"Thumbnails" container

Revision as of 09:28, 10 September 2013

The thumbnail container is part of the TrainzBaseSpec so any asset may specify a thumbnail or preview image. This obviously makes more sense in some cases than in others, but certain circumstances, such as DLS, requires some imagery for every assset. The exact usage of this image may vary depending on the asset kind and the build of Trainz, but the following usages are historically common:

• 32x32 - standard icon representation for display in lists.
• 128x64 - ‘kind traincar’ list icon in Surveyor.
• 512x512 - ‘kind traincar’ preview image in Surveyor (no longer used).
• 240x180 - Download Station thumbnail image - mandatory, and must be in JPEG format.
  • For assets which have no physical appearance (engine-specs, scenery sounds, etc.) content creators tend to make up a stock splash screen sort of self-advertising image.

Note: The Art files directory used in old versions of Trainz should no longer be used- the Thumbnails container replaces and extends this functionality.

Any number of thumbnail entries may be present, however it is recommended that no more than 3 images are used. The specified width and height must match the actual width and height of the image file in pixels.

The DLS thumbnail is a general view of the asset, and may include identifying text or logos.

The minimum for rolling stock is the DLS thumbnail (240x180, JPEG) and the list icon for Surveyor (128x64). The list icon should show the rolling stock asset in a full side-on view, with a transparent background. The image should be centered horizontally, and with the base of the asset (the track level) at the vertical center. This arrangement means that the asset displays correctly in the Surveyor list, in the drivers list in QuickDrive, and also in the consist display that is provided at the bottom of the Surveyor screen. Since a transparent background is required, a 32-bit tga file format (referenced from a .texture.txt file) is recommended.

Supported image formats include:

• 32-bit uncompressed targa (.tga) - this supports an alpha channel
• 24-bit windows bitmap (.bmp)
• JPEG (.jpg) - a 240x180 JPEG format thumbnail is required for the download station.
• Texture file (.texture.txt) - strongly recommended. This format should be used for everything other than the DLS format thumbnail.

When displaying an image, the closest-sized image required by the function (in terms of pixel dimensions) will generally be used in Trainz. The container numbers are simply identifiers and have no meaning in themselves.

thumbnails
{
  0
  {
    width 32
    height 32
    image "icon-32.texture"
  }
  1
  {
    width 128
    height 64
    image "vehicle-art-icon.texture"
  }
 2
 {
   width 240
   height 180
   image "$screenshot$.jpg"
 }
 3
 {
   width 512
   height 512
   image "vehicle-art-512.texture"
 }
}