3D Train Studio

There is much to achieve with model trains, some miniature houses and trees, as well as a little imagination. If you're planning on building a diorama or you just like trains, then you will definitely like 3D Train Studio. It gives you everything you need to build a model railway, complete with roads, houses, vegetations and landscapes. The software gives you a good degree of control over its simulation features. You can make each train move forward or backward at different speeds, make road vehicles travel, stop at barriers and react to other events and much more. It's like having a table-top diorama, but on your computer.

3D Train Studio comes in free and paid versions, and it runs on all modern Windows systems. It doesn't take long to download its setup file, and the installation process won't slow you down either. The program works straight out of the box, so you don't have to install any special tools or drivers before you can run it.

The software lets you start from scratch in a 3D environment, where you can also switch to 2D and grid modes, but you can also load existing projects, from an online community if you don't know where to start. You can use the mouse to rotate, pan and zoom the camera, and you can add all sorts of objects by dragging them from a panel, in the lower part of the interface, over to the work environment. All objects, from simple pieces of wood to large locomotives, are rendered in 3D. Selecting them will bring up a rotation sphere, as well as translation axes, which make it easy to move and orient them with pinpoint accuracy.

3D Train Studio gives you full access to an online models catalog, through which you can browse in the lower region of the user interface. Everything is neatly categorized, so you won't have any trouble if you're looking for rail, road, water or air vehicles, buildings or vegetation. You can also explore differently-themed sets, top-rated objects, and search for specific items by keywords. Furthermore, the software lets you mark individual objects as favorites, to make them easier to find, and you can also use locally-stored 3D models if you have them.

It all depends on you how easy it will be to create the terrain. You can either place individual patches of grass, dirt and so on, or you can insert entire modules, with hills, mountains, bridges, tunnels and other features. The software lets you combine and clip them together however you want, to create unique landscapes.

You will discover an entirely different part of 3D Train Studio's functionality once you start working with tracks and trains. Locomotives and wagons snap neatly to the track and to each other, so you don't have to waste time with high-precision placement. Furthermore, when you select a locomotive, its driving controls will appear in the lower-right part of the interface, along with other useful options, through which you can make the locomotive drive forward or backward, along with the entire train. You can also adjust its speed and acceleration, make it adjust its speed automatically, enable or disable its front and rear couplers and more.

Just like with your locomotives, similar things happen when you select other objects. For example, selecting a track junction or a turntable will show options for switching the track to a certain position, so you can make your train go on a specific path. Furthermore, the software's built-in events manager enables you to completely automate your locomotives, signals, switches and all other rail operations, while its excellent support for multiple layers allows you to create complex railroad networks.

3D Train Studio is more than just a sandbox application in which you get to play around with virtual trains. One of the biggest advantages is the fact that it supports several popular track dimensions, including HO and TT. This is excellent news for train model enthusiasts because it gives them the possibility to visualize and simulate the dioramas they plan to build. The only drawback is that they might get seriously delayed because the richly detailed 3D models and their neat animations and effects will make everyone spend a lot of time with this piece of software.

3D Train Studio gives you the possibility of building your own little world and bring it to life with just a few clicks.