Trainz/Trainzoptions.txt

Trainsoptions.txt provides the means to define the startup state of Trainz. Auran provides a reasonable starting point that appears to provide optimal performance for most users. Various Trainz manual identify typical options you may use in the Trainz options file. The options listed below may not work for all versions of Trainz.

Use caution when using these options as it may result in Trainz not starting at all. You should preserve a copy of a known working trainzoptions.txt file so you can revert to it in the event of a corrupted or non-working file.

Entry	Description	Versions
-640	Equivalent to specifying "-width=640" and "-height=480".
-800	Equivalent to specifying "-width=800" and "-height=600".
-1024	Equivalent to specifying "-width=1024" and "-height=768".
-allownoctrlrightclick	Removes the requirement to have to hold down the CTRL key when right clicking an object in driver to see info about the object.	Probably TRS2006 and later.
-autopilotsignaldistance = XXX	Modifies the autopilot signal-visibility distance, specified in meters. Default value is 200m. Smaller values are not permitted. This will affect how the autopilot reacts to the signals - how soon it will begin to slow down and how close to the signal it will attempt to stop.
-debug	Including this option enables debug mode. The main feature of debug mode is that it allows you to accelerate the game speed by holding down the Shift key. This can be useful for content creators that might want to test their sessions more quickly. However debug mode is not a supported feature and the behavior of Trainz in not guaranteed when using the Shift speed-up.
-DefaultAutoMip=none		Probably TRS2006 and later.
-driverfov=	Changes the field of view in Driver. Large numbers are wider view and smaller numbers allow you to zoom in more. 55 is default.
-disablecarz=X	Default 0 (carz enabled). If set to 1 (carz disabled), then carz will not appear on roads. This may (untested) result in smoother framerates. Experimental only.
-DisableEnvMap	Causes Trainz to not render Environmental maps. This may improve performance on certain minimum-spec (or lower) graphics cards.
-disablefog	Causes fog to be completely disabled.
-disablerailjointsound	Disables the rail joint "clickity-click" sound.	Probably TRS2006 and later.
-disableztest	Turns off z-buffer testing for coronas (signal flares, headlights, sun.) This will make the flares shine *through* other objects, however will reduce artefacts with the ground and train clipping the flare.
-dualhead	Enables support for dual-display mode. This will only work if you have two displays attached to a single video card acting as a single, large display (i.e. single frame-buffer). This wont work if there are two displays on different video cards or configured to act as independent displays. Currently dualhead support is only utilized in the Driver module. This option requires that a dualhead resolution is selected (ie. 8:3 ratio) and that Trainz is run in fullscreen mode. On some video cards this option may require you to switch to the appropriate resolution prior to launching Trainz.
-filter=XXX	Specify the texture filtering mode. Default is trilinear which provides the best visual results. Other options are bilinear and none. This option is unlikely to provide performance gains, except perhaps on minimum-spec (or lower) graphics cards.
-framerate=XXX	Requests that Trainz limit the frame rate to the specified number of fps. Not tested. Doesn't appear to work with vsync enabled. May help with maintaining a stable frame rate on faster machines.
-framestoaverage=XXX	This option controls the 'smoothing' of frame rate timing. Increasing this option may result in less visual 'stutter', however can cause period 'surges' if rapid changes in frame rate occur. Increasing this option may be useful for high-end machines with fast graphics cards where the frame rate remains fairly constant. Default is 4, maximum is currently 16, minimum is 1 (no averaging.)
-freeintcam	Allows user to move around locomotive to place cameras
-fullscreen	Causes Trainz to take over the chosen display. This is the preferred mode.
-heartbeat=XXX	Specify the time interval at which the physics heartbeat occurs (in seconds). Defaults to 0.03sec. Larger intervals decrease processor usage for physics at the expense of accuracy. Intervals larger than 0.05sec are not recommended. Changing this option is probably unnecessary and may have a negative impact on physics accuracy.
-height=XXX	Manually specify the window/screen height (in pixels). When in fullscreen mode, this must match the Width setting used. Width-to Height ratios other than 4:3 are untested. When in dualhead or surround modes, this is still the vertical height of a single display.
-HighPrecision
-intro=disable	Disables the playing of the Auran intro video when Trainz is started. The word "disable" must be entirely in lower case and not enclosed in quotes. Sometimes helpful if Trainz crashes on startup.
-keepallresources	Does not empty cache, keeps all objects in memory (see this thread for more information)
-loc	Displays the xy location of the cursor. x is distance in meters north/south of the ground plane origin and y is distance east/west of it. x is negative for locations north of the origin and postive for locations south of it. y is negative for locations west of the origin and positive for locations east of it. The origin is the northwest corner of the 1st base board. Does not function with -ShowKuids.
-PrototypicalTractionLevel
-render=renderdirectx	Cause Trainz to use the Direct3D API for graphics rendering as opposed to OpenGL(default). This may improve performance or compatibility where the video card drivers do not correctly support OpenGL.
-ResourceMemory=XXX	Specifies the amount of memory reserved (in megabytes) for resource disk caching. This will prevent Trainz from accessing the disk as often, reducing caching time and 'stutter' caused by slow disk access. This option defaults to 0.
-showcachebar	Displays the cache bar which is displayed in TRS2004 but by default not displayed in TRS2006.	Probably TRS2006 and later.
-ShowKuids	Displays the kuid of the currently selected asset in Surveyor. No effect in Driver, Scenarios, etc.
-surround	Enables support for triple-display (triple-head / surround gaming) mode. This will only work if you have three displays attached to a single video card acting as a single, large display (ie. single frame-buffer.) This wont work if there are three displays on different video cards or configured to act as independent displays. Currently surround gaming support is only utilised in the Driver module. This option requires that a surround gaming resolution is selected (ie. 12:3 ratio) and that Trainz is run in fullscreen mode. On some video cards this option may require you to switch to the appropriate resolution prior to launching Trainz.
-surveyorfov=55	Changes the field of view in Surveyor. Large numbers are wider view and smaller numbers allow you to zoom in more. 55 is default.
-vsync	Activates 'vertical sync'. This option may be overridden by the video card driver settings. When active, vertical sync results in smoother updates (no visual tearing) but lower frame rates. This is usually a good thing. This is equivalent to "-vsync = 1".
-vsync=XXX	See "-vsync" for more info. Allows finer control over vsync, attempting to synch to every second frame ("-vsync=2") or every third frame ("-vsync=3") etc. Larger numbers lower the maximum possible frame rate further but may improve the chance of achieving a steady frame rate. Probably not useful for most people.
-width=XXX	Manually specify the window/screen width (in pixels). When in fullscreen mode, this must match one of the available display resolutions, and an appropriate height must be selected. When in dualhead or surround modes this is the horizontal resolution across all displays, not across a single display.
-windowcentered	Centres a Trainz window on the screen when running in windowed mode, maybe?
-windowed	Causes Trainz to run in a window. This is useful for debugging, however may result in reduced frame rate and cause visual 'stutters', especially in DirectX mode.
-zfar=XXX	Override the default z-buffer far distance. Specified in meters. The default is 1500m. Decreasing the far distance will result in slightly improved z-buffer accuracy but will result in far-away objects not being visible (Note: this may not result in a speed gain if a high draw distance is specified in the Trainz tuning screens as Trainz will still consider the far-away objects as visible even if the video card is unable to render them.) Increasing the z-buffer distance probably isn't useful as Trainz doesn't allow the selection of draw distances greater than about 1300m, and the z-buffer accuracy will be decreased causing visual artefacts.
-znear=XXX	Override the default z-buffer near distance. Specified in meters. The default is 0.1 meters. Smaller numbers allow the viewing of objects closer than 10cm but rapidly decrease the z-buffer accuracy and will cause visual artifacts on most graphics cards. Larger numbers will improve the z-buffer accuracy and may provide less artefacts, especially in 16-bit depth buffer modes, however there may be problems viewing nearby objects such as inside cabin view.