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Heartline · the complete feature list

Everything Heartline will do. And what it does today.

Thirteen areas, 174 features, from the first force section to solid-body CAD export and VR. Every one is marked by where it stands, so you can see exactly how far Heartline has come and where it’s going.

Features across thirteen areas.
174
Built: in the code today, with tests.
56
In development: the rest of Phase 5, the editor.
17
Planned for the first release and beyond.
101
Built
In Heartline’s code today, covered by automated tests. The editor’s framework, track tools and design solver run in development builds; some of the core has no screens yet.
In development
Part of Phase 5, the editor. Ride hardware, Operate and the importers are being built now; Simple mode comes next.
Planned · H1
Planned for the first public release, in a later phase.
Planned · H2 / H3
Planned for the next major version, or the long term. Plans can change.

Showing built features only.

Showing features in development only.

Showing features planned for the first release only.

Showing features planned for H2, H3 and deferred only.

Area 01

Design and the three modes

Design the way you think.

Shape a ride by the forces riders should feel, by the path it takes through space, or both at once in the same track. Heartline’s editor is being built to the standard of the best professional CAD software: exact values, units on everything, undo for every action, and three depths of tools over one file.

14 built5 in development7 planned

Highlights

  • Force sections and shape sections mix freely in one track
  • Simple, Designer and Engineering modes edit the same file, and switching never loses anything
  • Type an exact value at any moment, even in the middle of a drag
Designer mode concept: an outliner of sections on the left, a coaster track coloured by force in the viewport, force and pitch graphs below, and an inspector of exact numeric values on the right. Design concept
Designer mode, design concept. Designer mode as planned. Full size
The real Heartline editor: an elevation view of the track with the Measure tool showing a 72.29 m distance between two points, and the measurement in the inspector. Real screenshot
Real screenshot, in-development build. The Measure tool in an elevation view.
The real Heartline editor: a plan view with a reference drawing placed under the track in line-art style, and the inspector showing the points used to line it up. Real screenshot
Real screenshot, in-development build. A reference drawing under the plan view, in line-art style, lined up by two known points.

  • Force sections

    Set normal G, lateral G and roll rate over time or distance, and Heartline builds the track that delivers them.

    BuiltM1

  • Geometric sections

    Pitch, yaw and roll changes, plus straight and curved sections, for when position is what matters.

    BuiltM1

  • Node sections

    Bézier node and roll-node sections, joined to their neighbours with G2-smooth continuity.

    BuiltM1

  • Transitions and time-warp

    A full set of exact transition curve shapes, with warps, for shaping how every force builds and fades.

    BuiltM1

  • Heartline offset

    Track built around the rider’s heart line, with the offset under your control.

    BuiltM1

  • Parametric elements

    Elements that build their own sections from a few settings. An airtime hill, a vertical loop and a banked turn already run in the core.

    BuiltM1

  • A professional workspace

    Dockable panels, saved layouts, several monitors, an outliner, an inspector and a command palette.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5a

  • Exact numbers everywhere

    Every value typed exactly, with units and arithmetic in every field. Files are always SI; imperial is a display setting.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5a

  • Undo, history and recovery

    Undo for every edit, a History panel, autosave with a journal of every command, and crash recovery that never blocks start-up.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5a

  • The force-graph editor

    Drag force curves and watch the track reshape, backed by progressive regeneration that already puts an edit on screen within 5 ms.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Linked views

    Perspective, plan and elevation views tied together by one shared cursor across the views, graphs and timeline, with automatic dimensions and a measure tool.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Reference drawings

    Place images and PDFs under the plan view and any elevation view, lined up by two known points, and design straight onto the architect’s drawings.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Gizmos and snapping

    Move, rotate and shape with gizmos in World, Local and View frames, and snap to the grid, increments, track points and other track.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Explode to sections

    Open any element into Designer’s editable sections, with nothing lost.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Designer mode

    Every section type, force and shape graphs, precise numeric editing and the full set of ride hardware.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • Simple mode

    An element palette of drops, hills, loops, helices and more. Drag to place, joins smoothed for you, a few friendly settings and plain-language feedback.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5d, next

  • Templates and examples

    Start a new ride from a template, or save your own design as one.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5d, next

  • Keyboard first

    Shortcuts for everything, remappable, with a Blender-style preset and a typed command line.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • The version store

    Compare, restore and name saved versions of a design.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • Layout-first design

    Sketch the footprint and the height profile, and Heartline builds track that follows them.

    Planned · H1Phase 5, step 5e

  • Simple mode, complete

    Automatic smoothing, a fun and intensity rating that shows where its numbers come from, and guided tutorials.

    Planned · H1Phase 10

  • Review mode and comments

    Comments pinned to places on a design, and a read-only review mode with measuring and compare.

    Planned · H1Phases 9 and 10

  • Convert and reverse

    Convert sections between types, and reverse a piece.

    Planned · H2

  • Your own track styles

    A style editor for rail profiles and spine shapes.

    Planned · H2

  • Named parameters

    Named parameters and live expressions that drive a design.

    Planned · H2

  • Community elements

    Elements made and shared by users.

    Planned · H2

Area 02

The design solver

State your intent. The solver builds the track.

Coaster tools have always made designers choose: control the forces and lose control of where the track goes, or place the track and hand-tune the forces. Heartline’s design solver is built to end that trade-off. Pin what must be true, mark what may change, and the solver finds track that meets every requirement. Then it shows you exactly what it changed, and why.

9 built2 planned

Highlights

  • Pin a position, heading, bank or speed, or an exact force at a point
  • Changes only what you allow, only within the ranges you set
  • Exactly repeatable: the answer is saved as ordinary values in your file
The real Heartline editor: a pin the track can't reach, marked in red on the track as 1.00 m too low, with the clashing span in the outliner's intent section and the inspector listing the solver's fixes, best first, as links. Real screenshot
Real screenshot, in-development build. A conflict: the pin the track can’t reach, in red on the track and in the intent section, with the solver’s fixes in the inspector.
The real Heartline editor: the Free inputs tab for a span in conflict, showing the last solve, what clashes, the fixes best first and each requirement against what the exact track achieves, with the same fixes in the Issues panel, each marked as checked. Real screenshot
Real screenshot, in-development build. The Free inputs tab: what clashes, the fixes best first, and every requirement against the exact track. In Issues, each fix is checked before it’s offered.
The real Heartline editor: a short track with a pinned heading, and the Free inputs tab offering a second solution the solver found, with how it differs and a Use solution 2 button. Real screenshot
Real screenshot, in-development build. Other solutions: the solver found a second way to meet the pin, says how it differs, and leaves the choice to you.

  • Intent in the track model

    Pins, constraints, free inputs and goals are part of the track model, with a bridge that joins any two states with G2 or G3 continuity.

    BuiltM1

  • The solving engine

    A bounded Levenberg–Marquardt solver that searches on a fast sketch of the track and finishes on the exact one. It runs behind every edit in the editor, on a thread of its own.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Position and force pins

    Pin a point and heading, a bank, a speed, or an exact normal or lateral force at a point.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Constraints and ranges

    Force limits, fixed lengths and a range for every free input. The solver never loosens or deletes a requirement by itself.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Edits stay local

    Nothing you didn’t touch moves. Change is held to the span between two pins, with Follow or Hold for the track after it.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Conflicts, explained

    When requirements can’t all be met, nothing changes. You see the smallest clashing set, how far off each one is, and up to five ranked fixes, each previewed as a ghost.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Several solutions

    Other solutions are searched for in the background and offered, never applied by themselves.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Drag the track in 3D

    Grab the track and pull it. The preview follows within a frame, and the exact solve lands when you pause.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Close the circuit

    A force-aware helper that closes the ride back to the station, previewed with its forces.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Terrain-aware constraints

    Terrain clearance and the site boundary as requirements the solver respects.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Whole-ride optimisation

    “Smooth this whole ride to stay under X g”: goals across an entire ride.

    Planned · H2

Area 03

Physics and simulation

Engineering-grade physics, live.

Heartline’s simulation core is built and tested today. It runs at 1,000 steps a second while you ride, and it is deterministic: the same inputs give identical results, bit for bit, every time. A slower analysis run uses the same model with finer steps, and the two must agree.

10 built4 planned

Highlights

  • 1,000 simulation steps a second, in real time
  • Forces at every seat, loads at every wheel assembly
  • Live and analysis results from one model, checked against each other

  • A 1 kHz live simulation

    The train is simulated 1,000 times a second, with headroom: with six trains on one ride, the slowest 1 in 100 steps took 0.37 ms in the tests.

    BuiltM3

  • Deterministic, bit for bit

    The same inputs give identical results every time, so replays and reviews show exactly what happened.

    BuiltM3

  • Real trains

    Data-driven multi-car steel trains, including articulated trains, with road, side and up-stop wheel assemblies.

    BuiltM3

  • Friction and drag

    Rolling resistance, friction and air resistance, acting on every car.

    BuiltM3

  • Forces at every seat

    Ride and analyse from any seat: front, back, left or right.

    BuiltM3

  • Wheel loads and impacts

    Loads at every wheel assembly, including the impacts where track curvature changes abruptly.

    BuiltM3

  • Several trains, either way

    Several trains on one circuit, running forwards or backwards.

    BuiltM3

  • Analysis runs

    A finer-step analysis run from the same model. The live simulation must agree with it within a set tolerance; disagreement counts as a bug.

    BuiltM3

  • A validation suite

    Automated cases with known answers from textbook physics, including energy conservation, circular motion, zero-g and banked-turn cases, run before every change is merged.

    BuiltM1 and M3

  • Progressive regeneration

    An edit shows a sketch within 5 ms and the exact track follows, bit-identical to a fresh build.

    BuiltM4

  • Comparison with measured rides

    Planned once accurate ride geometry and on-ride telemetry are available to compare against.

    Planned · deferred

  • Wind

    Wind acting on the train.

    Planned · H2

  • Temperature effects

    Cold-running and warm-running trains.

    Planned · H2

  • Flexible track and vehicles

    Vehicle and track flexibility, needed for true wooden-coaster physics.

    Planned · H3

Area 04

Engineering and analysis

Numbers you can trace.

Engineering mode is where Heartline goes far beyond a design toy: forces per seat row, wheel loads, measured rides overlaid on the design, and acceleration checks evaluated the way the ride standards describe, every result traceable to the design version that produced it. Heartline is a design aid. It doesn’t certify rides or replace a qualified engineer.

4 built3 in development12 planned

Highlights

  • Design and simulated forces side by side, per seat row
  • Acceleration checks by the evaluation method of EN 13814 and ASTM F2291, with limits marked provisional
  • Solid-body CAD export for engineering tools (Pro, H2)
Engineering mode concept: a track coloured by compliance margin, a table of acceleration checks marked provisional, and per-seat-row force results. Design concept
Engineering mode, design concept. Engineering mode as planned. Standards values shown are placeholders. Full size

  • Forces, speed and energy

    Force, speed, height and energy data for every run, with design forces beside simulated forces.

    BuiltM3

  • Ride recordings, filtered

    Accelerometer recordings imported as CSV and passed through the same 5 Hz filter used to evaluate the simulation.

    BuiltM3

  • Graphs in the editor

    Lanes for forces, rates, geometry, motion and jerk, with design against simulated forces.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Ride statistics

    Top speed, airtime, strongest forces and more, updated as you edit.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Wheel loads and clearance

    Wheel-load envelopes, clearance between tracks and margin colouring while you design.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • Measured rides, lined up

    Recordings lined up with a design automatically, by distance along the track.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • CSV export in every edition

    Track points, forces and speeds out to spreadsheets. Track-point export already works in the core.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5c, now

  • Acceleration checks

    Evaluated as EN 13814 and ASTM F2291 describe: rider axes, the 5 Hz filter, the evaluation points, every seat row, flagged on the track. Limit values stay provisional until checked against the purchased standards.

    Planned · H1Phase 10

  • Analysis runs in the editor

    A queue of analysis runs, each recording the design version, solver settings and standard editions it used.

    Planned · H1Phase 10

  • The design report

    A printable report from an analysis run: provenance, drawings, forces and checks.

    Planned · H1Phase 10

  • Rider clearance envelopes

    Checks of the riders’ clearance envelope against structure, terrain and scenery.

    Planned · H1Phase 10

  • Recreate a ride

    Fit force sections to a recorded ride’s forces.

    Planned · H2

  • Full multibody analysis

    Multibody analysis with wheel contact for road, side and up-stop wheels.

    Planned · H2

  • Loads for structural tools

    Structural loads, plus wheel and interface load histories exported for structural analysis tools, and track data for multibody tools.

    Planned · H2

  • Fabrication geometry

    Rail and spine point and tangent tables at a chosen spacing, with curvature and torsion per segment and explicit units, frame and datum.

    Planned · H2

  • Calculation reports

    Printable PDF calculation reports for third-party review.

    Planned · H2

  • Frequency-domain views

    Measured against simulated data, in the frequency domain.

    Planned · H2

  • Fatigue estimates

    Fatigue estimates from the load histories.

    Planned · H3

  • Design optimisation

    Optimisation of a design against engineering goals.

    Planned · H3

Area 05

Ride hardware and operations

Every lift, launch and brake, simulated.

Heartline’s ride hardware and operations core is built: stations, lifts, launches, brakes, blocks, interlocking and dispatch. In its long operations test it ran 10,016 dispatch cycles with 2,033 injected faults, and no two trains ever shared a block. It simulates an operating concept; it is not a control or safety system.

9 built2 in development6 planned

Highlights

  • Lifts, launches, brakes, stations and blocks, built and tested
  • Switch, transfer and tilt track as data, with route locking
  • Every moving part driven by the simulation, never animated on its own
Operate concept: a station control panel with dispatch and an emergency stop, block states along the ride, and an alarm list. Design concept
Operate, design concept. Operate as planned. Full size

  • Stations

    Several stations on one ride, synchronised.

    BuiltM3

  • Lifts and drives

    Chain and cable lifts, tyre drives and boosters, with anti-rollback.

    BuiltM3

  • Launches

    LSM and LIM launches.

    BuiltM3

  • Brakes

    Eddy-current and friction brakes, as trims and block brakes.

    BuiltM3

  • Blocks and interlocking

    Block sections and interlocking that never lets two trains share a block.

    BuiltM3

  • Dispatch

    Automatic, manual and grouped dispatch, with design checks such as hang-back and rollback protection.

    BuiltM3

  • Moving track

    A general model defined as data: switch tracks, transfer tables and tilt track, with routes for every combination of states and route locking.

    BuiltM3

  • Sensors and rules

    Presence, point and speed sensors driving rules with triggers, conditions and actions, plus timers and operator commands.

    BuiltM3

  • Driven by the simulation

    Wheels, brakes, gates and restraints animated from the simulation’s own state.

    BuiltM4

  • Hardware in the editor

    Place ride hardware, set up trains and blocks, and configure moving track.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5c, now

  • Operate, first version

    A generated control panel for each station, manual dispatch and alarms.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5c, now

  • Ride devices at real dimensions

    Chain links, tyres, calipers, catch cars and stator rows defined by real dimensions, generated along the track and driven only by the simulation.

    Planned · H1Phases 7 and 8

  • Working control panels

    Panels from each ride’s own panel data: dispatch, gates, restraints and block control, plus a maintenance mode.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • More moving track

    Drop track, vertical lifts, turntables, multi-lane transfers and rotating switches.

    Planned · H2

  • Hydraulic launches and shuttles

    Hydraulic launches and shuttle layouts.

    Planned · H2

  • The operations simulator

    Faults, e-stops, restraint checks, continuous-loading stations and hourly ride capacity.

    Planned · H2

  • Water sections

    Splashdowns and boats.

    Planned · H3

Area 06

Terrain and the site

Sculpt the whole site.

In Heartline, terrain is a core feature, not scenery. Its own 3D terrain system will make cliffs, overhangs, caves and tunnels possible, not just a heightmap, all in real time, with every edit undoable and still adjustable later. The track and the land will know about each other.

16 planned

Highlights

  • True 3D terrain: cliffs, overhangs, caves and arches
  • Tunnels and trenches that follow the track
  • Real-world elevation, imagery and surveys in H2

  • Sculpting brushes

    Raise, lower, smooth, flatten and noise, with size, strength and falloff, sculpting in real time.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • 3D shapes

    Add or subtract spheres, boxes, cylinders and custom shapes for cliffs, overhangs, caves and rock arches.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Tunnels

    Carved by hand or along a path.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Splines

    For paths, riverbeds, embankments and cuttings.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Track-aware tools

    Automatic tunnels where the track passes through terrain, trenches that follow the track, and flat pads for footers and the station.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Material painting

    Grass, dirt, rock, sand, concrete and more.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Water

    A sea or lake level.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Non-destructive edits

    The terrain is stored as a list of edits, so every edit can be undone and stays adjustable.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Snap to site drawings

    Snap to the lines of vector PDF and DXF drawings, and trace the site boundary from one.

    Planned · H1Phase 6

  • Real-world elevation

    Start the terrain from the actual site, with DEM and GeoTIFF import.

    Planned · H2

  • Aerial imagery and map data

    Aerial and satellite imagery draped over the terrain, and OpenStreetMap roads, buildings and boundaries.

    Planned · H2

  • Point clouds

    Drone, LiDAR and laser-scan surveys of a real site (LAS, LAZ and E57).

    Planned · H2

  • Earthworks volumes

    How much earth is cut and filled, for cost estimates (Pro).

    Planned · H2

  • Erosion, stamps and rivers

    Erosion and weathering brushes, a stamp library, rivers and waterfalls.

    Planned · H2

  • Site-scale terrain

    Terrain for whole parks.

    Planned · H3

  • Streamed real-world surroundings

    Photoreal streamed 3D surroundings for presentations, subject to the usage terms.

    Planned · H3

Area 07

Structure and styles

Real coasters, built from real profiles.

Every track style and support in Heartline will be defined as a dimensioned engineering profile, in millimetres: rails, spines, ties, flanges, columns and base plates. One definition drives the look on screen and the CAD export, so what you see is what an engineer gets.

1 built14 planned

Highlights

  • Seven steel coaster types and at least 20 styles in the first release
  • Automatic supports that sit on the terrain, then edit them
  • Splice flanges and support nodes placed while you design

  • A generic steel track

    Rails, spine and ties generated in chunks, and rebuilt only where the track changes.

    BuiltM4

  • Seven coaster types

    Sit-down, inverted, floorless, wing, dive, family and launched, each with type-correct forces.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • 20 or more styles

    Built from procedural track styles and modular trains, with generic names.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • Modular trains

    Bogies, seats, restraints and bodies as parts.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • Engineering-profile styles

    Track styles and supports defined as dimensioned engineering profiles, one source of truth for the view and the CAD export.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • Automatic steel supports

    Generated to sit on uneven terrain, then fully editable.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • Manual supports and catwalks

    Columns, beams, connectors, footers and prefabs, plus catwalks.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • Splice flanges

    Split the track into fabrication pieces, with rules for transport length, support nodes and curvature shown as issues.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • Support connection nodes

    Where supports attach to the spine, placed by spacing rules and editable by hand.

    Planned · H1Phase 7

  • More coaster types

    Flying, stand-up, wild mouse, spinning, suspended swinging and bobsled.

    Planned · H2

  • Wooden and hybrid styles

    Wooden and hybrid styles with a wooden support generator.

    Planned · H2

  • The train builder

    Build your own trains, and share style packs.

    Planned · H2

  • Walkways and stairs

    Evacuation walkways and stairs.

    Planned · H2

  • The next frontier

    4D and free-fly, water, alpine and multi-dimension coasters.

    Planned · H3

  • Detailed wooden structure

    Bents, ledgers and bracing, for flex physics.

    Planned · H3

Area 08

Scenery and the photoreal look

From clean technical view to photoreal park.

Heartline will show every design two ways: a clean, CAD-like technical view with the track coloured by force, and a photoreal view with ray-traced light, real materials, time of day and weather. Scenery comes from a built-in library cleared for commercial use of your renders, or from your own models.

1 built10 planned

Highlights

  • A technical view with force colours on a fixed physical scale
  • Hardware ray-traced lighting, sky, time of day and weather
  • Built-in scenery, plus your own glTF and FBX models
The real Heartline editor in a development build: a perspective view of a coaster test track coloured by design speed, with the outliner of sections on the left and the inspector showing values at the cursor on the right. Real screenshot
Real screenshot, in-development build. Perspective view, the track coloured by design speed, with the outliner and the inspector’s values at the cursor.

  • The technical view

    A clean, CAD-like view with the track coloured by force on a fixed physical scale.

    BuiltM4

  • The photoreal view

    Hardware ray-traced lighting, physically based materials, sky, clouds and time of day.

    Planned · H1Phase 8

  • Weather

    Clouds, fog and rain.

    Planned · H1Phase 8

  • The built-in library

    Trees, rocks and simple buildings, every asset cleared for your commercial use of renders.

    Planned · H1Phase 8

  • Your own library

    Import glTF and FBX models with PBR materials into a library of your own.

    Planned · H1Phase 8

  • Foliage and paths

    Place scenery, paint foliage and lay simple paths.

    Planned · H1Phase 8

  • High-resolution stills

    Screenshots at high resolution, with quality tiers for every machine.

    Planned · H1Phase 8

  • Full scenery

    Theming objects, more model formats and procedural scatter.

    Planned · H2

  • Riders in seats

    Riders on the train.

    Planned · H2

  • Park design basics

    Several rides in one site, paths and queue lines, buildings, flat-ride placeholders and hourly ride capacity.

    Planned · H2

  • Full park design

    Real flat rides, guest flow, sightline and height-limit checks, cost estimates, and site layout from real map data.

    Planned · H3

Area 09

Ride, explore and cinematics

Ride it. Walk it. Film it.

A design in Heartline isn’t just viewed: it’s a living world. Ride any seat with live forces on screen. Walk the site, climb the station stairs and board the train. Then direct the film: camera paths, train-following shots and video capture.

2 built7 planned

Highlights

  • Any seat, with live forces on screen
  • First-person exploring and boarding
  • Camera paths and video capture, then full cinematics in H2
Ride concept: the view from a seat looking down the track, with live seat forces, a force trace and a seat picker for every car. Design concept
Ride, design concept. Riding as planned. Full size

  • Ride any seat

    Seat, orbit and free cameras, with live seat forces on screen.

    BuiltM4

  • Ride from here

    Ride from any point while you design, even on an unfinished track.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5b

  • Explore on foot

    Walk the site in first person: under the track, through the station, into the queue, and board the train.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Basic cinematics

    Keyframed camera paths, train- and seat-following cameras, and 4K video capture.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Physics-driven sound

    Wheel, rail, lift, launch and brake sounds driven by the simulation, with 3D positioning, tunnel reverb and ambience.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Motion-rig telemetry

    Telemetry output for motion simulators and dashboards, compatible with existing motion-rig software where the protocol allows.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Full cinematics

    Multi-shot sequences and path-traced rendering.

    Planned · H2

  • Presentation mode

    A guided flythrough with captions, for pitching a ride.

    Planned · H2

  • Sound sets and announcements

    Per-style sound sets, a station soundtrack and operator announcements.

    Planned · H2

Area 10

Import, export and CAD

Bring your work. Take it anywhere.

Heartline is built to fit real workflows, from enthusiasts moving their designs across to manufacturers, architects and surveyors. Open formats come first, and the planned CAD export goes all the way to solid bodies: every rail, tie and spine segment as its own named part.

3 built4 in development9 planned

Highlights

  • NoLimits 2 track import and export
  • STEP solid bodies, every component a separate named body (Pro, H2)
  • Manufacturer track standards (Pro, H2)

  • The .heartline file

    A versioned, documented file format. Reading a file never crashes Heartline, and every value is checked before a ride is built.

    BuiltM1 to M4

  • CSV track points out

    Track points out to a spreadsheet.

    BuiltM1

  • Ride recordings in

    Accelerometer and G-force recordings as CSV.

    BuiltM3

  • NoLimits 2 track import

    Designers coming from NoLimits 2 can bring their tracks across: .nl2elem and NoLimits 1 .nlelem element files, and NL2 CSV splines.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5c, now

  • NoLimits 2 export

    Export to an NL2-compatible track, with a report of what carried across.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5c, now

  • CSV points in

    Surveyed or hand-calculated layouts: position, banking and optional orientation.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5c, now

  • glTF track export

    The track as glTF, for other 3D tools.

    In developmentPhase 5, step 5c, now

  • glTF and FBX models in

    Buildings, theming and props from any 3D tool.

    Planned · H1Phase 8

  • CAD curves

    DXF and STEP heartline, rail centrelines and spine, with roll, stating the worst deviation from Heartline’s track (Pro).

    Planned · H2

  • STEP solid bodies

    Each rail, tie, spine segment, splice flange, support and base plate as a separate named body in an assembly. Choose what to export and which range. Design-intent geometry, not certified fabrication drawings (Pro).

    Planned · H2

  • Manufacturer track standards

    A manufacturer defines its rail, spine, tie and flange profiles once, and Heartline generates detailed geometry for any layout (Pro).

    Planned · H2

  • CAD and survey track in

    Track geometry from DXF, STEP and LandXML.

    Planned · H2

  • More model formats

    OBJ and USD models, and IFC buildings from BIM workflows.

    Planned · H2

  • Scene export

    FBX and USD scenes with the coaster’s motion, for architectural visualisation.

    Planned · H2

  • IFC export

    Hand the ride over to BIM workflows.

    Planned · H3

  • Live sync with modelling tools

    Edit a building in its own tool and see it update in Heartline.

    Planned · H3

Area 11

Sharing and the community

Made to be shared.

Heartline is being built with the coaster community in mind: packages that carry a whole park, a workshop to share them through, and comments pinned right onto the track. What you design, and what you render, will be yours.

6 planned

Highlights

  • Park packages and Steam Workshop sharing
  • Comments pinned to places on a design
  • Your designs and renders are yours, including commercially

  • Park packages

    A site and its custom assets in one file. Built-in assets are referenced, never copied, because everyone already has them.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Steam Workshop

    Share and download parks through Steam Workshop.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Comments on designs

    Comments pinned to places on the track.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Your work is yours

    You will own your designs and renders, including commercial use of renders. The licence terms will set this out.

    Planned · H1

  • Style packs and elements

    Shareable style packs and community-made elements.

    Planned · H2

  • Direct and company licensing

    Pro available directly and to companies, for teams that can’t use a store.

    Planned · H2

Area 12

Automation: Python and AI assistants

Script it. Ask it.

Every action in Heartline’s editor is a command, and that design is what opens it up. Rules and triggers without code come first. Then a Python API for automation and company workflows, and a connection for AI assistants to read designs, build and edit track, run simulations and explain the results.

2 built4 planned

Highlights

  • No-code triggers and actions for show and ride logic
  • A Python API, as in the best 3D and CAD tools
  • An AI assistant connection, with your permission on every session

  • Sensors, rules and actions

    The engine for no-code logic: sensors, triggers, conditions, actions and timers.

    BuiltM3

  • Everything is a command

    Every editor action is an undoable command, searchable in the palette: the foundation the Python API and the AI connection build on.

    BuiltPhase 5, step 5a

  • The rules editor

    Sensors trigger lights, sounds, animations, effects and ride commands, with no programming.

    Planned · H1Phase 9

  • Python API

    Automation, batch work, plugins and company workflows.

    Planned · H2

  • AI assistant connection

    An MCP server so AI assistants can read designs, build and edit track, run simulations and explain results, behind a permission prompt, with every edit in the History. A read-only version may come sooner; that’s decided at M5.

    Planned · H2

  • Visual node scripting

    Node-based scripting for show and ride logic.

    Planned · H3

Area 13

Platform and VR

A desktop app that feels like one. Then VR.

Heartline is a Windows desktop application that opens straight into the workspace, with an engineering core in plain, tested C++ and Unreal Engine 5 as its presentation layer. VR riding and exploring follow in the next major version, and building in VR after that.

1 built3 in development4 planned

Highlights

  • Windows 10 and 11, mouse and keyboard
  • An engineering core underneath, Unreal Engine 5 on top
  • VR riding and exploring in H2, VR building in H3

  • Engine and core, proven together

    The engineering core compiles into the app unchanged, with packaged builds checked to give the same results, and no editor code shipped.

    BuiltM2 and M4

  • A Windows desktop app

    Windows 10 and 11 with mouse and keyboard, windowed or full screen, with standard file dialogs.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • Workspaces across monitors

    Layouts per mode, saved and restored, across several monitors.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • Accessible by design

    Full keyboard use, a visible focus ring, and colour never the only signal.

    In developmentPhase 5

  • 3D mice

    Support for 3D mice.

    Planned · H2

  • Screen readers

    Screen reader support.

    Planned · H2

  • VR riding and exploring

    Ride and walk your designs in VR.

    Planned · H2

  • VR building

    Build in VR.

    Planned · H3

What comes when

See it all on the roadmap.

The roadmap Phase by phase to the first release, then every H2 and H3 feature. Heartline overview Why it’s different, the three modes, editions and who it’s for.