This tutorial takes you from first launch to real model railway operation: project setup, drivers, DCC, rolling stock, signals, turnouts, lighting, panels, scenes and automation.
On first launch, accept the terms, name your project and choose a signalling system such as PKP PLK. A project stores your layout configuration, rolling stock, panels, scenes and automation rules.
The Home screen contains startup tasks, local network access and configurable widgets. It is a useful checkpoint: once the startup tasks are complete, the app has a project and you can start configuring hardware.
Open Components -> Drivers and add the devices that physically operate your layout. A typical project can use Arduino with Firmata, a PCA9685 PWM expander for servos and LEDs, MCP23017 for I/O, and a DCC command station for locomotives.
DioramaControl tracks port usage so the same pin is not accidentally assigned to a signal, turnout and sensor at the same time. For RFID-RC522, use Arduino Uno or Nano with DioramaControlFirmata.
In project settings, choose a supported command station or the simulated mode. Then open Trains and add locomotives or other vehicles. For each vehicle, set the DCC address, speed step mode and decoder functions such as lights, horn or bell.
From the rolling stock list you can control track power, direction, speed and DCC functions. This matters: DioramaControl is not only a catalog, it is built to bring DCC control into the same interface as the rest of your layout.
Use the Components section to add layout elements. Lighting can represent platforms, buildings, streets and night scenes. Turnouts store calibrated positions. Signals use signalling profiles, while sensors can detect digital inputs, ACS712 measurements or RFID-RC522 tags.
Every component is assigned to a driver and a port. Use clear names and groups such as Station, Yard or Platform 1, because those names later appear in scenes, panels and automation rules.
Open Control Panels and create a panel. Add tracks, turnouts, signals and labels, then bind visual elements to real components from your project. A panel gives the operator a quick layout overview and a more natural control surface than lists alone.
Use edit mode to place elements. Use control mode during operation to switch turnouts, observe signals and run day-to-day layout actions.
Scenes save the target state of many elements at once: lights, signals, turnouts, ABC modules, sound effects and track power. You can prepare day, night, exhibition or shunting scenes and recall them with one click.
Sequences go further. They are timed action chains: switch lights on, wait, clear a signal, then trigger a DCC locomotive function. This makes repeated operations possible without clicking every element manually.
Automation combines events, conditions and actions. A trigger can be a sensor, RFID-RC522, component state change or schedule. An action can recall a scene, run a sequence, change a light, signal, turnout or DCC function.
For an exhibition layout, you can create a rule: when a locomotive with a specific RFID tag arrives at the platform, recall the departure scene. In practice, this lets you build semi-automatic or demo operations without writing code.
Before connecting an active layout, verify port mapping, power, servo directions, DCC addresses and emergency stop behavior. Test single components first, then scenes and automation rules.
DioramaControl helps organize the configuration, but wiring, power supplies and safe operating tests remain the layout operator’s responsibility.
Yes. The app includes DCC command-station settings, a rolling stock catalog with DCC addresses, speed step modes and decoder functions, plus a control screen for track power, direction, speed and functions.
Yes. The app interface is the same; the main differences are system port names and the installer for each platform.
No. You can begin with a test project and simulated mode, then connect drivers, sensors and a DCC command station later.
Download DioramaControl, create your first project and start with a small setup: one driver, one light, one turnout, one signal and one locomotive with a DCC address.