Rick posted:Was this track plan created with AnyRail or SCARM? Licensed or freeware version?
Thanks,
Rick
Rick, I created this plan with AnyRail. The licensed and freeware versions are the same, EXCEPT that the free version is limited to creating a plan of 50 track sections. The free version will open plans created with the licensed version that exceed 50 sections, but will not allow adding additional sections. The license is not expensive, and AnyRail has a forum that is monitored by the designer/creator, who has responded to my posts within 24 hours with thoughtful and informative replies.
Nothing wrong with SCARM, but for me, AnyRail is faster in putting together plans, and with FasTrack there is a lot of time spent in finding small section combinations and different track diameters to make connections. So any time advantage pays off with FasTrack. I have played with SCARM a good bit, and have been working with it more recently. SCARM has much better 3D.
As discussed at length in another thread, the designer of AnyRail actually purchased batches of Lionel Fastrack and measured the track sections, and included the "as manufactured" FasTrack section lengths in AnyRail. As an example, Lionel's 4.5" section is actually 4.55". That small variation seems minor, unless multiple sections are connected: it doesn't take long for the variations to add up to 1/8" or more, which was explored in that other thread. So for FasTrack, with ridged plastic ballasted sections and no flextrack, AnyRail is more accurate than SCARM. Manufacturing variations in other track types with flextrack are less important, this only pertains to Lionel's FasTrack.
In AnyRail I have a set of terrain textures that I use for layers in elevation. And I have a set of structures I can pull from. I think that the learning curve is much easier with AnyRail, which was a factor for me, as my time to play with layouts is limited.
