Before I start trying to draw turnouts in my other CAD program, I thought I would ask this question here... Does anyone know any tricks to laying out a turntable in XtrkCAD? It seems like its impossible to connect tracks to the turntable in any structured fashion. I can't really get the other track I've already drawn to line up with it at the right angle, and the prospect of drawing all the stall tracks but having them be slightly off for lack of CAD-like precision is discouraging me. As it would be so easy to lay out the turntable in my other CAD program, but not to figure out the turnout geometry and draw all that...I'm trying to decide which program to use. This is not for planning my own layout but for a small portion of our club layout in which the turntable is the major feature (but not the only one). (Alternatively, who can suggest a source for turnout geometry where everything is well dimensioned enough that it wouldn't be a pain to transfer to CAD? I suppose I could also use an image of the turnout in CAD. I guess I'm brainstorming here now...)
Ben, I have found that laying out turntable, approach, and stall tracks geometrically on graph paper at 1:1 scale is much easier. That way you are assured of having the tracks line up with the center point of the table, especially the approach tracks as they curve in. Once you are happy with the paper diagram, then copy the track center lines to the roadbed base, either with carbon paper or a black marking pen bleeding through the graph paper. Or by pressing hard on the track lines if the roadbed is foam board.
Ben; What you do is this. Instead of trying to draw the approach and stall tracks TO the turntable, you draw them out FROM the TT. All you do is just click the Modify or Extend Track icon, then click anywhere on the edge of the TT, and draw the line out the length you need. At the bottom of the page the program will give you the angle and length. Using the info in the angle box, you not only can get the correct angle for the roundhouse you are using, but the program automatically keeps the track you're drawing aligned with the center of the TT.
Holy Moly! THANKS. I would never have thought to use the Modify/Extend tool. That was exactly the tip I needed. I sure wish I could change the angles of the tracks after they're drawn, but I guess watching the status bar as I draw is the next best thing. I'll have to decide on angles before I draw tracks, but I can certainly get by that way. Thanks again.
I would like to add one more tip - you may set grid origin to the center of the turntable and the use grid angle and "snap to grid" option to draw track at exact angle.
