Is or has anyone used RailModeller on a Mac to design a layout using Atlas O track?
What was your experience?
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I have used the free trial version of RailModeller on my Mac a little bit to test out some ideas in HO, as well as a small test layout using Atlas O track. I did find it quite useful for determining whether the tracks woul fit in my available space. I would think the only difference working with the program in other scales would be having an adequate track library in your preferred scale. The only real problem I've had with it (aside from not being able to save or print a file from the trial version) has been the lack of some newer track pieces in the track libraries. If they kept up their track libraries better with easy to accomplish updates, I'd be more inclined to shell out the $$ for the full blown version. Also, I haven't been able to create any custom length/radius track pieces, although I haven't tried that hard to figure it out, since mine is just the trial version.
Bill in FtL
The Atlas O library 3 rail has 145 elements and is up to date through 2015. Which new track are thinking about?
Curious, is that they show the scale as 1:45.
Moonman posted:The Atlas O library 3 rail has 145 elements and is up to date through 2015. Which new track are thinking about?
Curious, is that they show the scale as 1:45.
I think it was one of the atlas HO items, but I don't recall for certain which one. I do know that most recently, I was looking for the Atlas HO curved turnouts which at the time, RM didn't have in the library. Not too surprising, considering their release has been getting pushed back by Atlas (now they say October 2016). SCARM has them in their library, but that's for the PC world, not MAC. I have an ASUS hybrid tablet/netbook, so I downloaded SCARM onto that. Atlas has adopted SCARM as their official track planning software, so that probably explains why their libraries are more up to date. It's been at least 6 months since I checked Rail Modeller, so they may have caught up. I like RailModeller, and I prefer being able to work on layout designs with my MAC desktop because it has a bigger screen, plus I also tend to be more comfortable using OSX over Windoze.
Bill in FtL
Moonman posted:Curious, is that they show the scale as 1:45.
Possibly because the real track gauge of 56.5" when divided by 45 is closest to the O scale track gauge of 1.25" (actually 1.255555~"). Wasn't there a scale of 17/64" to the foot once Used with O gauge? That would make a scale foot about 11.953125", pretty close to 1/45 proportion.
Bill in FtL
Sinclair,
By any chance, have you also used PlayOnMac to run the MTH DCS loader program?
No, I don't have DCS. You can try it as it won't hurt anything.
sinclair posted:
I'm surprised that since PlayOnMac was designed for gaming, that the 3D view feature doesn't work. On the other hand, I'm also surprised that it works at all! I took a look at the PlayOnMac forum, and both the listed issues and their solutions were far beyond my ability to comprehend, so I'll probably just continue with RailModeller on the MAC and SCARM on the netbook, although I really shouldn't be thinking of anything new in the way of layouts (just ask my wife!).
Bill in FtL
