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I've used RR-Track version 4 in the past successfully. Now I'm that I'm in the market for a new basement --I mean "house" -- I wanted to start playing with potential layout designs for the typical spaces I'm encountering. To see if a room or space will work well for me, I can draw out a rough idea and figure out if I can run enough wide-radius curves, avoid duckunders, etc. and deal with the locations for doorways, stairs and obstructions. Fortunately, I may have almost a year to go looking, and an understanding wife -- we both agree that the house needs adequate space for her hobby in knitting and spinning raw fiber as well as a space for my train hobby (instead of a decade of tiny Carpet Central carved out of my office space...). This will very likely be where we retire, so we're taking time to find something not too big, but sufficient for us and our pursuits which carry a little more-than-average need for good spaces and storage.

 

Aside from the option to simulate running a consist to check siding lengths and some clearances, how much has changed in version 5? Any significant enhancements in the menus and interface; anything it can do now that's a significant upgrade? Thanks in advance for any thoughts/ideas!

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You can create modules and save them as individual units which can then be assembled. This is a big plus if you're part of a modular group or are designing a sectional layout.

 

I have a couple of issues with version 5:

  • You can't export to version 4. This is a problem if you're designing or collaborating on a design for someone else with version 4.
  •  It seems that only the first layout you open allows you to use the keyboard for copying/pasting. For the second layout you have to use the mouse. It's a minor inconvenience and I figure it will get fixed in the next update.
Thanks for the info! The modular/sectional planning part is probably the most intriguing part for me. Outside of that, I don't think it's a gotta-have-it-now upgrade, then. More likely to be a within the next year or so as needed. I did notice the terrain feature was acting a little odd on Windows 7 while I was re-familiarizing myself with some of its features. Not sure if the old software is showing a bug, of if I did something wrong. I'm thinking it might be the loose nut on the keyboard!

Since I've been doing "Free-Mo" modular experiments, the modular feature has been nice, but it has some drawbacks. You can't scroll through the module list and it tends to get in the way when you're placing items, but it saves on duplicating (copy/paste) large numbers of elements from one file into the other by switching windows. Another down side of the modules is that they don't render on the simulator (makes sense in a way because the whole module is an element and the track is just another piece of that element.)

 

I just downloaded the 11-05-2012 update and haven't tested it yet.  Version 5 was such a jump from version 4 I'm figuring that some of these issues will be resolved in an interim release if not in this update. I consider the inconveniences minor and not worth beating up R&S over.

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