List of Track Planning Programs Avaialble

[jdetray]

I should have been clear. The tutorials I was referring to are the ones on the XTrackCAD web site.
http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/BeginnerTutorial

- Jeff

 

[ianacole]

Ah, okay. I saved the installer. I'll review the tutorials and give it another try. I'm not afraid to admit I was wrong

 

[ianacole]

Okay, so I stand corrected ... XTrackCAD is pretty awesome (although the "Shift" key to flip track was not something I would have come to naturally). Now to figure out elevations (which wasn't in the tutorials).Edit: Elevations are way easy

Jeff, thank you for showing me the light, and the tutorial links.

 

[eTraxx]

Beyond the tutorials, don't forget the Demos. If you click .. Help --> Demos --> Elevations and Profile --> Elevations .. (for example) you will get a recorded step-by-stem .. ahh .. demo.

 

[jdetray]

Okay, so I stand corrected ... XTrackCAD is pretty awesome....

I would never claim that XTrackCAD is for everyone. Like so many, I gave it a try because it is free, and I discovered I actually liked it. For my small N-scale layout, the full-size printout was absolutely accurate.

One thing XTrackCAD can display is the width of the roadbed. I found this feature to be very helpful since we must lay the roadbed before we lay the track. Seeing the width of the roadbed helped me keep tracks from running too close to one another.

I really like the elevation feature, once I figured it out.

- Jeff

 

[ianacole]

It's interesting, some of the technical differences between the layout programs. Using Atlas's program, I can create a cross-over using a left and right custom-line #4 turnouts, a 25 degree cross-over, and a 2.5" straight, and it all lines up correctly (as it does in real life). However, in the XTrackCAD, adding the two turnouts to the cross-over results in the turnouts not being aligned straight.

I do very much like the roadbed, elevation, and track and structure libraries very much in XTrackCAD, and I love the parts list feature with close pricing out of the Atlas program. The 3d view with Atlas would probably be cool too, if I could figure out the elevation piece in that.

And of course, with both being free, it's hard to truly argue against either