I would like some advice from those of you who have used a track planning program - specifically which program would you recommend for:
a. user friendliness
b. variety of features
c. cost
Thank you.
PDickens
I use Xtrkcad. Very user friendly after you go through the tutorial and learn the ins and outs. Nice assortment of features, very good for flex track or sectional track, but no 3D. And it’s free! [:D] http://www.sillub.com/
A lot of guys are going to recommend 3rd Planit. But it’s a one man show and the guy has pulled a Casper and has not been heard from or at least does not answer emails,etc. This is especially bad because people are buying the program and the passwords aren’t working.
XtraCAD is free and a great program.
Atlas has one that is a free download at there web site, its not great and you can only use atlas track pieces but it gives you a good idea of what you can fit in your available space.
http://www.atlasrr.com/default.htm
it can be found under RTS download in the side bar.
bill
I did all of my work with 3dPlanit with its loads of features (many I’ve never used), but after looking at XtraCad believe it would easily do the job and be much more user friendly.
REX
After being a 3rd planet user and AutoCadd I have now switched to a 2H penciel and “T” square. This computer I am on now lost it’s hard drive and ALL the cad information. Using a back-up DVD I tried to reload the lost information. The lost information was not compatable with the OLDER version of 3rd Planet that I got. I can not get andy updates since I will not spend more money with that person. SO I am tracing the hard copies I have and using a 2H and moving on. I would use AutoCADD but the fact that I do not need .001 tolerence for a model railroad I decided to just BUILD IT.
Take Care
George P.
P.S. IF you have an HP multimedia computer with a Maxtor Hard drive from around 2002 the heard drive is prone to a head crash, per HP after 2 hours of phone calls to INDIA!! I scrpaed the maxtor and went to a seagate.
I’ve had the basic RR Track for about a year now. It works fine for me. It takes awhile to get used to but it has a great Library of tracks to choose from… and you can switch back and forth between these if you wish. I used Gargraves tracks with another manufacturers turnouts on one layout… but I will say that I am “rippin’ off the masters” for most layouts, not starting from scratch…
Jim
I’ve used Cadrail for the past 6 months and designed my new 20x10 double-decker layout with it. It took me about a week or so to get the hang of it. You will need to skim the manual and be persistent in terms of learning the various functions but it has a vast range of options and can do pretty much everything. On the whole, I would definitely recommend it and believe it is far superior to doing things by hand since you can quickly draw easements, etc. that are difficult to do by hand.
I agree with roadrat. It is free but you can only use their track.
ICMR
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
[#welcome] roadrat.
ICMR
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
PDickens,
The only one that I’ve used extensively is the Atlas RTS.
a. User friendliness - It’s an okay program. A little quirky at times. It takes some getting used to, but all of them do. A tutorial is offered on the program.
b. Variety of features - Designed primarily for Atlas’ section and flex track - both N & HO, as well as the various codes. v. 7.0 is better than the older 5.0. You can now designate the easement and radius of the flex track for unique pieces. Atlas also has footprints of buildings and structures put out by DPM, Walthers, and, or course, Atas.
c. cost - FREE! It’s only a ~4 MB download off the Atlas site. Here’s the link:
Hope that’s helpful…
Tom
Of the two that I have used (Atlas and Xtrkcad) the one that I would recommend is Xtrkcad. Xtrkcad is much more flexible on what it will let you build. Since my layout is flextrack and not sectional/snap track that is important.
Take the free Atlas version to get your feet wet. The higher end CAD programs are more flexible but you will need to do some homework to become comfortable with it. If you believe you will be doing multiple versions and many times, it is worth making the higher end investment. On the other hand, if it is little more than roughing out the design in an alloted space, go the Atlas route for openers.
Here’s a big vote for the Atlas RTS Freeware. I’ve designed two layouts with it for approx. 12x20 sized rooms (and I tried a ga-zillion different designs for each!) and I think it’s pretty much all you need to generate a perfectly good track plan.
Contrary to other posts in this thread, it’s not just an Atlas snap-track program. You can pre-form flex-track to any radii, free-form (“bend”) flex-track after installation, calculate elavations, save portions of the plan in different levels and so on. You can even “add scenery” by importing it to Microsoft Paint. The menu of turnouts, crossings, etc. is Atlas, but how different is one #6 LH turnout from another? Things you have to “manufacture” are curved turnouts, slip switches and double crossovers which are done by combining or super-imposing stock components. If that’s not precise enough for you… you may be putting too much track in too little space.
Things that sound attractive on the more sophisticated programs are the 3-D views and the ability to “run trains” on the track plans.
I spent a lot of time with the Atlas freeware and had a lot of fun. Using planning software allows lots of options to be explored. Then I purchased 3rdPlanit and I am generally happy with the increase in detail but I have found that it can be slow when using a lot of the features like terrain and buildings. There are some quirks, but I think that the accuracy may pay off when actually laying track. Also, since I am still in the planning and acquiring stage with lots of stuff but no layout yet, it is fun to spend some time playing with your plan or watching a train travel around the layout in 3D. I am very disappointed to hear that the supplier may not be actively supporting his clientelle and sincerely hope that this is temporary.