Welcome to the new livery system for train mods!
This allows you to make modifications (like texture swaps) to train mods without needing to make a whole new copy of the mod.

This system can be used for much more than just basic re-colors though, since you can freely modify any data from the original mod.

Think of a livery as a "variant" of another mod, which shares assets (3D models, textures, audio, etc) with the original mod. You can replace assets, add new assets, and even remove assets.
You can also modify data like cab positioning, wheel blocks, sound effects, etc.

For example:
- You could make a variant of a mod which adds an additional 3D model for a unique horn, and change the horn sound effect as well.
- You can replace the texture colors to make a re-color of a train.
- You could add different steam particle effects to a steam engine.
- You could add an additional 3D model of raw materials to a freight wagon, to create a different kind of load. Like adding tree logs to a flat-car.

From the player's perspective, if they download a livery they also need to download the "base mod" which the livery is based on.
This is because the livery needs access to the assets (e.g. 3D models) that the base mod contains.

To avoid confusion, here is a quick summary of the various different kinds of "Liveries" in the game:

• "Official liveries" - These are simple liveries which you can make of the official in-game trains using an image template. You only need to supply one image file which replaces the colors of the train. These templates are officially released alongside any train models included in the game.
  
  - You can find these on the Steam Workshop under the "Liveries" drop-down list.
  - In-game, these liveries can be found in the "Trains -> Liveries" drawer.
  
  You can find a guide on making official liveries here:
  https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1405658466
  
  
• "Legacy QuickMod liveries" - This is a separate system used for making liveries for player-made mods built in the old "QuickMod" modding system. QuickMods can still be made, but this is no longer the main supported modding system and has since been replaced by the new in-game "Train modding" system.
  
  - You can find these on the Steam Workshop under the "Legacy Liveries" tag.
  - In-game, these liveries can be found in the "Modding -> Mods -> Trains" drawer.
  
  You can also find a guide on making legacy liveries here:
  https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2251053402&searchtext=livery
  
  
• "Train mod liveries" - These are liveries made from player-made mods built in the current train modding system. This guide will discuss how to use this new system.
  
  - You can find these on the Steam Workshop under the "Train Mod Liveries" tag.
  - In-game, these liveries can be found in the "Modding -> Mods -> Trains" drawer.

Before making a livery, you will need a base mod to work with.
You can download a player-made train mod or you can make your own using the in-game train modding system.
There is a full guide here on how to use the in-game train modding system:
https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2664192139&searchtext=train+mod

Once you have a base mod, find it in-game in the modding manager.
Go to the pause menu and then open the Modding Manager:



In this example you can use this "Rusty Diesel: livery template" on the Steam Workshop:
https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2784186381&searchtext=

Simply subscribe to the item above, and then once it has downloaded, click "refresh mod list" and it should show up in the list.

Make sure the category at the top is set to "train mods" and then click on the mod you want to create a livery for.



When you click on the mod a list will show up.
Select the "Create Livery" option.

Please note that some mods will block this feature, or give a warning message about permissions before creating a livery (this is decided by the mod creator).



After clicking "Create Livery" you will be prompted to choose a name for your new mod.
Type in a new name and click "Done"



After this you will be greeted with the main menu for editing a mod.
If you have used the mod system before, you'll notice that this is the exact same screen you get when creating a mod from scratch!
This is because the new train mod livery system allows you to customize every element of the original mod, instead of just supplying new textures.
You can change everything from the sound effects, to adding in whole new models.

The most common and basic thing you'll want to do with a livery is replacing the colour scheme (main texture) of the mod.

To do this, start by selecting the "main" mesh on the mod's mesh list:



Next you will see a bunch of options for editing things like the mesh, texture, material types, etc.

The only one you need to pay attention to is the "texture" option:



As you can see, the current texture asset is set to "Original Asset", this means it is still using the texture which the original mod uses.

But for this example we want to give it a new texture!

Firstly, you can click the folder icon to the right of the asset name to open the folder which contains the original mod's files.

Inside this file you should find a file called "tex_rustyDiesel_template.png"
This is the image file we will be making a copy of.



Right click and copy this file, and then go back into Rolling Line.
The click on the "Open Asset Folder" button:



This will open the "Custom Assets" folder, which is the folder used for storing any files you want to use inside the modding system.

Simply paste the texture we copied earlier into this folder:



This texture is the one you will be modifying to create your livery.
For this example, simply change some colors around as you please, then save the changes.



Now, return to the game and click on the "refresh asset folder" button.
This will cause your newly created texture to show up in the asset list.



Next, click on the texture asset to select our newly edited one:



Select "tex_rustyDiesel_template.png" from the asset list:



And it's as simple as that!
Now that you have assigned the new texture, this mod will keep using the old assets (from the base mod) for things like 3D models, but it will now use your newly supplied texture.

Click the "refresh preview model" button down the bottom to view your new livery:



You can now click "Done editing", which will return you back to the mod's main menu.

From here you can edit other things (like the thumbnail, audio, wheels, etc).
When you are done simply click "Save"



And your new livery is complete!
It will show up in the train mods drawer alongside any others, and you can edit it from the Modding Manager menu.

You can also upload it to the Steam Workshop.

Sharing liveries on the workshop works in the same way as with any other kind of mod.

Simply find the livery in the Modding Manager (it will be in the category "Train mod liveries") and click on it.



This will bring up a list of options, choose "Upload" to continue:



From here you can edit all the usual options, like name, description, thumbnail, tags, etc.
Click "Upload" when you are done.



Items can take a while to appear on the workshop (up to an hour) so keep an eye on your uploads until it shows up.

You'll notice that your upload has an interesting tag:



This tag links your livery back to the original mod it was based on.
If you click on this tag you will see all liveries made using this mod, as well as the original:



If your mod has only just been uploaded then it may take a while for it to show up in this list.

Please also keep in mind that if the mod your livery is based on was made before the livery update then it won't have this tag. Any mods uploaded after the update should have the tag correctly included.

Regardless, you should still add the original mod as a "Required Item" on the workshop, so that players can more easily find the mod your livery uses.

To do this, simply click the "add/remove required items" option on the right of workshop items page:



Then choose the base mod from the list:



It will now show up as a required item, and players will be prompted to download it first before downloading your livery.