I recently downloaded the most recent version of the atlas software. I am having trouble figuring out how to rotate track pieces. I also cant figure out how to adjust the thickness of the wire/line tool so that I can mark the boundries of my layout. Any help would be great.
I strongly recommend working through the short, 10 minutes give or take, tutorial that comes with the software, it is the quickest way to get the most out of the program and covers both of your questions.
On rotating pieces, there are at least three methods I use:
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If the piece has just been laid, use the rotate track button directly under the “S” in “Statistics” on the main menu bar, in the lower row of buttons. It looks like a piece of track running side to side with a U shaped arrow over the top of it.
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If the piece was previously laid, select it with the arrow pointer under the end of the “Statistics” menu item on the top row, then use the rotate track button directly underneath it in the second row.
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If you are starting a new section of track and want a stright to run up and down, I lay a piece running side to side, add 3 18" curved sections to complete a 90 degree curve, add the desired straight piece now running top to bottom, then delete the unneeded pieces. Delete by unconnecting any pieces you wish to keep, then selecting the pieces to be deleted, then clicking “Edit” and “Delete” from the main menu bar.
Adjusting the thickness of the lines is done on the “Elements” menu on the main menu bar, then selecting “Properties” from the menu, then selecting the “Lines” tab from the pop-up window.
You can choose the width and color, and also assign specific values to types of lines, allowing you to pick line types from a drop down menu so that all of one type line have the same properties.
The layers feature is useful for marking layout boundaries. Any hierarchy is fine; I put my boundaries on layer 000. Track geometry, scenery, text, and all each gets its own layer.
It’s a neat program, especially diddling the flextrack command!