grayfox1119 wrote:Joe-Daddy.....you cheated!!!!! LOL, you looked at Brunton's PROFILE, and saw that he was indeed an Engineer..........So "ideally" we want the AVERAGE Joe to rate these products, not someone with an IQ of 140 .
Joe-Daddy.....you cheated!!!!! LOL, you looked at Brunton's PROFILE, and saw that he was indeed an Engineer..........
So "ideally" we want the AVERAGE Joe to rate these products, not someone with an IQ of 140 .
You are not a gray fox, you are a gray rascal! [:)}
What I was doing with Brunton was telling him and you that his message was akin to what I expect from engineers and that he had passed the sniff test for legitimacy. I pretty confident that he is a licensed Mechanical Engineer who could provide his license number and stamp if it were required. (no intent to invade your personal privacy, Brunton).
So far as the average Joe, I guess I'm as close as you get, but I gotta tell you I am the below average fellow.
To your IQ point, I think it is more a historical experience and learning style issue than intelligence. Truth be known, my intelligence is more than adequate, but when I am in learning mode, some things can be very difficult to understand because of the way I have always done similar things elsewhere in the past. Case in point, I expect to left click on a turnout icon then move to the insertion point and right click again to insert the turnout. As I recall, almost every cadd program out there does that trivial thing somewhat differently. Figuring out the 'short hand' of creative developers can be non-trivial.
My learning style: fiddle, RTDM, fiddle, attack the DM, fiddle, google, fiddle, fume! (DM = Detailed Manual for the PC cop)
Best regards to all!
Joe Daddy, call me anything but average!
This has been an entertaining discussion about who reads the manuals and are they written in english for the lay person. In our household, my husband used the 3rd PlanIt manual for the icon translation. Since he had the manual with him in the truck, I had to learn by trial and error. Sometimes 2 heads are better than one. for 3rd PlanIt.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
I can say that I like 3rd Planit... I purchased one of their first versions and it set for 4 years since I could not get it to do what the tutorial said.... Probably operator error but I know my way around computers somewhat and cad programs are no stranger to me.
I purchased an up grade version and was most pleased with the performance. There is a newer version out now I believe. It is not intuitive but the handbook is well written and I have designed my railroad empire on it. The beauty of 3D is that you can see how your grades and scenery will look... It eliminates the potential of low clearance when passing under another level...
Any of the full cad systems should be worth the money... You will have to read the book however... (I know real men don't read instructions).... I started at 50 and the world quickly got easier.
Good luck..
Roger
gear-jammer wrote: We purchased the 3rd PlanIt software before starting our new layout. It is true that there are a lot of features with this program, but it allows you to build and run a layout on your PC before driving one nail. I was surprised when construction started on our layout and everything fit. The turnouts fit between the curves. The passing siding fit. Everything worked! In my opinion its a $100 bucks well spent. Larry
We purchased the 3rd PlanIt software before starting our new layout. It is true that there are a lot of features with this program, but it allows you to build and run a layout on your PC before driving one nail. I was surprised when construction started on our layout and everything fit. The turnouts fit between the curves. The passing siding fit. Everything worked! In my opinion its a $100 bucks well spent.
Larry
Same here. 3rdPlanit is very feature rich and helped me find a few mistakes (i.e. like trying to connect two tracks on different elevations) ahead of time. I also liked the ability to use it like a regular CAD program and add layers for turnout numbering, blocks and more. If you've never used a CAD program it has a small learning curve but if you have it is a breeze.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
CADRail version 8 ( latest version ) arrived at the house on Wednesday along with the manual, which, so far, I found very good. I have read therough the 1st 55 pages and performed many of the sample steps, and also did the 1st simple oval with one turnout. It has all the tools for Atlas, ME and many other manufacturers for their tracks and turnouts of various sizes, it can do elevations, easements, buildings, mountains and elevations as well as 3d view.......so it sounds like it is very much the same as 3rdPlanit in scope. Looking at the math on how this program was derived, it is a true CAD program, the accuracy is precise. Lets see how the rest of the reading goes before final judgement.
I will give further update as I progress along.
grayfox1119 wrote: CADRail version 8 ( latest version ) arrived at the house on Wednesday along with the manual, which, so far, I found very good. I have read therough the 1st 55 pages and performed many of the sample steps, and also did the 1st simple oval with one turnout. It has all the tools for Atlas, ME and many other manufacturers for their tracks and turnouts of various sizes, it can do elevations, easements, buildings, mountains and elevations as well as 3d view.......so it sounds like it is very much the same as 3rdPlanit in scope. Looking at the math on how this program was derived, it is a true CAD program, the accuracy is precise. Lets see how the rest of the reading goes before final judgement. I will give further update as I progress along.
Have fun. Sue
Hello Grayfox,
I note that you received your copy of Cadrail8 in February. Since then, how accustomed have you become with the software?
Given that I'm contemplating purchasing either 3rd PlanIt or CADrail8 I'm curious to ascertain your experiences. The closest I've come to using a CAD program is basic Corel Draw and from what I've read, with the acquisition of either one, I'm in for a pretty steep learning curve.
My reasons for purchasing either CADrail or 3PI are to design a layout firstly, and once thats completed use it to convert plans to N scale.
Thanks,
Geoff