Organizing asset question....

[Railhead001]

I am sure to get some good answers. So the question is how does one organize their asset collection specifically say locos from a specific RR. I have as an example lots and lots of BN/BNSF locos..found under BN, BNSF, SD-, EMD-, AC, SW, GP-, Dash , insert appropriate number after letters....etc....you get the point.

I want to find say all my BNSF locos under the BNSF heading....it takes to long to go through my surveyor list to find what I want.
Should I rename the config files .....is it better to export my assets to a spread sheet or are there other ways of achieving the same result ?

Thanks for any suggestions..

RH001

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

you might want to check out the filter function in surveyor

 

[pware]

I think your spreadsheet idea a good one. You can also use Pick Lists (there are two types of pick lists in TANE) to identify your favourite assets.

Back in the days of TS2009/2010 I spent an enormous amount of time renaming (in the "username" tag of the config.txt files) most of the assets I had into a more sensible naming format. It worked like a charm and made finding the assets I wanted very quick and easy until the first database rebuild - then all the username tags were reset back to their original values.

 

[pcas1986]

TANE's content manager is way more powerful than previous versions. As mentioned, you can have picklists and lots of them - not only one as in TS12. And you can select assets in a CM filter, copy them (Ctrl C) and paste them (Ctrl V) into a spreadsheet. If you have MS Office then you can paste them into an Access database.

One of the nice things about TANE is that if you don't have an asset in a particular picklist, you can go back to CM and add it without exiting Surveyor.

p.s. the filter option in the top right hand corner of CM can be very handy if you get lots of hits for a search.

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

I think your spreadsheet idea a good one. You can also use Pick Lists (there are two types of pick lists in TANE) to identify your favourite assets.

Back in the days of TS2009/2010 I spent an enormous amount of time renaming (in the "username" tag of the config.txt files) most of the assets I had into a more sensible naming format. It worked like a charm and made finding the assets I wanted very quick and easy until the first database rebuild - then all the username tags were reset back to their original values.

I've done the same thing in T:ANE with many assets (i.e. changing usernames and even adding category-keyword tags to make assets easier to find). I've re-built the database several times, but haven't lost any of those changes.

Has the T:ANE database re-build process improved and become less destructive since the TS2009/2010 days? If so, the config option might be worth having another look at.

 

[torino72]

I usually rename (username) all my assets so I can more easily locate them in Surveyor. Here is but one example:

DE-ES44AC BNSF Auto# (8000-8199) BNSF Tier 4 Exec V3,<kuid2:359354:101554:1>
DE-ES44AC BNSF Auto# (8000-8199) BN Tier 4 Exec V1,<kuid2:359354:101549:1>
DE-ES44AC BNSF Auto# (8000-8199) BN Tier 4 Exec V2,<kuid2:359354:101557:1>
DE-ES44AC BNSF Auto# (8000-8199) Swoosh Exec Tier 4 V4,<kuid2:359354:101559:1>
DE-ES44AC CEFX Auto# (2000-2059) Tier 4 blue w\stripe,<kuid:359354:101310>
DE-ES44AC CN Auto# (8670-8699) Tier 4 clone,<kuid:214940:100396>
DE-ES44AC CP Auto#,<kuid2:113556:331114:1>
DE-ES44AC CP Auto# (2000-2059) Tier 4,<kuid:578474:100044>
DE-ES44AC CP Auto# (8700-8899) Olympic,<kuid2:86105:8456:2>
DE-ES44AC CP Auto# (8760-8961),<kuid2:473973:100763:1>
DE-ES44AC CP Auto# (9350-9379),<kuid2:473973:100769:2>
DE-ES44AC CREX Auto# (1350-1450) CitiRail Tier 4,<kuid:578474:100185>
DE-ES44AC CSXT Auto# (5100-5377) Tier 4,<kuid:101046:102415>

All my locomotives are sorted by type (DE - Diesel Electric), model (ES44AC, etc.). RR (BNSF, CP, CSXT, etc.) and then additional info such as numbers or other special info (Tier 4, etc). I also sort all rolling stock in a similar fashion (LO = Covered Hopper, OH = Open Hopper, F89ARLAU = Flat, 89ft, AutoRack, Load Automobiles, etc).

 

[JCitron]

I filtered the content and then copied the data from Content Manager to an Excel spreadsheet. It would be nice if this export feature was built into Content Manager as that would be convenient.

 

[cascaderailroad]

I have one main route and in its config file username I named it "A PRR-HBG/ENO-CNWY" (so it shows up at the very top of my route picklist)

I brought up all the assets I use on my route, and methodically rename all their username tag lines to be: "A ..."

ie: "A SM New Century switchstand" (the SM means Switch Machine)
ie: "A 282 PRR" (the 2-8-2 is the abbreviated loco wheel arrangement)
ie: "A Forest1 texture"
ie: "A Signal Bridge PRR"
ie: "A Tree Dub"
ie: "A Waschenlauge"

Now all my favorite assets show up right at the top of my surveyor picklist

 

[ldowns]

I've done the same thing in T:ANE with many assets (i.e. changing usernames and even adding category-keyword tags to make assets easier to find). I've re-built the database several times, but haven't lost any of those changes.

Has the T:ANE database re-build process improved and become less destructive since the TS2009/2010 days? If so, the config option might be worth having another look at.

I've done the same thing, using a set of home-grown prefixes (such as BC for commercial building, PT for tree, etc.) and make the change in the config file so that re-importing assets into a newer version of Trainz has at least a prayer of retaining the modified names.

Unfortunately, importing an updated version of an asset overwrites the name of the obsoleted asset. And, of course, some of the service packs include a huge number of corrected/updated built-in assets, which do the same thing. It would be a vast improvement for content management if Trainz would retain the existing username field when replacing an asset with a newer version.

--Lamont

 

[Railhead001]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.....I think I will start with the config renaming once I consume enough coffee to get me through that session.

RH001

 

[cascaderailroad]

Oftentimes a building, home, tavern ... etc ... have a confusing name ... so I rename all home and business buildings config file username tag line of: "House"

Other items I group into broad covering topic names

ie: "A House OZ Outback"
ie: "A Station Altoona"
ie: "A Tower PRR Signal Cabin"
ie: "A Tank Water Tank"
ie: "A Road 4 Lane"
ie; "A Roundhouse 32 Stall
ie: "A Industry Steel Mill"
ie: "A Tree Baum"
ie: "A Grass Grazzy"
ie; "A Bridge Steel Girder"
ie: "A Track MB Finescale Quad"
ie: "A SM Switch Machine"
ie; "A Signal PLS"
ie: "A Signal Dwarf GFisher
ie: "A Tunnel 3_1voie"
ie: "A Person Lampost Linda"
ie: "A Vehicle SAAB Car"

 

[Railhead001]

Oftentimes a building, home, tavern ... etc ... have a confusing name ... so I rename all home and business buildings config file username tag line of: "House"

Other items I group into broad covering topic names

ie: "A House OZ Outback"
ie: "A Station Altoona"
ie: "A Tower PRR Signal Cabin"
ie: "A Tank Water Tank"
ie: "A Road 4 Lane"
ie; "A Roundhouse 32 Stall
ie: "A Industry Steel Mill"
ie: "A Tree Baum"
ie: "A Grass Grazzy"
ie; "A Bridge Steel Girder"
ie: "A Track MB Finescale Quad"
ie: "A SM Switch Machine"
ie; "A Signal PLS"
ie: "A Signal Dwarf GFisher
ie: "A Tunnel 3_1voie"
ie: "A Person Lampost Linda"
ie: "A Vehicle SAAB Car"

I like this suggestion.....got a lot of named assets that make no sense

 

[Railhead001]

4 cans of Red Bull waiting......this is what I found on my asset list for the BN/BNSF/ATST locos....about 50 to rename...let the fun begin

 

[mikeaust]

I use the renaming as a filter.
The only problem I have is when in a senior moment I choose revert to original.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

.....I think I will start with the config renaming once I consume enough coffee to get me through that session.

RH001

Try drinking covfefe instead, it's tremendous, amazing, just tremendously amazing.

 

[cascaderailroad]

Breaking News: Donald Trump apparently twitted' that: He can haz' Twainz', and dwinks' way too much covfefe', and erroneously renaimed' all his ASTF trains, misspeelling' them: ATST :hehe: apparently his Speel Chucker iz' buzted'

 

[boleyd]

The PickList is the easiest. Mostly drag and drop. Really much like a spreadsheet and available during the use of the program.
Not clear on how you backup and recover.

Trump will be cutting the funding for the Antarctic base since Congress rejected a "naming license deal" to make it into a Trump resort.
Vlad may take the deal! Vostok soon to be Trump South.