Layout drawing software

[Chris King]

Once you have your layout mapped out/designed/pinned down and points
all wired up for DCC, is there any good software (free or commercial)
that allows you to put this in the computer/PC and then mark up
points/turnouts (and dcc accessory numbers), signals (and dcc numbers)
etc. ?

Now my layout is done and before I add scenery etc, I want to knock up
a diagram/plan of the layout and then mark on it the points/turnouts
and which accessory number (for point changing) is which on the diagram
so I have a hard copy reference. Short of making marker posts with the
numbers on alongside each turnout/point.

I know hornby do a track designed for about £10, but its more dependant
on the piece numbers and cost when building it. Are there any other
alternatives?

--
Chris King
(remove nospam to email direct)

[Chris Wilson]

I'm using "Anyrail" at the moment, only had it a month or two but it meets
my needs and it has a very easy learning curve. I don't do DCC but it does
have the ability to add notes etc on th eplans so it will probably serve
your purposes. Oh and there's a free try before you buy version.

http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html

--

All the best,

Chris

[Robert Heller]

XtrkCAD is free, runs on any operating system.

http://www.xtrkcad.org/

>

--
Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System
http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows
hel...@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/

[ray]

+1 on xtrkcad

[manat...@hotmail.com]

For layout design yes, but for a control panel I would do something
more diagrammatic using something like GIMP http://www.gimp.org/ .

MBQ

[Robert Heller]

At Tue, 7 Feb 2012 01:04:12 -0800 (PST) "manat...@hotmail.com" <manat...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> On Feb 7, 12:56=A0am, ray <r...@zianet.com> wrote:
> > On Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:10:33 +0000, Chris King wrote:

> > > Once you have your layout mapped out/designed/pinned down and points al=

> l
> > > wired up for DCC, is there any good software (free or commercial) that
> > > allows you to put this in the computer/PC and then mark up
> > > points/turnouts (and dcc accessory numbers), signals (and dcc numbers)
> > > etc. ?
> >

> > > Now my layout is done and before I add scenery etc, I want to knock up =

> a
> > > diagram/plan of the layout and then mark on it the points/turnouts and

> > > which accessory number (for point changing) is which on the diagram so =

> I
> > > have a hard copy reference. Short of making marker posts with the
> > > numbers on alongside each turnout/point.
> >

> > > I know hornby do a track designed for about =A310, but its more dependa=

> nt
> > > on the piece numbers and cost when building it. Are there any other
> > > alternatives?
> >
> > +1 on xtrkcad
>
> For layout design yes, but for a control panel I would do something
> more diagrammatic using something like GIMP http://www.gimp.org/ .

xtrkcad does have available all of the bits and pieces to do a control
panel.

If you are into a computer controlled layout (eg Chubb CMR/I), the Model
Railroad System can do that.

>
> MBQ

[manat...@hotmail.com]

On Feb 7, 2:15 pm, Robert Heller <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote:

Yes, I know. It also has quite a steep learning curve which is why I
would not recommend it, unless the effort is useful to you for layout
design as well.

MBQ

[Robert Heller]

At Tue, 7 Feb 2012 07:51:40 -0800 (PST) "manat...@hotmail.com" <manat...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> On Feb 7, 2:15=A0pm, Robert Heller <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote:
> > At Tue, 7 Feb 2012 01:04:12 -0800 (PST) "manatba...@hotmail.com" <manatba=

> ...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > On Feb 7, 12:56=3DA0am, ray <r...@zianet.com> wrote:
> > > > On Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:10:33 +0000, Chris King wrote:

> > > > > Once you have your layout mapped out/designed/pinned down and point=
> s al=3D
> > > l
> > > > > wired up for DCC, is there any good software (free or commercial) t=

> hat
> > > > > allows you to put this in the computer/PC and then mark up

> > > > > points/turnouts (and dcc accessory numbers), signals (and dcc numbe=
> rs)
> > > > > etc. ?
> >
> > > > > Now my layout is done and before I add scenery etc, I want to knock=
> up =3D
> > > a
> > > > > diagram/plan of the layout and then mark on it the points/turnouts =
> and
> > > > > which accessory number (for point changing) is which on the diagram=
> so =3D

> > > I
> > > > > have a hard copy reference. Short of making marker posts with the
> > > > > numbers on alongside each turnout/point.
> >

> > > > > I know hornby do a track designed for about =3DA310, but its more d=
> ependa=3D

> > > nt
> > > > > on the piece numbers and cost when building it. Are there any other
> > > > > alternatives?
> >
> > > > +1 on xtrkcad
> >
> > > For layout design yes, but for a control panel I would do something
> > > more diagrammatic using something like GIMPhttp://www.gimp.org/.
> >
> > xtrkcad does have available all of the bits and pieces to do a control
> > panel.
>
> Yes, I know. It also has quite a steep learning curve which is why I
> would not recommend it, unless the effort is useful to you for layout
> design as well.

In many ways, GIMP has just as steep a learning curve (and GIMP is really
horrible for CAD work anyway -- great for things like designing CD
labels or website artwork). I figured that once the OP figured out
laying track with xtrkcad, it would be fairly simple to move onto
designing the control panel(s)...

[Darren]

Anyrail is fantastic. Highly recomended


On Feb 7, 6:57 pm, Robert Heller <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote:

> At Tue, 7 Feb 2012 07:51:40 -0800 (PST) "manatba...@hotmail.com" <manatba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 7, 2:15=A0pm, Robert Heller <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote:
> > > At Tue, 7 Feb 2012 01:04:12 -0800 (PST) "manatba...@hotmail.com" <manatba=

> Deepwoods Software        -- Download the Model Railroad Systemhttp://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows
> hel...@deepsoft.com       --http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/

[Graham Harrison]

"Darren" <ukmin...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:d5f6acf0-280e-4380...@m2g2000vbc.googlegroups.com...

JMRI?

[Graham Thurlwell]

On the 7 Feb 2012, Robert Heller <hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote:

<snip>

> In many ways, GIMP has just as steep a learning curve (and GIMP is really
> horrible for CAD work anyway -- great for things like designing CD
> labels or website artwork).

GIMP's mainly better for photo and bitmap work, for doing line art and
diagrams Inkscape is worth a look. http://www.inkscape.org - it's
free.


--
Jades' First Encounters Site - http://www.jades.org/ffe.htm
The best Frontier: First Encounters site on the Web.

nos...@jades.org /is/ a real email address!

[Wolf K]

On 14/02/2012 7:46 AM, Graham Thurlwell wrote:
> On the 7 Feb 2012, Robert Heller<hel...@deepsoft.com> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> In many ways, GIMP has just as steep a learning curve (and GIMP is really
>> horrible for CAD work anyway -- great for things like designing CD
>> labels or website artwork).
>
> GIMP's mainly better for photo and bitmap work, for doing line art and
> diagrams Inkscape is worth a look. http://www.inkscape.org - it's
> free.

GIMP is an attempt to clone Photoshop functionality. It's spectacularly
successful in doing so, especially in the "steep learning curve", which
is code for "this is a textbook example of how to design the most
user-hostile interface possible".

Wolf K.

[Robert Heller]

OTOH, a lot of what Photoshop is used for professionally can be pretty
complex (probably much more than what we 'amatures' really need). I
don't know if Photoshop has been suffering from the long term effects
of 'creeping featurism' with the result being that it has 'the most
user-hostile interface possible', which GIMP is trying its best to
clone, warts and all.

Inkscape also has a somewhat user-hostile interface, probably because it
is trying to clone Illustrator, which in turn probably suffers from
'creeping featurism' as well.

>
> Wolf K.