In some cases I was able to show them that their rough sketches simply wouldn't fit in the space available. I was also able to use 3rd PlanIt to help other club members with their proposed plans. We left each of the roadbed pieces a bit long so we could make precise joints, but everything fit as planned. When it came to actually locating each of the pieces of benchwork and sub roadbed I used the same 0"-0" method to plot exactly where each section should be in the room. I was even able to calculate cutting angles for the non 90 degree joints. In addition, the program allowed me to plot the future locations for all the Tortoises so we could adjust the positioning of individual frame pieces to avoid interfering with the switch machines. Putting the frames together was quick and easy. That allowed us to calculate how much lumber was needed, and it showed detailed assembly directions for each section of the benchwork. I was able to draw the benchwork framing piece by piece. I was able to plot points every six inches so drawing accurate compound curves was a breeze.
I simply established a 0"-0" starting point on the drawing at one corner of the sheet and measured out the coordinates of each cutting point from there. Perhaps the best use was made when cutting each of the pieces. That allowed us to minimize waste big time! There was less than one sheet of scrap plywood out of 12 sheets. Using 3rd Planit I was able to draw out each piece of the cookie cutter roadbed and the flat areas and lay them out on a scale 4'x8' sheet. We used cookie cutter sub roadbed for about 2/3rds of the layout and the rest was flat. When it came to building the layout the program proved to be really worthwhile. 2%) no problem, and calculating clearances at overpasses was a breeze. The change was easy and the layout fit nicely into the 20' x 25' space that we had. It quickly became obvious that 36" was not workable in the space we had available so I changed the minimum to 32". The club set some parameters like 36" curves and 2% grade and I went to work with those in mind. More recently I used 3rd PlanIt to design a new layout for our club (which is being built as I write). I played with a number of designs and it was easy to make quick changes to each of them as I identified problem areas. I first used it to design and refine my own layout (which I will never build thanks to back problems ). I have used 3rd PlanIt extensively and I am really happy with it. For a single layout just for yourself, the time investment to learn the program may not be worth it compared to careful to-scale hand-drawing with accurate templates of the turnouts you plan to use. Others have had good results with open-source offerings.įor any of these programs, the learning curve will be steep. Personally, I prefer a commercial product with support offered by the developer.
RAILMODELLER PRO CREATE GRADE TO TRACK WINDOWS
Like 3rd PlanIt, AnyRail also feels to me a little more like a Windows program than the others. IMHO, 3rd PlanIt works more like a familiar Windows program as compared with CADRail and XTrackCAD, whose user interfaces are more like a traditional CAD program (click-move-click). One of the differences between the programs is in the user interface, so try them before you make the investment in dollars and/or learning time. I’ve also used XTrackCAD and tried the demo of AnyRail. I also own a copy of CADRail and it works well. (I don't routinely use the 3-D or train-running features, but they seem to work fine) I have designed a couple of hundred different layouts with 3rd PlanIt and I’m happy with the program.
But time spent learning the program does pay off. I don't believe that I would classify any of them as easy-to-use.