Hey gang,
I think I have bought (and tried) every major Cad railroad software on the market, and so far this is the BEST: 3D Railroad Concept and Design. It was made by Abracadata but now is on the 3D Railroad site for distribution.
CadRail, which I original had, wasn't a bad CAD program. It had very traditional "CAD" style operations and controls--some people have said it was too hard for them to use because of that---I guess it depends on the individual how "hard" that program is.
But the real problem with CADRAIL (any version) is the sorry and sad state of libraries--they don't update the libraries ever (which are sparse to begin with!) and the "user base" doesn't seem to offer any additional libraries.
What is really pathetic--they don't have Kato HO library and the track system is certainly older than their software! I asked in the CadRail group if anyone made libraries and all the replies were "you can make your own"...well no thanks! I want to USE the program not PROGRAM the PROGRAM. If I wanted to program , I wouldn't of paid the $79 for CadRail in the first place!!!!
So, CadRail wasn't for me in the long run. Then I tried (bought) two other programs before I got a hold of 3D Railroad Concept & Design. Now this product GETS IT RIGHT! Tons of libraries (and all the popular track libraries, incl. Kato HO) and wow! talk about easy to use! You won't need instruction pages for this program! Lay the tracks with the mouse--the tracks can be on "autosnap" so they automatically line up with the other tracks....and unlike CadRail, the tracks look like REAL train tracks, lots of detail. A great feature is the instant "stretch" function so you can resize tracks and then add that piece as a separate library entry if you wish.
These programmers know how to please!!!
any questions about this program give me a holler...
Cheers,
Tom M.
(Just a happy customer!)
This is the software I used to design my 2-deck N-scale layout.
It is very easy to figure out how to get what you want. Its also nice to be able to print your plans out at any scale, even 1:1 full-size, which makes transfering plans to the layout a cinch (hint: if you want to save paper, printing your plans at 1:12 means that 1" on the plan is 12" on the layout, making transfering measurements easy). It is so simple to add in grades (by either entering the grade you want, or by setting the start and end elevations). There are "wizards" for many common but tricky track configurations -- helices, splines, and straight-curve combinations. While I've not used it, there is also a function for calculating easements. Another tool that I found very useful was the 3-D view, and the way you can move the "camera" around so you can check things out from just about any angle.
I found it a bargain even if I had to pay for it. The free Atlas software was a real pain as tracks "moved" on their own and I was forever correcting grades and elevations. In the end, I gave up on it and un-installed it when I found Abracadata's 3-D Railroad Concept and Design at a model train show in the Fall of 2004.
All in all, I find Abracadata's 3-D Railroad Concept and Design is a great model railroad planning software, and would recommend it to everyone.
LGBFan123 wrote: But the real problem with CADRAIL (any version) is the sorry and sad state of libraries--they don't update the libraries ever (which are sparse to begin with!) and the "user base" doesn't seem to offer any additional libraries. What is really pathetic--they don't have Kato HO library and the track system is certainly older than their software! I asked in the CadRail group if anyone made libraries and all the replies were "you can make your own"...well no thanks! I want to USE the program not PROGRAM the PROGRAM. If I wanted to program , I wouldn't of paid the $79 for CadRail in the first place!!!! (Just a happy customer!)
In CadRail, ANY drawing you produce can be added to a library. It's one of the easier and more flexible programs when it comes to working with libraries. Libraries are not a matter of programming.
By the way - CadRail has been around a LOT longer than Kato Unitrack.
Personally, I think if Sandia Software took the time to create libraries for Kato Unitrack or Bachmann EZ Track and similar track lines, it would be a waste of their time - like putting cheap retreads onto a Lamborghini. Using Unitrack or a similar product is fine, but Unitrack is sort of a high-end Snap-Track, and you don't really need a high-powered CAD tool to design a layout based on it.
CadRail is a CAD program, not a graphics package. It's a technical tool, designed for someone who needs/wants a powerful program to do track planning. If it's too technical to grasp, then I agree that it's better to go to a "pretty pictures" offering like 3D Railroad Concept and Design.
I tried 3D Railroad a couple of years ago. It was easy to create a layout design using their pre-packaged (blocky) graphics. Accuracy took a back seat to making pictures - w-a-y back over the horizon where you couldn't even see it! But maybe it's been improved over the last couple of years. It may be ideally suited to designing a Unitrack-based layout. Good luck with it!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
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You apparently misunderstood my comments about the librarys in CadRail.
I understand that any drawing I make can be added to the library--this is a regular function of ALL the railroad Cad packages. What I was unhappy about is that I would have to make A COMPLETE TRACK LIBRARY for Kato HO in order to create a layout.
Creating one turnout is daunting enough (to get it precise) but a whole library--no thanks!
Kato Unitrack I have seen in stores since the Late 1980s. I dont know exactly when the HO line was produced but I was sure the hobby shops stocked it in the early 90s. CadRail is that old? In any event, the older version of CadRail I had (before I bought the upgrade) had exactly the same libraries. You would think when they updated and got the bugs out in the next release they would have added the missing stuff (and the LGB library was pathetic, not just Kato).
3D RR C&D is hardly a "graphics program" while CadRail is a cad program. 3D RR has 3-d view and complete CAD controls and functionality. In my opinion , it blows away the current version of CadRail (which I own) in looks , power and user friendliness.
LGBFan123 wrote:Kato Unitrack I have seen in stores since the Late 1980s. I dont know exactly when the HO line was produced but I was sure the hobby shops stocked it in the early 90s. CadRail is that old? In any event, the older version of CadRail I had (before I bought the upgrade) had exactly the same libraries. You would think when they updated and got the bugs out in the next release they would have added the missing stuff (and the LGB library was pathetic, not just Kato). 3D RR C&D is hardly a "graphics program" while CadRail is a cad program. 3D RR has 3-d view and complete CAD controls and functionality. In my opinion , it blows away the current version of CadRail (which I own) in looks , power and user friendliness.
As I said, it's been a couple of years since I last messed with Abracadata's program. Maybe it has changed that much.
And yes, CadRail is that old.
But Uni-track, with it's rigid track components, provides discreet components only - if you want someting in-between, you're into custom building your track to fit. If you will use just Uni-track, probably most track design programs are overkill.
That's not to say that CadRail couldn't USE more libraries, but most people probably have the same attitude you do - they're just not going to take the time to make one (that's not a shot - I have that same attitude! )
scottlamers wrote:OK - So maybe I missed it. Where can you get this software from?
It was put out by Abracadata about 5 years ago.
The Liquidateher http://www.theliquidateher.com/ is marketing it and is available through their web site by clicking here : http://theliquidateher.com/3drrconceptanddesign-windows.html (price $49.99 USD).