HELLO EVERYBODY . WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE TO FIND AND HOW TO DOWNLOAD A TRACK PLANNING PROGRAM . RON
You can go here and download XTrkCad 4.02 for free. Go through the demos under the help menu after it is installed.
Also available is the Atlas right track software. It is easier to use than XTrkCad but you can only use Atlas track.
Follow instructions at both sites to download and install the programs.
If you are fortunate enough to have an Apple computer, haddonsoftware.com makes Empire Express, a very reasonably priced 2D program that is very easy to use. Try it - you’ll like it!
http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html
This is a great little program. Real EZ to use compared to other programs. They have a free demo and it’s fairly cheap to purchase.
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU . I COULDNT GET THE ANYRAIL TO DOWNLOAD ON MY COMPUTER , AND I COULDNT FIGURE OUT HOW TO INPUT MY LAYOUT DIMENSIONS ON THE ATLAS OR THE XtrkCAD . I WILL KEEP TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT . THANKS AGAIN . I HAVE HEARD FROM MANY PEOPLE THAT DESIGNING A TRACK PLAN IS THE HARDEST PART OF BUILDING A LAYOUT . THANKS AGAIN RON
Do the demo in XTrkCad. If you don’t you will get frustrated and give up.
Go to options/layout to set the size.
And use something other than caps when you type! All caps is considered yelling, and it is hard to read besides!
[#ditto]
If you have given up on Atlas and XTrkCad already then I wouldn’t bother downloading anything else. These are Cad programs. They are not MS Paint. They take time to learn and understand…particularly the more powerful programs like XTrkCad. Don’t get discouraged already. BTW if worse comes to worse you can plan a layout on paper too. [2c]
I also agree. XTrkCad is excellent but do make sure you are patient and go through the tutorials. I use both it and Atlas RTS. When we first started our layout we just ran with ideas in our head. Taking time to actually plan is such a great benefit as the process continues helping to keep at least some of the problems out of the path. As with anything there is a learning curve but I honestly wonder just how fun the hobby would be if I didnt learn new things as I work on the layout.
sorry. since my inept typing doesnt suit this forum , i wont be bothering you guys anymore RON
I just downloaded the newest upgrade of the Atlas track planning software: RTS 8.0. It’s still has some of the same quirks the older versions had, which I’m fairly used to by now. However, the one new element that they’ve added to ver. 8 and that I really like is their Define Benchwork popup box.
When you click on the “Create new file” button in the upper left corner, a popup box comes up on your screen which allows you define the dimensions of your benchwork. You have a choice of four (4) benchwork shapes:
- Rectangle - e.g. a 4 x 8
- L-shaped
- U-shaped
- Surround - e.g. Like a square “O”
Once you make your choice in the benchwork shape that you want and add the crucial dimension in the boxes, the bench work pops up in the appropriately sized colored area on your screen, which includes the 1’ x 1’ grid lines. (These can be increased or decreased in the Properties box.)
Now you can’t create complicated benchwork with the new popup box. However, you can use it to create and test out a simple benchwork design idea - even one of substantial proportions. I recently tried a 27’ x 13’ module redesign of our club layout using “Surround” and it worked great. Zoomed in and zoomed out with no problems.
Definitely worth a look - whether you’re new to the RTS program or you haven’t used it in a while. [:)][tup]
Tom
Hey Tom,
Is that really the best thing you can point out that has been improved with this version? I really can’t see myself taking another look at RTS because they added a dialog box to define some typical benchwork shapes. Really, the more I work with XTrkCad the more I like it. I was hoping the new version from Atlas would actually be NEW, rather than a re-worked version 7.
Kevin,
I downloaded the RTS 8.0 only a week or so ago, so I’ve only just started to play with it. There may be other things but I haven’t run across them yet.
Although alluded to slightly but not elaborated on, 8.0 does allow you to zoom in and out - no matter what size layout you have designed. For whatever reason, 7.0 wouldn’t allow me the ability to do that if the trackwork were over a particular size. (Frustrating.)
Anyhow, as mentioned previously, RTS 8.0 still has some of the familar Atlas quirks. I’ve only dabbled a little in XTrkCAD but always ended up going back to Atlas. I’ve spent more time with that software so I’m familar with it - quirks in all.
Tom
Tom,
Thanks for clarifying that for me. [:)]
I too was more familiar with RTS than with XTrkCad at one time. I guess it was the quirks that sent me looking for another application. The issue that bothered me when I used RTS was the fact that what I designed on-screen did not “translate” accurately to the plywood. Others have mentioned this, yet some users don’t seem to have an issue with it, which makes me wonder if it was something I was doing wrong? [%-)]
Anyway, switching programs seemed to solve the problem in my case. Go figure? [:)]
The other change in RTS 8.0 is the addition of a “convert to flex track” feature. Haven’t used it yet to check - my hope would be that it would actually smooth a curve made up of bits and pieces of Snap Track, instead of just substituting a piece of flex track.
I have to admit I’ve struggled to get over the hump with XtrkCad - I want to get to the point where I can lay track as quickly as I can in RTS - but I’m not there yet. My biggest reason for wanting to make the switch is the ability to use non-Atlas turnouts, especially the W/S curved turnouts in my planning. I feel this will give my a more accurate representation of what I can do in a given space with handlaid track without painting myself into too tight a corner. Aside from the non-Atlas turnout issue, RTS really meets all my needs - I prefer the way it handles flex track.
Since I don’t expect the drawn layout to be exactly what I build, I can’t comment on the translation accuracy. My use of any planning program is to check for reasonableness of my plan, and make adjustments to make it reasonable.
my thoughts
Fred W
I’ve been using the convert to flex track feature in RTS 8.0 quite extensively in the track plan I’m designing for my new N scale layout, it works quite well. I like the new version of RTS. It does a great job at the beginning of a new layout to assist in layout out what your benchwork will look like. It only provides support for basic shapes, i.e. a table, a U and a few others, but it works well if that is all you need.
Check out my work in progress plan here as an example, this is using Atlas code 55 track in N scale.
