I thought I saw a post on the forums here about track planning software, but can’t find it now. (Sorry, have read so many posts in the last week, i’ve no clue where i saw it before)
What track planning software have you used for your outdoor model rail layouts? What do you like, dislike about the software?
Does anyone have experience with and of the 3D garden/home layout software?
I have used RRtrack and have been pleased with it. I started with it some years ago when I was active in HO then when I switched to G, I added the G track library and did my design with it.
I some times do general track layouts concepts on paper then try to build it in RRtrack to verify it will really work (and fit in the area I am trying to cram it into). I also find that RRtrack is handy to experiment with different track combinations to see if switches and crossovers will actually fit the way I expect.
I have never use any of the other packages out there but I am sure they are just as effective. From the adds I have seen, each package seems to emphasize some feater that the other guy does not have. I don’t think RRtrack is very effective in projecting landscape feature if that is what you want but it does allow for inclusion of landscape features (trees, rocks, buildings). There are packages out there that can paint you a real pretty picture of what you have designed but I suspect they require more time to learn than I am willing to invest. My main objective is to do track design and RRtrack meets my needs.
I used RR track heavily when we started our second layout due to the size we wanted to go and some really, really interesting topography. Could not have gotten the grades right without a laser level and the software. Once I got the first phase done I went to the tried and true method of throwing track on ground and seeing what looks good.
I haven’t used CADRAIL so I can’t comment on its ease of use but you might want to check out the sites that have building plans done for CADRAIL if you plan to scratch build your structures.
Personally, I think using track planning software for an outdoor garden railroad is overkill. Outdoor railroads tend to be much simpler in design than their indoor cousins. You also have to consider existing obstacles (trees, walkways, garden areas, lawn areas, uneven ground, etc.).
What I found worked best for me was to get a couple of boxes of track and to just lay it out on the ground. I would leave it in place for days at a time moving things around until I had it the way I liked it. You really only need curved track as you can use sticks to simulate the straight sections. I also bought a package of 1’ wooden stakes and would pound them into the ground as I took up the track to mark how I wanted to lay the track. This way, I got a better idea for how it would look in the actual setting.
Jon
You might want to try XTrkCad from Sillub Technology (http://www.sillub.com/). It’s free and quite good. It is a Windows application, or if you are so inclined, there is a Linux version, too.
Mike Hampton
http://members.iquest.net/~mhampton/