So, I'm pretty sure most of you know how to do this already. But in case you don't, it's a really useful trick for keeping up the performance. It's a standard fact that shaders pack a punch to performance. This was quite obvious once Train Simulator 2012 came out. Of course, there have been minor tweaks to the game so that there's not such a huge decrease in performance. Unfortunately, there are still a few trains who's headlights hog your system. Examples of such are the F7, GP38-2, and the ES44 (though not as much). The cab lights especially eat it all up. Thankfully, there is a REALLY simple solution to fixing this.
Step 1: Locate the "Lights" Folder
This is really easy. Just find the location of the locomotive files. For example, I'm going to be editing the GP38-2 that comes with Stevens Pass.
Its location is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RailWorks\Assets\GNTX\StevensPass\RailVehicles\Diesel\GP38-2\Ex-BN" for me.
There should be a subdirectory called "Lights". If it's just a standalone train, you might find the files in the main folder. For example, the CRH380A's light files are in the main directory. Otherwise that folder will usually be taken up by scenery lights.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RailWorks\Assets\SimtechVision\CRH380APack\Lights"
Can you guess what files are in there?
Step 2: Disabling the Shadows
Here's where the magic begins. Convert the file such as "headlights.bin" into a .XML file with Serz, and scroll towards the bottom.
You can see that I highlighted the Boolean that controls whether the shadows are enabled or disabled. Right now the "1" represents "enabled", so "0" would represent "disabled". Simply change that to 0.
Convert it back to .BIN with Serz and open it up in Railworks! Now you should only get a tiny, if any, performance hit.
Before: (The number represents the FPS.)
After:
(I couldn't supply pictures, but with shadowing disabled, the FPS is the same with or without the lights on.)
So there you have it! If you ever have a light that's hogging your system, just disable the shadowing. The performance upgrade all depends on the locomotive.
