How To Make Scenery

Trainz, the game, consists of two basic components: a railroad and scenery. Developing the scenery that surrounds the railroad is one aspect of the game that only a few have really mastered. Trainz aficionados are a diverse group and individual users interests and talents are likely to emphasize one or the other of the two. This integrated series of How-To pages will introduce those interested in improving the look of their route—improving the scenery—to techniques they can easily learn and apply. Although scenery objects (assets) are important and will be discussed, the focus here is on the landscape itself: the use of the Topology (sic) and Paint tools in Surveyor Mode. Although applicable to any version of Trainz, the text is based on the tools and renderings available in TRS2019.

How important is realistic scenery? It is fair to say that Premium Routes, free to Trainz Plus members and for a small fee to others, are selected by N3V Games largely on the basis of the scenery. Mastering a Trainz Session in the Rocky Mountains or Northern Italy is a substantial part of the interest; and the same can be said for a realistic industrial area. It is conceivable that some users may have little or no interest (oh the horror!) in actually running a railroad. From T:ANE version forward a gamer may create a world in which the railroad is just part of the scenery. Travel about such a world ("Route") would be by car, truck, bus, boat, or airplane—or just walking.