Thanks guys! Im going to mess around with both. I have been messing around a bit though, and already my dreams of having two loops of track, and still doing what i want is not going to be a reality. You always think you have more room when its in your head, but once its on paper Ya never seem to have the room you thought you had. :(
I just downloaded XTRKCAD and I got to say that I'm impressed. I don't know how to use it yet, but I'm going to learn. I'm not sure it will work in Vista, at least I could not see any reference to it. Atlas RTS is still easer.
I do not have vista but have read about the help files problem.
as the help file format has changed
you have to download from microsoft to allow vista to read help files from a lot of programs
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82148
hope this will be of help
SleeperN06 wrote:I have never had any problems with Atlas RTS, but I'm still using XP. I wish the RTS library were bigger. I found that not all the available Atlas N track is in the database. I have not tried XTRKCAD but I'm going to give it a try. Years ago I downloaded a Track CAD program that required you to draw each piece of track, what a pain-in-the-neck that was. Atlas is so easy and I cannot complain. I use it all the time.
I agree, I have not had problems with RTS either. It is the easiest track planning software I have found so far. Now that I have learned XTRKCAD I likely won't ever go back to RTS though. The libraries are one of the advantages with XTRKCAD for sure. The fact that guys are making track libraries etc. to extend it is really great.
My condolences to anyone who is using Vista. Billy boy may have finally done for Apple what Apple could never do on it's own in the past...convince die hard PC users to buy a mac. I started with the mac, then went to PC and swore I would never go back. With the advent of Vista...our next computer purchase in this household will be a mac.
I have never had any problems with Atlas RTS, but I'm still using XP. I wish the RTS library were bigger. I found that not all the available Atlas N track is in the database. I have not tried XTRKCAD but I'm going to give it a try. Years ago I downloaded a Track CAD program that required you to draw each piece of track, what a pain-in-the-neck that was. Atlas is so easy and I cannot complain. I use it all the time.
If easy to use is most important stick with Atlas RTS 7.0. If you want powerful and customizable get XTRKCAD 4.02 which is now public domain and does not require registration. Definately run the demos under the help menu and then work with the basics before running the more advance demos and working further. It takes a little time but once you get going it blows RTS 7 out of the water in my opinion.
There are others as well but I have not used them much. Cadrail, Winrail etc. I have a demo of winrail but I got caught up with XTRKCAD and have not looked much further at winrail.
There is also a Yahoo group for XTRKCAD where other users have developed additional and updated track library parameter files that can be downloaded and added to the XTRKCAD params directory for loading in the program.
pcarrell wrote: This may work better for you. It's not as easy to use as the Atlas software, but it's much more powerful. Make sure you register it and do the tutorial.http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/HomePage
This may work better for you. It's not as easy to use as the Atlas software, but it's much more powerful. Make sure you register it and do the tutorial.
http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/HomePage
With this version, there is no need to register, nor any way to do it, anyway! But, dot he tutorial! Then use it for a little while, and do the tutorial again. It is a bit unituitive at times, but it gets easier pretty quickly.
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Hey guys, whats a good track planning software thats both easy to use, and has the ability to have special track sections inserted???
Im messing around with the free software from Atlas, and im not really getting it too well. Maybe im doing something wrong, but unfortuntly aparently i cant open the tutorial or the help section because Vista does not suport it or something. But i can seem to find diffrent turnout sizes, or a wye or anything. Blah.
Thanks for reading...
---Joe