Welcome to Version 4.1, a release for the artists!

TrainPlayer/TrackLayer 4.1 presents a set of new features which have been on the to-do list for a while.  Most have to do with dressing up your layout and working with scenery images.

Version 4.1 is a free upgrade from 4.0, the Ops release of spring, 2011.  Users of earlier versions get some features free, others cost extra.  For details, see How To Upgrade below.  If you are new to TrainPlayer, see How To Buy.

Animation.  Add life to your layout.

It used to be that the trains moved and the scenery stayed put. Not in 4.1!  Now you can add animated gifs or homemade frame sequences to create moving objects -- crossing signals which lower as the train goes by, working log loaders, wind blowing through the trees. Choose from a set of animations provided with 4.1, or browse the web and see the vast collection of animated gifs available.  Or fire up Paint and create your own sequences.  Animations can be set to run continuously, or to trigger on train events.  They can be connected with sounds, which play while animating. Version 4.1 comes with a little demo layout you can run to see animation.  Or you can watch the video on our website.

Ties.  Add life to your track.

Ties add support to the rails and charm to the layout.  Now you can lay down a full set of them with a single click.  Select some track, choose Add Ties, and you get regulation-size dark brown ties precisely spaced along the selected track.  Size, spacing, and color are all adjustable, of course.  Ties are shortened around switches so they don't overlap. Ties look great with roadbed underneath and rails on top.

Image Export.  Merge scenery into the background.

In earlier versions you could save a picture of your layout to an image file.  This is still true, but better now in every way.

There are now two modes of export: one (as before) to create a picture file for use outside TrainPlayer, the other to create a new background image for the layout.  The new mode is designed for layouts with a lot of scenery, roadbed, or ties -- it creates an image of the old background with the scenery drawn on top, then swaps this in as the new background and deletes the scenery.  Instead of a layout with a plain background and a thousand ties, you get a richer background with no ties.

In both modes, images are now created with more modern technology, and there is more flexibility in output choices, and a new wizard leads you through the export process.

Track Transforms.  Rotate and flip tracks and yards.

Here is something you have always been able to do on a plywood layout but never in TrackLayer: snap a yard together and then slide it into position.  In TrackLayer, you can move a selection of track, but you can't rotate it, which seriously limits your options.  Until now, that is!  In 4.1, not only can you rotate a selected batch of track, you can flip it horizontally or vertically -- something you can't do with snap-track on plywood.

Select a group of tracks, click one and choose Rotate or Flip, and the selection is transformed.  If it is connected to other, unselected tracks, then those distort as needed to remain connected.  For example, here is a rotation of an embedded yard:

Car ID Display.  Improved control over car appearance.

Think of car id's as lighted signs on top of the cars. In 4.1, there are two mechanisms for controlling them: (1) inside each car is a switch to turn its own sign on and off, and (2) there is a master power switch to disable or enable all lighting. The idea is that you can display id's on a set of cars of interest, and with one click, turn them on or off without losing the selection. This model is in effect unless you are running an ops session, and color codes are on. In that case the program controls the id display and overrides your settings. Another feature affecting car id display is the option Turn off labels while moving. This causes id's to be suppressed when cars are moving, re-displayed when they stop. Car-label fonts and colors are adjustable, of course.

And more.

We fixed bugs, streamlined performance, simplified the interface, and tightened screws.  A complete list of changes since 4.0 is given in the readme file.

Requirements.  Programs run under Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7.  An internet connection is useful but not essential -- you need one to browse and download content from the web, but you can run without it when using content from your disk or DVD.  Disk space: you need only about 30MB to install the program files, but will want more than that to download content from web or DVD -- around 6 GB for the full content.

Delivery on DVD.  Products are available on DVD for a $10 shipping charge.  This includes all purchased content, so no download is needed.  To request a DVD, use the Shipping drop-down menu on the checkout page ==>

Note: Version 4.1 DVD's will be shipping around Nov 15, 2011.

License agreement.  Our license agreement is displayed during install and reproduced in the Readme file.  It says you are allowed to install the program on as many computers as you like, as long as you don't sell or give away the license key.