Layout Design Software


J

John Hermanson

New Member
What opinions do folks here have regarding 3rd PlanIt and/or CadRail? I'm considering one of the 2 (or maybe a 3rd if someone recommends it) and would like to know pro's and con's BEFORE I buy. Thanks! John
 
I have heard some people using XtraCad and the free cad software from Atlas. (could be the same program?)

I use my ACAD 2007 3dmodeling for my work. I been doin this for years in regular Acad though.

Give it some time the guys here will get you off on the right foot...our guys here are a great bunch!

Later and good luck!
 
XtrkCAD has served me very well. I have the free (open source) version and haven't run into anything I cannot do yet. Takes some getting used to but all new software is that way anyway.

Considering it is free, I'd suggest giving it a try first. If you don't like it, it will be easy to get a refund. :)

Mark
 
I work in flex track (mostly Railcraft code 70) I notice that the free version of xtrkcad is limited to a maximum layout size of 48x96". If you want to plan a bigger layout, (mine is in a room 115" x 242") xtrkcad then costs $65.
 
I use 3rd Planit. I found the program easy to learn and intuitive. It has easy short-cut keys as well. Others have found it very hard to learn, so I would download the demo and play around with it to see how you like it before buying it.

I also tried XtrkCad, based on favourable reviews here. I found it hard to get used to, but that is mainly from using 3rd Planit it think. It is free, so again, download it and give it a try. Both programs are very powerful and will let you design just about anything. See which you find easier to use and go from there.
 
Please ignore my previous post. Seems I downloaded an older version of XTrkCad. Newest free version (4.01) is not limited to 4x8' size.
 
You have to put in a freely available licence code to XTrkCad (at least prior to 4.0) to get the full use of the program, but I think they have removed that requirement with the full open source version.
 
CP9302 said:
I use 3rd Planit. I found the program easy to learn and intuitive. It has easy short-cut keys as well. Others have found it very hard to learn, so I would download the demo and play around with it to see how you like it before buying it.

I also tried XtrkCad, based on favourable reviews here. I found it hard to get used to, but that is mainly from using 3rd Planit it think. It is free, so again, download it and give it a try. Both programs are very powerful and will let you design just about anything. See which you find easier to use and go from there.
Click to expand...

Ditto!
I have used 3rd Panit for several years now and prefer it over XtrkCad. When I tried XtrkCad, I found it awkward to use and lacking in short-cuts that have become automatic to me in 3d Planit.
As suggested, down load the demo of 3d and demo of XtrkCad.
 
RR Track

What about the RR Track program? Is anyone familiar with this one? It seems to have the same capabilities and is a tad cheaper.
 
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