A strong second (third?) to Railmodeller for Mac users, for all the reasons others noted. I’ll also second the plus for responsiveness. Jan Barnholdt is the author, and he participates actively and openly in the forum and when contacted by email. I requested a flextrack addition to the library and he released it within 2-3 days. A real bargain @ $30!
Rick Krall
Both my adult son and I have designed and built/are building layouts designed with 3DPlanIt. We are more than happy with the program and using it. My son is a consultant/designer using CAD programs all day and as I said, is very happy using 3DPlanIt.
I liked being able to try out the running of the railway before even the benchwork was started.
I am still using Cadrail 6, mainly for drawings of structures, once you get used to it the time saved is considerable. I have also used it for track planning with favorable results.
Roger Aultman
Dear WCU Boy,
If I may offer a somewhat contrarian view, I use either TurboCAD or AutoCAD. Unless you are a professional designer, AutoCAD is way too expensive, but TurboCAD can be had for a reasonable price if you shop around. They also have a great forum where you can ask questions and get civilized answers right away.
The reasons I favor CAD programs are:
There is a nasty learning curve to most design software. You might as well learn something you can use for a multitude of projects. At least in my experience - and I use five CAD programs professionally - I have found they can all kick your behind from time to time. I’m not claiming model railroad-dedicated software won’t be easier to use initially; I’m suggesting that after you get over the initial hump there is a good deal more you can do with a good CAD package. The good news is, once you know CAD, you tend to use it more than you might imagine.
You can use them to design everything, from the layout room to the lineside structures. In fact, I often model proposed structures in 3D, render them, and then print orthographic views that I can cut out and tape together to test the building’s appearance and mass on the layout. Believe me, they can stand in for a finished structure for a LONG time.
You can use them to create signs, billboards, false building interiors, etc. you might need to complete scenes.
Something relatively new and rather exciting is the availability of job shops producing 3D models. By this I mean actual copies of a part you might create in the virtual world of the computer. The level of detail is generally quite good (to outstanding), and can be a great way to create parts that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to create by scratch-building. A good example might be a car body. These parts can then be used as is, or used to as a master to cast additional parts through common resin casting methods.
Gang, this is far from the first time this question has come on this (and other Model Railroading) forum. And any time it gets asked the same thing happens: everybody — including me — makes a case for their favorite such product, and there’s no closure, or consensus. Nor is there likely to be!! Somebody might as well throw out an open ended question asking for your favorite kind of wine (Note: this is not an invitation to get us started on that subject!)
I loved “AnyRail” but, don’t think it is around anymore.
You’re off to a good start, satch, this is the second 17 year old thread that you have resuscitated. [|(]
Rich
I too suggest using Atlas. It’s easy and very forgiving. I like how it has a grid included to go to putting it on the layout.
If you’re going to resurrect a 17-year old thread, you should get your facts correct. AnyRail is going strong and is among the most popular model railroad CAD programs available. In my experience with it in the last 3 years or so, it gets updated with new track sections at least once a month. The AnyRail forum, too, is very active and current (probably a lot more active than this one).