General Discussion (Model Railroader)

I Tried to take MisterBeasly's idea and download a free version of X-track Cad but I can't find any. Where is a free Computer Assisted Design Program of Model Railroads for Mac?

I'm not sure I know of any.

But then that's the problem with Mr. Jobs little opus -- none but he makes software for it!

 

IVRW:

I Tried to take MisterBeasly's idea and download a free version of X-track Cad but I can't find any. Where is a free Computer Assisted Design Program of Model Railroads for Mac?

"Free," is the hang up here.  There are some programs that have a free trial version, but it is limited in some way, so you'll have to pay to play.

http://www.haddonsoftware.com/emexinfo.html

http://www.railmodeller.com/

I haven't used these programs, but take a look.

There is a version of XtrkCad that runs on OS X. It is a little difficult to get going but once you solve that, it works.

It runs under X Windows so it sorta takes over the system... it is version 4.0.1 (may be higher now.) You exit X Windows with option-Q, in case that gets to be a problem. It is on their download page.

Dallas Model Works:

But then that's the problem with Mr. Jobs little opus -- none but he makes software for it!

 

I don't know where you have been for the last many years, but there are hundreds of thousands of programs for the Mac written by thousands of software companies including Microsoft........  macs are not software challenged!  Of course there are millions written for Windoze but the ones for the Mac just tend to work better (IMHO).  Maybe you should do some research and have some facts at your disposal before you answer people.........

For the OP.  Go to Apple.com and do a search for MRR Cad programs.  There are quite a few MRR programs that are written in Open Source coding that work on all platforms.  There is some shareware out there but I don't have any experience with it.  I am using a program called Empire Express which is a download from Hadden Software: http://www.haddonsoftware.com/  Doesn't have a lot of whistles and bells, but gets the job done quite well.  It has several different companies turnouts and track listed along with a lot of buildings for checking trackside clearance. etc.  It will even print you out a shopping list based on your layout plan.  i used it for the diagrams needed for the NMRA Electrical Certificate as well as for planning the new room for my layout.  While it is not free, it is reasonable. 

Good luck! 

Dallas Model Works:

I'm not sure I know of any.

But then that's the problem with Mr. Jobs little opus -- none but he makes software for it!

 

Someone should let Bill Gates know about this because his little company has been selling Office for Mac for at least the past 10 years.  I've found in most cases Word, Excel, Power Point. etc work as well if not better than the Windows version.

Dallas Model Works:

I'm not sure I know of any.

But then that's the problem with Mr. Jobs little opus -- none but he makes software for it!

 

 

 

come on , even in 1984 that wasn't true and it's very far from true today . there aren't as many programs as there are for windows , and there are some programs that don't exist at all on the mac .

i don't know anyone who uses more than 2 word processing programs , and there are at least 20 for the mac . so who needs the 100 that are available for windows ?  not me

 

ernie

 

ernie

Won't even comment on the "no software for Mac" bit... Can't think of anything free. On a newer Intel based Mac you have several options for running Windows based apps: VMWare Fusion, Paralells or Crossover. Or you could actually install Windows and use Boot Camp to select which OS to boot into. This would enable you to run Atlas' Right Track Software, AnyRail, etc. Or for a nominal fee you can use Empire Express. I've used it for years and while it might not have all the bells and whistles of some other track planning apps it does the job quite nicely. I've used it to design several layouts.

Left Coast Rail:

Dallas Model Works:

I'm not sure I know of any.

But then that's the problem with Mr. Jobs little opus -- none but he makes software for it!

 

Someone should let Bill Gates know about this because his little company has been selling Office for Mac for at least the past 10 years.  I've found in most cases Word, Excel, Power Point. etc work as well if not better than the Windows version.

 

 if i remember correctly Microsoft Word and Multiplan were the first 2 programs you could buy for the Mac when it was released in 1984 . Multiplan evolved into excel (or maybe they just changed the name!)