I downloaded and tried working with this software a little bit last night. I found it a bit frustrating, to be honest.
My goal in using the software was to draw and then modify a trackplan from 101 Track Plans.
My general computer-drawing experience is using MS Visio to draw system/software architectures (mostly block diagrams) so a lot of my expectations are based on how Visio and other MS products draw diagrams.
Here's a short list of things I observed trying to lay parallel track for a yard.
1. The ruler markings on the left and top seem to only be in whole inch units. Fractional markings would help a lot. (If it exists, it shouldn't be an option. Just zooming in should draw half, quarter, eigth inch markings as the space is available.)
2. Moving track was VERY frustrating. After laying a bunch of parallel track, I wanted to adjust the spacing of it. I right-clicked on the track and selected Move. The track segment "jumped" to be centered on the mouse (which was usually well below the track because I had to select the Move option on the pop-up menu.) This completely messed me up because I only wanted to move the track a little bit. Being able to select track and move it with the arrow keys would be very useful.
3. Moving/adjusting already placed track just didn't work easily for me. I tried to connect two pieces of parrellel track with a turnout and just couldn't figure out how to get two arrows to "join".
4. Copy/paste appeared to not work because when you paste, the new piece is placed directly over the original and it doesn't look like paste works. Maybe place the new piece in the center of the window and have it selected and in "move" mode so the user can start placing it immediately.
5. Rotating a turnout didn't seem to be possible except by dragging it to existing track and getting the arrows to "meet".
Here are listed the SCARM railroad blog posts for January 2015.Check How To Make Control Panels and Diagrams for SCARM Track Plans article if you want to know more about how to draw a stylized diagrams of your layouts like the example below of oval with one siding.The next version of SCARM will be published soon, I hope :)Mixy
SCARM - free and easy to use model train layout editor with 3D preview
Free track plans and railroad layout designs >> O gauge - HO scale - N scale
Thank you Marlon
In the meanwhile, the new SCARM v. 0.9.28 is ready and published. Read more details about it here:SCARM Model Railroad Layout Designer 0.9.28 ReleasedMixy
I downloaded and tried out SCARM, and the first thing that struck me is that it DOES have many more libraries than Atlas' RTS program. I'll continue to check out SCARM and give a report later on.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Hi all and Happy New Year :)Here are listed the SCARM railroad blog posts for December.The next version of SCARM is almost ready and will be published soon :)Mixy
And something special for N-scalers: I've managed to make the complete KATO N Unitrack library for SCARM with bridges and viaducts :)As the new version of the program is not yet finished, you can download the updated KATO library from here:Updated KATO N Unitrack Library for SCARMSee some of the straight bridge and viaduct sections in 3D below:Now the KATO N Unitrack library should be fully opertional with all bridge and viaduct track pieces included :)Mixy
Here I want to present the first very detailed virtual locomotive models in SCARM, created by Ian Donohoe and shown in the SCARM blog here:Detailed 3D Models of US Diesel Locomotives in SCARMBelow are two of them:These are created with the object's interface of SCARM and are auto-scalable to the scale and gauge of the used tracks in the layout plan.Download the loco library from the blog's post and use these nice models in your virtual SCARM layouts :)Mixy
IMPORTANT!
Several bugs were discovered in SCARM 0.9.26 related to the renaming of the layers and then save and restore of the already changed layer names. The patched version of the program was released today.
Please upgrade to SCARM 0.9.27, which can be downloaded from www.scarm.info to fix these problems.See more about this bugfix update in the following blog post: SCARM v. 0.9.27 Released.I am sorry if these bugs caused any problems and inconvenience in your work with SCARM. If you see another problems, please report them here or in SCARM Blog and I will try to fix them ASAP.Mixy
And here is it - the new SCARM v. 0.9.26, coming with the new online help system integrated and the long-awaited Layers feature for easy editing of complex railroad layouts. Read more details here:SCARM Track Planning Software 0.9.26 ReleasedHope you will like the new release ;)Mixy
Here are listed the SCARM model railroad blog posts for October.The next version of SCARM is almost ready and will be released soon :)Mixy
Recently, I updated the SCARM website, which now has modern look and design and comes with a lot of new and updated information and resources about the program. Check it here:www.scarm.infoThe site now works well not only on PCs, but also on tablets and smartphones too. Contents section is rewritten and optimized for easy navigation and access to the most important pages. The same is valid also for the documentation - it has new structure with many new and updated topics. See the new help page here:Online help & FAQ about SCARM layout softwareHope you will like the new site :)Mixy
Many users asked about the file with the small steam engine that I used for demonstration of the new cylinder features in SCARM v. 0.9.25. Here is it:Drawing of Prussian T3 Steam Loco in SCARMThe article shows most of the steps in the drawing of a close representation of Prussian T3 loco in HO scale.In example, below are shown the cylinders that form the wheelset - as parts and assembled: See more pics in the blog post and download the project file to see it on your own PCs.Mixy
Here are the posts in the SCARM Blog for August and September.One is about Printing of the Whole Layout in 1:1 Scale (updated with new information).
See also the The N-scale Layout of Tony Relos.
Hope all these will be useful :)
Mixy
IMPORTANT
Several users reported for a problem with the new SCARM 0.9.25 after update. This is probably due to corrupted download of the installation package. It seems that sometimes installer is able to run even if it is not downloaded correctly, but after that, the program crashes on startup. If you also experience such problems, follow the steps described in the link below:Resolving SCARM Installation IssuesThis should help for fixing of bad setup package downloads :)Mixy
Here is one nice gallery with very detailed SCARM images, containing scenes from Indian Railways:Scenes From Indian Railways in SCARMHere are just 3 of them:These were created with the old versions prior to 0.9.24 without the new cylinder figures. The new v. 0.9.25 will be able to produce even more realistic landscapes for those, who are interested to create rich virtual layouts in SCARM.Mixy
After a long delay, the new SCARM v. 0.9.25 is ready and published. It is coming with new figures and many new and updated track libraries. Read more about it here:SCARM Track Planning Software 0.9.25 ReleasedThe new figures are horizontal and vertical cylinders and will allow drawing of objects and rolling stock, like the small engine showed below:Hope you will like the new version ;)Mixy
And one more recent post in the blog. It describes the fast and easy way of making railroad crossings with the new roadway feature in SCARM:The Roads in SCARM – Part 6 – Railroad Crossing
Hope this will be of help :)
Here are the two blog posts for July: www.scarm.info/blog/2014/07.One is for the user-defined exact roadway pieces and the other is showing how to simulate Bring to Front and Send to Back commands in SCARM.Mixy
There is only one post in the blog for June, but it could be very useful:
How To Make Nearly Perfect Circles / Cylinders in SCARM
With these you can make pillars, water tanks, silos and other like that in the SCARM track plan and 3D viewer.
The SCARM blog posts for May: www.scarm.info/blog/2014/05.
The feedback from the users shows that some wants to have a roundhouse in their layouts and a few other are experiencing a performance hits when working over a very large projects in SCARM. So here are two new interesting articles in the blog. The first is How To Make a Roundhouse in SCARM track plan. One typical roundhouse is shown below.
And if the 2D edtor or 3D viewer becomes slower, see How To Speed-Up SCARM.
Hope you will like these :)
Thank you, WVWoodman :)
And here are the blog posts for April: www.scarm.info/blog/2014/04.
You have done a great job - I spent 6 months designing and redesigning my layout - changed the table 3 times and changed rooms once. SCARM was a valuable tool.
Many users are asking about custom or double tunnel portals in SCARM track plans, so I prepared the following article:Custom Tunnel Portals in SCARMHope it will be useful ;)Mixy
The problem of James is solved
Here is the list with articles in the blog for March: www.scarm.info/blog/2014/03.And here is the first tutorial in the blog about using of the new road feature:The Roads in SCARM – Part 1 – Basic UsageMore tutorials about the roadways in SCARM will come soon ;)Mixy
Hello James,
Not sure why this is happening, but if you send me your layout (.scarm project file) to I will check it. Just put some fugure or text inside, near the place where you cannot obtain a join.
Mixy, i am using 0.9.24 and i am having trouble with two pieces of flex track. I am trying to connect two switches which form a part of a siding. The ends of the two pieces of flex track, between the switches overlap approx 1/2 inch, but i can't get the two pieces to connect. I have trieed starting at one switch and working to the other and also starting at each switch and working to the middle. The ends never turn Green/Red. I tried magnifying the area to get perfect alignment but they will never quite matchup. Any suggestions??
Excellent program, i think it is much easier to use than XtraCad. Thanks for pointing us in the right direction.
James in Texas
And here is the new SCARM v. 0.9.24, ready and published, coming with the long-awaited feature for true roads with grades and various surface markings! See more about it here:SCARM Layout Software v. 0.9.24 ReleasedHope you will like it ;)Please note that the new version has many parts with rewritten code due to the new roads feature and this may also introduce some new bugs. If you see some problems, write about them here and explain the steps that will allow me to reproduce and check what could be wrong.Mixy
Two small bugs in SCARM were reported last month so far:- "Integer Overflow" error message may appear in some situations when modelling flex-tracks- Arrow keys in the 2D editor stop working after pressing of Esc keyAll these will be corrected in the upcoming release of SCARM. If you encounter another problems, drop a line about them in this thread.Here is a nice collection of Quick tips, that may be useful in your work with SCARM: Quick Tips in SCARM SoftwareAnd here is the list with blog posts for February: www.scarm.info/blog/2014/02.Mixy
Actually, I am now doing this for the next version :)
The problem is that the real roads have much much more variations in types, markings, intersections, lanes and so on than the rail tracks and it is difficult to represent all of them just by replacing the look of the tracks, currently implemented in SCARM. But I am trying... ;)
And here is the list with articles in the blog for January 2014: www.scarm.info/blog/2014/01.Not so much, but this month there will be more ;)Mixy