Overview

A CSV route allows to create a route in a text file.

The file is a plain text file encoded in any arbitrary encoding, however, UTF-8 with a byte order mark is the preferred choice. The parsing model for numbers is Loose (unless otherwise stated), however, you are encouraged to produce Strict output nonetheless. The file is required to be located inside any folder whose current or parent folder includes the Railway and Train folders. The file name is arbitrary, but must have the extension .csv. The file is interpreted on a per-line basis, from top to bottom, where each line is split into expressions, which are interpreted from left to right.

The route file consists of a series of commands to define the objects which are used throughout the route (Structure namespace). Additional properties for the route, for the default train to be used and for the background images to be used can also be defined. At last, the route file will contain instructions from the Track namespace. Here, track positions (usually in meters) are used to define when the track should curve, when stations are to be placed, when a wall should start and end, and so on. Generally speaking, instructions from the Track namespace should be used after using instructions from any of the other namespaces.

The format assumes an implicit rail 0 which cannot be explicitly started or ended. Instead, it is present from the beginning of the route to the end, and it marks the rail the player's train drives on. All other rails in the CSV format are purely visual and have no functional purpose.

Geometrically, you can curve and pitch the implicit rail 0, while all other rails are defined relative to rail 0 and follow rail 0 into curves and pitch changes. Unless overridden, the file format is built around a fixed block size of 25 meters length, and it is only possible for certain commands to be used on 25 meter block boundaries. The placement of objects always assumes a non-curved coordinate system which connects blocks linearly.

➟ See also the quick reference for the CSV route...

Syntax

For each line in the file, white spaces at the beginning and the end of that line are ignored. Then, lines are split into individual expressions, separated by commas (U+002C). Thus, each line is of the following form:

In turn, each expression can be of any of the following forms:

Comments

A comment is completely ignored by the parser. To form a comment, the expression must begin with a semicolon (U+003B).

Track positions and lengths

A non-negative strict floating-point number corresponding to a track position. All subsequent commands from the Track namespace are associated to this track position.

This is a more complex way of specifying track positions for use in conjunction with Options.UnitOfLength. Each of the Part_i is a strict floating-point number. Part₁ will be multiplied with Factor₁, Part₂ with Factor₂, and so on, then all products are added together to form the final track position. This track position must be non-negative. The parts are separated by colons (U+003A). Please consult Options.UnitOfLength for further information on how to define the factors.

Whereever arguments in commands represent lengths, they can also be entered using the colon notation. These cases are highlighted in green in the following.

When n units are defined via Options.UnitOfLength, but fewer parameters are given using the colon notation, the parameters are right-associative, meaning, the parameters on the left are those which are skipped. Therefore, each of the following lengths are equivalent: 0:0:2, 0:2, and 2.

Commands

Commands without arguments:

Commands with arguments:

Commands with indices and arguments:

Rules:

NameOfTheCommand is case-insensitive. Indices and arguments are separated by semicolons (U+003B). White spaces around NameOfTheCommand and any of the indices and arguments are ignored. White spaces surrounding any of the parantheses are also ignored.

If indices are used, these are enclosed by opening parantheses (U+0028) and closing parantheses (U+0029). At least one argument, or a Suffix is mandatory when using indices.

There are two variations on how to encode arguments. Except for the $-directives ($Chr, $Rnd, $Sub, ...), you can freely choose which variant to use. Variant 1: The first argument is separated from the command, indices or Suffix by at least one space (U+0020). Variant two: The arguments are enclosed by opening parantheses (U+0028) and closing parantheses (U+0029). In the latter case, Suffix is mandatory when used in conjunction with indices. White spaces surrounding any of the parantheses are ignored.

Please note that in some commands, Suffix is mandatory regardless of the style you use to encode arguments. In the following, Suffix will be bolded when it is mandatory, and grayed when it is optional.

The With statement

All subsequent commands that start with a period (U+002E) are prepended by Prefix. For example:

Is equivalent to:

Preprocessing

Before any of the commands in the route file are actually interpreted, the expressions are preprocessed. The first thing done is to replace any occurences of the $-directives within an expression from right to left. The $Chr, $Rnd and $Sub directives may be nested in any way, while $Include, $If, $Else and $EndIf must not appear inside another directive.

Include

This directive chooses randomly from the specified files based on their associated probabilities and includes the content from one selected file into the main file. The content is copied into the place of the $Include directive, meaning that you need to take care of track positions and the last used With statement, for example. If the last weight in the argument sequence is omitted, it is treated as 1.

The $Include directive is useful for splitting up a large file into smaller files, for sharing common sections of code between multiple routes, and for choosing randomly from a larger block of code. Please note that the included files may themselves include other files, but you need to make sure that there are no circular dependencies, e.g. file A including file B, and file B including file A, etc. You should use a file extension different from .csv for included files so that users cannot accidentally select them in the main menu (except where this is desired).

If any of the File_i is followed by :TrackPositionOffset, then all expressions in the included file are offset by the specified track position in meters. For example, $Include(stations.include:2000) shifts all track positions in the part.include file by 2000 meters before including them. It is important to understand that "track positions" are not actually understood until after the $-directives have been processed, so all expressions in the included file are simply flagged to be offset later should they form track positions then. This means that if the included file contains expressions such as 1$Rnd(2;8)00, these are offset, too, even though at this stage, they do not form track positions yet.

$Chr(Ascii)

This directive is replaced by the ASCII character represented by Ascii. This is useful if you want to include characters that are part of syntax rules or would be stripped away. A list of relevant characters:

The sequence $Chr(13)$Chr(10) is handled as a single newline. Inserting $Chr(59) can be interpreted as a comment starter or as an argument separator, depending on where it is used.

Start

This directive is replaced by a random integer in the range from Start to End. It is useful to add randomness to a route.

$Sub(Index)

This directive should only appear as a single expression. It is used to assign Expression to a variable identified by Index. The whole $Sub directive is replaced by an empty string once the assignment is done. It is useful for storing values obtained by the $Rnd directive in order to reuse the same randomly-generated value. See the following definition of the $Sub(Index) directive for examples.

Index

This directive is replaced by the content of the variable Index. The variable must have been assigned prior to retrieving it.

In the previous example, all three Track.FreeObj commands are guaranteed to use the same randomly-generated value in order to place a free object on the same rail. If you inserted the $Rnd(3;5) directive in each of the three lines individually, the objects could be placed on different rails each time.

$If(Condition)

The $If directive allows to only process subsequent expressions if the specified condition evaluates to true (any non-zero number). $If must be followed by $EndIf in any subsequent expression. Optionally, an $Else directive may appear between $If and $EndIf.

$Else()

The $Else directive allows to only process subsequent expressions if the condition in the preceding $If evaluated to false (zero).

$EndIf()

The $EndIf directive marks the end of an $If block that was started previously.

It is possible to nest $If blocks. If you place $If/$Else/$EndIf on separate lines, you may want to employ indentation to improve readability of the block structure (as in the first example).

After the $-directives

Finally, after the $-directives have been processed, all expressions in the route file are sorted according to their associated track positions.

The Options namespace

Commands from this namespace provide generic options that affect the way other commands are processed. You should make use of commands from this namespace before making use of commands from other namespaces.

This command can be used to specify the unit of length to be used in other commands. When entering a generic track position of the form Part₁:Part₂:...:Part_n, each of the Part_i will be multipled with the corresponding FactorInMeters_i, then all of these products are added to form a single track position represented in meters. Ideally, you should set the block length to an integer multiple of any of the units you use via Options.BlockLength.

Examples of conversion factors:

In the following, all arguments of all commands are highlighted in green whenever they are affected by Options.UnitOfLength.

This command can be used to specify the unit of speed to be used in other commands. Examples of conversion factors:

In the following, all arguments of all commands are highlighted in blue whenever they are affected by Options.UnitOfSpeed.

This command can be used to specify the length of a block. This is an overall setting and cannot be changed in the middle of the route. Length is only expressed in the unit specified by Options.UnitOfLength if Options.UnitOfLength is used before Options.BlockLength.

■ 5. The Route namespace

Commands from this namespace define general properties of the route.

Use this command to associate speed limits to signal aspects. Aspect 0 represents a red signal, higher values represent more permissive aspects. The default values (for the included Japanese signals) are:

This command creates one or more preceding or following trains. These other trains are visible, fully operational, and use the same train as the player has. The other trains follow the same schedule as the player does, but are offset in time by Interval_i. Via the Track.Sta command, you can also define stations where only the player or only the other trains should stop. Follow-up trains only appear once the section they are placed in has been cleared by other trains, but the player's train is introduced regardless of the current signalling section's state. Therefore, you should make sure that other trains have cleared the area where the player's train will appear when the scenario begins.

This command defines the ambient light color to be used. All polygons in the scene are illuminated by the ambient light regardless of the light direction.

This command defines the directional light to be used. The polygons in the scene are only fully illuminated by the directional light if the light direction points at the front faces. If pointing at back faces, no light is contributed. Route.LightDirection should be set to specify the light direction.

This command defines the initial light direction for track position 0. This is the direction the light shines at, meaning the opposite direction the sun is located at. First, Theta determines the pitch. A value of 90 represents a downward direction, while a value of -90 represents an upward direction. With those extremes, the value of Phi is irrelevant. A value of 0 for Theta represents a forward direction originating at the horizon behind. Once the pitch is defined by Theta, Phi determines the rotation in the plane. A value of 0 does not rotate, a value of 90 rotates the direction to the right and a value of -90 rotates to the left. A backward direction can be both obtained by setting Theta and Phi to 180 and 0 or to 0 and 180, respectively. Values in-between allow for more precise control of the exact light direction.
File:Illustration light direction.png

In the formulas above, cos(x) represents the cosine, sin(x) the sine, arctan(x) the inverse tangent, arctan(x,y) the two-argument inverse tangent and sqrt(x) the square root. The formulas can be used to convert between spherical and cartesian coordinates if working with either one seems more intuitive than working with the other one. The formulas also serve as the official documentation on how the light direction is mathematically defined (using radians for the trigonometric functions).

■ 6. The Train namespace

Commands from this namespace define route-train associations.

The train developer provides a repertoire of different run sounds. Use this command to associate these run sounds to the rail types you use in your route. In order for the correct run sounds to be played on any of your rail types, you need to coordinate your efforts with the train developer. Please see the page about standards for further information.

The train developer provides a repertoire of different flange sounds. Use this command to associate these flange sounds to the rail types you use in your route. In order for the correct flange sounds to be played on any of your rail types, you need to coordinate your efforts with the train developer. Please see the page about standards for further information.

Use this command to load daytime versions of the timetable. Which timetable index to show starting with a particular station can be set in Track.Sta commands.

Use this command to load nighttime versions of the timetable. Which timetable index to show starting with a particular station can be set in Track.Sta commands.

Same as Route.RunInterval. See there for more information.

This command defines the maximum speed limit the preceding trains may travel at. The actual speed limit may be reduced by Track.Limit commands. The player's train is unaffected by this setting and may travel up to the limits defined by Track.Limit.

■ 7. The Structure namespace

The commands in the Structure namespace define which objects to use in other commands. Generally, commands like Track.Rail, Track.FreeObj and so on create objects referenced by a StructureIndex. This StructureIndex is specific to that command, so you can define a set of objects specific to Track.Rail, Track.FreeObj and so on.

The general syntax for commands in the Structure namespace is:

StructureIndex is a non-negative integer. FileName is the object file to load, relative to the Object folder. Command is any of the following commands:

Generally, supported objects are B3D, CSV, X and ANIMATED. However, the FormCL, FormCR, RoofCL, RoofCR, CrackL and CrackR commands only accept B3D, CSV and X objects.
➟ More information about forms, roofs and cracks...

Additionally, there is the Structure.Pole command, which has a slightly different syntax:

Please note that all objects but the FreeObj are inserted at the beginning of a block and should thus extend from 0 to BlockLength (by default 25m) on the z-axis. For further information on usage, see the respective commands from the Track namespace.

■ 8. The Texture namespace

Commands from this namespace define which background images to use and how they are aligned.

File:Illustration background.png
The background image is displayed as a cylindric wall around the camera whose start (viewed from above) is 60 degrees to the left of the initial forward direction (at the 10 o'clock position). From there, the background image wraps clock-wise around the cylinder with a repetition count specified via Texture.Background(BackgroundTextureIndex).X, which by default creats 6 repetitions in a full circle.

The upper 3/4 of the image is displayed above the horizon, while the lower 1/4 is displayed below the horizon. Via Texture.Background(BackgroundTextureIndex).Aspect, you can choose whether to have a fixed cylinder height or to preserve the aspect ratio of the texture. If the image should have a fixed height, the cylinder has a height of 1/2 its radius, which corresponds to about 20 degree inclination to the top of the image, and about -7 degrees to the bottom of the image. If the aspect ratio of the image is preserved, this takes not only the width and height of the image into account, but also the repetition count.

Regardless of the repetition count you chose, you should make sure that the left and right edges of the textures fit seamlessly together. Please also take into account that top and bottom caps are created which sample from the top and bottom 10% of the image. You should avoid mountain peaks and similar extremes in the top 10% of the image in order for such extremes to not leak into the top cap.

The image loaded into Texture.Background(0) is displayed at the beginning of the route, unless a Track.Back command at the beginning of the route requests a different image.

This command loads a background image to be later used by Track.Back.

■ 9. The Cycle namespace

When usually using Track.Ground(GroundStructureIndex), the same ground structure object will be repeatedly placed in every block. Via Cycle.Ground, you can override this behavior and automatically cycle through a series of different objects when using Track.Ground(GroundStructureIndex). The cycle repeats indefinately, where GroundStructureIndex₀ starts at track position 0. Technically, the i in GroundStructureIndex_i chosen for a particular track position p is Mod[p / BlockLength, n].

Consider the following definition:

The following two codes will produce the same output:

■ 10. The Signal namespace

Commands from this namespace define custom signals.

Use this command to load signals directly from animated objects. The SignalIndex can be later referenced in Track.SigF commands to place the signal.

Use this command to load signals from a series of individual textures applied onto a common object. openBVE looks for X, CSV and B3D objects in this exact order. Textures are required to have the same name as the signal or glow, plus a non-negative aspect index, plus a file extension for textures. The SignalIndex can be later referenced in Track.SigF commands to place the signal.

For the SignalFileWithoutExtension, there should be the following files present (example):

SignalFileWithoutExtension.x
SignalFileWithoutExtension0.bmp
SignalFileWithoutExtension1.bmp
SignalFileWithoutExtension2.bmp
SignalFileWithoutExtensionn.bmp

The aspect indices from 0 through n represent successively more permissive aspects, where 0 is red. The built-in signals, for example, use the indices 0 (●), 1 (●●), 2 (●), 3 (●●), 4 (●) and 5 (●●). You can use as many as required.

All faces in the object will be applied the currently active aspect texture. This means that you cannot use any other texture in the object, but still have to assign texture coordinates appropriately. For the glow object, the above rules also apply. The glow object is usually a rectangle placed clearly in front of the signal, although you can also use different shapes.

The glow textures deserve special attention. All glow textures are pre-processed in the following way:

The texture you start with should have a sharp shape, usually oval. The shape should be fully saturated in the core and blend into pure white at its outer rim. The surroundings of the shape can be either pure black (A) or pure white (B).

When openBVE loads the glow texture, it will replace all purely black pixels with purely white pixels, thus arriving at (B). From there, the image is inverted (C), then hue-shifted by 180 degrees (D). Compared to (B), this has the overall effect of inverting the lightness of the image, i.e. fully saturated pixels will be left unchanged (e.g. the core), while bright pixels (such as the outer rim of the shape) will become dark, and vice versa. Then, the image is gamma-corrected to further darken the dark parts (E), and finally, the image is blurred slightly (F).

The resulting texture is always additively blended. This means that instead of directly drawing the texture onto the screen, the pixels of the texture are added to the screen pixels. Here, adding black (0) does not change the screen pixels, while adding a fully satured color channel (1) will result in a fully satured color channel, e.g. adding white produces white. Keep in mind that when designing the textures, you will have to follow the inverse rules, e.g. design the image as depicted in (A) or (B), while having in mind how it will be processed afterward.

■ 11. The Track namespace

Commands from this namespace define the track layout. Commands from this namespace should appear after commands from any of the other namespaces, and they usually form the largest part of the route file.

● 11.1. Rails

This command starts a new rail represented by the index RailIndex. Upon the point where this command is used, a rail of the same RailIndex must either not have been used so far in the route, or must have been ended via a Track.RailEnd command. If a rail of the same RailIndex was already used in the route, the default values of X, Y and RailType are the values last used by that rail, otherwise 0. If the rail is to be updated, use the Track.Rail command. If it is to be ended, use the Track.RailEnd command. You can end a rail of a given RailIndex and start a new rail of the same RailIndex at the same track position provided that the old rail is first ended and the new rail started afterward. For every block, a structure, determined by RailType, is automatically placed.

This command starts a new rail or updates an existing rail. The rail is represented by the index RailIndex. If a rail of the same RailIndex was already used in the route, the default values of X, Y and RailType are the values last used by that rail, otherwise 0. If the rail is to be ended, use the Track.RailEnd command. You can end a rail of a given RailIndex and start a new rail of the same RailIndex at the same track position provided that the old rail is first ended and the new rail started afterward. In each block, the X and Y values are repeated if a Track.Rail command is not used for that block. As a consequence, updating the X or Y values affects the layout of the rail from the preceding block only. Changing the RailType will affect the rail from the point on where this command is used. If this command is used multiple times on the same track position for the same rail, then the first instance of the command takes effect, while subsequent ones are ignored.

This command changes the rail type for an existing rail, represented by RailIndex. The rail must have been started with a Track.RailStart or Track.Rail command and must not have been ended by a Track.RailEnd command. Changing the RailType will affect the rail from the point on where this command is used.

This command ends an existing rail, represented by the index RailIndex. The default values of X and Y are the ones last used by the rail. Once this command is used for a specific RailIndex, the corresponding rail is considered to be non-existing afterward.

In the preceding example, rail 1 starts with an x-value of 3.8 and bears a rail index which corresponds to an object intended to depict a straight rail. The rail keeps the x-value of 3.8 at track position 1025, where the rail type is changed to correspond to an object intended to depict an s-shaped curve. At track position 1050, the rail is redefined to have an x-value of 1.9, after which the rail is straight again until 1075, where it is ended, still having an x-value of 1.9.

This command sets the accuracy of the track from this point on. Values should be in the range from 0 to 4, where 0 means perfect accuracy (no inaccuracy at all), 1 means very good accuracy (high speed lines), 2 means good accuracy, 3 means mediocre accuracy, and 4 means poor accuracy. Intermediate values are also possible. Currently, values below 0 are clamped at 0, and values above 4 are clamped at 4.

This command sets the adhesion of the track from this point on. As a reference, the value of 135 represents dry conditions, 85 represents frost and 50 represents snowy conditions. With a value of 0, the train will not be able to move at all.

● 11.2. Geometry

This command defines the pitch of all rails from this point on. Negative values indicate a downward gradient, positive ones an upward gradient. The value of 0 represents a level track. Rate can be calculated from a length difference X and a height difference Y in the following way:

This command defines the radius of the curve for the player's rail from this point on. Negative values for Radius indicate a curve to the left, positive ones to the right. The value of 0 represents straight track. The CantInMillimeters parameter defines the cant (superelevation) in millimeters. If Options.CantBehavior is 0 (default), only the absolute value of CantInMillimeters is considered, and the superelevation is always towards the curve center (inward). Also, cant cannot be applied on straight track. If Options.CantBehavior is 1, CantInMillimeters is signed, i.e. negative values bank outward and positive ones inward on curved track. Also, cant can be applied on straight track, where negative values bank toward the left and positive ones toward the right.

This command creates a point-based turn at the point of insertion. Ratio indicates the ratio between the length difference Z and the horizontal offset X in the following way:

A negative ratio represents a turn to the left, a positive one to the right. The value of 0 represents a straight track.

This command defines the height of the player's rail above the ground at the point of insertion. It influences the placement of the ground objects defined via Structure.Ground and changed via Track.Ground. The height is interpolated between adjacent Track.Height commands. For example, the following two codes produce equivalent results:

● 11.3. Objects

This places a "free" object a single time on a specified rail. The object must have been loaded via Structure.FreeObj(FreeObjStructureIndex) prior to using this command.

This starts or updates a wall on a specified rail. The object must have been loaded via Structure.WallL(WallObjectIndex) or Structure.WallR(WallObjectIndex) prior to using this command. The walls are placed at the beginning of every block until a corresponding Track.WallEnd ends the wall for this rail. Please note that walls are resurrected if a rail is ended via Track.RailEnd and then started again via Track.RailStart or Track.Rail unless the wall was also ended via Track.WallEnd.

This ends an existing wall that was previously started via Track.Wall on a specified rail. The wall is not placed for the block in which this command is used.

This starts or updates a dike on a specified rail. The object must have been loaded via Structure.DikeL(DikeObjectIndex) or Structure.DikeR(DikeObjectIndex) prior to using this command. The dikes are placed at the beginning of every block until a corresponding Track.DikeEnd ends the dike for this rail. Please note that dikes are resurrected if a rail is ended via Track.RailEnd and then started again via Track.RailStart or Track.Rail unless the dike was also ended via Track.DikeEnd.

This ends an existing dike that was previously started via Track.Dike on a specified rail. The dike is not placed for the block in which this command is used.

This starts or updates a pole on a specified rail. The object must have been loaded via Structure.Pole(NumberOfAdditionalRails; PoleStructureIndex) prior to using this command. The poles are placed at the beginning of every block whose track positions are an integer multiple of the Interval (that is not necessarily at the same location this command is placed). If NumberOfAdditionalRails is 0, Location indicates the side of the rail on which the pole is placed. If Location is less than or equal to 0, the pole is placed as-is (corresponding to the left side). If Location is greater than 0, the object is mirrored on the x-axis and then placed (corresponding to the right side). If NumberOfAdditionalRails is greater than or equal to 1, Location specifies the x-offset in multiples of 3.8 meters. Please note that poles are resurrected if a rail is ended via Track.RailEnd and then started again via Track.RailStart or Track.Rail unless the pole was also ended via Track.PoleEnd.

This ends an existing pole that was previously started via Track.Pole on a specified rail. The pole is not placed for the block in which this command is used.

This defines which ground objects to place from this point on. Ground objects are always placed at the beginning of a block at a certain height below the player's rail (as defined via Track.Height). If no cycle was defined for CycleIndex, then the object loaded into Structure.Ground(CycleIndex) is placed. Otherwise, the cycle of ground objects as defined via Cycle.Ground(CycleIndex) is used.

● 11.4. Stations

This command initializes a new station. It should be placed at the beginning of the station platform. In order to finalize the creation of a station, use the Track.Stop command to place stop points following this command. All following Track.Stop commands will be associated to this station. At least one Track.Stop command must follow if trains are expected to stop at this station.

Stations can be marked as "changing ends" in the departure time. At such stations, when the departure time has been reached, the train will automatically jump to the next station. This feature is intended to fake a reverse of traveling direction without the need to jump to stations manually from the menu.

This command initializes a new station. Prefer using the Track.Sta command, which includes more options. For the options of Track.Sta which are not offered by Track.Station, the following values apply:

The command should be placed at the beginning of the station platform. In order to finalize the creation of a station, use the Track.Stop command to place stop points following this command. All following Track.Stop commands will be associated to this station. At least one Track.Stop command must follow if trains are expected to stop at this station.

Stations can be marked as "changing ends" in the departure time. At such stations, when the departure time has been reached, the train will automatically jump to the next station. This feature is intended to fake a reverse of traveling direction without the need to jump to stations manually from the menu.

This command places a stop point for the last created station. If there is more than one stop defined for a station, a train is expected to stop at the first Track.Stop command for which Cars is greater than or equal to the number of cars the train has, where a value for Cars of 0 indicates a stop point regardless of the amount of cars to be used as the last stop point for a station.

● 11.5. Signalling and speed limits

File:Illustration limit.png

This command defines the new speed limit from this point on. If the new speed limit is lower than the current speed limit, the new speed limit will take effect immediately. If the speed limit is higher than the current speed limit, the new speed limit will take effect only once the whole train has passed this point. By setting Speed to 0, the speed restriction is released. By setting Post to either -1 or 1, a default Japanese-style speed post is placed at the respective side of the track. Setting Course to either -1 or 1 includes a directional indication, which is usually used at railroad switches to indicate that the speed limit only applies if the respective direction is being taken. If Speed is set to 0, the setting of Course has no effect.

This command starts a section, the functional part of signalling, to be used in conjunction with Track.SigF, which creates a visual representation of a section (a signal). The a_i parameters specify the aspects the section can bear. An aspect of 0 corresponds to a red section which must not be passed by a train. The a₀ term is mandatory.

Default behavior:
The a_i terms specify the aspect the section should bear depending on how many sections ahead are clear until a red one is encountered. The order of the terms is relevant. The same aspect may occur multiple times.

In the case more sections ahead are clear than indicated by the a_i terms, the section will bear the aspect of a_n.

Simplified behavior:
The a_i terms specify the repertoire of aspects the section can have. A section will bear the smallest of the a_i which is greater than the current aspect of the upcoming section. If no such a_i exists, the section will bear the aspect of a_n. The order of the a_i is irrelevant. If the same aspect occurs multiple times, this has no effect.

This command creates a non-function signal, that is, a visual representation of a section as defined via Track.Section. Setting Y to a negative number resets the y-coordinate to 4.8 meters and attaches a default signal post. Also see Track.Section.

If no object has been defined by Signal(SignalIndex), one of the default Japanese signals is used:

This command creates a functional signal. You can choose from the available options for Aspect to create any of the default Japanese signals. Setting X to 0 creates a functional but invisible signal similar to Track.Section. Setting X to a non-zero number and Y to a negative number resets the y-coordinate to 4.8 meters and attaches a default signal post.

Track.Signal is similar to using Track.Section and Track.SigF in one command.

This commands creates a default Japanese repeating signal. The repeating signal repeats the state of the upcoming signal. Setting X to zero does not create a repeating signal, but forces the command to be ignored. Setting X to a non-zero number and Y to a negative number resets the y-coordinate to 4.8 and attaches a default signal post.

● 11.6. Safety systems

This command places a beacon (transponder). The object must have been loaded via Structure.Beacon(BeaconStructureIndex) prior to using this command. When the train passes the beacon, the type of beacon and various data will be transmitted to the train, including the state of the referenced section.

It should be noted that the built-in safety systems also receive data from these beacons as Track.Beacon(Type) is roughly equivalent to Track.Transponder(Type). Please see the page about beacon standards for more information.

This command places a transponder, usually for the built-in safety systems ATS-SN or ATS-P. For more information about these systems and their transponders, see the user's documentation about ATS.

It should be noted that custom safety system plugins also receive data from these transponders as Track.Transponder(Type) is roughly equivalent to Track.Beacon(Type). Please see the page about beacon standards for more information.

➟ Go here to find out more about ATS-SN and ATS-P.
➟ There is a tutorial available for the proper use of ATS-SN and ATS-P in route files, including all of the five transponders.

This command places an S-type transponder for the built-in safety system ATS-SN, referencing the upcoming signal, and automatically switching to ATS-SN. The command is equivalent to Track.Tr 0;0;0. See there for more information.

This command places a pattern renewal transponder for the built-in safety system ATS-P, referencing the upcoming signal, and automatically switching to ATS-P. The command is equivalent to Track.Tr 3;0;0. See there for more information.

This command defines a speed restriction for the built-in safety system ATS-P.

A temporary speed restriction (Type=0) is to be inserted at the point where the speed restriction should apply. ATS-P will know about this speed restriction in advance and will brake the train so that the train meets the speed restriction at that point. Once the point is passed, the speed restriction no longer applies.

A permanent speed restriction (Type=1) is to be inserted at the point where the speed restriction should apply, however, ATS-P does not know about this limit in advance and will only brake the train from that point on. For a higher degree of realism, insert permanent speed restrictions at the same point as ATS-P transponders. A permanent speed restriction, as the name suggests, is remembered by ATS-P and is only released by a subsequent permanent speed restriction.

This command is equivalent to Track.Pattern 1;Speed. See there for more information.

● 11.7. Miscellaneous

This command defines which background image to show from now on.

This command defines the fog from this point on, or deactivates fog. If fog is to be enabled, StartingDistance must be less than EndingDistance. If fog is to be disabled, StartingDistance must be greater than or equal to EndingDistance.

Fog affects the coloring of objects. Objects before the starting distance appear as-is, objects after the ending distance appear in the fog color, and objects in-between blend linearly between those. The background image is affected by fog as well. For the fog calculations, the background image is assumed to be at 600 meters distance from the camera, regardless of the actual viewing distance.

Depending on Options.FogBehavior, there are two options how this command affects fog from this point on. In block-wise mode, the current fog blends from the beginning of this block to the new settings at the end of this block. The new setting is kept for following blocks. This is the default behavior. In interpolation mode, each Track.Fog command defines a control point for fog, where all of the settings (distances and colors) are interpolated linearly between the control points.

This command marks a point which affects the brightness in the cab. Value is measured from 0 (dark) to 255 (light), and is linearly interpolated between successive Track.Brightness commands for any given point on the track. This command should be used for tunnels, bridges, station roofs, or anything else that would affect the brightness as perceived inside the cab.

This command shows a so-called marker image, which is displayed in the top-right corner of the screen. You can use these images for advisory or informational purposes. The RGB color of 64,64,64 inside the image is made transparent.

This command creates a point of interest which the user can jump to by pressing the CAMERA_POI_PREVIOUS (NUM 1) or CAMERA_POI_NEXT (NUM 7) keys. The camera will be placed at the specified location with the specified orientation. If Text is non-empty, a message will appear briefly showing the text.

This commands creates a position-time-association for an invisible preceding train in order to influence signalling. Contrary to a real preceding train as created by Route.RunInterval, the invisible preceding train created by Track.PreTrain is a way of scripting where the invisible preceding train is at any given time. The position-time-associations must be in increasing order, that is, at a later track position, the associated time must also be later. Before the first scripted time, the invisible preceding train resides at the first scripted position. In-between the first and last scripted time, the invisible preceding train moves (linearly) between the scripted points. After the last scripted time, the invisible preceding train is removed and thus clears signalling.

This command plays an announcement or other kind of sound in the cab once the player's train crosses the point where this command is used. If Speed is set to 0 (default), the sound is played as-is. If a Speed is given though, the sound plays at is original pitch at the specified speed, and is pitch-modulated proportionally for other speeds, useful for custom flange sounds, pointwork sounds, etc.

This command places an environmental sound effect at the specified location. The sound will play in a loop for the duration of the simulation and employs the doppler effect. (Note: All sounds in openBVE employ the doppler effect.)

This command places a bumper. The train can collide with the bumper in both the forward and backward directions. Place this command at the beginning and the end of the route. An object is not automatically created, so use Track.FreeObj to create a visual representation of the bumper if necessary.