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Welcome to Version 8.2!
Version
8.2 delivers a long-overdue revamp of the user
interface, replacing all those tiny buttons with a new
set of what we call Dynamic Toolbars
-- now larger and more readable, with text labels and
all new vector-based artwork, in a more sensible
arrangement which uses on-demand display to conserve
screen space.
Upgrading to Version 8.2 is free and
encouraged -- just click the button below. This brings
everyone a year's worth of fixes and enhancements, and
for pre-8 users,
includes a demo of Paint Shop with a small upgrade charge
needed to get the full system
-- see details below.
For a detailed look at the changes in Version 8.2, see
the PDF document
A
New Style for the TrainPlayer User Interface.
Dynamic Toolbars
While the new TrainPlayer interface borrows features
from modern ribbon frameworks, at heart it remains a
system of customizable toolbars. As before, you
can dock or float these where you like, and you can move
buttons on or between them to suit your needs. But
now they are generally easier to see, and to figure out,
and to customize.
Toolbars and Subtoolbars.
The program starts with one or two toolbars at the top
of the screen: the Main toolbar (for all users) and the
Build toolbar (for TrackLayer users). The default
arrangement has a small set of the commands most useful
in normal running and tracklaying.
 Six
other "sub"toolbars are accessed via arrow buttons
(shown at right), where a click brings up the requested
bar and takes down all others -- you work with one set
of tools at a time.
Quick-Customize Menus.
As before, all toolbars can be fully customized using
the Customize Dialog, but 8.2 offers an easier way: the
Add or Remove Buttons menu available
under any right-hand arrow button. This leads to a
short set of choices appropriate for each toolbar.
Quick-Access Toolbar. A handy
feature from ribbon technology is the QAT, a small set
of frequently-used buttons in the top left corner of the
frame. Right-click and you can choose any command
you want to add.
 Sharing
the header is the set of Document Tabs,
a convenient way to work with multiple open layouts.
Toolbar Styles. A new section
in Preferences provides toolbar settings which are
applied to all toolbars at once.
The icons on all buttons are originals created by our
own art department using Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
format. By default, all buttons come up medium
size with text labels.
Paint Shop Improvements
Shaded Cylinder Decal.
New special decal type turns a rectangular region into a
shaded horizontal cylinder in your choice of base color.
Here is an example with original image on the left,
cylinder decal on right:
Wireframe Decal. Another
new decal type picks up only the black pixels from the
image underneath. In the example below, the a
wireframe lifted from the original image at left, then
applied on top of a solid rectangle to give the result
at right.
Included for use with wireframes is a special set of
undecorated cars -- Pedersen Paintables
-- based on the Chris Pedersen renderings of most basic
car types.
Other 8.2 Features
AnyRail Transfer Tables. By
request from AnyRail users, we now import Transfer
Tables from Märklin, Brawa, MiniTrix, and other track
makers. The result in TrainPlayer is a functioning
table, where click on either side of the platform starts
its motion in that direction.
Also in 8.2:
- Script toolbar improved: Record button shows
inactive/playing/recording status
- New capabilities for script functions $VIEW,
$CAR, $JXN, $TRACK
- Reworked machinery for script rewinding, now
handles linked and AO layouts
- Improved consistency in toggling window display
- Painter/Dropper tool revamp: now can pick up
entire style when pointing to scenery object
- Reworked, simplified menus
- Upgraded frame window platform from BCGSoft
For the complete list, see
TrainPlayer Version
History.
How To Obtain
8.2
If you are new: you get the
free demo version -- fully operational, with no time limit, but
restricted in certain ways as described in the Readme.
When you run the program, you are greeted with the license
dialog.
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If you are a licensed user:
you get a free upgrade to Version 8.2, including a demo
of Paint Shop if you do not already have it. The demo
is fully operational, except the
results are not saved.
<= If you do not have Paint Shop, you will get the
8.2 Welcome dialog with an offer to
upgrade for $19. (Click for larger image.)
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Any
user: use Help > Check for Upgrades
to see what upgrades are available =>
If you do not already have them, you can add the
Chris Pedersen Car
Collections for a special bundle price.
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Questions or problems:
send
us e-mail.
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