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 Posted - November 07 2009 : 07:54:44 AM
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Okay - I am looking for layout software that gives decent plans, gives a list of track needed, runs on Windows easily, and is CHEAP.
I see there's some free Linux software out there but it's got to be compiled, etc.
Not averse to buying used if it's cheap!
Rus
Starting my Tyco and other favorites collection over again after 37 years.
My still in progress list of inventory and wantlist: tyconut.com
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Posted - February 03 2010 : 12:04:14 AM
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I use a program called AnyRail (http://www.anyrail.com/).
Of all the design software I tried, it was the must intuitive. Best of all, it includes template libraries for just about any track and scale you can imagine.
Download it for free and try it. You can design a 50 piece track layout before it asks for registration. It will print out a list of materials and a diagram of your layout even in the free version. Purchase price is US $59 - quite reasonable for the capabilities. I guess if you were under a tight budget, you could design a larger layout (more than 50 track pieces) in 50 piece increments and then trace one layout onto another - I havenn't tried that because after I saw how easy it was to learn and use, I logged back in and paid for a registration number and kept going.
I have had it for a few months now, and still haven't explored everything one can do.
Buckeyejim
Jimmy Thompson
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Posted - February 03 2010 : 7:51:38 PM
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quote:I use a program called AnyRail (http://www.anyrail.com/).
Of all the design software I tried, it was the must intuitive. Best of all, it includes template libraries for just about any track and scale you can imagine.
Download it for free and try it. You can design a 50 piece track layout before it asks for registration. It will print out a list of materials and a diagram of your layout even in the free version. Purchase price is US $59 - quite reasonable for the capabilities. I guess if you were under a tight budget, you could design a larger layout (more than 50 track pieces) in 50 piece increments and then trace one layout onto another - I havenn't tried that because after I saw how easy it was to learn and use, I logged back in and paid for a registration number and kept going.
I have had it for a few months now, and still haven't explored everything one can do.
Originally posted by buckeyejim-February 03 2010: 12:04:14 AM
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Jim
Can it handle drawing a layout with 3 levels with some track 'on top' of each other for part of the layout. (For instance, can you 'color code' the track so the different overlaid track would stand out?)
I looked at their web site, which had color in the layout surroundings, downloaded the test pgm, but could not find color in that, so not sure how much is missing between the test/unreg. vsn & the full reg. vsn.
Tanked
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Posted - February 03 2010 : 8:59:40 PM
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If I remember my CAD training and that would be about 18 years ago, the multi-level presentation was referred to as "Layers". You could designate colours for each and turn on/off any of them at any time....
Hope that helps...
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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Posted - February 03 2010 : 9:23:51 PM
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Why pay when you can get this:
Atlas Right Track Software
http://www.atlasrr.com/righttrack.htm
I don't know how it compares to others, but it's free. I used it to design my layout. You can choose regular track, roadbed track, etc. and it makes a list of materials. It takes a little playing to get used to the controls, but it works and it's free.
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Posted - February 05 2010 : 10:23:38 AM
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quote:Why pay when you can get this:
Atlas Right Track Software
http://www.atlasrr.com/righttrack.htm
I don't know how it compares to others, but it's free. I used it to design my layout. You can choose regular track, roadbed track, etc. and it makes a list of materials. It takes a little playing to get used to the controls, but it works and it's free.
Originally posted by burlington77-February 03 2010: 9:23:51 PM
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I think if you are using Atlas track you should look at RTS8 as it has all the Atlas track pieces in the Libary & has some neat features.
I downloaded it yesterday & after reading some of the basic bits of the down-loadable manual, was able to start playing with layout ideas within a few minutes.
What I like about it is that I am contemplating a 3 level layout & RTS8 has 'Layers', which you can work on 1 at a time, in different colored track, then put them altogether into a 2 D view, as well as have a 3 D view.
I can take 1 layer & on it define the basement layout space available, including obstructions such as furnaces. I then save it as a template for the basement, overlaying it with different track plan ideas as I experiment with different layouts.
Tanked
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