Latest News

February 18, 2014: Version 1.18

• Loco list is now sorted alphabetically according to description, not file name.
• Some descriptions altered to sort some locos more logically in the list.
• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.17: Too many for me to keep track of, sorry! There are 48 new locos in the list!

November 6, 2014: Version 1.17

• Fixed "debug" message accidentally left in and appearing when Ctrl+Alt+1 was pressed.
• Removed redundant "365Test.cvk" loco file.

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.15:

  File	Comment
  CabForward.cvk	Southern Pacific Cab Forward Steam Engine NEW - previously accidentally left out of distribution package.

November 2, 2014: Version 1.16

• FIxed truncated resolution info message at top of CVK window.

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.15:

  File	Comment
  35.cvk	Class 35 "Hymek" NEW

October 25, 2014: Version 1.15

• Experimental support for nVidia Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR) screen modes.

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.14:

  BR103.cvk	BR103 NEW
  BR442.cvk	BR442 Talent NEW - requires included patch BR442-CVK_fix.rwp to be installed to work properly
  37-4.cvk	Class 37/4 RETB NEW
  101.cvk 377.cvk 57.cvk	Class 101, 377 and 57/0 UPDATED, minor adjustments.
  CabForward.cvk	Southern Pacific Cab Forward NEW
  GE44.cvk	GE 44 Tonner Switcher NEW
  EMDGP38.cvk	EMD GP38 NEW
  ACS64.cvk	ACS-64 Amtrak Cities Sprinter UPDATED - was missing a proper centre instrument view.
  365.cvk	Class 365 Networker Express UPDATED for TS2015 version.

October 5, 2014

Several new and updated loco files are available in the "Files" section.

September 19, 2014: Version 1.14

• Verified working with TS2015. (CVK will report TS2015 borderless windowed mode as "fullscreen", but works in that mode too.)
• Ultra-fine camera pan motion added in EDIT mode (Shift+Ctrl+Numpad 1-9).
• Harder to mess up CVK views, and easier to reset/re-sync when you do — because single-key view reset now also works for "one-driver's-view-only" cabs. (RWP patch included to make this work for JustTrains CRH1A.)
• Updated manual including instructions for patching particularly pesky cabs to enable proper view resets. (Only needed for one cab out of 95 so far, see above!)
• "Set as favourite" function.
• Loco list filter. (Filter by loco categories or favourites.)
• Author info in loco list. (author= keyword added to .cvk file format.)

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.13:

  File	Comment
  ICE T.cvk	ICE T NEW
  801.cvk	Class 801 Super Express NEW
  Acela.cvk	Acela Express Updated for TS2015 version.
  BR189.cvk	BR189 (Academy) NEW
  ES64U.cvk	ES64U2 Taurus NEW (courtesy of Frank Safranek)
  PacificSurfliner.cvk	Pacific Surfliner EMD F59PHI main cab NEW
  PacificSurflinerCC.cvk	Pacific Surfliner cab car NEW
  ICE 1.cvk	ICE 1 NEW

September 1, 2014: Version 1.13

• Re-compiled as 32-bit app. (It was never meant to be 64 bit exclusively, sorry 'bout that!)

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.12:

  File	Comment
  EMDGP7.cvk	EMD GP7 NEW

August 29, 2014: Version 1.12

• Simplified, single keypress (Numpad 0) way of resetting/re-syncing views.
• "Suspend operation" now mapped to Pause key.
• Additional informational message pops up when clicking the PLAY button in EDIT mode.

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.11:

  File	Comment
  390.cvk	Class 390 NEW
  2MT.cvk	Standard Class 2MT NEW
  08.cvk	Class 08 NEW
  31.cvk	Class 31 NEW
  50.cvk	Class 50 NEW
  90.cvk	Class 90 NEW
  321.cvk	Class 321 NEW

August 21, 2014: Version 1.11

• Bug fix: After auto-detect of TS mode, the TS screen was left on top on the CVK window --so you had to switch back to that manually in order to load a loco.
• Manual: Added info about the info= keyword for loco files.

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.10:

  File	Comment
  20JT-forward.cvk	Class 20 Advanced forward (JustTrains) NEW
  20JT-reverse.cvk.cvk	Class 20 Advanced reverse (JustTrains) NEW
  67JT.cvk	Class 67 Advanced (JustTrains) NEW
  Patriot.cvk	Patriot Class "Baby Scot" (JustTrains) NEW

August 16, 2014: Version 1.10

• Adds additional methods for detecting keypad key presses.
• Bug fix: CVK did not work when running TS fullscreen in a lower resolution than the desktop.
• Custom icon for cvk.exe.
• New CVK distros no longer overwrite an existing cvk.ini file — A separate cvk.ini.template file is provided instead.
• Manual: Added info about running cvk.exe as administrator and how to use the cvk.ini.template file if needed.

• New and changed files in the "locos" folder since version 1.02:

  File	Comment
  acela.cvk	Acela Express "5" view lowered to include track speed indicator.
  ME146.cvk	Metronom ME146 (TRAXX) Replaces BR146.cvk, which you can safely delete.
  ME146TC.cvk	Metronom ME146 (Trailing Cab) NEW
  101.cvk	Class 101 NEW
  158-2014.cvk	Class 158 (2014 version) NEW - this is the DTG version that came bundled with Liverpool-Manchester, old version came with Settle-Carlisle. (Miniscule changes, still here it is...)

August 13, 2014: ...and the second part of the "Doh!" fix...

Version 1.02 should also make the "Message box close" key ( Numpad - ) work with TS running in a window.

August 12, 2014: ...and a small "Doh!" fix...

Version 1.01 is up, fixes a problem with the "Message box close" key ( Numpad - ).

August 12, 2014: CVK 1.0 Released!

Well, this took a while longer than expected. First I spent quite some time on my dead-end TapControls idea (which would have expanded CVK with tools to improve the handling of cab controls, but in the end proved too unstable for public release). Then the addition of a 9th cab view settings key (see changelog below) meant I had to revise all my 70(+) loco files.

Following that, putting up this web page also gave me a great opportunity to delve into the mysteries of HTML5, which are many and varied. It takes some time to get a grasp even at a fairly basic level...

Anyway, the first "proper" version of CVK is here at last!! The following changes have been made since 1.0 beta 2:

• Ninth view key added: A custom view can now also be stored on NumPad 5. All factory views have been adjusted to take advantage of this for a more logical view layout. (Resetting the views in play mode is also handled slightly differently as a result of the numpad 5 key not necessarily being the TS driver default view any more.)
  
• No need for a cvk.ini file in most cases: CVK now detects Train Simulator state on startup (which also means Train Simulator now has to be started before CVK!).
  
• CVK now forces NumLock ON and CapsLock OFF during startup.
  
• New status line at the top of the CVK window shows the TS window/screen mode, while info line next to buttons shows name of loaded loco.
  
• New info= keyword in .cvk settings file can be used to notify users of things to be aware of regarding the loaded loco.
  
• Fixed a bug that made CVK inadvertently open cab doors etc. in a few locos.