After all these years?

[rdwood]

After all these years of Trainz, WHY is there NO graphical BROWSER for content? A killer graphical piece of software such as Trainz and the best we can do is SCROLL through tons of TEXT to try and find the right TREE! Give me a break. OK enough whinning, back to the new route! Russ

 

[deneban]

After all these years of Trainz, WHY is there NO graphical BROWSER for content? A killer graphical piece of software such as Trainz and the best we can do is SCROLL through tons of TEXT to try and find the right TREE! Give me a break. OK enough whinning, back to the new route! Russ

Surveyor's object selector is a graphical browser

 

[JCitron]

I agree with Russ that the images could be a bit larger. The interface was great when displays were only 1024 x 768 at the most. With displays now being nearly twice that and larger, the icons and everything shrinks down to the size of an ant's footprints making things difficult to read.

John

 

[clam1952]

Never know, you might get your wish with T:ANE.

 

[deneban]

I agree with Russ that the images could be a bit larger.John

Actually Russ stated their was no graphical browser at all, he did not remark on size.

The interface was great when displays were only 1024 x 768 at the most. With displays now being nearly twice that and larger, the icons and everything shrinks down to the size of an ant's footprints making things difficult to read. John

You are aware of course that the Surveyor object previewer can be zoomed and rotated. As far as text and icons, you can run Surveyor and Quick Drive at a lower resolution for design mode, and save the high res for the Driver operating mode. The downsizing of the icons and text from TRS2004 to TS12 is inexplicable because following your remark, TS12 displays have greater dimensions than did their TRS2004 counterparts.

 

[curmudgeon66]

One must then wonder if, just maybe, the fine Trainz programmers could increase the size of the "selection box" and the picture when they implement the new TANE version. At least let us see more of the textual description. I can not believe that this would be overly difficult, but then again, I am not that type of programmer.

 

[rdwood]

OK you are correct if I spend the half hour or so to scroll through all of the text listings and click on each one I can get a thumbnail of an item. So I stand corrected in that there is no graphical interface. Now back to my original gripe, WHY TEXT WITH NO SEARCH? Yes it is indexed and If I type in an A it gives me everything starting with an A. I do graphics everyday in my CNC life, and NONE of the software I use has such a poorly designed graphical search engine. Even WinDoze is better.

Why can't we have a browser and look for boxcars, or passenger stations, or aspen trees, or Central of New Jersey rolling stock, or heavy weight passenger cars, or. . . . . . . ? If there is a way to look up just Alco diesels from 1950 to 1960, please tell me how to do that!

I appreciate the posts, I really do, it proves WE ALL do care about Trainz. I'm just frustrated by how hard it is to find something. I have read the hundreds of posts about finding what you want and saving it off to the side and repeating the process for each of the 'goodies' you like to use and then start your build. I get it, I was just venting some frustration. I'm working on a narrow gauge project and spend more time looking for stuff than creating! Thanks again for posts. Russ

 

[clam1952]

Now back to my original gripe, WHY TEXT WITH NO SEARCH? Yes it is indexed and If I type in an A it gives me everything starting with an A. I do graphics everyday in my CNC life, and NONE of the software I use has such a poorly designed graphical search engine. Even WinDoze is better.

There is, you are looking in the wrong place.

Click the content search filter the funnel thingy next to the grid.

Type what you are looking for, say boxcar click the Trains tab and all the boxcars you have installed are listed. works on part words as well, if you wanted say CN boxcars they try searching CN Boxcar or Boxcar + Region and scroll down to Canada.
You can save searches as well and if you click the + sign there are loads of options you can use, more than in content manager.

So you could search Boxcar + Category Rolling Stock.

Hope that helps, I find it dead easy to find most things, assuming they have an intelligible name.

 

[deneban]

OK you are correct if I spend the half hour or so to scroll through all of the text listings and click on each one I can get a thumbnail of an item. So I stand corrected in that there is no graphical interface. Now back to my original gripe, WHY TEXT WITH NO SEARCH? Yes it is indexed and If I type in an A it gives me everything starting with an A. I do graphics everyday in my CNC life, and NONE of the software I use has such a poorly designed graphical search engine. Even WinDoze is better.

Why can't we have a browser and look for boxcars, or passenger stations, or aspen trees, or Central of New Jersey rolling stock, or heavy weight passenger cars, or. . . . . . . ? If there is a way to look up just Alco diesels from 1950 to 1960, please tell me how to do that! ... Russ

Russ, I have the same frustration. The fact of the matter is the database entries you have at work can be controlled in an CNC employment environment. However, we cannot control the content of contributors to follow database nomenclature standards. It is after all a hobby and not paid work.

In the manufacturing industry, there is a general standard that when you specify a part or assembly, you use the form: Noun, Adjective 1, Adjective 2, Adjective 3, etc... Unfortunately the folks who set Trainz into motion are not from that background, and the built-in content does not reflect that standardized part database format for the rest of the community to follow suit. In fact, roadname is used in the noun position rather than as an adjective. We rely on keywords, and perhaps official railroad call signs.

The best that I can suggest to you is that in the Content Manager, in the asset details window, naming your machine's content with Noun, Adjective 1, Adjective 2, Adjective 3, etc... That "organized" database convention will be specific for your machine and for your use to call up the asset you need. Even though it is not part of the asset, your installation will always identify as such on your computer.

I have gone against the grain in my uploaded content, naming it indeed with the format Noun, Adjective 1, Adjective 2, Adjective 3, etc...

As an example, all your AC4400 would begin with "AC4400, " (the noun), followed by the roadname "UP", folowed by perhaps the "running number," etc...

I know this is a tremendous undertaking, but its the only solution available for your frustration right now.

Aside from this in place, you can call up "boxcar": for boxcars, CNJ for central new jersey. I don't know what to say on the heavyweight passenger cars. That's the world we are living in.

 

[rdwood]

Thanks for the replies. I was NOT aware of using the filter for the search, that will certainly help. I just wonder if it is as simple as allowing the database to include a tag field, where we would simply insert the appropriate search tags, IE CNJ, boxcar, 1940, etc,. Anyhow, thanks again for the replies. My route is coming along slowly but having fun.

EDIT: OK I get it now you have two dialog's open (the filter selector and the object selector) to see the content using the filer. I get it, thank you that will help. Is there a similar function for the DLS or content down loader? Russ

 

[shaneturner12]

Actually, this facility is already supported (although it has to be set in Content Manager - right-click the asset and click the edit tag option (or equivalent).

Shane

 

[generalman]

I too was unaware of how to use the filter, so thank you for explaining that clam1952. My favorite in-game search engine was in TRS2004, where you could select things by category AND region; and with the coming of T:ANE, they could also add things such as era, traincar type, e.t.c., if they wanted to go that route again.

 

[rdwood]

OK is there a Smiley for humble pie? Having spent the weekend trying to figure things out with TS12 I find that ALL of the things I was ranting about are already in TS12. I appreciate that you folks did not blast me to death with my rant. The search is working well, the Content Manager preview even works good as well!

So to the group et al, I apologize for blasting before reading, blasting before exploring, blasting with out at least doing my homework. Sorry gang and thanks again for not beating me up. Russ

 

[deneban]

OK is there a Smiley for humble pie? Having spent the weekend trying to figure things out with TS12 I find that ALL of the things I was ranting about are already in TS12. I appreciate that you folks did not blast me to death with my rant. The search is working well, the Content Manager preview even works good as well!

So to the group et al, I apologize for blasting before reading, blasting before exploring, blasting with out at least doing my homework. Sorry gang and thanks again for not beating me up. Russ

Well thanks! but.. not all the things you asked for are available. You asked on April 4 for a browser to show you the "heavy weight passenger cars" and I don't think we solved that one.