lay a spline object without any applied gradient so that it will follow the existing terrain height. Simply delete its  Grade  value so it resets to the default  -  character

Adding Spline Segments at a Set Gradient

To set and use the gradient of a spline object (including track) before it has been laid by the Placement Tool so that all the spline segments will be added with the set gradient in place, until it is changed or cancelled, then:- Steps: To lay a spline sequence with a preset gradient:- in the  Assets Palette   Left Click  on the spline asset to be added  Left Click  in the  Tool Options Palette   Grade  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Grade  icon is not coloured  Gold   Left Click  in the Surveyor World and draw out each spline segment as normal. Each segment will have the height of its second endpoint increased (or reduced for a negative grade) by an amount controlled by the  Grade  setting You can cancel or change the gradient at any time. The change will only affect any selected spline segment and any additional segments that are added after the change. Simply delete its  Grade  value so it resets to the default  -  or enter a new value

Placement: Set Track Condition and Superelevation

	The Track Condition sets the "smoothness" of the ride over a track segment. The default is 50% which is Average
	The Track Superelevation sets the height difference (as a angle) between the inner and outer rail lines on a curve
	Track Condition and Superelevation are only available for Track Splines

Track Condition

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

There are three different methods available for setting the track condition of a track segment.

The  Tool Options Palette  has a Condition setting that only applies to track spline segments. This can be set for a segment that has just been added and is still highlighted.

Condition  this applies to Track Spline objects and sets the track condition (or "ride comfort") for each segment Range:  1% (terrible track condition) to 50% (average track condition - the default setting) to 100% (perfect track condition) If the track segment is not highlighted then you must switch to the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool and then select the segment or multiple segments. Steps: To set Track Condition:- Enter a value from 1 to 100 in the  Tool Options Palette   Condition  setting Press the  Enter  key There will be no visible change to the track appearance, not even for a 1% setting (the worst possible track condition), as this change would have to be built into the track mesh. Instead when a consist moves over the track there will be a visible change in its rocking or swaying motion.

A second method of setting the Track Condition of a newly placed track segment is to use its Track Segment Context Menu.

Steps: To set the Track Condition of a newly placed track segment:-  Left Click  on the Track Segment Context Icon to open its menu  Left Click  on the  Edit Details  option at the bottom of the list Enter a track condition as a % value where it shows Default. The description on the right will change to show the effect of the new value Click  Save Changes  to set the new value and exit or  Cancel  to cancel the new value and exit

A third method of setting the Track Condition is to use the Placement Tool to place an invisible track "bump" object on a track segment.

The "Track Bump" Object A Track Bump Object will only effect the segment that it is attached to. Segments without them will not be affected.

Steps: To add a Track Bump Object to a track segment:- Use the  Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette  to locate the Invisible Bump Object. In the  Filter Palette  select the icon or the asset type Track Objects in the drop down list In the  Assets Palette  enter the search text Track Bump  Left Click  on the Invisible Track Bump asset in the asset list Place the object on a track segment Open its Context Menu and select the last option  Edit Details  Enter values for the "bumpy track" settings required pitch = forward/backward roll = side to side Click  Save Changes  to set the new values and exit or  Cancel  to cancel the new values and exit

Track Superelevation

The Track Superelevation can only be set through the Track Endpoint Context Menu. You can have a different value set for each endpoint that will reflect the changes that can take place around a curve. For more information on how to calculate and use Superelevation see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation

Steps: To set the Superelevation for an endpoint of a newly placed track segment:-  Left Click  on the Track Spline Endpoint Context Icon to open its menu  Left Click  on the  Edit Details  option at the bottom of the list Enter a Superelevation Degree as an angle (in degrees) - this is the superelevation angle at this vertex (endpoint) per degree of curvature where 0 = none The Superelevation Angle is calculated using the radius of the curve, the maximum track speed and the track gauge. See the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation for the formula Enter a Superelevation Limit as an angle (in degrees) - this is the maximum allowed superelevation angle at this vertex (endpoint) Click  Save Changes  to set the new values and exit or  Cancel  to cancel the new values and exit Repeat the above steps for each endpoint

Notes: Superelevation for Trainz Geekz In the real world rail tracks have a property called Superelevation which is used on curves. The track is tilted so that the outside track is raised slightly above the level of the inside track. This allows higher train speeds around the curve. The degree of tilting or superelevation that has to be applied depends on the curve radius, the track gauge and the maximum allowed train speed for that curve. In the Trainz World track splines can also have superelevation. This feature is found in the  Edit Details  option in the Context Menu of track spline endpoints. See  Spline Object Context Menus Adding superelevation would have been the function of the  Green  curved anchor line but its correct application is more complex than a simple rotation around the track spline axis. For more information see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation

Placement: Spline Object Context Menu

Spline Object Context Menu Options Once a spline segment has been placed you can open its Context Menus. It has separate menus and menu icons:- or (depending on the type of spline) for the spline segment, and for the endpoints  Left Click  on one of the icons to open its menu or press the  T  key to open the menu for the spline segment. The following Spline Object specific options will appear, along with other more general options, in the Context Menu.  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 two spline segments into two separate (independent) splines at the selected endpoint If multiple segments have been selected then this option will break ALL the selected segments into separate (independent) splines  Merge Splines  removes the selected endpoint between two segments and merges the segments into one. Two segments can also be merged by deleting a selected 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 See  Free Move: Spline Object Context Menus for the full list of Context Menu options for Spline Objects.

Placement: Track Objects

Typical Track Objects Track marks, speed signs, signals (visible and invisible), switches, buffer stops

Placement: Add a Track Object

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. Plus invisible trackside objects such as signals, switches and speed signs

If the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Steps: To add a Track Object the first step is to identify the exact asset you want to add.

In the  Filter Palette  choose one of the following:-

Options:
Left Click  on the Track Object 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  on the Content Drop Down Menu Then select Track Objects	OR	Shortcut  Steps: If you already have the same track 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. This will automatically select it in the  Assets Palette  and it will also select the Placement Tool. Release the key Jump to Step  below

In the  Filter Palette  the Track Objects icon will be shown in blue when it is selected and the name Track Objects will appear in the drop down box below the icons. For more information about the  Filter Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Filter Palette The  Assets Palette  display is controlled by the selections made in the  Filter Palette . Selecting Scenery Objects in the  Filter Palette  will produce a list of all the installed Track Objects in the  Assets Palette . For more information about the  Assets Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page   How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Assets Palette

In the  Assets Palette  you have the option to narrow down the filtered list. Type the assets name or part of the name into the  Search  box. For example if you have selected Track Objects and want to find track objects named "speed board 50", then type "speedboard50" (UPPER/lower case and spaces between words do not matter). This will list all the Track Objects containing variations of the texts "speed" + "board" + "50" in their names or descriptions as shown in the image below.

Left Click  on the required item in the list. When selected the asset will be highlighted with a light grey background. Notes: A  Left Click  on an object in the  Assets Palette  filtered list will automatically activate the Placement Tool so the next  Left Click  in your Trainz World will place that object in the scene.

If you are not certain that a selected asset is the right one then try the following:- Options: Double Left Click on the name in the Asset List to bring up its image and description, OR view its rotating and resizeable 3D image in the  Preview Palette , OR switch the asset list to Thumbnail View ( Left Click  the icon). In this view the palette is best used undocked and enlarged - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for instructions on undocking and enlarging palettes.

The final step is to place the selected object into the route.

Steps: In the  Tools Palette  if, for some reason, the Placement Tool is not selected then  Left Click  on its icon or press the  E  key  Left Click  on the track at the position where you want the Track Object to be placed. This will become the Anchor Point where the object will be attached to the track.

Notes: the Placement Tool will remain on and active until another tool has been selected. So everytime you  Left 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 Certain track objects have an Effect Radius that controls how close a consist must approach the object to trigger its action. See  Set the Effect Radius for instructions on setting this feature.

Placement: Name a Track Object

Once a Track Object (e.g. a signal) has been placed it can be named using the  Info Palette

Steps: To name (or rename) a selected Track Object:-  KNOWN BUG  The method for naming (or renaming) a Track object is the same as it is for all other objects (see  Setting an Objects Name). The difference is a "bug" that affects how changes to object names are handled. If you change the name of a Track Object the change will not be saved unless something else in the route is also changed. This bug only applies to Track Objects and not to scenery or spline objects (including track). An additional step, Step:  4  below, has been added as a "workaround" until this bug is fixed  Note:  This must be performed immediately after the object has been placed while it is still highlighted (selected). If the object is not highlighted then select it with the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool. In the  Info Palette   Left Click  inside the Name: text entry box If the Name: text entry box is greyed out and cannot be selected then the layer containing the object is locked. Use the  Layers Palette  to unlock the layer (see  The Layers Palette), reselect the object and try again Enter or edit the name Press the  Enter  key Move a non-track object (e.g. a tree) before saving. If you have already edited something else in the route but not yet saved then this step will not be necessary

Placement: Move a Track Object

Once a Track Object (e.g. a signal) has been placed it can be moved using the Placement Tool

Step: To move a Track Object using the Placement Tool:-  Left Click and Drag  the Anchor Point (the small yellow dot in the middle of the track as shown in the image above) to any position along the track or to another track. You can also move the object by dragging the object itself and not its Anchor Point. However, it will lose its fixed distance, both vertical and horizontal, from the centre of the track. You will then have to open its Context Menu and select the  Reattach to Track  option to restore it to the correct distance from the track centre

Moving Track Objects can also be performed, with more control and additional options, using the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool.

Placement: Delete a Track Object

To delete a track object (or any object) that has just been added by the Placement Tool and is still highlighted, choose one of the following:- Options: press the  Delete  key, OR open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Delete  If the object is not highlighted then you must first switch to either the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool, select the object and then choose one of the above options

Placement: Set the Height of a Track Object

	An object that has just been added to a route using the Placement Tool can have its height adjusted immediately after placement
	or it can be adjusted at a later time using the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool

If the  Tool Options Palette  or the  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Track Object

You can copy the height of a selected track object (e.g. a signal) into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting while the Placement Tool is still active. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. Steps: To copy the height of any selected track object into the  Height  setting:- In the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  in the  Height  setting select the  Get Height from Selection  option   You can check the height of any selected object or endpoint using the  Info Palette . The height is the last value in the Pos: (Position) data set. The heights of all objects in your Trainz World are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Set the Height of a Track Object

In Surveyor 2.0 track objects can be given a height that will place them above (or below) the track. To set the height of a selected track mesh object, choose one of the following:-

Options: in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting, enter a value (in metres), or keep the existing value, followed by the  Enter  key OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting, enter a value (in metres), or keep the existing value, then  Right Click  and select  Set Height to Selection  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  Pos:   z:  (height) setting or  Left Click and Drag  Up or 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  Height  setting is always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements

Track Object Heights Are Relative AND Absolute It depends on how you move them When you place a track object on a track it will be given the same height as the track at the location where it was placed. But you can set the height of the object to a position above or below the track at that location. Whether that height is Absolute or Relative will depend on how you move the object along the track.   If you drag the object by its highlighting (the green/yellow glow) along the track, then its height will be Absolute. It will remain at its original set height as it moves which means that on a track with a grade it will move to a position above or below the track. If you drag the object by its Anchor Point (the small green dot which attaches the object to the track), then its height will be Relative. It will remain at the same height relative to the track (on, above or below) as it moves.   You can cancel the set height of a track object at anytime by opening its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Reattach to Track . Another option,  Settle on Ground  will drop (or raise) the track object to ground level.

Placement: Set the Effect Radius of a Track Object

	Certain track objects have an Effect Radius that sets how close a consist must approach the object to trigger its action
	The Effect Radius of an object can be adjusted by the Placement Tool immediately after it has been placed on a track

Track objects that have an Effect Radius include:- Track marks such as Track Markers, Priority Markers and Direction Markers Track Triggers Whistle Signs It is a good idea to adjust the trigger radius of these objects so that they do not overlap a track junction

The current Effect Radius of these objects is shown by the size of the "wings" (Red or Green depending on the type of object) attached to the object and, in some cases, a distance value below the name of the object. Both of these options are shown in the image below. The distance (2.00m) shown means that a consist must approach to 2m or less before the objects "effect" will be triggered.

On one side of the track object is a green Effect Radius dot that allows the radius value to be adjusted up or down. If no Effect Radius dot or Red/Green Wings appear on the track object then it does not have an adjustable Effect Radius Steps: To adjust the Effect Radius of a newly placed track object:- Move your camera POV (Point of View) to directly above the track object before adjusting its Effect Radius. This will make the adjustment as quick and as smooth as possible.  Left Click and Drag  Left or Right (towards or away from the track) on the Effect Radius dot. The dot will not move but the "wings" that indicate the radius on the track and the displayed radius value will increase or decrease when the radius reaches the required size release the mouse button This action can also be performed on existing track objects using the  Free Move Tool and the  Fine Adjustment Tool

Placement: Track Object Context Menu

Track Mesh Object Context Menu Options Once a track mesh object has been placed you can open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) to access a range of options and functions. The following Track Object specific options will appear, along with other more general options, in the objects Context Menu.  Rotate Trackside  swaps the position of the object to the other side of the track or reverses its direction. With some Track Objects (e.g. Track Marks) the direction it is facing or pointing is not important  Change Junction Direction  if the object is a track switch or junction then its switch direction will be reversed  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. This option will be greyed out if the object is already attached to the track See  Free Move: Track Object Context Menu for the full list of Context Menu options for Track Objects.

Placement: Rolling Stock Objects

Typical Rolling Stock Objects Locomotives, wagons, passenger cars

Placement: Add a Rolling Stock Object

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

If the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

You cannot alter the height of a rolling stock object. It will always have the same height as the track where it is attached.

Steps: To add a Rolling Stock Object the first step is to identify the exact asset you want to add.

In the  Filter Palette  choose one of the following:-

Options:
Left Click  on the Trains 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  on the Content Drop Down Menu Then select Trains	OR	Shortcut  Steps: If you already have the same rolling stock 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. This will automatically select it in the  Assets Palette  and it will also select the Placement Tool. Release the key Jump to Step  below

In the  Filter Palette  the Trains icon will be shown in blue when it is selected and the name Trains will appear in the drop down box below the icons. For more information about the  Filter Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Filter Palette The  Assets Palette  display is controlled by the selections made in the  Filter Palette . Selecting Scenery Objects in the  Filter Palette  will produce a list of all the installed Rolling Stock Objects in the  Assets Palette . For more information about the  Assets Palette  see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes - Assets Palette

In the  Assets Palette  you have the option to narrow down the filtered list. Type the assets name or part of the name into the  Search  box. For example if you have selected Trains and want to find rolling stock with "NG42" in their names, then type "NG42" (UPPER/lower case does not matter). This will list all the Rolling Stock containing the text "NG42" in their names or descriptions.

Left Click  on the required item in the list. When selected the asset will be highlighted with a light grey background. Notes: A  Left Click  on an object in the  Assets Palette  filtered list will automatically activate the Placement Tool so the next  Left Click  in your Trainz World will place that object in the scene.

If you are not certain that a selected asset is the right one then try the following:- Options: Double Left Click on the name in the Asset List to bring up its image and description, OR view its rotating and resizeable 3D image in the  Preview Palette , OR switch the asset list to Thumbnail View ( Left Click  the icon). In this view the palette is best used undocked and enlarged - see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes for instructions on undocking and enlarging palettes.

The final step is to place the selected object into the route.

Steps: In the  Tools Palette  if, for some reason, the Placement Tool is not selected then  Left Click  on its icon or press the  E  key  Left Click  on the track at the position where you want to place the object. This will become the Anchor Point where the object will be attached to the track.

Notes: the Placement Tool will remain on and active until another tool has been selected. So everytime you  Left 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 If you want to place a rolling stock object in a location without any track, for example an old boxcar used as a storage "shed" in a yard, then place it on invisible track. For a better effect lower the track below the ground surface to hide the wagon's bogies

Placement: Load a Rolling Stock Object

	Many rolling stock objects can carry products to be loaded and unloaded at industry objects
	Rolling stock objects can be preloaded with products when the Session starts
	Passenger rolling stock objects can carry passengers who will board and leave at specific industry objects (station platforms)

Loading Rolling Stock or Consists is covered in great detail in the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes

Placement: Move a Rolling Stock Object

Once a Rolling Stock Object (e.g. a wagon) has been placed it can be moved using the Placement Tool

Rolling Stock Objects are always attached to a track segment. They can be moved along the track or to a different track but they cannot be moved to a position that is to the left, right, above or below the track

Step: To move a Rolling Stock Object using the Placement Tool:-  Left Click and Drag  the Anchor Point (the small yellow dot attached to the object) 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: Delete a Rolling Stock Object

To delete a rolling stock object (or any object) that has just been added by the  Placement Tool and is still highlighted, choose one of the following:- Options:
	press the  Delete  key, OR
	open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) and select the option  Delete
If the object is not highlighted then you must first switch to either the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool, select the object and then choose one of the above options

Placement: Rolling Stock Object Context Menu

Rolling Stock Object Context Menu Options Once a rolling stock object has been placed you can open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key) to access a range of options and functions. The following Rolling Stock Object specific options will appear, along with other more general options, in the objects Context Menu.  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 separate 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  See  Rolling Stock Object Context Menu for the full list of Context Menu options for Rolling Stock Objects.

The Eyedropper Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  R

The  Eyedropper Tool  identifies and selects objects in your Trainz World

Various function of this tool use the  Tool Options Palette   Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette . If these palettes are not visible on the screen when required then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Tool Targets  The Eyedropper Tool has no Target options so it has no drop down menu list When selected, this tool has a distinctive pointer icon which makes it easy to identify that the Eyedropper Tool is active The Eyedropper is also available in the  Placement Tool,  Free Move Tool,  Fine Adjustment Tool and the  Marquee Tool by holding down the  Alt  key - see below for more details  Tool Actions  The Eyedropper Tool has no Action options so it has no drop down menu list

Quick Steps

From the Eyedropper Tool

Steps: To use the Eyedropper Tool:- In the  Tools Palette  select the  Eyedropper Tool or press the  R  key move the pointer, which will look like an Eyedropper, over any object to reveal its name in a  ToolTip  which will appear below the pointer Optional: hold the eyedropper over any object for a few seconds to reveal more information such as its <kuid> code Optional:  Left Click  on the object to identify it in the  Assets Palette  It will be highlighted in light grey This will also switch control to the Placement Tool so the next  Left Click  in your Trainz World will add the selected asset to your layout. See Notes: below

Notes: Using the Eyedropper Tool to select an object (Step  4  above) will also copy some of that objects properties into the  Tool Options Palette . These would include:-  Scale  and  Rotation  for a ground texture  Grade  for a spline object (including track) Adding the selected object to your layout will add it with those properties set. So, for example, if a spline object was selected then its  Grade  setting will be copied into the  Tool Options Palette  and that setting will be used when the spline is added to the layout

From the Brush, Placement, Free Move, Fine Adjustment, Marquee Tools

You can access the Eyedropper while using any of the other tools in the  Tools Palette

Steps: To access the Eyedropper from the other tools:- hold down the  Alt  key. The  Eyedropper Tool will be temporarily selected in the  Tools Palette  move the Eyedropper onto an object to identify it as described above. The name and <kuid> of the object will appear in the pointer tooltip. If you release the  Alt  key without selecting an object then you will be returned to your originally selected tool in the  Tools Palette  while holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the object to select it in the  Assets Palette  and copy some of its properties into the  Tool Options Palette  If you change your mind you can  Left Click  on another object if you are still holding down the  Alt  key. If you have already released the  Alt  key then hold it down again to select another object after a  Left Click  on the selected object release the  Alt  key. The Placement Tool will be selected in the  Tools Palette . This means that the next  Left Click  in your Trainz World will add the selected asset to your layout

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".

If the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

The  Filter Palette  top Drop Down Menu, its Filter Actions, controls how the filters are applied to your Trainz World. To open the list  Left Click  on the drop down box or on the double arrows on its right.
	The top drop down box will provide four actions:- Filter Disabled Filter List Filter Selection Filter Visibility

These actions will affect the display and selection of objects in your Trainz World Filter Actions  Filter Disabled  this action disables the Filter Palette so that it has no filtering effect on the Assets Palette which will then display All (Installed) Content including those assets that are Obsolete or Disabled. Its main use is in the Bulk Replace Assets Tool (available in  Trainz Plus only) but it can also be used to temporarily switch off the filters without having to delete them  Filter List  this action is the default setting for the  Filter Palette  and displays, in both the  Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette , all the installed assets that match any search entered using the Filter Selection Options (the Asset Type icons and the Drop Down List of asset types, search filters and picklists). It has no effect on the operation of the tools in the  Tools Palette or on the objects displayed on the screen in your Trainz World  Filter Selection  this action will restrict the tools in the  Tools Palette  to those objects that are in the  Assets Palette  filtered list. Objects that are not in the filtered list will still be visible in your Trainz World but cannot be selected  Filter Visibility  this action will hide all objects in your Trainz World that are not in the  Assets Palette  filtered list which also means that they cannot be selected. The only exceptions are Ground Textures and Effect Layers which will be visible but, unless they are also in the filtered list, cannot selected.

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

As an example the following images show the progressive application of the Filter Actions.

		In the  Filter Palette  the Filter Action has been set to  Filter Selection  and the Scenery Splines icon has been selected. All objects are visible on the Surveyor screen Only Scenery Splines can be selected To reset the filters to allow all objects to be selected set the Filter Action in the  Filter Palette  to  Filter List
		In the  Filter Palette  the Filter Action has been set to  Filter Visibilty  and the Scenery Splines icon has been selected. Only Scenery Splines are visible on the Surveyor screen - Ground Textures and Effect Layers are always visible Only Scenery Splines can be selected To reset the filters to show and select all objects set the Filter Action in the  Filter Palette  to  Filter List
		In the  Filter Palette  the Filter Action has been set to  Filter Visibilty  and the Scenery Splines icon has been selected. In the  Assets Palette  the text "fence" has been added to the  Search  box. Only Scenery Splines that have the text "fence" in their names or descriptions are visible on the Surveyor screen - Ground Textures and Effect Layers are always visible Only Scenery Splines that have the text "fence" in their names or descriptions can be selected To reset the filters to show and select all objects set the Filter Action in the  Filter Palette  to  Filter List  and delete the text in the  Search  box

The Free Move Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  S

The  Free Move Tool  moves objects around your Trainz World

Various function of this tool use the  Tool Options Palette   Info Palette   Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette . If these palettes are not visible on the screen when required then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Tool Targets  The Free Move Tool has no Target options so it has no drop down menu list This tool is ideal for making large horizontal movements of objects Multiple objects (of different types) can be selected for mass moves and other operations  Tool Actions  The Free Move Tool has no Action options so it has no drop down menu list The  Free Move Tool is used for selecting and editing the following objects in a route:-  Scenery Mesh Objects (e.g. buildings, trees)    Spline Objects (e.g. roads, fences, tracks)  Track Objects (e.g. signals, switches)    Rolling Stock Objects (e.g. locos, wagons)

Free Move Alternatives In addition to the Free Move Tool the position and/or height of objects can be changed by choosing one of the following:- Options: using the  Fine Adjustment Tool OR editing its  x:   y:   z:  values in  The Info Palette OR selecting the  Apply Height  option in its Context Menu

Free Move: Selecting an Object

The Free Move Tool can be used to select individual objects and multiple objects. The multiple objects can be of different types (e.g. spline objects and scenery objects) and in different layers

Steps: To select single and multiple objects with the Free Move Tool:- In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the  Free Move Tool or press the  S  key In the Surveyor screen  Left Click  on the object to be selected, or the first object if multiple objects are to be selected To select additional objects, hold down the  Shift  key and  Left Click  on each object to be added to the selection. The additional objects do not have to be the same type or in the same layer  Double Left Click  on an object to add it and all nearby identical objects into a single selection. for a spline object all the segments up to the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions) will be selected for a rolling stock object all the rolling stock objects in that consist will be selected Notes: To remove an object from the selection  Left Click  on it again if it is the only selected object or  Shift  +  Left Click  if it is one of several selected objects. To remove ALL objects from a selection,  Left Click  on a Ground Texture or press the  Ctrl  +  D  keys When you select an object its Context Icon will appear attached to the object.  Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key to open its Context Menu. If more than one object is selected then the Context Icon will be attached to the last object selected

Once an object, or multiple objects, have been selected they can be moved or deleted.
	To move the objects simply  Left Click and Drag  one of the selected objects to their new position	If any of the selected objects are in Locked layers then they will not be moved or deleted
	To delete the objects simply press the  Delete  key

Selecting Objects From a Crowded Scene Sometimes the object you want to select is part of a crowded scene or is overlapped by other objects, such as splines, and this can make it difficult to select. In these situations the best solution is to use the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  to narrow the selection to a single object or to a set of objects. See Narrowing the Search for more details

Free Move: Naming an Object

	Objects can be given names to help identify them with the Find Tool
	Some objects must be given unique names for display and session operations

If the  Info Palette  is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Steps: To name (or rename) an object:- In the  Info Palette   Left Click  inside the Name: text entry box If the Name: text entry box is greyed out and cannot be selected then the layer containing the object is locked. Use the  Layers Palette  to unlock the layer (see  The Layers Palette), reselect the object and try again Enter or edit the name Press the  Enter  key KNOWN BUG: Changes to the name of a Track Object will not save unless something else in the route is also edited. The following additional step is a workaround when renaming Track Objects If renaming a track object then move a non-track object (e.g. a tree) before saving. If you have already edited something else in the route but not yet saved then this step will not be necessary

If more than one object has been selected then only the last selected object, the one with the Context Icon, will be named.

There is no ban on two or more objects using the same name In the image shown on the left there are 4 objects all named Old Orroroo Rd. This will not cause any problems for scenery objects apart from finding the exact one you want with the Find Tool ( Ctrl  +  F  keys) as shown in the image on the left - Which of the 4 "Old Orroroo Rd" objects is the one that I need? WARNING: Duplicate names will cause problems for Industries (including passenger enabled stations), Locomotives, Track Marks, Triggers, Switches, Signals, etc that have to be identified to control the operation of a session. These objects must have unique names

Free Move: Changing an Objects Layer

Layers are an essential feature of Trainz for managing different objects in Surveyor. Layers can be:- locked to prevent the accidental deletion, movement or alteration of the objects they contain hidden to remove their objects from view so that other nearby objects can be manipulated Layers can also be used in Driver to hide and reveal objects during gameplay. More information on creating, editing and using Layers can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- How to Use Layers

If the  Info Palette  is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

An object will be added to a layer when it is placed into the Trainz World by the  Placement Tool and the Scrapbook. Once it has been placed it can be moved to a different layer.

Steps: To move a placed object to another layer:- select the object ( Left Click  on the object) or several objects ( Shift  +  Left Click  on each object) to be moved to another layer. If multiple objects are selected then they do not have to be of the same type or in the same starting layer.  Note: The layer(s) containing the object(s) must NOT be locked  In the  Info Palette   Left Click  on the Layer arrowhead icon (circled in red in the image left). This will open up the layer controls for the last selected object the drop down menu box labelled Layer shows the currently assigned layer for that object. If multiple objects from different layers have been selected then no layer name will be shown.  Left Click  on the Up/Down arrows or inside the text box itself to open the list of all available layers. select the destination layer from the list. The object(s) will then be moved to the selected layer - you will be given a warning if the move has failed (usually because an objects layer is locked) Also see:- Assigning Objects to a Different Layer for more details on the Layer Controls in the  Info Palette   How to Use Layers for detailed information on Layers

CAUTION: Take Care when assigning objects to layers Placing an object in the  Route Layer Group  will save it in the Route and it will appear in every Session based on that Route Placing an object in the  Session Layer Group  will save it in the Session and it will only appear in the currently loaded Session Track Objects (e.g. signals, switches, track marks, etc) cannot be placed into a layer that is higher up in the  Layers Palette  list than the layer containing the Track

Notes: The contents of the Ground Height Layer, Ground Texture Layer and the Effect Layers cannot be moved to other layers. Objects in the Route Layers Group and Session Layers Group cannot be moved into these layers

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.

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Free Move: Move a Scenery Mesh Object

Steps: To move a Scenery Mesh Object:- In the  Tools Palette  select the  Free Move Tool or press the  S  key  Left Click and Drag  the object in any horizontal direction Notes: If multple objects have been selected then all the objects will be moved When moving a scenery object, its height will follow the terrain height

How to "Roll" a Scenery Mesh Object Surveyor 2.0 makes it possible to roll (or rotate) a scenery mesh object around its two horizontal (X and Y) axes - these rotations are referred to roll and pitch movements. But NOT ALL scenery mesh objects will allow these movements - for example Speedtree objects. Steps: To Roll or Pitch a Scenery Mesh Object Using the Info Palette This is the more accurate method and does not involve switching to another tool so the Free Move Tool can remain active while an object is rotated. With the object selected, open the  Info Palette  and enter the rotation angles in the Roll  r:  and/or Pitch  p:  settings. See  The Info Palette for more information. Using the Fine Adjustment Tool This method is quicker but less accurate than using the  Info Palette  plus it involves switching to a different tool. Switch to the  Fine Adjustment Tool and select,  Left Click , the object to be rotated Use the  RED  or  GREEN  rotational anchors (the curved lines) to rotate the object around its X or Y horizontal axes as shown in the image on the right.  Left Click and Drag  on the:-  RED  anchor curve to alter the Pitch angle  GREEN  anchor curve to alter the Roll angle

Free Move: Set the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

You can copy the height of a selected scenery mesh object (e.g. a house) into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object.   Steps: To copy the height of any selected object into the  Height  setting:- In the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Height  setting select the  Get Height from Selection  option   You can check the height of any selected object or endpoint using the  Info Palette . The height is the last value in the Pos: (Position) data set. The heights of all objects in your Trainz World are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Set the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

To set the height of a selected scenery mesh object, choose one of the following:- Options: in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Height  icon is not coloured  Gold . OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then  Right Click  in the setting box and select the  Set Height to Selection  option, OR select the  Apply Height  setting from the objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on the objects Context Icon or press the  T  key) 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 or 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: All heights are relative to where an object is placed. Heights are not absolute. If a scenery object is placed 1 metre above the surface and is then moved along a slope it will always keep its height at the same 1 metre above the surface at every point of the slope The heights of all objects in your Trainz World are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements. If multiple objects have been selected then the height of the context object, the one with the Context Icon, will have its height set to the new value. All other selected objects will have their heights adjusted to maintain their height relative to that object. For example: If another selected object is 2m below the context object then its adjusted height will always remain 2m below the context object

Free Move: Configure an Industry Object

	Some scenery mesh objects have been designed as Industry Objects that can produce and/or consume products
	These objects can be preset to process specific products and quantities when a Session starts

Configuring Industry Objects is covered in great detail in the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes

Free Move: Scenery 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 its icon or press the  T  key. The icon design will vary between object types.

Scenery Mesh Object Context Menu Options  Cut  remove the selected object or objects from the route 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 When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  Delete  delete the selected objects. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Replace Object with Selected Asset  the selected 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 selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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  smooths the height of the ground under the selected object to match the set height of the object. The size of the area affected will depend on which has the greater value: the width of the object OR the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  setting. If multiple objects at different heights have been selected then the ground height will be set to match, as far as possible, the heights 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 selected object to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Where multiple objects have been selected the context object, the one with the Context Icon, will have its height set to the  Height  value and the other selected objects will have their heights adjusted up or down by the same amount  Reset Object Rotation  resets the rotation angle of the selected objects to their default values  Randomise Object Rotation  applies a random rotation angle to each selected object around its vertical axis  Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected object. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette

Free Move: Track Objects

	Track Objects (signals, switches, speed signs, markers, etc) are always attached to an existing track
	In Surveyor 2.0 they can be moved left, right, above and below the track

Free Move: Move a Track Object

Track objects can be dragged to new positions along the track, beside the track or to a different track

Steps: To move a Track Object along the track using the Free Move Tool:- In the  Tools Palette  select the  Free Move Tool or press the  S  key  Left Click and Drag  the objects Anchor Point (the small yellow dot in the middle of the track as shown in the image left) to any position along the track or to another track. You can also move the object by dragging the object itself and not its Anchor Point. However, it will lose its fixed distance, both vertical and horizontal, from the centre of the track. You will then have to open its Context Menu and select the  Reattach to Track  option to restore it to the correct height and distance from the track centre

Throw lever track object in its original position After being moved horizontally

Step: To move a track object horizontally away from the track with the Free Move Tool:-  Left Click and Drag  the object (but not by using its Anchor Point) to anywhere in the horizontal plane including away from the track. The object will always be linked by a "stretchable" yellow line to its anchor point on the closest track segment. You can drag the track object to a different track Track objects that have been moved away from or closer to the track will still function normally and can be moved along the track without reversing the change. Their position can be reset to normal by selecting the  Reattach to Track  option from the objects Context Menu You can select and move multiple track objects at the same time. Use  Shift  +  Left Click  when selecting each object then drag them all to their new positions. The last selected object will have the Context Icon. However, if you have moved the objects off the track (i.e. to the left or right of the track) then using the  Reattach to Track  option may lead to some objects attaching themselves to a closer track than the one intended.

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

Free Move: Set the Height of a Track Object

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

If the  Info Palette  and  Tool Options Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Track Object

You can copy the height of a selected track mesh object (e.g. a signal) into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object.   Steps: To copy the height of any selected object into the  Height  setting:-  Right Click  in the  Height  setting in the  Tool Options Palette  select the  Get Height from Selection  option The heights of all objects in your Trainz World are always in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Set the Height of a Track Object

Throw Lever track object level with the track

To set the height of a selected track object, choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Height  icon is not coloured  Gold . OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then  Right Click  in the setting box and select the  Set Height to Selection  option, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on the objects Context Icon or press the  T  key) 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 or Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). If you drag the object by its highlighting (the green/yellow glow) along the track, then its height will be Absolute. It will remain at its original set height as it moves which means that on a track with a grade it will move to a position above or below the track. If you drag the object by its Anchor Point (the small green dot which attaches the object to the track), then its height will be Relative. It will remain at the same height relative to the track (on, above or below) as it moves.

After being moved vertically

Track objects that have been "height adjusted" will still function normally and can be moved along the track without reversing the height change. The height can be reset to normal by selecting the  Reattach to Track  option from the objects Context Menu.

A situation where it might be useful to raise a signal above the track level would be to place it higher up on the wall of a cutting

Free Move: Set the Effect Radius of a Track Object

Certain track objects have have an Effect Radius that sets how close a consist must approach the object to trigger its action

Track objects that have an Effect Radius include:- Track marks such as Track Markers, Priority Markers and Direction Markers Track Triggers Whistle Signs It is a good idea to adjust the trigger radius of these objects so that they do not overlap a track junction

The current Effect Radius of these objects is shown by the size of the "wings" (Red or Green depending on the type of object) attached to the object and, in some cases, a distance value below the name of the object. Both of these options are shown in the image below. The distance (2.00m) shown means that a consist must approach to 2m or less before the objects "effect" will be triggered.

On one side of the track object is a green Effect Radius dot that allows the radius value to be adjusted up or down. If no Effect Radius dot or Red/Green Wings appear on the track object then it does not have an adjustable Effect Radius Steps: To adjust the Effect Radius of a track object:- In the  Tools Palette  select the  Free Move Tool or press the  S  key Move your camera POV (Point of View) to directly above the track object before adjusting its Effect Radius. This will make the adjustment as quick and as smooth as possible.  Left Click  on the Track Object to select it.  Left Click and Drag  Left or Right (towards or away from the track) on the Effect Radius dot. The dot will not move but the "wings" that indicate the radius on the track and the displayed radius value will increase or decrease when the radius reaches the required size release the mouse button This action can also be performed on existing track objects using the  Fine Adjustment Tool

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 Menuchoose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  the Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

Track Object Context Menu Options Track objects can be copied/moved into a scrapbook by themselves but when pasted/painted they will appear without any track. They will be automatically added to a scrapbook by selecting and copying or cutting the track segments under the objects  Cut  remove the selected object or objects from the route 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 When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  Delete  delete the selected objects. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Replace Object with Selected Asset  the selected 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 selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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. Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.  Smooth Ground Under Selected  smooths the height of the ground under the selected object to match the set height of the object. For track objects the size of the area affected will depend on the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  setting  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 selected object to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Where multiple objects have been selected the context object, the one with the Context Icon, will have its height set to the  Height  value and the other selected objects will have their heights adjusted up or down by the same amount  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. This option will be greyed out if the object is already attached to the track  Rotate Trackside  reverses the position of the object on the track to the other side and facing the opposite direction  Change Junction Direction  if the object is a track switch then its switch direction will be reversed  Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected rolling stock object. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette Notes:   Track objects can be restored to their original height and position (on the track) by opening their Context Menu and choosing one of the following:- Options:  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 to face the opposite direction. For some track objects this will make no difference but for others it will have an affect on their operation - for example:- signals and trackside signs (e.g. speed, whistle and stop signs) track direction markers and directional triggers if rotated these track objects will now only affect trains approaching from the direction that is opposite to the way that they originally faced.

Steps: To rotate a track object:- Open the track objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on its 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 segments joined at the endpoints.

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Free Move: Spline Troubleshooting Tip

Quickly Locate Broken Splines and Tracks   To quickly check for broken links in a spline or track Double Left Click on a segment. All the correctly joined segments upto the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions) will be highlighted. The highlighting will stop at a broken join (which is technically a "last" endpoint)

Free Move: Moving Splines

Moving a spline can involve moving one of the following:- Options: moving an endpoint, OR moving a segment, OR moving multiple segments including the entire length of the spline (between junctions)

Free Move: Move a Spline Endpoint

Steps: To move an individual spline endpoint:- In the  Tools Palette  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 a Spline Segment or Multiple 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 end. 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, although not all splines with endcaps will have one at each end. 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:- In the  Tools Palette  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. A temporary spline endpoint can be made permanent by selecting the  Insert Spline Point Here  option from its 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  Left Click  on will have a temporary endpoint (placed at the spot you clicked) and the Context Icons added. To select ALL the segments in a spline, Double Left Click on a segment This will select all the segments upto the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions) The segment that you double-clicked will have the temporary endpoint (placed at the spot you clicked) and Context Icons added To remove individual spline segments from the selection  Shift  +  Left Click  on each segment to be removed. To remove ALL the segments from a selection,  Double Left Click  on any highlighted segment OR  Left Click  anywhere outside the selected segments.

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: Join Splines

	Existing splines can be joined together at endpoints to create a longer spline or to create a junction between the two splines
	Joins and junctions can be formed using non identical but compatible spline objects, such as different types of track splines.

The  Free Move Tool can be used to form a join or a junction between existing but separated splines and endpoints by dragging the terminating endpoint of one spline onto an endpoint of the other spline. If the Target endpoint is:- at the end of the second spline then a join will be made that will increase the total length of the spline between two of the segments of the second spline then the join will form a new junction between the splines The two splines must be identical or compatible. See Notes: Incompatible Splines below.

You can use the Free Move Tool to join two existing compatible splines at an endpoint to create a join or a junction. Steps: To join two existing spline together to create a junction or to lengthen a spline:- Select a terminating endpoint of one spline  Left Click and Drag  it onto either:- the terminating endpoint of the second spline and  Left Click  on the endpoint to join the two splines together to make the original spline longer OR an endpoint between two segments of the second spline and  Left Click  on the endpoint to form a junction between the two splines. The junction must be formed on an existing endpoint If you do not want to physically join the two splines or form a real junction then hold down the  Shift  key when you  Left Click  on the second endpoint

Notes: Incompatible Splines If, when forming a join or a junction between two splines, the message  Incompatible Spline  appears in the top right corner of the screen, then you are attempting to join two splines that are not compatible with each other. The join or junction between the splines will NOT be created. Notes: Adding a New Spline If the second spline needed for the join or junction does not yet exist then it must be added using the  Placement Tool. This tool can also be used to form the junction or join between the splines. See  Add a Spline for the details.

Free Move: Separate Splines

Steps: To remove a junction or a join between splines but keep all the spline segments:- use the  Free Move Tool to select ( Left Click  on) the junction or join endpoint open the endpoint Context Menu by a  Left Click  on its Context Icon or by pressing the  T  key select the  Separate Splines  menu option. This will separate ALL the spline segments that meet at that endpoint without deleting any of the segments If you have a segment or segments selected (highlighted) when you click the  Separate Splines  menu option then ALL the selected spline segments will be separated at their endpoints

A spline junction or join can also be removed by deleting any spline segment that connects to its endpoint A junction endpoint can be moved by using the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool

Free Move: Add a Track Junction

A track junction is formed using track splines in the same way as described above but track junctions have additional features

When a junction is created using Track Spline Objects, a junction switch will be automatically added. IF the Automatic Junction Placement Checkbox (in the  Surveyor Main Menu - Settings option - Interface Settings) has been checked ON the switch will be the one specified in the Region listed in the Route Properties. The region and its switch can be changed by opening the Surveyor Edit Menu and selecting  Edit Route... . If no region has been specified then a default switch (as shown left) will be used use the Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool to move or delete the switch and to open its Context Menu for editing Information on creating and editing a Region can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- How to Create a Region Asset

Using Procedural Tracks If the track object used is a Procedural Track and the junction is formed with another Procedural Track then the junction endpoint dot will be coloured:- RED (as shown above) if the junction exceeds the maximum allowed values for a procedural junction. This will not stop the junction from working but it will not display the special features only found in Procedural Tracks, OR BLACK if the junction is within the maximum allowed values for a procedural junction and it will display all the Procedural Track special features A procedural track junction can be changed from red to black by adjusting the height and/or position (depending on the exact cause of the problem) of the junction endpoint and the endpoints on either side of the junction. See the Wiki Page How to Use Procedural Track for more details A junction between two non-procedural tracks and between a procedural track and a non-procedural track will always have a red endpoint dot

Free Move: Set a Spline Height

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Spline Object

You can copy the height of a spline segment or endpoint into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. Choose one of the following:- Options: Use the Eyedropper to copy the height of a spline segment Steps: To copy the Height of a spline segment (but not an endpoint):- hold down the  Alt  key and move the mouse tool pointer onto the spline segment while holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the spline segment When the eyedropper is active spline endpoints will not be visible and cannot be selected If the segment has a slope then the height at the point clicked will be copied into the  Height  setting This will also select the clicked object in the  Assets Palette  and it will become the next object added by a  Left Click  with the Placement Tool in your Trainz World   OR Use the  Height  setting drop down menu Steps: To copy the Height of a spline segment or one of its endpoints:-  Left Click  on the spline segment or endpoint in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Height  setting box Select the  Get Height from Selection  option If the spline segment has a slope then the height at its midpoint will be used

Set the Height of a Spline Object

To set the height of a selected spline (including track) or endpoint, choose one of the following:- Options: If the selected spline segments have a  Grade  setting then Options and will adjust the height of each segment endpoint so that the heights will change but the grade will remain the same. Option will set all the endpoints to the entered height and the grade will be removed  Left Click  in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Height  icon is not coloured  Gold . OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then  Right Click  in the setting box and select the  Set Height to Selection  option, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on the objects Context Icon or press the  T  key) 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 or Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). When you add a spline (including track) to a scene, the heights of its endpoints will be Relative to the ground beneath them. If you move the spline, a segment or an endpoint, it will rise or fall to match the height of the ground surface beneath it.   If you set the height of a spline, or just one of its endpoints, then ALL its endpoint heights will become Absolute at their current height. If you move the spline, a segment or an endpoint, it will remain at its set height regardless of the height of the ground beneath it. For example, if the spline has been placed on the ground at a height of 50m and you give an endpoint a height of 60m then that endpoint will be placed 10m above the ground. If the endpoint is moved to an area where the ground is at a height of 20m then it will remain at a height of 60m which will now be 40m above the ground height.   You can cancel the set height of a spline endpoint, a segment or the entire spline at anytime. Select the endpoint, segment (or segments), or the entire spline then open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key). Select the option  Settle on Ground . This will drop (or raise) the spline, its selected segment(s) or endpoint to ground level. See  Terrain Forming Tips for information on how this can be used to smooth an area of the terrain.

Steps: To set the heights of multiple spline segments to the value stored in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting:- Select the spline segments using:-  Shift  +  Left Click  to select individual segments, OR Double Left Click to select all the segments up to the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions). Select one of the options , , or described above ALL the selected spline segments and their endpoints will be set to the specified height.

Free Move: Set a Spline Gradient

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 slope (a cliff) would have an infinite grade (cliff height divided by 0) which is currently impossible in Surveyor.

Get the Grade of a Spline Object

You can copy the current Grade of any spline segment into the  Tool Options Palette   Grade  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object that has a Grade setting. Choose one of the following:- Options: Use the Eyedropper Steps: To copy the Grade of a spline segment (but not an endpoint):- hold down the  Alt  key and move the mouse tool pointer onto the spline segment while holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the spline segment When the eyedropper is active spline endpoints will not be visible and cannot be selected. This option will also change the asset selected in the  Assets Palette  to the object clicked and it will become the next object added by a  Left Click  with the Placement Tool The height at the point clicked will also be copied into the  Height  setting   OR Use the  Grade  setting drop down menu Steps: To copy the Grade of a spline segment or one of its endpoints:-  Left Click  on the spline segment or endpoint in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Grade  setting box Select the  Get Grade from Selection  option

Set the Grade of a Spline Object

To set the gradient of a selected spline segment (including track), choose one of the following:- Options: in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Grade  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Grade  icon is not coloured  Gold . OR select the  Apply Grade to this Spline Endpoint  option from the Context Menu for the segment endpoint (not the segment context icon) -  Left Click  on the endpoint Context Icon to apply the existing grade value. The endpoint that has been selected will be the starting point of the grade.

Steps: To set the gradients of multiple spline segments to the value stored in the  Tool Options Palette   Grade  setting:- Select the spline segments using:-  Shift  +  Left Click  to select individual segments, OR Double Left Click to select all the segments up to the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions). To apply the same gradient to all the selected segments make sure that the first segment has the context icons Open the Context Menu of the first or starting endpoint ( Left Click  on its icon ) Select the option  Apply Grade to this Spline Endpoint  The selected spline segments are now set to the specified gradient. If the selected endpoint is NOT at the start of the highlighted segments then the gradient will be applied in both directions from that endpoint as shown below. Once the height and/or gradient of the spline segments have been set then other effects can be added. From the Context Menu of the highlighted segments, select the options:-  Smooth Ground Under Selected   to smooth the ground surface under a spline object to match its height, and  Paint Under Selected  to paint the currently selected ground texture under the spline using the settings in the  Tool Options Palette  Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size than this minimum value then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.

Free Move: Set Track Condition and Superelevation

	The Track Condition sets the "smoothness" of the ride over a track segment. The default is 50% which is Average
	The Track Superelevation sets the height difference (as a angle) between the inner and outer rail lines on a curve
	Track Condition and Superelevation are only available for Track Splines

Track Condition

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

There are three different methods available for setting the track condition of a track segment.

The  Tool Options Palette  has a Condition setting that only applies to track spline segments.

Condition  The  Tool Options Palette  has a Condition setting that only applies to track spline segments. This can be set for a single selected segment or for multiple selected segments. Range:  1% (terrible track condition) to 50% (average track condition - the default setting) to 100% (perfect track condition) Steps: To set Track Condition:- Select ( Left Click ) the track segment or ( Shift  +  Left Click  or  Double Left Click ) multiple track segments Enter a value from 1 to 100 in the  Tool Options Palette   Condition  setting Press the  Enter  key There will be no visible change to the track appearance, not even for a 1% setting (the worst possible track condition), as this change would have to be built into the track mesh. Instead when a consist moves over the track there will be a visible change in its rocking or swaying motion.

A second method of setting the Track Condition of a selected track segment is to use its Track Segment Context Menu.

Steps: To set the Track Condition of a single selected track segment:-  Left Click  on the Track Segment Context Icon to open its menu  Left Click  on the  Edit Details  option at the bottom of the list Enter a track condition as a % value where it shows Default. The description on the right will change to show the effect of the new value Click  Save Changes  to set the new value and exit or  Cancel  to cancel the new value and exit

A third method of setting the Track Condition is to use the  Placement Tool to place an invisible track "bump" object on a track segment. See  Placement: Set Track Condition and Superelevation for the details

Track Superelevation

The Track Superelevation can only be set through the Track Endpoint Context Menu. You can have a different value set for each endpoint that will reflect the changes that can take place around a curve. For more information on how to calculate and use Superelevation see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation

Steps: To set the Superelevation for an endpoint of a newly placed track segment:-  Left Click  on the Track Spline Endpoint Context Icon to open its menu  Left Click  on the  Edit Details  option at the bottom of the list Enter a Superelevation Degree as an angle (in degrees) - this is the superelevation angle at this vertex (endpoint) per degree of curvature where 0 = none The Superelevation Angle is calculated using the radius of the curve, the maximum track speed and the track gauge. See the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation for the formula Enter a Superelevation Limit as an angle (in degrees) - this is the maximum allowed superelevation angle at this vertex (endpoint) Click  Save Changes  to set the new values and exit or  Cancel  to cancel the new values and exit Repeat the above steps for each endpoint

Free Move: Spline Object Context Menus

A selected scenery spline object, or a group of selected scenery spline objects, will have Context Icons. The icon design will vary between object types and their position on the spline object. Each icon will open its own Context Menu.

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

To open a selected objects Context Menu choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  the Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

Notes: Using the  T  key with splines If a spline segment has been selected then pressing the  T  key will open the Segment Context Menu and the Menu options you select or edit will apply to the whole segment or all selected segments   If a spline end point has been selected then pressing the  T  key will open the End Point Context Menu and the Menu options you select or edit will only apply to that particular endpoint

Spline Object Context Menus
Endpoint Context Menu	Segment Context Menu	Notes: The  Edit Details  option is only available for Track splines. The properties that can be edited will depend on whether you have selected a Track Segment or a Track Endpoint. Endpoint Details - the track Superelevation properties for that endpoint. Superelevation is a feature used on curves to raise the height of the outside track of the curve slightly above the height of the inside track. This allows higher speeds around curves. For more information on Superelevation see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation Segment Details - the track Condition property for that segment. Track Condition is the "smoothness" of the ride over a track segment 100% = perfect 50% = average 1% = extremely poor You can also select multiple track segments and set their track Condition by editing their combined  Condition  value in the  Tool Options Palette .

Spline Object Context Menu Options When copying/moving track segments into a scrapbook any track objects on the segments will be included in the scrapbook  Cut  remove the selected segment or segments from the route and move them into the Scrapbook ( only)  Copy  copy the selected segment or segments and place them into the Scrapbook ( only)  Paste  paste the contents of the current Scrapbook at the cursor (focus) point When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  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 ( only)  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the  Assets Palette  will be painted under the selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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 ( only) Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.  Smooth Ground Under Selected  smooths the height of the ground under the selected spline to match its set height. If multiple spline segments have been selected then the ground under all the segments will be smoothed to their height. The size of the area affected will depend on which has the greater value: the width of the spline OR the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  setting. Does not work for endpoints  Settle on Ground  sets the height of the selected endpoint or segments 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 ( only) You can copy the Height from an existing spline endpoint into the  Height  setting of the  Tool Options Palette . Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. hold down the  Alt  key and  Left Click  on the spline endpoint to copy its Height value. That value can then be used to set the Height of other spline endpoints  Apply Height  sets the height of the selected segment or segments to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting ( only)  Apply Grade to this Spline Endpoint  you must first select a segment then click on one of its endpoint icons . This 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 You can copy the Grade from an existing spline segment into the  Grade  setting of the  Tool Options Palette . Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. hold down the  Alt  key and  Left Click  on the spline segment to copy its Grade value. That value can then be used to set the Grade of other spline segments  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 ( only)  Separate Splines  breaks two spline segments into two separate (independent) splines at the selected endpoint If multiple segments have been selected then this option will break ALL the selected segments into separate (independent) splines  Merge Splines  removes the selected endpoint between two segments and merges the segments into one ( only). Two segments can also be merged by deleting a selected endpoint with the  Delete  key  Insert Spline Point Here  splits the selected segment into two segments by adding a new endpoint at the point where the segment was clicked ( only)  Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected spline object. This option is only available for Track splines. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette

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.

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Free Move: Load a Rolling Stock Object

	Many rolling stock objects can carry products to be loaded and unloaded at industry objects
	Rolling stock objects can be preloaded with products when the Session starts
	Passenger rolling stock objects can carry passengers who will board and leave at specific industry objects (station platforms)

Loading Rolling Stock or Consists is covered in great detail in the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes

Free Move: Move Rolling Stock Objects

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

Rolling Stock Objects are always attached to a track segment. They can be moved along the track or to a different track but they cannot be moved to a position that is to the left, right, above or below 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

Steps: To move a Rolling Stock Object or objects:-  Left Click and Drag  the object or objects release the objects on or close to their new track position

Notes: Rolling Stock Conflicts You can accidently 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 .

To decouple a rake of joined rolling stock objects from a consist (for example, the first or last 5 wagons),  Shift  +  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.

Steps: To decouple rolling stock from a consist:- Select one ( Left Click ) or more ( Shift  +  Left Click ) rolling stock objects inside a consist If more than one object is selected, then they:- do not have to be connected to each other should be in the same consist - the results may be "unexpected" if the objects are selected and dragged out from different consists  Left Click and Drag  the object or objects out of the consist and onto an Unoccupied section of track do not release the mouse button until you have the rolling stock objects in position otherwise they will simply "snap back" 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

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.

Options:

Using "Click and Drag"

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: To Couple rolling stock objects:- Select ( Left Click ) the rolling stock object (in this case the guard van) to be coupled to a consist or another rolling stock object (in this case the gondola) If more than one object has to be selected then use a  Shift  +  Left Click  to individually select each object If ALL the objects in a consist have to be selected then use a Double Left Click on any object in the consist  Left Click and Drag  the object (the guard van) along the track to its target object or consist. 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 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 when it has coupled and it will return to its correct height If the two objects do not couple check that both are on the same track

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 , 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 and  Left Click  on the Context Icon of the last selected rolling stock object, OR] press the  T  key Select the option  Merge into Single Train

There are two possible outcomes depending on which object has the Context Icon

Context Icon on the Gondola Wagon Using the  Merge into 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

Context Icon on the Guard Van Using the  Merge into 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.  Left Click and Drag  the incorrectly placed vehicles to their correct positions.

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 object's Context Menu choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  its Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

You cannot add rolling stock assets to a Scrapbook but you can create and save Consist Assets that have multiple rolling stock objects Steps: To create a Consist Asset:- select the consist -  Double Left Click  on the consist or  Shift  +  Left Click  on individual items open the consist Context Menu -  Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key select the option  Save to Consist Asset...  enter a name and an optional description for your new Consist Asset and click the icon The consist will appear as a Train Asset in the  Assets Palette

You cannot set a Height value for a rolling stock object. It will always take the same height as the track on which it is placed

Rolling Stock Object Context Menu Options 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 (see Tips above).  Paste  the contents of the current Scrapbook will be pasted at the cursor (focus) point When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  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 objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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. Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.  Smooth Ground Under Selected  smooths the height of the ground under the rolling stock object to match its 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 separate 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 Train asset in the  Assets Palette   Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected rolling stock object. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette

The Fine Adjustment Tool

Keyboard Shortcut:  D

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

Various function of this tool use the  Tool Options Palette   Info Palette   Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette . If these palettes are not visible on the screen when required then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Tool Targets  The Fine Adjustment Tool has no Target options so it has no drop down menu list This tool is ideal for making small adjustments to objects - horizontally, vertically and rotations in 3D space Multiple objects (of different types) can be selected for mass adjustments and other operations  Tool Actions  The Fine Adjustment Tool has no Action options so it has no drop down menu list The  Fine Adjustment Tool is used for selecting and editing the following objects in a route:-  Scenery Mesh Objects (e.g. buildings, trees)    Spline Objects (e.g. roads, fences, tracks)  Track Objects (e.g. signals, switches)    Rolling Stock Objects (e.g. locos, wagons)

Fine Adjustment Alternatives In addition to the  Fine Adjustment Tool the position, orientation and/or height of objects can be changed by choosing one of the following:- Options: using the  Free Move Tool OR editing its  x:   y:   z:  position values and  r:   p:   y:  rotation values in  The Info Palette OR 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 plus a central dot, called Anchors
	The Anchors in the Fine Adjustment Tool are used to move and rotate a selected object, or a group of selected objects, through 3D space.

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. Some objects will have no rotational anchors at all.  The Object Anchor       (black central dot) moves the object in any horizontal direction

The orientation of the  Red  and  Green  horizontal anchor lines is based on the orientation of the object when it is placed in the scene, not on the compass directions

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 anchors, choose one of the following:- Options: 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), OR use the  r:   p:   y:  fine adjustment arrows in the  Info Palette  object  Rot:  controls. These arrows can be used to set the rotation to 1° accuracy (see  The Info Palette below).

Fine Adjustment: Selecting an Object

The Fine Adjustment Tool can be used to select individual objects and multiple objects. The multiple objects can be of different types (e.g. spline objects and scenery objects) and in different layers

Steps: To select single and multiple objects with the Fine Adjustment Tool:- In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the [[image:S20_FineAdjustmentToolIcon.png|link=|20px] Fine Adjustment Tool] or press the  D  key In the Surveyor screen  Left Click  on the object to be selected, or the first object if multiple objects are to be selected To select additional objects, hold down the  Shift  key and  Left Click  on each object to be added to the selection. The additional objects do not have to be the same type or in the same layer  Double Left Click  on an object to add it and all nearby identical objects into a single selection. for a spline object all the segments up to the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions) will be selected for a rolling stock object all the rolling stock objects in that consist will be selected Notes: To remove an object from the selection  Left Click  on it again if it is the only selected object or  Shift  +  Left Click  if it is one of several selected objects. To remove ALL objects from a selection,  Left Click  on a Ground Texture or press the  Ctrl  +  D  keys When you select an object its Context Icon will appear attached to the object.  Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key to open its Context Menu. If more than one object is selected then the Context Icon will be attached to the last object selected

Once an object, or multiple objects, have been selected they can be moved or deleted.
	To move the objects simply  Left Click and Drag  one of the selected objects to their new position or use one of the Horizontal or Vertical Anchors	If any of the selected objects are in Locked layers then they will not be moved or deleted
	To rotate the objects use one of the Rotational Anchors but note that some objects cannot be rotated. The centre of rotation will be the last object selected
	To delete the objects simply press the  Delete  key

Selecting Objects From a Crowded Scene Sometimes the object you want to select is part of a crowded scene or is overlapped by other objects, such as splines, and this can make it difficult to select. In these situations the best solution is to use the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  to narrow the selection to a single object or to a set of objects. See Narrowing the Search for more details

Fine Adjustment: Naming an Object

	Objects can be given names to help identify them with the Find Tool
	Some objects must be given unique names for display and session operations

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Steps: To name (or rename) an object:- In the  Info Palette   Left Click  inside the Name: text entry box If the Name: text entry box is greyed out and cannot be selected then the layer containing the object is locked. Use the  Layers Palette  to unlock the layer (see  The Layers Palette), reselect the object and try again Enter or edit the name Press the  Enter  key KNOWN BUG: Changes to the name of a Track Object will not save unless something else in the route is also edited. The following additional step is a workaround when renaming Track Objects If renaming a track object then move a non-track object (e.g. a tree) before saving. If you have already edited something else in the route but not yet saved then this step will not be necessary

If more than one object has been selected then only the last selected object, the one with the Context Icon, will be named.

There is no ban on two or more objects using the same name In the image shown on the left there are 4 objects all named Old Orroroo Rd. This will not cause any problems for scenery objects apart from finding the exact one you want with the Find Tool ( Ctrl  +  F  keys) as shown in the image on the left - Which of the 4 "Old Orroroo Rd" objects is the one that I need? WARNING: Duplicate names will cause problems for Industries (including passenger enabled stations), Locomotives, Track Marks, Triggers, Switches, Signals, etc that have to be identified to control the operation of a session. These objects must have unique names

Fine Adjustment: Changing an Objects Layer

All objects in the Trainz World are in layers. For scenery objects you can set and change the layers where they are placed

Layers are an essential feature of Trainz for managing different objects in Surveyor. Layers can be:- locked to prevent the accidental deletion, movement or alteration of the objects they contain hidden to remove their objects from view so that other nearby objects can be manipulated Layers can also be used in Driver to hide and reveal objects during gameplay. More information on creating, editing and using Layers can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page at:- How to Use Layers

If the  Info Palette  is not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document

An object will be added to a layer when it is placed into the Trainz World by the  Placement Tool and the Scrapbook. Once it has been placed it can be moved to a different layer.

Steps: To move a placed object to another layer:- select the object ( Left Click  on the object) or several objects ( Shift  +  Left Click  on each object) to be moved to another layer. If multiple objects are selected then they do not have to be of the same type or in the same starting layer.  Note: The layer(s) containing the object(s) must NOT be locked  in the  Info Palette   Left Click  on the Layer arrowhead icon (circled in red in the image left). This will open up the layer controls for the last selected object the drop down menu box labelled Layer shows the currently assigned layer for that object. If multiple objects from different layers have been selected then no layer name will be shown.  Left Click  on the Up/Down arrows or inside the text box itself to open the list of all available layers. select the destination layer from the list. The object(s) will then be moved to the selected layer - you will be given a warning if the move has failed (usually because an objects layer is locked) Also see:- Assigning Objects to a Different Layer for more details on the Layer Controls in the  Info Palette   How to Use Layers for detailed information on Layers

CAUTION: Take Care when assigning objects to layers Placing an object in the  Route Layer Group  will save it in the Route and it will appear in every Session based on that Route Placing an object in the  Session Layer Group  will save it in the Session and it will only appear in the currently loaded Session Track Objects (e.g. signals, switches, track marks, etc) cannot be placed into a layer that is higher up in the  Layers Palette  list than the layer containing the Track

Notes: The contents of the Ground Height Layer, Ground Texture Layer and the Effect Layers cannot be moved to other layers. Objects in the Route Layers Group and Session Layers Group cannot be moved into these layers

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.

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Fine Adjustment: Move a Scenery Mesh Object

To move an object with the Fine Adjustment Tool choose one of the following:- Options:  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.

Using the Anchors

Red   Green  and  Black  horizontal Anchor movements

Steps: To move a mesh object in a straight horizontal direction:- place the pointer anywhere on the  Red  or  Green  horizontal Anchor line  Left Click and Drag  in either direction along the colored Anchor line The black dot      at the centre of the Anchor Frame is the Object Anchor. Steps: To move a mesh object using the Object Anchor:- place the pointer on the black Object Anchor  Left Click and Drag  in any direction The same steps apply to the other Anchor Lines, straight and curved, as shown below.

Blue  vertical Anchor movement

Green  Anchor rotation

Red  Anchor rotation

Blue  Anchor rotation

Notes: Not all objects will have  Red  or  Green  Rotational Anchors. Some objects will have no rotational anchors at all. Objects can be restored to their original height and rotation settings by opening their Context Menu and choosing one of the following:- Options:  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.

How to "Roll" a Scenery Mesh Object Surveyor 2.0 makes it possible to roll (or rotate) a scenery mesh object around its two horizontal (X and Y) axes - these rotations are referred to roll and pitch movements. But NOT ALL scenery mesh objects will allow these movements - for example Speedtree objects. Steps: To Roll or Pitch a Scenery Mesh Object Using the Info Palette This is the more accurate method. With the object selected, open the  Info Palette  and enter the rotation angles in the Roll  r:  and/or Pitch  p:  settings. See  The Info Palette for more information. Using the Fine Adjustment Tool This method is less accurate than using the  Info Palette  Select,  Left Click , the object to be rotated Use the  RED  or  GREEN  rotational anchors (the curved lines) to rotate the object around its X or Y horizontal axes as shown in the image on the right.  Left Click and Drag  on the:-  RED  anchor curve to alter the Pitch angle  GREEN  anchor curve to alter the Roll angle

Fine Adjustment: Set the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

Scenery Mesh objects can be raised above and lowered below the ground level.

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

You can copy the height of a selected scenery mesh object (e.g. a house) into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object.   Steps: To copy the height of any selected object into the  Height  setting:- in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Height  setting select the  Get Height from Selection  option   You can check the height of any selected object or endpoint using the  Info Palette . The height is the last value in the Pos: (Position) data set.

Set the Height of a Scenery Mesh Object

To set the height of a selected scenery mesh object, choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click and Drag  Up/Down on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line.  Movement is restricted to the length of the Anchor line only , OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Height  icon is not coloured  Gold . OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then  Right Click  in the setting box and select the  Set Height to Selection  option, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on the objects Context Icon or press the  T  key) 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 or 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: All heights are relative to where an object is placed. Heights are not absolute. If a scenery object is placed 1 metre above the surface and is then moved along a slope it will always keep its height at the same 1 metre above the surface at every point of the slope If multiple objects have been selected then the height of the context object, the one with the Context Icon, will have its height set to the new value. All other selected objects will have their heights adjusted to maintain their height relative to that object. For example: If another selected object is 2m below the context object then its adjusted height will always remain 2m below the context object

Fine Adjustment: Configure an Industry Object

	Some scenery mesh objects have been designed as Industry Objects that can produce and/or consume products
	These objects can be preset to process specific products and quantities when a Session starts

Configuring Industry Objects is covered in great detail in the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes

Fine Adjustment: Scenery 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 its icon or press the  T  key. The icon design will vary between object types.

Scenery Mesh Object Context Menu Options  Cut  remove the selected object or objects from the route 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 When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  Delete  delete the selected objects. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Replace Object with Selected Asset  the selected 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 selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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  smooths the height of the ground under the selected object to match the set height of the object. The size of the area affected will depend on which has the greater value: the width of the object OR the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  setting. If multiple objects at different heights have been selected then the ground height will be set to match, as far as possible, the heights 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 selected object to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Where multiple objects have been selected the context object, the one with the Context Icon, will have its height set to the  Height  value and the other selected objects will have their heights adjusted up or down by the same amount  Reset Object Rotation  resets the rotation angle of the selected objects to their default values  Randomise Object Rotation  applies a random rotation angle to each selected object around its vertical axis  Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected object. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette

Fine Adjustment: Track Objects

	Track Objects (signals, switches, speed signs, markers, etc) are always attached to an existing track
	In Surveyor 2.0 they can be moved left, right, above and below the track

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Fine Adjustment: Move a Track Object

Track objects can be dragged to new positions along and beside the track or to a different track

To move a selected track object horizontally, choose one of the following:- Options: For movements along the track only -  Left Click and Drag :- the objects Anchor Point (the yellow dot in the centre of the track), OR on its  Green  horizontal Anchor line (movement is restricted to the Anchor line) 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), OR on the Object Anchor (the black dot) to get unrestricted horizontal movement including to a different track For most track objects the Rotational Anchors, if they are present, will have no effect

Track objects that have been moved away from or closer to the track will still function normally and can be moved along the track without reversing the change. Their position can be reset to normal by selecting the  Reattach to Track  option from the objects Context Menu You can select and move multiple track objects at the same time. Use  Shift  +  Left Click  when selecting each object then drag them all to their new positions. The last selected object will have the Context Icon. However, if you have moved the objects off the track (i.e. to the left or right of the track) then using the  Reattach to Track  option may lead to some objects attaching themselves to a closer track than the one intended.

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

Fine Adjustment: Set the Height of a Track Object

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

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Track Object

You can copy the height of a selected track mesh object (e.g. a signal) into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object.   Steps: To copy the height of any selected object into the  Height  setting:- in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Height  setting select the  Get Height from Selection  option

Set the Height of a Track Object

Throw Lever track object level with track After being moved vertically

To set the height of a selected track object, choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click and Drag  Up/Down on the  Blue  vertical Anchor line.  Movement is restricted to the length of the Anchor line only , OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting, enter a value followed by the  Enter  key OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting, enter a value then  Right Click  and select  Set Height to Selection  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 or Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). If you drag the object by its highlighting (the green/yellow glow) along the track, then its height will be Absolute. It will remain at its original set height as it moves which means that on a track with a grade it will move to a position above or below the track. If you drag the object by its Anchor Point (the small green dot which attaches the object to the track), then its height will be Relative. It will remain at the same height relative to the track (on, above or below) as it moves. A situation where it might be useful to raise a signal above the track level would be to place it higher up on the wall of a cutting Track objects that have been "height adjusted" will still function normally and can be moved along the track without reversing the height change. The height can be reset to normal by selecting the  Reattach to Track  option from the objects Context Menu

For most track objects the Rotational Anchors, if they are present, will have no effect

Fine Adjustment: Set the Effect Radius of a Track Object

Certain track objects have an Effect Radius that sets how close a consist must approach the object to trigger its action

Track objects that have an Effect Radius include:- Track marks such as Track Markers, Priority Markers and Direction Markers Track Triggers Whistle Signs It is a good idea to adjust the trigger radius of these objects so that they do not overlap a track junction

The current Effect Radius of these objects is shown by the size of the "wings" (Red or Green depending on the type of object) attached to the object and, in some cases, a distance value below the name of the object. Both of these options are shown in the image below. The distance (2.00m) shown means that a consist must approach to 2m or less before the objects "effect" will be triggered.

On one side of the track object is a green Effect Radius dot that allows the radius value to be adjusted up or down. If no Effect Radius dot or Red/Green Wings appear on the track object then it does not have an adjustable Effect Radius Steps: To adjust the Effect Radius of a track object:- use the Fine Adjustment Tool to select the track object Move your camera POV (Point of View) to directly above the track object before adjusting its Effect Radius. This will make the adjustment as quick and as smooth as possible.  Left Click and Drag  Left or Right (towards or away from the track) on the Effect Radius dot. The dot will not move but the "wings" that indicate the radius on the track and the displayed radius value will increase or decrease when the radius reaches the required size release the mouse button This action can also be performed on existing track objects using the  Free Move Tool

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 choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  the Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

Track Object Context Menu Options Track objects can be copied/moved into a scrapbook by themselves but when pasted/painted they will appear without any track. They will be automatically added to a scrapbook by selecting and copying or cutting the track segments under the objects  Cut  remove the selected object or objects from the route 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 When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  Delete  delete the selected objects. It has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Replace Object with Selected Asset  the selected 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 selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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. Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.  Smooth Ground Under Selected  smooths the height of the ground under the selected object to match the set height of the object. For track objects the size of the area affected will depend on the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  setting  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 selected object to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Where multiple objects have been selected the context object, the one with the Context Icon, will have its height set to the  Height  value and the other selected objects will have their heights adjusted up or down by the same amount  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. This option will be greyed out if the object is already attached to the track  Rotate Trackside  reverses the position of the object on the track to the other side and facing the opposite direction  Change Junction Direction  if the object is a track switch then its switch direction will be reversed  Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected rolling stock object. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette

Notes:   Track objects can be restored to their original height and position (on the track) by opening their Context Menu and choosing one of the following:- Options:  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 to face the opposite direction. For some track objects this will make no difference but for others it will have an affect on their operation - for example:-
	signals and trackside signs (e.g. speed, whistle and stop signs)
	track direction markers and directional triggers
	if rotated these track objects will now only affect trains approaching from the opposite direction to the direction that they originally faced.

Steps: To rotate a track object:- Open the track objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on its 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 segments joined at the endpoints.

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Fine Adjustment: Spline Troubleshooting Tip

Quickly Locate Broken Splines and Tracks   To quickly check for broken links in a spline or track Double Left Click on a segment. All the correctly joined segments upto the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions) will be highlighted. The highlighting will stop at a broken join (which is technically a "last" endpoint)

Fine Adjustment: Moving Splines

Moving a spline can involve moving one of the following:- Options: moving an endpoint, OR moving a segment, OR moving multiple segments including the entire length of the spline (between junctions)

Fine Adjustment: Move a Spline Endpoint

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  one of the following:- Options: 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 a Spline Segment or Multiple Segments

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. To select:- more than one segment -  Shift  +  Left Click  on each segment ALL the segments - Double Left Click on a segment. This will the select segments in both directions from the segment clicked upto the next junction or the final endpoint  Left Click and Drag  one of the following:-   Options: an Anchor Line to move the segment or segments in that specific direction, OR anywhere in a segment to move it in any direction in the horizontal plane

To remove individual spline segments from the selection simply  Shift  +  Left Click  on each segment to be removed. To remove ALL the segments from a selection,  Double Left Click  on any highlighted segment OR  Left Click  anywhere outside the selected segments.

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. A temporary spline endpoint can be made permanent by selecting the  Insert Spline Point Here  option from its Context Menu

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  Green  curved anchor line has no effect

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: Rotate Multiple Spline Segments

You can rotate multiple selected spline segments around any of its 3D Anchor Frames.

Steps: To Rotate Multple Splne Segments Select the  Fine Adjustment Tool  Double Left Click  on the spline segment that will be the centre of the rotation or contains the endpoint that will be the pivot of the rotation. The entire spline will be selected but the Anchor Frames will only be on the segment that was clicked  Left Click and Drag  on the  Blue  rotational anchor line of the Anchor Frame that will be used as the pivot or centre of rotation The selected Anchor Frame can be at one of the two terminal endpoints for the entire spline or at any location on one of the spline segments. In either case the selected Anchor Frame will be the pivot point for the rotation

Fine Adjustment: Join Splines

	Existing splines can be joined together at endpoints to create a longer spline or to create a junction between the two splines
	Joins and junctions can be formed using non identical but compatible spline objects, such as different types of track splines.

The  Fine Adjustment Tool can be used to form a join or a junction between existing but separated splines and endpoints by dragging the terminating endpoint of one spline onto an endpoint of the other spline. If the Target endpoint is:- at the end of the second spline then a join will be made that will increase the total length of the spline between two of the segments of the second spline then the join will form a new junction between the splines The two splines must be identical or compatible. See Notes: Incompatible Splines below.

You can use the Fine Adjustment Tool to join two existing compatible splines at an endpoint to create a join or a junction. Steps: To join two existing spline together to create a junction or to lengthen a spline:- Select a terminating endpoint of one spline  Left Click and Drag  it onto either:- the terminating endpoint of the second spline and  Left Click  on the endpoint to join the two splines together to make the original spline longer OR an endpoint between two segments of the second spline and  Left Click  on the endpoint to form a junction between the two splines. The junction must be formed on an existing endpoint If you do not want to physically join the two splines or form a real junction then hold down the  Shift  key when you  Left Click  on the second endpoint

Notes: Incompatible Splines If, when forming a join or a junction between two splines, the message  Incompatible Spline  appears in the top right corner of the screen, then you are attempting to join two splines that are not compatible with each other. The join or junction between the splines will NOT be created. Notes: Adding a New Spline If the second spline needed for the join or junction does not yet exist then it must be added using the  Placement Tool. This tool can also be used to form the junction or join between the splines. See  Add a Spline for the details.

Fine Adjustment: Separate Splines

Steps: To remove a junction or a join between splines but keep all the spline segments:- use the  Fine Adjustment Tool to select ( Left Click  on) the junction or join endpoint open the endpoint Context Menu by a  Left Click  on its Context Icon or by pressing the  T  key select the  Separate Splines  menu option. This will separate ALL the spline segments that meet at that endpoint without deleting any of the segments If you have a segment or segments selected (highlighted) when you click the  Separate Splines  menu option then ALL the selected spline segments will be separated at their endpoints

A spline junction or join can also be removed by deleting any spline segment that connects to its endpoint A junction endpoint can be moved by using the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool

Fine Adjustment: Add a Track Junction

A track junction is formed using track splines in the same way as described above but track junctions have additional features

When a junction is created using Track Spline Objects, a junction switch will be automatically added. IF the Automatic Junction Placement Checkbox (in the  Surveyor Main Menu - Settings option - Interface Settings) has been checked ON the switch will be the one specified in the Region listed in the Route Properties. The region and its switch can be changed by opening the Surveyor Edit Menu and selecting  Edit Route... . If no region has been specified then a default switch (as shown left) will be used use the  Free Move Tool or the Fine Adjustment Tool to move or delete the switch and to open its Context Menu for editing Information on creating and editing a Region can be found on the 'Trainz Wiki Page at:- How to Create a Region Asset

Using Procedural Tracks If the track object used is a Procedural Track and the junction is formed with another Procedural Track then the junction endpoint dot will be coloured:- RED (as shown above) if the junction exceeds the maximum allowed values for a procedural junction. This will not stop the junction from working but it will not display the special features only found in Procedural Tracks, OR BLACK if the junction is within the maximum allowed values for a procedural junction and it will display all the Procedural Track special features A procedural track junction can be changed from red to black by adjusting the height and/or position (depending on the exact cause of the problem) of the junction endpoint and the endpoints on either side of the junction. See the Wiki Page How to Use Procedural Track for more details A junction between two non-procedural tracks and between a procedural track and a non-procedural track will always have a red endpoint dot

Fine Adjustment: Set a Spline Height

All Heights are always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Get the Height of a Spline Object

You can copy the height of a spline segment or endpoint into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. Choose one of the following:- Options: Use the Eyedropper to copy the height of a spline segment Steps: To copy the Height of a spline segment (but not an endpoint):- hold down the  Alt  key and move the mouse tool pointer onto the spline segment while holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the spline segment When the eyedropper is active spline endpoints will not be visible and cannot be selected If the segment has a slope then the height at the point clicked will be copied into the  Height  setting This will also select the clicked object in the  Assets Palette  and it will become the next object added by a  Left Click  with the Placement Tool in your Trainz World   OR Use the  Height  setting drop down menu Steps: To copy the Height of a spline segment or one of its endpoints:-  Left Click  on the spline segment or endpoint in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Height  setting box Select the  Get Height from Selection  option If the spline segment has a slope then the height at its midpoint will be used

Set the Height of a Spline Object

To set the height of a selected spline segment (including track) or endpoint using the  Fine Adjustment Tool choose one of the following:- Options: If the selected spline segments have a  Grade  setting then Options and will adjust the height of each segment endpoint so that the heights will change but the grade will remain the same. Option will set all the endpoints to the entered height and the grade will be removed  Left Click and Drag  Up or Down on the vertical  Blue  anchor line in the 3D Anchor Frame. OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then press the  Enter  key. This works even if the  Height  icon is not coloured  Gold . OR in the  Tool Options Palette   Left Click  inside the  Height  setting and enter a new value (or keep the existing value) then  Right Click  in the setting box and select the  Set Height to Selection  option, OR select the  Apply Height  option from the objects Context Menu ( Left Click  on the objects Context Icon or press the  T  key) to apply an existing height value, OR in the  Info Palette  enter a value in the objects Pos:  z:  (height) setting or  Left Click and Drag  Up or Down on the double arrowheads to its right. This can be used to set the height to cm accuracy (see  The Info Palette below). When you add a spline (including track) to a scene, the heights of its endpoints will be Relative to the ground beneath them. If you move the spline, a segment or an endpoint, it will rise or fall to match the height of the ground surface beneath it.   If you set the height of a spline, or just one of its endpoints, then ALL its endpoint heights will become Absolute at their current height. If you move the spline, a segment or an endpoint, it will remain at its set height regardless of the height of the ground beneath it. For example, if the spline has been placed on the ground at a height of 50m and you give an endpoint a height of 60m then that endpoint will be placed 10m above the ground. If the endpoint is moved to an area where the ground is at a height of 20m then it will remain at a height of 60m which will now be 40m above the ground height.   You can cancel the set height of a spline endpoint, a segment or the entire spline at anytime. Select the endpoint, segment (or segments), or the entire spline then open its Context Menu ( Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key). Select the option  Settle on Ground . This will drop (or raise) the spline, its selected segment(s) or endpoint to ground level. See  Terrain Forming Tips for information on how this can be used to smooth an area of the terrain.

Steps: To set the heights of multiple spline segments to the value stored in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting:- Select the spline segments using:-  Shift  +  Left Click  to select individual segments, OR Double Left Click to select all the segments up to the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions). Select one of the options , , , or described above ALL the selected spline segments and their endpoints will be set to the specified height.

Fine Adjustment: Set a Spline Gradient

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 slope (a cliff) would have an infinite grade (cliff height divided by 0) which is currently impossible in Surveyor.

Get the Grade of a Spline Object

You can copy the current Grade of any spline segment into the  Tool Options Palette   Grade  setting. Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object that has a Grade setting. Choose one of the following:- Options: Use the Eyedropper Steps: To copy the Grade of a spline segment (but not an endpoint):- hold down the  Alt  key and move the mouse tool pointer onto the spline segment while holding down the  Alt  key  Left Click  on the spline segment When the eyedropper is active spline endpoints will not be visible and cannot be selected. This option will also change the asset selected in the  Assets Palette  to the object clicked and it will become the next object added by a  Left Click  with the Placement Tool The height at the point clicked will also be copied into the  Height  setting   OR Use the  Grade  setting drop down menu Steps: To copy the Grade of a spline segment or one of its endpoints:-  Left Click  on the spline segment or endpoint in the  Tool Options Palette   Right Click  inside the  Grade  setting box Select the  Get Grade from Selection  option

Set the Grade of a Spline Object

Steps: To set the gradients of multiple spline segments to the value stored in the  Tool Options Palette   Grade  setting:- Select the spline segments using:-  Shift  +  Left Click  to select individual segments, OR Double Left Click to select all the segments up to the next junction or last endpoint (in both directions). To apply the same gradient to all the selected segments make sure that the first segment has the context icons Open the Context Menu of the first or starting endpoint ( Left Click  on its icon ) Select the option  Apply Grade to this Spline Endpoint  The selected spline segments are now set to the specified gradient. If the selected endpoint is NOT at the start of the highlighted segments then the gradient will be applied in both directions from that endpoint as shown below. Once the height and/or gradient of the spline segments have been set then other effects can be added. From the Context Menu of the highlighted segments, select the options:-  Smooth Ground Under Selected   to smooth the ground surface under a spline object to match its height, and  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the  Assets Palette  will be painted under the selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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. Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.

Fine Adjustment: Set Track Condition and Superelevation

	The Track Condition sets the "smoothness" of the ride over a track segment. The default is 50% which is Average
	The Track Superelevation sets the height difference (as a angle) between the inner and outer rail lines on a curve
	Track Condition and Superelevation are only available for Track Splines

Track Condition

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

There are three different methods available for setting the track condition of a track segment.

The  Tool Options Palette  has a Condition setting that only applies to track spline segments.

Condition  The  Tool Options Palette  has a Condition setting that only applies to track spline segments. This can be set for a single selected segment or for multiple selected segments. Range:  1% (terrible track condition) to 50% (average track condition - the default setting) to 100% (perfect track condition) Steps: To set Track Condition:- Select ( Left Click ) the track segment or ( Shift  +  Left Click  or  Double Left Click ) multiple track segments Enter a value from 1 to 100 in the  Tool Options Palette   Condition  setting Press the  Enter  key There will be no visible change to the track appearance, not even for a 1% setting (the worst possible track condition), as this change would have to be built into the track mesh. Instead when a consist moves over the track there will be a visible change in its rocking or swaying motion.

A second method of setting the Track Condition of a selected track segment is to use its Track Segment Context Menu.

Steps: To set the Track Condition of a single selected track segment:-  Left Click  on the Track Segment Context Icon to open its menu  Left Click  on the  Edit Details  option at the bottom of the list Enter a track condition as a % value where it shows Default. The description on the right will change to show the effect of the new value Click  Save Changes  to set the new value and exit or  Cancel  to cancel the new value and exit

A third method of setting the Track Condition is to use the  Placement Tool to place an invisible track "bump" object on a track segment. See  Placement: Set Track Condition and Superelevation for the details

Track Superelevation

The Track Superelevation can only be set through the Track Endpoint Context Menu. You can have a different value set for each endpoint that will reflect the changes that can take place around a curve. For more information on how to calculate and use Superelevation see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation

Steps: To set the Superelevation for an endpoint of a newly placed track segment:-  Left Click  on the Track Spline Endpoint Context Icon to open its menu  Left Click  on the  Edit Details  option at the bottom of the list Enter a Superelevation Degree as an angle (in degrees) - this is the superelevation angle at this vertex (endpoint) per degree of curvature where 0 = none The Superelevation Angle is calculated using the radius of the curve, the maximum track speed and the track gauge. See the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation for the formula Enter a Superelevation Limit as an angle (in degrees) - this is the maximum allowed superelevation angle at this vertex (endpoint) Click  Save Changes  to set the new values and exit or  Cancel  to cancel the new values and exit Repeat the above steps for each endpoint

Fine Adjustment: Spline Object Context Menus

A selected scenery spline object, or a group of selected scenery spline objects, will have Context Icons. The icon design will vary between object types and their position on the spline object. Each icon will open its own Context Menu.

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

To open a selected objects Context Menu choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  the Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

Notes: Using the  T  key with splines If a spline segment has been selected then pressing the  T  key will open the Segment Context Menu and the Menu options you select or edit will apply to the whole segment or all selected segments   If a spline end point has been selected then pressing the  T  key will open the End Point Context Menu and the Menu options you select or edit will only apply to that particular endpoint

Spline Object Context Menus
Endpoint Context Menu	Segment Context Menu	Notes: The  Edit Details  option is only available for Track splines. The properties that can be edited will depend on whether you have selected a Track Segment or a Track Endpoint. Endpoint Details - the track Superelevation properties for that endpoint. Superelevation is a feature used on curves to raise the height of the outside track of the curve slightly above the height of the inside track. This allows higher speeds around curves. For more information on Superelevation see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use Superelevation Segment Details - the track Condition property for that segment. Track Condition is the "smoothness" of the ride over a track segment 100% = perfect 50% = average 1% = extremely poor You can also select multiple track segments and set their track Condition by editing their combined  Condition  value in the  Tool Options Palette .

Spline Object Context Menu Options When copying/moving track segments into a scrapbook any track objects on the segments will be included in the scrapbook  Cut  remove the selected segment or segments from the route and move them into the Scrapbook ( only)  Copy  copy the selected segment or segments and place them into the Scrapbook ( only)  Paste  paste the contents of the current Scrapbook at the cursor (focus) point When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  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 ( only)  Paint Under Selected  the texture selected in the  Assets Palette  will be painted under the selected objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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 ( only) Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.  Smooth Ground Under Selected  smooths the height of the ground under the selected spline to match its set height. If multiple spline segments have been selected then the ground under all the segments will be smoothed to their height. The size of the area affected will depend on which has the greater value: the width of the spline OR the  Tool Options Palette   Radius  setting. Does not work for endpoints  Settle on Ground  sets the height of the selected endpoint or segments 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 ( only) You can copy the Height from an existing spline endpoint into the  Height  setting of the  Tool Options Palette . Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. hold down the  Alt  key and  Left Click  on the spline endpoint to copy its Height value. That value can then be used to set the Height of other spline endpoints  Apply Height  sets the height of the selected segment or segments to the value in the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting ( only)  Apply Grade to this Spline Endpoint  you must first select a segment then click on one of its endpoint icons . This 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 You can copy the Grade from an existing spline segment into the  Grade  setting of the  Tool Options Palette . Once it has been copied it can be applied to any other object. hold down the  Alt  key and  Left Click  on the spline segment to copy its Grade value. That value can then be used to set the Grade of other spline segments  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 ( only)  Separate Splines  breaks two spline segments into two separate (independent) splines at the selected endpoint If multiple segments have been selected then this option will break ALL the selected segments into separate (independent) splines  Merge Splines  removes the selected endpoint between two segments and merges the segments into one ( only). Two segments can also be merged by deleting a selected endpoint with the  Delete  key  Insert Spline Point Here  splits the selected segment into two segments by adding a new endpoint at the point where the segment was clicked ( only)  Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected spline object. This option is only available for Track splines. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette

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: Load a Rolling Stock Object

	Many rolling stock objects can carry products to be loaded and unloaded at industry objects
	Rolling stock objects can be preloaded with products when the Session starts
	Passenger rolling stock objects can carry passengers who will board and leave at specific industry objects (station platforms)

Loading Rolling Stock or Consists is covered in great detail in the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use S20 Palettes

Fine Adjustment: Move Rolling Stock Objects

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

Rolling Stock Objects are always attached to a track segment. They can be moved along the track or to a different track but they cannot be moved to a position that is to the left, right, above or below 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 black 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 Steps: To move a Rolling Stock Object or objects:-  Left Click and Drag  the object or objects release the objects on or close to their new track position

Notes: Rolling Stock Conflicts You can accidently 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 .

To decouple a rake of joined rolling stock objects from a consist (for example, the first or last 5 wagons),  Shift  +  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.

Steps: To decouple rolling stock from a consist:- Select one ( Left Click ) or more ( Shift  +  Left Click ) rolling stock objects inside a consist If more than one object is selected, then they:- do not have to be connected to each other should be in the same consist - the results may be "unexpected" if the objects are selected and dragged out from different consists  Left Click and Drag  the object or objects out of the consist and onto an Unoccupied section of track do not release the mouse button until you have the rolling stock objects in position otherwise they will simply "snap back" 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

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.

Options:

Using "Click and Drag"

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: To Couple rolling stock objects:- Select ( Left Click ) the rolling stock object (in this case the guard van) to be coupled to a consist or another rolling stock object (in this case the gondola) If more than one object has to be selected then use a  Shift  +  Left Click  to individually select each object If ALL the objects in a consist have to be selected then use a Double Left Click on any object in the consist  Left Click and Drag  the object (the guard van) along the track to its target object or consist. 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 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 when it has coupled and it will return to its correct height If the two objects do not couple check that both are on the same track

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 , 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 and  Left Click  on the Context Icon of the last selected rolling stock object, OR press the  T  key Select the option  Merge into Single Train

There are two possible outcomes depending on which object has the Context Icon

Context Icon on the Gondola Wagon Using the  Merge into 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

Context Icon on the Guard Van Using the  Merge into 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.  Left Click and Drag  the incorrectly placed vehicles to their correct positions.

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 object's Context Menu choose one of the following:- Options:  Left Click  its Context Icon OR Press the  T  key

You cannot add rolling stock assets to a Scrapbook but you can create and save Consist Assets that have multiple rolling stock objects Steps: To create a Consist Asset:- select the consist -  Double Left Click  on the consist or  Shift  +  Left Click  on individual items open the consist Context Menu -  Left Click  on its icon or press the  T  key select the option  Save to Consist Asset...  enter a name and an optional description for your new Consist Asset and click the icon The consist will appear as a Train asset in the  Assets Palette

You cannot set a Height value for a rolling stock object. It will always take the same height as the track on which it is placed

Rolling Stock Object Context Menu Options 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 (see Tips above).  Paste  the contents of the current Scrapbook will be pasted at the cursor (focus) point When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will be surrounded by a Marquee Selection Area that, depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters, may add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in that area  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 objects. The  Tool Options Palette  brush settings ( 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. Objects have a minimum brush size that represents the smallest area that can be painted beneath them using the  Paint Under Selected  option. This minimum area will vary in size between objects but it will be rectangular even for circular objects. If the  Tool Options Palette  brush  Radius  is set to a smaller size then the brush  Radius  will be ignored and the objects minimum brush size will be used instead.  Smooth Ground Under Selected  smooths the height of the ground under the rolling stock object to match its 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 separate 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 Train asset in the  Assets Palette   Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette   Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights the selected object in the  Filter Palette   Edit Details  opens the Properties window of the selected rolling stock object. Note: to enter or edit an objects name property use the  Info Palette

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 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 using the  Blue  vertical Anchor line 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.

If the  Tool Options Palette  and  Info Palette  are not visible on the screen then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Notes: The height of a Rolling Stock Object (locomotive, wagon, etc) CANNOT be altered. These objects are always tied to the height of the track where they have been placed.

Object Height Above Ground Height  Step: 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, choose one of the following:- Options: zoom in closer to the Anchor point, OR use the  z:  (height) 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  Step: 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 Steps: Use the  Settle on Ground  option:- 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: Use the Compass Rose:-  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 In the  Info Palette  open the Focus controls 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:  (height) 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  allows areas of your Trainz World to be selected for Scrapbook and baseboard operations

The Marquee Tool is a general purpose tool for marking out areas of baseboards (or empty space) for:- the mass selection of objects for deletion, movement and creating Scrapbooks adding, deleting, painting and converting baseboards

Various function of this tool use the  Scrapbook Palette   Tool Options Palette   Info Palette   Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette . If these palettes are not visible on the screen when required then refer to  Notes: Palettes at the top of this document.

Tool Targets  The Marquee Tool has no Target options so it has no drop down menu list This tool has a range of tasks:- Select objects for moving, deleting and copying into a scrapbook Add and delete one or multiple baseboards Set the resolution of one or multiple baseboards Set the texture and height of an area including multiple baseboards  Tool Actions  The Marquee Tool has no Action options so it has no drop down menu list

The Marquee Tool draws out a rectangular area, the Marquee Selection Area, on the route. Any objects (including ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers) that are inside the Marquee Selection Area or touched by its boundary will be selected.

Steps: To draw out a Marquee Selection Area:- In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the Marquee Tool icon or press the  F  key  Left Click and Drag  over the area to be selected

You can use the filters in the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  to restrict the objects that will be selected in the Marquee Selection Area. See Marquee Assets Filter below for more details

In the image above:-
	a road spline at the bottom and a house at the lower left of the Marquee Selection Area have been touched 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. Like the Fine Adjustment Tool, a Marquee Selection Area has a 3D Anchor Frame. The Marquee Anchors are used to move, rotate and/or resize the objects within the selection area (including ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers if they have been included in the palette filter) through 3D space. See the  Marquee Anchor Controls for the details on using this tool.
	The road spline was the last object that was included in the selection area so its Context Icons are also present.

Shown in the image, but not highlighted, are the Ground Heights, Ground Textures and Effect Layers that are also included in the Marquee Selection Area.

The Marquee Tool and the Palette Filters

The  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  can be used to restrict the objects selected by the Marquee Tool.

Steps: To restrict the objects selected by the Marquee Tool:- In the  Filter Palette  set the Filter Action to  Filter Selections  In the  Filter Palette  select an Asset Icon or an Asset Type (e.g. Scenery Splines) In the  Assets Palette  enter an optional search text in the  Search  box to narrow down the type of object In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the Marquee Tool 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 filtered list will be selected by the Marquee

Using the Filters shown above, the Marquee Selection Area will include:- all spline objects (excluding tracks) crossed by the selection area. See Note: below all ground textures all TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers all ground heights ...found within the Marquee Selection Area If a spline segment has one or both of its endpoints outside the Marquee Selection Area but the selection area crosses part of the segment then that segment will be selected Not included (highlighted) in the Marquee Selection Area, because they were not included in the filter, are:- all scenery mesh objects (trees, grasses, buildings, etc) tracks and track objects

Marquee Anchor Controls

When a Marquee Selection Area is drawn or a Scrapbook is pasted in your Trainz World it will come with a 3D Anchor Frame at one corner of the selection area. This frame has some similarities to the one used with the Fine Adjustment Tool.

The controls provided by the Marquee Anchor Frame are:- the  Green  and  Red  horizontal Anchors will move the Marquee Selection Area and all its contents‡ horizontally in the Anchor direction.  Left Click and Drag  left or right along the red or green horizontal Anchor line the  Blue  vertical Anchor will move the Marquee Selection Area with all its contents‡ up or down in the Anchor direction.  Left Click and Drag  up or down on the blue vertical Anchor line the  Blue  rotational Anchor will rotate the Marquee Selection Area with all its contents‡ in the direction of the rotation movement.  Left Click and Drag  clockwise or anticlockwise around the blue curved Anchor line 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 Selection Area 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  the orange anchor point left or right along its coloured Anchor line to resize the Marquee Selection Area and all its contents‡ in that specific direction. Objects that are in locked layers will not be affected by the resize action ‡ Notes: Contents for the Selection Area drawn using the Marquee Tool will always include Ground Heights, Textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers Contents for the Selection Area from a Scrapbook pasted into your Trainz World will only include those elements selected in the  Scrapbook Palette  Filter

Notes: The Marquee Anchors will move/rotate:- the selected scenery objects. If the objects are in locked layers then they will NOT be moved the ground textures. As shown in two of the images below this will leave the original baseboard ground texture or grid pattern showing If you do not want to move everything that is in the Marquee Selection Area then set the filters in the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  before using the Marquee Tool to only include those assets that you do want to move the TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers. If an effect layer is locked then it will not be moved but it will still be deleted from the area that was covered by the original Marquee Selection Area the ground heights

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 Line 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 original image above at the start of this section 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 Arc 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 Line has been used to lift the Marquee Selection Area upwards. Note that the ground height, ground textures and any effect layers within the Marquee Selection Area have also been moved up.

Scrapbook Operations

The Scrapbook is a Surveyor 2.0 Clipboard that can hold multiple objects of different types. Like your operating system clipboard you can Cut or Copy selected objects into a new scrapbook and then Paste them anywhere in your route. The Scrapbook has additional features:- you can have multiple scrapbooks, that can be permanent or temporary, ready for use whenever Surveyor is started you can Paint a scrapbook into a scene, using the  Brush Tool, with a range of control options and Brush Actions you can control which types of objects in a scrapbook are painted or pasted and how they are painted/pasted. You can alter these controls to suit different situations

Notes: Scrapbooks, when created, will contain:- Ground Heights Ground Textures TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers - if present Selected Objects - scenery items, splines, track, signals, etc But  NOT Rolling Stock (Trains) . Rolling Stock consists can be saved for later use as new Consist Assets. See  Rolling Stock Object Context Menu for the details. The ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers in the Marquee Selection Area will always be added to the scrapbook. You can use the filters in the  Filter Palette  and  Assets Palette  to control which visible objects in the selection area will also be added

Notes: Scrapbooks, when painted or pasted, can contain any combinations of:- Ground Heights Ground Textures TurfFX/Clutter 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 types are added to your Trainz World and how they are added.

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 TurfFX/Clutter 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. This is the same as pressing the  Ctrl  +  X  keys  Copy  the objects selected in the Marquee area (including ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers) will be copied and placed into a new Scrapbook. This is the same as pressing the  Ctrl  +  C  keys  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. This is the same as pressing the  Ctrl  +  V  keys  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 TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers. This is the same as pressing the  Delete  key  Select None  the Marquee Selection Area boundary lines are removed from the route cancelling the selection process. Nothing that is inside the area will be removed. This is the same as pressing the  Ctrl  +  D  keys

Adding a New Scrapbook

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

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 heights, ground textures, and any TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers, will be copied into a new Scrapbook

When a new Scrapbook is created by a  Cut  (or press  Ctrl  +  X ) or  Copy  (or press  Ctrl  +  C ), 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 the №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 Rolling Stock Objects cannot be added to a Scrapbook. The rolling stock Context Menu option  Save to Consist Asset...  performs some of the Scrapbook functions for rolling stock objects and consists 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 OR press the  Enter  key 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.  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.

Marquee Context Menu

The Marquee Context Menu creates, deletes, converts and paints individual or multiple baseboards. It also creates and pastes scrapbooks.

To open the Context Menu for a Marquee Selection Area  Left Click  on its Context Icon or press the  T  key.

Marquee Context Menu Options  Cut  removes the objects in the selection area from the route and moves them into the Scrapbook. Ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers will be copied, not cut. Has the same effect as pressing the  Ctrl  +  X  keys  Copy  copies the objects in the selection area and moves them into the Scrapbook. Has the same effect as pressing the  Ctrl  +  C  keys  Paste to Selected Area  pastes the objects in the currently selected Scrapbook into the selection area. When pasted from a scrapbook the objects will add to or replace all other objects, splines, textures, ground terrain and effect layers in the Marquee Selection area depending on the settings in the  Scrapbook Filters  Delete  deletes the objects in the selection area except for the ground heights, textures and effect layers. Has the same effect as pressing the  Delete  key  Paint Within Marquee  if a texture has been selected in the  Assets Palette  then that texture will be painted inside the selection area using the settings in the  Tool Options Palette . If no texture has been selected then this option will be greyed out  Set Marquee To Brush Height  changes the ground height of the selection area to the brush height in the  Tool Options Palette   Convert Baseboards To  converts the resolution of the entire baseboard or baseboards covered by the selection area to one of three options -  HD Grid  (in Trainz Plus only),  5m Grid  and  10m Grid . If the selection area covers any empty spaces outside the existing baseboards then NO NEW baseboards will be created in those spaces. See Notes: below  Delete Baseboards in Marquee  deletes the entire baseboard or baseboards covered by the selection area. See Notes: below  Select in Assets Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights in the  Assets Palette  the most common ground texture used in the Marquee Selection area  Select in Filter Palette  sets the  Filter Palette  to  All Content  and highlights in the  Filter Palette  the most common ground texture used in the Marquee Selection area

Notes:   The  Convert Baseboards To  and  Delete Baseboards in Marquee  options will affect the entire baseboard or baseboards that contain the Marquee Selection Area even if the selection area only covers a small part of a baseboard.  It is NOT RECOMMENDED that you mix HD Resolution baseboards with 10m or 5m Resolution baseboards in the same route. The boundaries between HD and non-HD baseboards will have display issues. If you are going to use the HD Resolution then it is recommended that the entire route should be Upgraded to HD. You can mix both 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution baseboards in the same non-HD Resolution route. See  Upgrading a Route to HD below for more details.

Marquee Tips and Tricks

The Marquee as an Eraser Because the Marquee Selection Area is always rectangular in shape and orientated North-South or East-West, it can often be impossible to draw out the Marquee to exactly match the area to be replaced/deleted. See  Scrapbook Painting Tips for alternative methods using the Scrapbook that avoid this possible problem Steps:To Delete Object Types From a Scene:- Use the  Filter Palette  to select only a specific type of object (e.g. Scenery Mesh, Scenery Splines) to be deleted. You can narrow down the list by entering a search text in the  Assets Palette  Search box. Set the  Filter Palette  Filter Action to  Filter Selection  Draw out a Marquee Selection Area that covers an area of the scene containing the objects to be deleted. Only those object types identified in Steps  1  and  2  above will be selected Press the  Delete  key. Steps:To Delete SPECIFIC Objects From a Scene:- For example: you want to delete just a few (2, 3, etc) different objects that are too numerous or difficult to locate and delete individually If the objects are not already part of a Picklist then create one (see the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Create a Picklist for the details) containing just those specific objects to be deleted Select the Picklist from the  Filter Palette  drop down list. If needed you can narrow down the list to delete only some of the listed objects by using the search text in the  Assets Palette  Set the  Filter Palette  Filter Action to  Filter Selection  Draw out a Marquee Selection Area that covers an area of the scene containing the objects to be deleted. Only those objects identified in the Picklist will be selected Press the  Delete  key.

Managing Baseboards

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

 Add, Delete, Convert Baseboards 

In Trainz Plus you can Upgrade an existing 5m Resolution or 10m Resolution route entirely to HD Resolution. See  Upgrading a Route to HD below for more details.

Steps: To add, delete and convert baseboards:- In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the Marquee Tool or press the  F  key  Left Click and Drag  to draw out the Marquee Selection Area area where the new baseboards will be added or the existing baseboards will be deleted or converted. 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 Add new baseboards select the context option  Add New Baseboards >  then select a resolution from two or three sub-options,  HD Grid  (in Trainz Plus only),  5m Grid  and  10m Grid . If existing baseboards have also been covered by the selection area then they will NOT be converted to the new resolution.  It is NOT RECOMMENDED that you mix HD Resolution baseboards with 10m or 5m Resolution baseboards in the same route. It should be ALL HD or none. You can mix both 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution baseboards in the same route but NOT with HD Resolution baseboards To Convert highlighted baseboards to a different Grid Resolution select the context option  Convert Existing Baseboards To >  then select a resolution from two or three sub-options,  HD Grid  (in Trainz Plus only),  5m Grid  and  10m Grid . If the selection area covers any empty spaces outside the existing baseboards then NO NEW baseboards will be created in those spaces  It is NOT RECOMMENDED that you mix HD Resolution baseboards with 10m or 5m Resolution baseboards in the same route. It should be ALL HD or none. Mixing 5m Resolution and 10m Resolution baseboards in a route is OK To Delete the selected baseboards select the context option  Delete Baseboards in Marquee . Note: An entire baseboard will be deleted even if the selection area only covers a small part of the baseboard. The  Ctrl  +  Z  keys can Undo the deletion.

Baseboard Ground Height

The Marquee Selection Area can be used to set the height of entire baseboards or just a selected section of one or more baseboards

Steps: To set the height of the baseboards or area under the Marquee Selection Area:- in the  Tool Options Palette  enter the required ground height into the  Height  setting.  Note: the  Grade  setting has no effect when used with the Marquee tool In the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the Marquee Tool or press the  F  key  Left Click and Drag  to draw out the Marquee Selection Area area so that it covers the area that will have its height set. This can include multiple baseboards and empty spaces.  Note: If empty spaces are included in the Marquee Selection Area then new baseboards will be created in those empty spaces   Left Click  on the Context Icon or press the  T  key to open up the Marquee Context Menu (see Marquee Context Menu above). 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. The baseboard  Height  setting is always measured and displayed in metres even if you are using Imperial units (yards) for your distance measurements.

Baseboard Ground Texture

The Marquee Selection Area can be used to set the ground texture of entire baseboards or just a selected section of one or more baseboards

Steps: To paint the baseboards or area under the Marquee Selection Area with a ground texture:- from the  Assets Palette   Left Click  on a ground texture. Selecting a texture will automatically select the  Brush Tool in the  Tool Options Palette  set the brush  Scale  setting and any other required controls in the  Tools Palette   Left Click  on the Marquee Tool or press the  F  key  Left Click and Drag  to draw out the Marquee Selection Area area so that it covers the area that will be painted with the texture. This can include multiple baseboards and empty spaces.  Note: If empty spaces are included in the Marquee Selection Area then new baseboards will be created in those empty spaces   Left Click  on the Context Icon or press the  T  key to open up the Marquee Context Menu (see Marquee Context Menu above). select the Context Menu option  Paint Within Marquee . If the Marquee extends over empty space then new baseboards will be created and covered with the selected ground texture. The new baseboards will be created at the Default altitude for the set Region or at 0m if no region has been set.

Mass Moves and Clones

The  Free Move Tool and  Fine Adjustment Tool are able to select multiple objects that can then be manipulated as a single object. The objects can be of different Asset Types (e.g. Scenery Meshes and Scenery Splines) and they do not have to be in the same layer.	You can also use the Marquee Tool to select objects but this will also select the ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers as well as the objects.
The possible manipulations are:- bulk physical moves - horizontal, vertical and rotations. Objects in Locked layers cannot be moved cloning or duplication - all the cloned objects will be placed into the current Active Layer

Selecting Multiple Identical Objects

Both the  Free Move Tool and the  Fine Adjustment Tool can move and clone (duplicate) single and multiple objects. The Marquee Tool can also move and clone objects but it will include the ground heights, ground textures and any TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers in the cloning and moving operations.

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.

Shift  + Double Left Click on another object. It and all its identical copies will be added to the selection.

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 also move the ground heights, ground textures and TurfFX/Clutter Effect Layers as well as objects.

	Steps: To select multiple objects:- In the  Tools Palette  select the  Free Move Tool or  Fine Adjustment Tool  Shift  +  Left Click  on every object that is to be included in the selection group 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  the selected objects in the required direction 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

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, for example, select scenery objects and scenery splines.

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

Notes: Properties and Cloning When you clone an object all of its properties will be duplicated and copied into the clone. This includes its name and any settings it may have (e.g. its effect radius for a track mark or trigger, the products and quantities carried for a wagon or produced/consumed for an industry). You can use cloning to quickly duplicate assets for use in other areas and then change any of the properties of the clone, especially its name, to distinguish it from the original.

Steps: To clone an object or a group of objects:- In the  Tools Palette  select either the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool  Left Click  on a single object or  Shift  +  Left Click  for multiple objects  Ctrl  +  Left Click and Drag  on any of the selected objects

Bulk Replace Assets Tool (Trainz Plus Only)

	This tool is available in Trainz Plus only
	It will replace ALL seleted objects with a single selected replacement asset
	All objects, and its replacement, must be the same Asset Type
	The replacement will occur throughout the entire route

This tool uses the  Filter 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.

This tool is only available in Trainz Plus In TRS22PE use the Surveyor Classic  Bulk Asset Update/Replace  option More detailed instructions, with examples, on performing a Bulk Asset Replacement in Surveyor 2.0 can be found on the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes. Only a summary is provided here For detailed instructions on using the Surveyor Classic Bulk Asset Replace/Update refer to the Trainz Wiki Page  How to Use the Bulk Asset Update/Replace Tool

Before you reach Step  6  below it would be a good idea to either know the exact name of the asset you will be using as the replacement so you can quickly find it in the  Assets Palette  or have it visible in the Surveyor Trainz World View to select it with the Eyedropper tool

Steps: To use the Bulk Replace Assets Tool:-
	In the  Filter Palette  open the  Filter Toggles  by a  Left Click  on either the small arrowhead on the left of the Enabled box or on the "Enabled" message itself.
		This will open the  Filter Palette  Toggle List of assets and a separate  Search  text box. The Toggle List list is identical to the list shown in the  Assets Palette  except that each item can be toggled or switched ON or OFF by the check mark on its left.

The  Filter Palette  and the  Assets Palette  are normally linked so that the list of toggled assets in the Filter Palette is duplicated in the Assets Palette. If an asset is:- toggled OFF in the Filter Palette it will disappear from the list in the Assets Palette If it is toggled back ON it will reappear in the Assets Palette list Items in the Toggle List can be selected (highlighted) To select a single item in the list  Left Click  on its name To select multiple items in the list use  Shift  +  Left Click  or  Ctrl  +  Left Click  To select the entire list  Left Click  on one of the asset names then press the  Ctrl  +  A  keys

Use the  Filter Palette  Asset Type icons or the Drop Down List to select the TYPE of asset to be replaced. Note: All the assets to be replaced must be of the same type (e.g. ALL scenery splines or ALL track objects)

You can bulk replace:- one or more different Ground Textures with a single Ground Texture and NOT with any other type of asset one or more different Scenery Meshes with a single Scenery Mesh and NOT with any other type of asset. None of the meshes can include track‡ one or more different Scenery Splines with a single Scenery Spline and NOT with any other type of asset. None of the splines can include track‡ one or more different Track Splines with a single Track Spline and NOT with any other type of asset. Fixed Track assets are NOT track splines one or more different Track Objects with a single Track Object and NOT with any other type of asset ‡ this includes fixed assets and splines with built-in track (e.g. industries, bridges, tunnels) You cannot bulk replace:- Rolling Stock (locomotives, wagons) Presets (effect layers)

	Optional: Use the  Filter Palette   Search  text box to narrow down the list
	Select (highlight) and toggle ON the assets that will be replaced in the route (the process is summarised in the steps below) Steps: To toggle ON an asset, or a subset of the assets, shown in the list:- Clear the Existing Toggles: In the Toggle List select one of the assets such as the asset to be replaced, or the first of a group of assets to be replaced Press  Ctrl  +  A  to highlight them all  Left Click  on the Toggle icon of any one of the assets to set them all to OFF Set the New Toggles: To clear all the highlighting and select an asset to be replaced  Left Click  on the name of the asset If more then one asset is to be replaced then use  Shift  +  Left Click  and/or  Ctrl  +  Left Click  to highlight the additional assets  Left Click  on the Toggle icon of the selected asset or on any one of the seleted assets to set them all to ON

In the  Filter Palette  select the  Filter Disabled  option from the Filter Actions drop down menu This will break the connection between the Filter Palette and the Assets Palette and will set the Assets Palette to show  All Content

In the  Assets Palette  select the Replacement Asset (only one can be selected and it must be of the same Type as those selected to be replaced) You can use the Assets Palette  Search  text box to narrow down the list of assets (or use the Eyedropper) but DO NOT use the selection tools (the asset type icons or drop down list) in the Filter Palette

In the  Assets Palette  filtered list  Right Click  on the replacement asset to open its menu   Select the last item,  Bulk Replace Filtered Assets

WARNING: The Bulk Replace will occur throughout the ENTIRE route

With the exception of unusually small or simple routes, a progress bar will be shown. For large routes the replacement process may take a few minutes. Notes: Clicking the  Cancel  button will terminate the replacement process at the point shown by the position of the progress bar but some, or many, of the replacements will have already been made. After termination, or after the replacement process has been completed, pressing the  Ctrl  +  Z  keys will Undo all the replacements

Upgrading a Route to HD (Trainz Plus Only)

	This option is only available in Trainz Plus
	Upgrading an entire route to HD is recommended over mixing HD Resolution and non-HD Resolution baseboards in the same route, but there are limitations to upgrading that must be considered beforehand

You can convert (Upgrade) an entire 5m Resolution or 10m Resolution route to HD Resolution in a single step but there are some important limitations. See the Notes: below.

Steps: To Upgrade a route to HD:-  Left Click  on the Surveyor Tools Menu icon  Left Click  on the option  Upgrade Route  A progress bar will show the status of the conversion process which may take several minutes depending on the size of the route. At the conclusion of the upgrade you will be given a report indicating that the process was successful or it has failed because of errors. See Notes: below.

Notes: There are some important considerations and restrictions that may affect the viability of converting an entire route to HD. They are:- the HD route, after conversion from a 10m grid, for example, will be at least 5x the file size of the original route. If the original route is already large then this could easily push it over the limit (1GB) for saving as a .cdp file. HD routes have a limit of 16 different ground textures per baseboard but each baseboard can have a different set of 16 textures. This is a limitation caused by hardware, not software. If more than 16 textures are identified in a single baseboard then the extra textures will be replaced by one of those already present in that baseboard. The upgrade process will continue as this is not a "fatal error". You will be given the Focus co-ordinates of any affected baseboards so you can inspect them for any noticeable changes Legacy Water, which was normally painted onto the terrain using a brush, will be converted to a Water Effect Layer which will cover the entire layout. Like any effect layer, it can be easily deleted - see  Edit Effect Layers for the details

A typical HD Upgrade report would look like:-
	The report indicates that:- Legacy Water was detected and was converted to a Water Effect Layer the baseboard at compass co-ordinates x = 73440m, y = 720m has exceeded the limit of 16 ground textures the HD Upgrade was completed successfully

The Info Palette

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

This palette can be easily overlooked but it has some very useful features:-
	naming objects
	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.

Every item in the palette can be edited. Each of the small arrowhead icons in the palette will open to display more information and controls or a drop down menu of options. The Asset Name is the name given to the asset by its creator and the name that will appear in the asset list of Content Manager and in the  Assets Palette  The Object Name is the optional name that you have given the object so that it can be quickly located in the route and/or session. Some objects, such as station name signs, will require an Object Name that will be visible in Surveyor and Driver

Palette Coordinates

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 Notes: 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 ,  East  and  Up  directions  -  negative distances are in the  North ,  West  and  Down  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.

Info Settings Menu

All the Focus, Position and Rotation settings have drop down menus that allow values to be transferred to and from other settings and other tools.

Steps:  Left Click  on the small arrowhead icon next to one of the labels  Focus:   Pos:  or  Rot:  to open up its list of settings  Right Click  inside an  Info Palette  setting box The first time the popup menu is opened it will only show two active options - Paste and Select All.  Paste  will paste the contents of your Operating System (Windows, MacOS) clipboard into the setting. If data is already present then the pasted data will be added to it, not replace it. To replace the contents use the  Select All  option first (see below) then the  Paste  option  Select All  will highlight the contents of the selected setting. You can also achieve this with a  Left Click and Drag  across the contents of the setting  Right Click  inside the same  Info Palette  setting box Once the value in a setting has been selected (highlighted) the popup menu will show all options as active.  Cut  will copy the contents of the selected setting into your Operating System clipboard. The contents will then be deleted from the setting  Copy  will copy the contents of the selected setting into your Operating System clipboard without deleting it  Delete  will delete the contents of the selected setting. You can also achieve this with a  Left Click and Drag  across the contents and then press the  Delete  key

Next to the  z:  value in both the Focus and Position settings is a small white down arrowhead.  Left Click  on the arrowhead to open its menu.

There is only one option in the sub-menu.  Left Click  on the  Use Height for Brush  option to copy the current  z:  value to the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting.

Focus Info and Controls

The Focus shows the current position and height of the Compass object

Steps: To Edit the Compass Position (Focus) data  Left Click  on the Arrowhead icon in front of the  Focus:  label. This will open its data for editing. The  x: ,  y:  and  z:  text boxes show the current position (focus) of the compass with  z:  showing its height. The  x:  and  y:  values can be edited to move the compass to a new position. Editing the  z:  value has no effect. 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 value in smaller increments down to centimetres Each data entry box has a drop down menu list of options.  Right Click  inside the box to open its menu list - see  Info Settings Menu above for the details The height ( z: ) value can be copied into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting (open the down arrowhead next the  z:  value) and select the option  Use Height for Brush  Moving the Focus You cannot move the Focus to a position that is not on a baseboard If you enter an  x:  or  y:  value that is "out in empty space" (beyond the edge of a boundary baseboard) then the Focus and compass will be moved to 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 North-West corner of the original (first) baseboard by entering 0 as the  Focus:   x:  and  y:  co-ordinates. If, after entering the co-ordinates, the focus changes to another set of co-ordinates then the original (first) baseboard has been deleted. The Focus and compass will move to a position on the nearest current baseboard that is closest to the original 0, 0 (North-West corner) co-ordinates.

Asset Name Menu

"Asset Name" refers to the name of the asset as displayed in the  Assets Palette  and in Content Manager. This is not the same as the Object Name (see the next section)

You must have an object (or objects) selected for the Asset Name data to be shown. If more than one object has been selected then you will be shown the name for the last object selected
	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.

Steps: To Open the Menu of a selected Asset or Assets Next to the Asset Name is a small white Arrowhead icon.  Left Click  on the arrowhead to open the asset menu

Asset Name Menu Options  Copy  copies the asset name and <kuid> into your operating systems clipboard. If more than two assets have been selected then only the first two will be copied  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   NOT WORKING  (a known bug) use this same option found in the  Filter Palette  or Content Manager instead  Select in Assets Palette  selects and highlights the selected object in the  Assets Palette

Object Name

"Object Name" refers to the name that you give to an object

You can give any object in your Trainz World an identifying name. In some cases a name is vital for AI and session operations, in other cases it will be needed as a display feature - for example: to be shown on a station nameboard. You must have the object (or objects) selected for this option to be available. If more than one object has been selected then only the last object (the one with the Context Icon) will be given a name

Steps: To name (or rename) an object:- Use the  Free Move Tool or the  Fine Adjustment Tool to select an object If the  Name:  text entry box is greyed out and cannot be selected then the layer containing the object is locked. Use the  Layer:  Layer Info and Controls to unlock the layer. Then reselect the object and try again In the  Info Palette   Left Click  inside the Name: text entry box Enter or edit the name Press the  Enter  key KNOWN BUG: Changes to the name of a Track Object will not save unless something else in the route is also edited. The following additional step is a workaround when renaming Track Objects If you are renaming a track object (e.g. a signal) then move a non-track object (e.g. a tree) before saving. If you have already edited something else in the route but not yet saved then this step will not be necessary

If more than one object has been selected then only the last selected object, the one with the Context Icon, will be named.

There is no ban on two or more objects using the same name In the image shown on the left there are 4 objects all named Old Orroroo Rd. This will not cause any problems for scenery objects apart from finding the exact one you want with the Finder Tool ( Ctrl  +  F  keys) as shown in the image on the left - Which of the 4 "Old Orroroo Rd" objects is the one that I need? WARNING: Duplicate names will cause problems for Industries (including passenger enabled stations), Locomotives, Track Marks, Triggers, Switches, Signals, etc that have to be identified to control the operation of a session. These objects must have unique names

Position Info and Controls

You must have an object (or objects) selected for the Position Info and Controls to be edited. If more than one object has been selected then you will be shown the data for the last object selected

Steps: To Edit the Position Info of a selected Object or Objects  Left Click  on the Arrowhead icon in front of the  Pos:  label. This will open its data for editing. The  x: ,  y:  and  z:  text boxes show the current position of the object with  z:  showing the height. These values can be edited to move the object or objects to a new position but CARE will be needed - see Notes: below. If any selected object is in a locked layer then it will not move. 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 value in smaller increments down to centimetres Each data entry box has a drop down menu list of options.  Right Click  inside the box to open its menu list - see  Info Settings Menu above for the details The height ( z: ) value can be copied into the  Tool Options Palette   Height  setting (open the down arrowhead next the  z:  value) and select the option  Use Height for Brush

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 ( Ctrl  +  Z ) command can be used to immediately reverse the move or the  Marquee Tool can be used to add a baseboard under the "floating" objects if you know where they are located. You can also use the  Marquee Tool to select those objects and delete them. Note: The compass rose cannot be moved beyond the edge of a boundary baseboard The  z:  value gives the current height of the object (or the last object selected). Entering a value that is above or below the ground height will move the object to that height. In the case of multiple selected objects the height of each will be adjusted up or down by the same value, they will not be all set to the same height.

Rotation Info and Controls

You must have an object (or objects) selected for the Rotation Info and Controls to be edited. If more than one object has been selected then you will be shown the data for the last object selected

If this option is greyed out (shown as  Rot: ) and cannot be opened then the selected object (splines for example) cannot be rotated using this method or it cannot be rotated at all. It may be possible to rotate it using some of the Rotational Anchors found in the Fine Adjustment Tool

Steps: To Edit the Rotation Info of a selected Object or Objects  Left Click  on the Arrowhead icon in front of the  Rot:  label. This will open its data for editing. The  r:  (Roll),  p:  (Pitch) and  y:  (Yaw) text boxes show the current orientation of the object (or the last selected object). These values can be edited to rotate the object or objects in 3D space but Terms and Conditions will apply (see the Notes: below). If any selected object is in a locked layer then it will not rotate. 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 value in smaller increments of 1° Each data entry box has a drop down menu list of options.  Right Click  inside the box to open its menu list - see  Info Settings Menu above for the details 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:  value, changes to the  r:  and  p:  values will be ignored. Spline objects can only be rotated using the  Blue  and  Red  Rotational Anchors found in the Fine Adjustment Tool

Notes: The rotation data and controls are defined in the following ways:-  r:  ALWAYS rotates in the vertical plane around the selected objects Y axis (which was defined when it was created). This is the same as the  Red  Rotational Anchor in the Fine Adjustment Tool  p:  ALWAYS rotates in the vertical plane around the selected objects Y axis PLUS 90°. This is the same as the  Green  Rotational Anchor in the Fine Adjustment Tool  y:  ALWAYS rotates in the horizontal plane around the compass Z or Vertical axis regardless of how the object has been rolled or pitched. This is similar to but NOT exactly the same as the  Blue  Rotational Anchor in the Fine Adjustment Tool. The difference will become obvious if the object has had a roll or pitch rotation applied before the yaw rotation  Rot:   y:  = 0° East 90° North 180° West 270° South Original Roll:  r: = 45  Pitch:  p: = 45  Yaw:  y: = 45    All rotations shown are 45° in the + (anticlockwise) direction as viewed in the direction of the axis   Some objects will NOT allow Roll or Pitch rotations 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

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

If the layer name is shown as  -  then multiple objects have been selected and not all of them are in the same layer. If you only want to select objects that are in the same layer, then one strategy is:- Deselect all the objects. Either  Left Click  on an empty space on the baseboard or press the  Ctrl  +  D  keys Select,  Left Click  on, a single starting object  Shift  +  Left Click  on a second object to add to the selection If the layer name does not disappear then repeat this step with each object to be added until the layer name disappears When the layer name disappears deselect the last object selected -  Shift  +  Left Click  on it again Locking a layer will not prevent its objects from being selected. Hiding a layer will prevent its objects from being selected.

Steps: To Lock or Unlock a Selected Objects Layer:-  Left Click  on the Arrowhead icon in front of the  Layer:  title. This will open the Layer Controls for editing. The names of two layers will be shown. The current Assigned Layer (see  Assigning Objects to Layers below) for the object and its Binding Layer (see  Assigning a Binding Layer below). Below that will be two buttons. The top button will show the current Locked/Unlocked status of the layer containing the selected object. There are two possible states for the button:- Indicates that the layer is currently Unlocked.  Left Click  on this button to Lock the layer Indicates that the layer is currently Locked.  Left Click  on this button to Unlock the layer Clicking this button will also change the Locked or 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 The lower button will change the Active Layer to the layer that contains this object. See  Assigning Objects to Layers below for details on setting the Active Layer.

Assigning Objects to a Different Layer

The Active Layer is the layer used by the Placement Tool when objects are added to your Trainz World.

A selected object or group of objects can be assigned to a different layer. If multiple objects have been selected then they do not all have to be in the same layer BUT their current layer or layers must be unlocked. The destination layer can be locked and this will not stop the layer reassignment.

Steps: To change the assigned layer of an object or group of objects:-  Left Click  inside the  Layer:  text box. A drop down list of all the layers in the route and session will be shown. The layer currently containing the selected object (for a single selected object only) will be shown with a in front of its name  Left Click  on the name of the destination layer shown in the drop down list but first read the Warning below Any object that is in a locked layer will not be reassigned to the new layer 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 or if it has failed (usually because a layer is locked) Once a target layer has been selected then the  Select Layer  button, which sets the Active Layer, will become active IF the target layer is not already the Active Layer. A  Left Click  on this button will set it as the Active Layer. You can also set the Active Layer by selecting its name from the list in the  Layers Palette .

WARNING: Setting a layer for an object or a group of selected objects will move them 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)

Options: To set current layer to the Active Layer:- 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.  Left Click  on the  Select Layer  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 your Trainz World
	Setting a Binding Layer 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 or Unlocked, Hidden or Visible) of both layers.
	Setting a Binding Layer has NO effect on where an object is saved (in the Route or the Session) or on any of the properties of the object

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  inside the  Binding:  text box. A drop down list of all the layers in the route and session will be shown except, for a single selected object only, the current layer for that object - an object cannot be bound to its own layer. The current binding layer (if already set) will be shown with a in front of its name  Left Click  on the name of the destination layer shown in the drop down list. Selecting the layer  <none>  will remove any set binding layer from the object or objects The object layer, or object layers, and the binding layer do not have to be unlocked Assigning the binding layer will start the instant the layer is selected If a Binding Layer is deleted then all the objects bound to that layer will have their Binding Layer reset to  <none>

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 Industries") its binding layer set (in the example to "Multi Industries") the newly assigned layer is locked so you have the option to UNLOCK 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

Related Links How to Use the Surveyor 2.0 Palettes Trainz Simulator Official Documentation

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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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