I am thinking of purchasing Computer Added Design software. Need to design a Gn3 layout and a new HO layout. Who has had good / bad experiences and which would you recommend[?] I have Drafting and computer skills so I have quick learning curve[^]
my experiences won’t help you then , as i can barely get atlas’s free right track software to to work , XTrkCad free from sillub technology was even harder , and the 3d planit demo got erased about 10 minutes after installation
i can build a computer from parts , i can fix it if it isn’t working , but i can’t do anything useful with any cad , drawing or photo manipulation software , my brain just doesn’t seem to work that way
#1 to me is 3rd Planet, I have Cad Rail but have not played with it. I used 3rd planey and AutoCadd to do mine. Cheaper than wood and track for the changes I made. Make sure you get the FULL version with a manual no matter what you get.
I highly recommend XtrkCad. My favorite part is the price: free. It’s not quite as snazzy as the ones you pay for perhaps – no 3D color renditions of your layout – but I just finished designing a large section of my layout with it, and found the plans to be flawless as I began laying track. Very accurate. I used the 1:1 (full size) print out to mark my center lines, and everything just fell into place. I downloaded demos of all I could find, and found this one to be more intuitive to use than those you must pay for. Any and all CAD software will require some time and experimentation if you’ve never used a CAD program. I hadn’t and none of it made sense to me at first…. But now I love using it. One tip if you try it: it uses the word “turnout” to describe all sectional track – that confused me for weeks. Be sure to make a note of the free registration code listed at the website. You need to enter it to have full functionality of the software. http://www.sillub.com
Ditto on XtrkCad. I spent the time going through the demo/tutorial and then next couple of days I was up and designing.
I’ve used Atlas RR, XtraCAD, and 3rd Planit. I found Atlas RR too simple, quirky, and limiting.
My favorite is XtraCAD. It is very intuitive, took about a day to learn and was easy to use thereafter.
On the other hand 3rd Planit is anti-intuitive, took about 3 weeks to learn how to use efficiently, and every new feature I try to learn has a learning curve. I’m still using 3rd Planit because of the the 3d rendering. My last layout was poorly layed out in the non-track sections and I didn’t want to repeat my mistakes.
#2 pencil, Circle templates and large pieces of paper.
Has worked for 30 years. 
Dave H.
CadRail here for about 10 years. Like the users of XtraCAD, 3DPlanIt and the #2 pencil, I like what I use.
Unfortunately, if you are looking for a consensus, about as close to it as you will get is “whatever you are used to using you will like the best.” They all have a bit of a learning curve, and all will do the job quite well once you get the hang of them. The learning curve on the #2 pencil is fairly short for most, but I work with some people that I’m pretty sure need a manual for it, too!
I’ll say XtrkCad, too. It took me less than 20 minutes to understand what to do and another 2 hours to have my 6x9 layout roughly done. And its free, as mentioned above.
I really wanted a 3-D rendering, though, and XtrkCad just doesn’t do that, so if you really want that, then look to 3rd Planit. I tried the demo of 3rd Planit for the third time last night to see what I could do to get that 3-D rendering. I agree with Chip. It is anti-intuitive. It took me 2 hours to figure out how to get one section of track down. The biggest problem was that when I started with the first piece of track and added the second, it would skew it off and it took me a long time to figure out that I should just add several pieces of track, then delete the first one and move it to where I want it to go. Then I tried to figure out how to put a tunnel in. I gave up and went to bed. Still, the 3-D renderings some people get with it are awesome.
Sorry for your 3rd planet problems, Iused to teach AutoCADD and found 3rd planet as bad as Microstation. The 3D switch is teh tab button and a very FAST processor and LOTS of RAM!
P.S. I traded my#2 for HB works Better LOL!
3rd Planit has my vote… I picked it up originally over 4 years ago and couldn’t make it work. I was about to toss it when I thought that I would invest another $50 and get the updated version. Randy Pfeiffer has done an outstanding job. I am currently overseas and my spare time is devoted to designing my layout. As such, I have learned the nuances that come with any software.
I especially like the 3d imaging which allows me to judge heights and see the layout as it will be. Being in the project management business I have learned that it is easier to change things on paper than sticks and bricks…
I highly recommend it to anyone that wants a first class program…
Roger
For the track planning, I used Atlas RR. For the whole wood layout structure I used AutoCAD 2005, based on a Cookie cutter design.
I use CadRail. Being technically-oriented and having used many commercial CAD systems over the years (CATIA, Unigraphics, Computervision, Applicon, etc.), that’s the one that best suits the way I like to work. I looked at 3rd Planit, and it seems to me it might be the best choice for someone who approaches things somewhat more from an artistic bent.
The others I’ve never tried.
I am just starting to draw up a plan for a layout myself. I couldn’t get Atlas’ program to work at all, and XtrkCad works much better…it still has a learning curve. I started drawing in Illustrator, but I’m not that familiar with all the track demensions, so XtrkCad is nice since it has a library of everything. I am really tempted to draw it up in Maya for a true 3d look, but that would likely take me years…there must be something I can do with a program I paid $7500 for though =(
Martin
I personally found 3rd Plan It intuitive. The others were not so to me. I guess it depends on your background.
-Tom
Thanks for the replies and insights. I think I will give XtrkCad a try first then maybe 3rd Plan it if I don’t start building until winter, still have have to complete my side of the deal for the trackage rights if you know what I mean 
Happy Railroading
egj