Improving Skies & Weather in TSW (PC) – A Realistic Visual Overhaul (WIP) This project focuses on refining how skies, lighting, and weather behave across Train Sim World. The aim is to create a more believable, consistent visual experience without drifting into exaggerated or cinematic territory. The emphasis is on subtle improvements that make the world feel more natural from the cab. Players can expect: More natural horizon behaviour Improved cloud realism and variation Better sunset and evening transitions A cleaner, more atmospheric night sky Weather that behaves more smoothly and predictably This is not a dramatic graphics overhaul. It’s a careful, route‑agnostic refinement of how the game presents the sky and weather across all conditions. Technical Overview — What’s Being Changed Below is a breakdown of the core technical adjustments behind the project. These changes work with the game’s existing systems to ensure stability and consistency across routes, seasons, and lighting conditions. Sky & Atmosphere Tuning Reduced harsh blue bands at the horizon Smoother colour transitions between sky layers Balanced Rayleigh/Mie scattering for more natural gradients Upper sky depth retained without oversaturation The goal is a more photographic, believable sky. Cloud Behaviour & Rendering Softer cloud edges and improved opacity More natural contrast and depth Better variation between broken, overcast, and transitional skies More reliable behaviour during dynamic weather changes Clouds should feel integrated into the world, not painted on top of it. Lighting & Sun Position Warmer, more believable sunset tones Reduced colour clipping at sunrise/sunset More natural ambient falloff in the evening Cleaner night gradients without the grey haze This helps the sky feel consistent from dawn to dusk. Night Sky & Darkness Levels Darker sky dome without losing detail Reduced ambient spill from the horizon More realistic moonlight influence Better contrast between lit and unlit areas The result is a more grounded night environment. Weather System Consistency Rain and snow intensity balanced to avoid extremes More natural transitions between clear, cloudy, and stormy conditions Reduced abrupt colour shifts during weather updates More believable visibility changes during showers or fog Weather should feel like weather — not a switch being flipped. Implementation Approach The project uses: Engine.ini parameter tuning Adjustments to sky, lighting, and weather variables Route‑agnostic settings for consistency Real‑world reference data for colour and light behaviour No shaders, no external mods, no intrusive changes — just careful refinement of the game’s existing systems. What Players Can Expect A more natural, believable sky in all conditions Improved cloud realism without exaggeration Better sunsets and evening transitions A cleaner, more atmospheric night environment Weather that behaves more smoothly and consistently A driving experience that feels closer to real life This project is about subtlety, realism, and reliability — not spectacle. Status Work in progress. Screenshots and comparison captures will be added as the project develops. Closing Note This is a long‑term refinement project. The aim is not to reinvent the game’s visuals, but to gently improve the areas where the sky and weather can feel artificial. Feedback from the community will help shape future adjustments. Update: Just added some new pics of how the clouds are being presented to make them look more natural .
I am delighted to read this. I'm really into weather and the basic weather engine grates when that "artificial" feel you've perfectly described breaks immersion.
Is this a Chat GPT or Claude markdown? I've been working on some plugins and mods for both TSW front end and the editor using Fable on my Max 5 account for last couple of weeks, I burned millions of tokens just dissecting the editor and the tsw6 backend. I have a technical document of close to 100 pages on my findings. You're going to run into some engine limitations pretty fast, I know this for a fact because I've heavily polled the TSW/UE4.26 weather engine. All of what you are trying to accomplish has pretty much been done with Train Sim Route Annotations, you can refine his mod somewhat to improve upon it but unless you're willing to create custom textures for the weather types and deliver them as pak files - imo we've pretty much reached the threshold of what's accomplish-able with the current UE4.26/TSW TOD4 weather engine. I decided not to go the pak route because it was too much effort for too little gain. Just so you know, if you were brainstorming this concept in GPT or Claude, once you start actually opening code and running probes/tests it will start to reassess its initial scope when it has more data. AI, on the lower tiers, tends to overestimate things when its doing basic brainstorming on a concept. Good luck!
Cloud Transition Showcase — Partly Cloudy → Full Overcast A clean look at how the Natural Sky & Weather Overhaul handles the shift from a broken sky into full overcast. This set focuses on smooth cloud blending, natural light falloff, and the pipeline’s behaviour during sky-state transitions.
Thanks for the early views on this one. I’ll be expanding the showcase with additional sky‑state transitions over the next day — including Clear → Broken, Overcast → Light Breaks, and a look at how the pipeline handles dynamic light shifts during weather progression.
Locking as this has been posted multiple times. Edit: opened after redirecting the other thread here.
Turned off comments as this is a duplicate: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/th...-tsw-–-a-realistic-visual-overhaul-wip.98655/
Hey folks, I merged both threads as they were about the same topic from the same original poster. Please avoid making duplicate threads. I will also move this into the Creators Hub as it belongs there. Thank you
