Build OMSI Destination Displays Without Manual File Editing: This Browser Tool Even Creates the HOF File!

A new route needs a different destination display, the text should scroll across two lines and ideally a matching HOF file should be generated at the end: tasks like these can quickly turn into manual file editing in OMSI 2. The Simple K++ Matrix Maker moves much of that process into a browser. The project may be several years old, but it remains accessible – so how much work can it still save OMSI modders today?

Anyone creating custom destination displays for OMSI 2 quickly encounters HOF files, destination codes, fonts and several different matrix sections. Simple K++ Matrix Maker, created by Arno Cellarier and Adam Mathieson, aims to make that process much more visual. The open-source project runs directly in a browser and allows users to edit route numbers, front displays and side displays. Fonts and colours can be selected, multi-line text is supported and icons can be added to the matrix, including custom black-and-white PNG files.

One of the more interesting features is animation. Destination text can be configured to scroll, while multiple display frames can also alternate automatically. The current web app itself warns that scrolling displays are not compatible with every bus and recommends creating a conventional non-scrolling version for vehicles that do not support the feature. Front and side displays can be edited independently, while route numbers have their own font, foreground, background and outline options. Two-line destinations are supported as well.

You do not necessarily have to start from scratch. Existing HOF files can be imported by drag-and-drop, with the current browser version listing .hof and .json as supported import formats. Multiple destinations can be created, reordered, duplicated and deleted within the same project. The project also supports sharing individual matrices using generated links or QR codes, allowing an existing display to be opened on another device.

Export goes beyond simply saving a preview image. The Matrix Maker can save the current preview as a PNG, while the project documentation says it can also generate a ZIP containing the HOF file, matrix images and a codebook listing the destination codes. Sessions can additionally be backed up as JSON files and reopened later in another browser or on another device.

One important detail needs to be made clear in 2026: this is not a new project. The GitHub repository remains public and is not archived, but its documented changelog currently ends with version 2.3.3-beta from July 25, 2022. That update fixed HOF generation involving non-scrolling matrices, while earlier releases introduced features such as two-line displays, custom icons, additional fonts and alternating matrices. The browser editor is still accessible today, but it should not be presented as a rapidly updated new tool.

The concept nevertheless remains useful for OMSI modders. There is nothing to install, basic displays can be assembled visually and the export process removes some of the manual work normally associated with HOF files. Beginners who simply want to create a new route, destination or colour variation may find it considerably easier than editing the underlying files directly. More specialised buses and manufacturer-specific display systems may still require additional compatibility checks.

Project, Tool and Image Links

Current web app:

Simple kpp maker - OMSI 2

Create colored matrix for omsi 2 and generate hof easily.

beta-kpp.genav.ch

Classic web app:
SIMPLE OMSI K++ MAKER

GitHub project: