Software
Settings
Under “System” you decide which clock your layout uses, what LoDi-Aura looks like, which language it speaks and who on your home network may watch, drive or help draw. This page explains each of these settings.
The system areas
Click the “System” tab at the top. Under “System areas” there is a tile for each area; a click opens it, and the ← arrow takes you back to the overview.
| Tile | Contents | Described in |
|---|---|---|
| “Project” | Load, save and back up the layout | Project and backup |
| “Time & clock” | System time or model time | this page |
| “Track plan” | Scale, speed defaults, RailCom and safety settings of the layout | Project and backup |
| “Interfaces” | Set up devices, buses and modules | Devices and command stations |
| “Look & Feel” | Theme, readability and the look of the track plan | this page |
| “Language” | Display language | this page |
| “Users & Permissions” | Access from tablets and other computers on your home network | this page |
| “Diagnostics” | Program status, connections and technical log | Log and diagnostics |
| “Update” | whether a newer version of LoDi-Aura is available | Installing and starting |
| “About” | Versions and manufacturer information | – |
Time & clock
Your layout has a clock of its own. It runs either on the computer's real system time or as accelerated model time with its own start time. The model time is stored centrally in the project. Among other things, it controls the lighting of houses and stations and the “Time of day” trigger in Automation.
- “Mode”: “System Time” (the computer's clock) or “Model Time”.
- “Start time”: the time at which model time starts (default 08:00).
- “Factor”: how much faster model time runs than real time, from 1 to 60.
- “Model time running at start”: Without the tick, model time stands still after startup.
If there is no device with a model clock in the layout, system time applies. If the mode is set to “Model Time”, LoDi-Aura sets the start time, factor and “Model time running at start” at startup – and with that, every device that has a clock too.
The “Current display” card shows the clock as it stands right now. You see the same time at the top in the header bar in the “Model Time” field.
Look & Feel
Here you set the colour style and readability in one place. The page has three cards: the active theme with the readability switches, the “Track plan” card and the “Select Theme” card.
Selecting a theme
The theme is the colour style of the interface. It applies to the interface, the track plan and the program windows. Your choice shows straight away and carries over to all open LoDi-Aura windows.
| Group | Themes |
|---|---|
| “Dark themes” – calm and high-contrast for running the layout | “LoDi Night” (the familiar deep LoDi blue), “Midnight” (almost black, cool), “Graphite” (neutral anthracite), “Muted” (dark, desaturated slate grey) |
| “Character themes” – distinctive colour moods | “Signal Box” (signal green and warm yellow on anthracite), “Northern Light” (dark petrol with turquoise), “Copperworks” (warm dark surfaces with a copper accent), “AURA Signature” (violet, petrol and cyan) |
| “Light themes” – for bright rooms and daylight | “Daylight” (clear, friendly and easy to read) |
Spacing, contrast and animations
| Setting | Options | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| “Spacing” | “Comfortable” / “Compact” | More or less room between the controls. |
| “Contrast” | “Default” / “High” | High contrast makes text and borders stand out more. |
| “Reduce animations” | Tick box | Less movement on the screen. |
Track plan
The “Track plan” card sets the background, track and state colours of the layout. These settings are stored in the project – every monitor shows the same layout in the same way.
| Setting | Options | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| “Skin” | “Model railway” / “Signal box (line + glow filament)” | “Model railway” draws the track with sleepers and rails. “Signal box” shows tracks as lines; trains appear as glowing filaments in their train colour, while route and occupancy look as usual. |
| “Color scheme” | “Default” / “Color Vision (red-green friendly)” | With “Color Vision”, occupied = orange-red and route = white – clearly distinguishable even with red-green colour deficiency. |
| “Signals” | “Real signal aspect” / “Simplified (color dots)” | The real signal aspect shows the lamps and mast of the chosen signal system and helps when checking. Simplified shows only coloured dots and stays readable when you zoom out. |
| “Track look” | “Wood (default)” / “Concrete” / “Black sleepers” | What the sleepers look like. |
| “Background”, “Sleepers”, “Rails” | Colour swatch | Your own colours. The “Default” button next to it resets the colour. |
| “Train glow” | Slider 0 to 100 | How strongly the trains glow in the “Signal box” skin. |
Language
LoDi-Aura speaks German and English. A click on “Deutsch” or “English” switches immediately; the track plan and dialogs take over the language.
- On the layout computer, the choice applies to all windows on this computer – the interface, the track plan and the LoDi-Aura start window. Without a choice, the computer follows its system language.
- On a tablet or another computer, the choice applies only to that device. The layout computer keeps its own language.
Users & Permissions
LoDi-Aura runs on the layout computer. There you always have all rights. If you like, you can also allow a tablet or a second computer on your home network – to watch, to drive or to draw together. These devices then open the interface via their web browser. Permissions are managed only on the layout computer.
Allowing a tablet or second computer
- Open the pageOn the layout computer, open “System” › “Users & Permissions”.
- Start the network serverIn the “AURA Network Server” card, click “Start server”.
- Copy the addressUnder “Network address” you now see the address for the other devices. “Copy address” puts it on the clipboard.
- Open it on the tabletEnter the address into the tablet's web browser. A new device starts with the “Observe” permission.
- Assign a permissionOn the layout computer, in the “Network access” card, choose the permission you want next to the device.
- “Local access”: always active – LoDi-Aura on this computer always stays available.
- “Network address”: the address for other devices, or “Not shared”.
- “Network browsers”: how many devices are connected right now.
- “Enable network server automatically on program start”: the server then starts together with LoDi-Aura.
- “Stop server”: only ends access over the network; on the layout computer everything carries on.
The permissions
| Permission | What the device may do |
|---|---|
| “Observe” | Look, don't touch. Every new device starts with this. |
| “Operate” | Drive and switch. |
| “Edit” | Also change the track plan, with live sync. Over the network this only works if “Editing over the network” is set to “Shared editors · live sync”. |
| “Manage” | Full administrator rights: layout on and off, locos and projects, device settings. LoDi-Aura asks first. Regardless of this, the layout computer always remains an administrator and can withdraw the permission at any time. |
Managing network access
The “Network access” card appears on the layout computer. “Editing over the network” decides whether only this computer may edit the track plan (“This computer only”) or devices with the “Edit” permission too (“Shared editors · live sync”).
Below it, each connected device is listed separately: name, IP address, state (connected, inactive or locked), which view it is showing right now and how many tabs are open. On the right you choose its permission. The layout computer itself appears in the list as “Manage · Host”. “Refresh” reads the list again.
The permissions apply locally on this computer and are not stored in the project file.
Access password
Without a password, every new device has to be approved by hand on the layout computer. With an access password, devices can unlock themselves:
- Set a passwordOn the layout computer, enter a password of at least 8 characters under “Access password”.
- Choose the permissionNext to it, choose which permission the password unlocks: “unlocks “Operate””, “unlocks “Edit”” or “unlocks “Manage””. Click “Set”.
- Unlock on the tabletOn the tablet, click the “Access” field in the header bar at the top. “Unlock with password” opens. Enter the password and click “Unlock”. The device keeps the permission permanently until the layout computer changes it.
“Remove” deletes the password again; new devices then need to be approved by hand again.
What the tablet shows
- The header bar shows the “Access” field with the device's own permission. On the layout computer it isn't there.
- The status box in the header bar shows “LAN” as long as the network server is running – on all devices, including the layout computer. Without the network server it says “local”.
- Under “System” › “Users & Permissions” there is only “Management only on the layout computer”.