Organizing assets

Just a quick question, which I'm sure affects most of us here - what suggestions does anyone have for keeping track of assets? (or organizing them)
When you get a few thousand items, and many of them have weird names, a simple search doesn't always find them in game. I often have to jump out to content manager and look there. Obviously not very productive.
Ron

Welcome to trainz. Some people do rename them but it is one of the difficulties.

Cheerio John

I've created various filters in Content Manager as well as pick-lists that are used for specific asset types such as signals, certain tracks, buildings, etc. that I use most often. In Trainz its self, I setup some search filters based on the various content creators such as one for Dave Snow, one for Simulator Train, and so on.

Thanks, John. I will give that a try!

JCitron said:

I've created various filters in Content Manager as well as pick-lists that are used for specific asset types such as signals, certain tracks, buildings, etc. that I use most often. In Trainz its self, I setup some search filters based on the various content creators such as one for Dave Snow, one for Simulator Train, and so on.

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Post Deleted

It’s a lot of work initially, but for assets that are not locked against edits, you can open them for edit and add your own keywords to each asset’s config.txt file. The tag you need to add is this;

category-keyword

You add keywords in a one-line text string with semi-colon separators, like this example:

category-keyword_____speedtree;seasonal;snow;vegetation

Obviously, you would need to formulate a set of keywords that you stick to and use for searches in the game. Once you submit the edited assets in CM, I think Trainz compiles the keywords into a file called something like keyword.tdx which it stores in your Userdata folder for safe keeping.

I have found the freeware utility AssetX to be extremely useful in this regard because if you select a whole bunch of assets in CM that you know will all need the same set of keywords added, you can do that as a batch operation in AssetX. Just add the keywords to 1 asset, then replicate that tag to the whole lot. Batch processing becomes almost essential when you have thousands of assets to organise.

.

I use pick lists all the time. And even better, you can have Trainz do most of the work.

1. Create a new picklist call trees and leave it open. It will have nothing listed.

2. Of to the side in a vacant area plop those 10 trees.

3. Go to tools/paste selection. With the paste objects button turned on, select the area containing the trees.

4. Still in tools, click the button on the bottom labeled "Add selected assets to pick list" (when you hover over it)

5. Watch the trees pick list get populated.

There is a recovery process, as well as other info, in the WIKI. As with a lot of train stuff once you gain an understanding it ain't that bad.

The editors work wonders for being able to showcase your assets as well. The pick lists are also very powerful and the method shown of populating it works very well.

One thing that I'm working on right now and actually started doing about a month or so ago now is staging yards. It's technically a term I steal from model railroading as an ear prior to entering a layout where trains are either stored or made up.

I had a 3 baseboard staging yard for some time since I started back in Trainz but never really utilized it or found a way. You can do this is as it's own route (to create consists) or connected like I do to the 1:1 prototype world. What I did very recently and on my youtube channel is create a stub yard of about 80 to 90 tracks I believe with a narrow distance between tracks. I divided these yards into 2 giving me close to 200 tracks.

Today I was nearly complete or close enough to start bringing out all the rolling stock I wanted for my operation. I enjoy my content to see things, but this is a real good way of organising the rolling stock into a display of what you have and what products can go in them. Now that I have placed all my rolling stock I'm starting to add the rapid load industries in them. So I can either myself in downtime during a 24 hour cycle or if I want to relax via AI commands assemble consists off of a randomized switch list. I can then take those cars hump them, block them, and assemble to my liking all with tags for operating in the prototype world.

This is also a good way to see what you may be lacking in certain rolling stock, and possible certain stock that deals with certain product categories.

I know this doesn't work for other assets quite the same way, but who is to say you can't do something similar in your own staging worlds? Then you can find what you like, add some unique pick lists, and away you go.

Thanks

Sean

There are probably as many answers to this question as there are Trainz users, but I'll throw my 2-cents in as well. I add a two- or three-letter code in front of the asset name, which makes it relatively easy to search for a particular category. For example, BC- is commercial building, BR- is food-related or restaurant, BT- is railroad related, with categories such as BTI- for interlocking towers. P- is plants, PT- are trees, PS- are shrubs, etc. etc. For some assets I also add subcategories which are in effect ratings, such as PT~A- for good speedtrees, PT~D- for old billboard trees, etc. In the case of assets where it's appropriate I also add the word nightmode or nonight to make it easier to find assets which will work at night.

Of course, whenever N3V issues a service pack in which many assets are reinstalled with corrections it wreaks havoc with this, and I have to rename those items. (I've gotten a lot pickier about installing updates for this reason.) Built-in or payware assets which are uneditable can't be renamed, and as far as I'm concerned don't exist.

Guess you have to expect this sort of thing from someone who worked in libraries for over thirty years...

--Lamont
T:ANE Deluxe SP3 (DRM-free!)

I put an M in front of things I find useful. Then I just find the list in CM.
Cheers,
Mike

Post Deleted

There was some useful application called RMAN announced here on forum to be released which was mentioned to help to organize assets better, If I remeber well...

JAGG said:

There was some useful application called RMAN announced here on forum to be released which was mentioned to help to organize assets better, If I remeber well...

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https://forums.auran.com/trainz/ent...ames)-a-new-free-Trainz-Asset-Naming-Solution

For Trees I have created an area where I placed every tree I had then deleted the ones I didn't like. Then I placed a Map Flag there named "Trees". I'm doing a similar one for Factories now.

Yeah that's a good idea. Like my staging for the cars that I like organized, I could see setting up entire worlds then perhaps pick lists from there. So many good assets out there.

Thanks

Sean

I have a variation on the blank baseboard with parts.

I start with A BLANK route as I call it. This is my testing route I use for various things including figuring out how stuff works, and even confirming bugs with the program. I vary the number of baseboards as I need them and it's not a permanent route for anything other than testing so I don't care if things get messed up there. If I'm looking for a bunch of assets, I'll take them and place them on that route and then create a picklist from that.

Before we had pick-lists, I used the old baseboard pallet with various assets and even textures as I needed them. The pick lists are better in this respect because I don't need to waste disk space and remember to pull in my pallet(s) each time I start a route because the pick lists are available each time any route loads up in Surveyor. The only thing I don't like about them is we can't sort the contents on them like we can in a regular content window. Sorting the assets is really helpful when looking for stuff even within Surveyor.

This is a GREAT tip! I had no idea you could do this, and it works great. Thanks!

schweitzerdude said:

I use pick lists all the time. And even better, you can have Trainz do most of the work.

1. Create a new picklist call trees and leave it open. It will have nothing listed.

2. Of to the side in a vacant area plop those 10 trees.

3. Go to tools/paste selection. With the paste objects button turned on, select the area containing the trees.

4. Still in tools, click the button on the bottom labeled "Add selected assets to pick list" (when you hover over it)

5. Watch the trees pick list get populated.

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Post Deleted

I just did this for my trees and houses last night. Now to sort through them, and make a pick list of favs. Old dogs can learn new tricks!

lewisner said:

For Trees I have created an area where I placed every tree I had then deleted the ones I didn't like. Then I placed a Map Flag there named "Trees". I'm doing a similar one for Factories now.

Click to expand...