SCARM track planning software - Hello from the author

Welcome, Mixy!

Sadly, I'm still an "arm-chair" modeller with limited track acquisitions (mostly old Lionel tubular track), but I have acquired several software planning products to help me dream about / plan for a future layout.  I have found yours to be the easiest to use and appreciate your efforts.  I hope others will see this post and have the info you need to improve your product.

Thanks,

Chuck

Hi Mixy, and welcome,

I use SCARM and I like it alot. I think if you included Ross Custom Switches, that would be a great compliment to the track menu. They are tops when it comes to switch tracks and more. I know many folks like to use Gargraves track with Ross switches to build their layouts with (myself included).  Their website has a link on the top of this page, and I will link it at the bottom of this post as well. Thank you for making a great track planning software program.

http://www.rossswitches.com/

I just looked at your software for the first time and I have to say I'm impressed.  I especially like your left hand column selection paradigm.  It makes it very easy to pick and choose parts.  I would like to second the motion that adding Ross Custom Switches and Gargraves track would make it much more appealing to folks on this forum.  Ross makes full scale PDFs available for their switches.  http://www.rossswitches.com/products/switchfiles.html

One question on MTH.  Are you doing Scaletrax or Realtrax?  Both would be of interest to folks on this forum.  I personally would be very interested in Scaletrax as that is what I intend to use if I ever get going on my new layout. 

Looking forward to future versions.

I just went to look through your documentation and when I clicked on Help, Documentation it brought me to your site and popped up a Blocked Content message.  Any idea what's going on here?  Seems strange that such a simple webpage would want to run a script. I'm using IE 9.

Thank you all for your replies - I am adding Ross to my libraries to-do list About MTH - everything depends of acquiring correct dimensions. I want to add both ScaleTrax and RealTrax, however I will need a help from somebody of you, who have them as real products.

This may be because there is a script in the website, which is used for showing/hiding early part of the Version History and also there are some ads in Links section, displayed using script. I am using the same file for the offline documentation, but with hidden style for the History, Download and Links sections. Because of this, the script calls are found in the hidden content, so IE might consider page suspicious and show this alert. I should probably strip these from offline documentation and re-design online page for better user experience with all browsers

Mixy

It already is. If there is a specific piece you are missing, post it here. Here is a micro layout I came up in Scarm using AtlasO track:

How about RMT's Super Snap track? Ready Made Toy Trains

OK, I will check RMT site and will try to create a library for these tracks in SCARM, if the dimensions are shown.

@Seacoast: you can switch to Atlas O 3-rail tracks in SCARM by right click over the header of tracks selection panel, where the name of currently selected library is displayed - a menu list of all included track producers will appear. Select Atlas sub-menu and then Atlas-O-3 library inside

Mixy

I am playing with SCARM.  So far, it's impressive: easy to learn and use.  The track bar on the left is great!

Thank you, Rob

And here is it - the new SCARM v. 0.9.19 is ready and published. Download it from www.scarm.info

It contains many improvements and updates, together with some bugfixes. See the list with new and updated libraries and the most important changes in the following blog post: www.scarm.info/blog/general/scarm-v-0-9-19-released.

One new key feature is the ability to set user-defined joining tolerances and global minimum radius for all flex-tracks – see the new "Edit" tab in the Settings window. Also, all placed flex-tracks now are showing the dimensions of their sections and can be modified and divided after laying. I need to update the documentation about this, but in short, just select the flex, right click over it and use "Reshape" or "Split" commands from the context menu.

I hope that you will like the new release I already started to work over the next one

Mixy

P.S. If "Check for Updates" feature in SCARM 0.9.18 reports that there is no newer version of the program, download the installer directly from the website. The old version info file may be cached on your PC and it will need some time that cache to expire. If the website also shows v. 0.9.18, press F5 key to refresh it.

The new bug-fix update SCARM v. 0.9.20 was released today. Download it from http://www.scarm.info and install it to patch the old version of the program.

The latest version fixes two critical bugs, found in v.0.9.19. See more about them and the full list with all changes and fixes in the following SCARM Blog post – http://www.scarm.info/blog/gen...eased-bug-fix-update.

Ross Custom Switches O 3-rail tracks are already in the libraries list

I hope that you will like the new release and will forgive me for the eventual problems with the previous version of SCARM

Mixy

P.S. If "Check for Updates" feature in SCARM 0.9.19 reports that there is no newer version of the program, download the installer directly from the website. The old version info file may be cached on your PC and it will need some time that cache to expire. If the website also shows v. 0.9.19, press F5 key to refresh it.

Mixy, Thanks Very much for all the work you have done to produce SCARM. It has become my most preferred track planning software! The easy 3-D imaging is great! So far I have been using it mostly for conventional (old-style) 3-rail track planning. The new features that you have added are just exactly what I had been hoping for! Many Thanks again!

I guess with MTH Scaletrax to be added, it will then be possible to do the track plan

in Scaletrax and, as an example, Atlas with Ross switches?  This to compage space

requirements and costs.....

At the moment, SCARM can run natively only in Windows. However, there are users reporting, that it can run smooth under WINE and Parallels, but the second option requires a copy of Windows too.

I used it for planning my 5'x10' FasTrack layout. The biggest issue I came across with FasTrack is that SCARM doesn't model the actual width of the roadbed (3 3/8"/8.5cm) but rather just the rails (1 1/2"/3.8cm). The plastic roadbed on FasTrack sticks out quite a bit. If you're trying to place FasTrack in a narrow area, near the edge of a layout or trying to figure out placement of buildings and accessories you need to know the full width of the track. I had to adjust my layout a bit once I started to lay it out because SCARM didn't account for the width of the roadbed and I had tracks overlapping each other and sitting too close to the edge of my layout. 

My other ask is greater flexibility in place tunnel portals. Right now you can only place them exactly where two pieces of track meet which isn't always desired or ideal.

All that said, it's an amazing product made all the more remarkable given that it's free. Great that you're soliciting feedback from this forum. 

RR-Track is my most preferred track planner but it lacks an essential feature that I dont see in your program either; that is train interferences.

It is one thing to set up tracks that are close together, but spacing is important so that there are no or minimal train interference.   

OK, I will write a note in my to-do list about adding of roadbed drawing capabilities and also checks for loading gauge to be implemented in the future versions of SCARM

Once you know your track dimensions and the spacing that you require, you use the Toolbox (Select tools=>Toolbox=>Startpoint) and set your start point(s) on the X and Y axis of your baseboard to accomplish that spacing.

I use FasTrack and set the first center rail start point at 3.5". This gives me enough spacing from the edge. The next center rail start point is at 9.5".

That spacing provides ample clearance and allows for the roadbeds to clear.

So, follow that process for the track that you use. Flex tracks may pose a challenge.

Examples of FasTrack curves attached. Started at X=45, Y=3.5, next was X=45, Y=9.5 and so on.

Mixy:

I will be happy to measure the MTH Real Trax .  Contact me through my e-mail in my profile and we can go from there. 

Since MTH has not provided me my software from 367 days ago when I joined the their club, and still has it no were ready to issue, I am punting and will go with using your software.

Putting factual info in your program about RealTrax is no way any violation of anything.  You are not using their software or compromising some proprietary secret.  As a matter of fact they out to be glad you are doing this because it might sell more track for them in the long run!  The only thing they might get upset about is the use of the term "RealTrax".  So just call it "MTH Trax" perhaps.

Hello John,

Thank you very much for your wish to help me with MTH tracks - I will send you an email in the weekend

Mixy

A short update here. I noticed that I forgot to tell you about the SCARM Blog (www.scarm.info/blog) in my first post. In the blog I am trying to collect all essential information and updates about SCARM and its features, which is not presented in the manual. Also, there are many tutorials, examples, ideas and more about SCARM and track planning with it, so I hope that the blog will be useful to all of you

Here are the posts in the blog for June: http://www.scarm.info/blog/2013/06

And here is the first O-scale layout, presented in the blog: http://www.scarm.info/blog/rai...l-layout-of-jumpjet

I am continuing to work over the program and next version will come soon with additional features regarding automatic flex-tracks shaping and connecting

@cooperthebeagle: I sent you 2 e-mails, but if you didn't receive them, please contact me on SCARM e-mail to start with MTH

Mixy

I'm yet another Mac user that'd like to use your app natively.

Add me to the Mac ranks that are hoping for a compatible version

OK, the list of users, who wants to work with SCARM on Mac is growing and I will take a note

However, porting of SCARM to the Mac platform is a hard and expensive work and I cannot promise anything. But there is always a chance to make native Mac version in the future, when SCARM reaches v. 1.0 state

Mixy

Even if it's not as fully featured as the Windows version, I'd like to see it on the Mac.  I'm mainly interested in a simple to use layout package for Lionel FasTrack with accurate models of the track.  I'm not interested in running the trains virtually.  Right now I'm going over board and using SolidWorks to do mine, but I've had to create the track models myself, and that's limited to what I have on hand.  Which means if I want to see if a piece I don't have fits, I have to buy one, which isn't going to happen, and this is very limiting in my work.

MAC users: Why don't you run Boot Camp with a Windows installation? You only need XP to run SCARM or other Windows based software. You can get legit copies of XP pretty cheap. Boot Camp is included in OS X Leopard or newer and is available for older versions. 

Because that involves buying Windows.  And where can you still get legal copies of XP for cheap?  Plus many new Macs don't support XP, nor do current versions of Boot Camp.  Plus what a pain to have to reboot your computer anytime you want to work on the layout, then again to do everything else we use our computers for.  Would you be willing to reboot your computer just to use one piece of software?

Well, yes, I have a Hackintosh and a triple OS Win and a Win with virtual machines.

Some for older desktop apps, some for testing, some for referencing nuances of various versions.

Anyway, a quick trip to the auction site shows Vista cheaper than XP. Your point is taken on that one.

I only offered a workaround for the limited selection of train related software for the Apple operating systems. A reboot takes less than a minute to utilize a utility that saves hours.

Whatever works for you.

There is another solution for Mac users, which is freeware as SCARM is. No need of buying Windows, no restarting and no based on virtual machine.

I am talking about WINE project.

However, I do not have a Mac computer and I am not able to test it, so the help of Mac users will be needed to try this.

I created dedicated article in the blog with descriptions about what is needed to try Running SCARM on Apple Mac. Read it, try it and then comment - is it working and what is happening. If this method fails, I can try to make a special build of SCARM with stripped some of the heavy features like 3D rendering engine. There is no guarantee that such approach will be successful, but why not try? I know from other users that SCARM is able to run under Linux with the help of WINE, so there is always a chance for success also on Mac platform

If anybody Mac user wants to go in deep with this, let me know here, in the blog or by SCARM e-mail.

Mixy

Mixy,

Just started using your software, very nice thank you

It took me maybe 2-3 tries before I got the hang of the basics, but now I'm running into a couple of things I need help with.

I'm using Gargraves track, I couldn't locate the instructions on how to make a half section of 072 curved track, or how to make a piece shorter than a 14" straight.

How do you fill a gap shorter than the standard lengths?

Bob,

Is this it?...072w and o72p from the library? I believe there are some tips in the blog for working with flex track-is that what your using?

Yep, flex-tracks can do the job

See the following article in the blog: Custom/Cutout Track Pieces in SCARM Layout Plan.

Note, that flex-tracks cutouts will appear in a single row in Parts list, but you can see each flex-track piece dimensions directly on the plan.

Mixy

I'm in the process of moving, and then will be out of town the rest of the month, but once we are back and settled in, I'll look into getting WINE going and see if this works and report back.

Moonman and Mixy...THANKS!!!  I'm going to try it out now

I guess I am forever amazed that ANYTHING along these lines is offered "free" to users, if for no other reason than ongoing development/support for Windows environments must be expensive enough -- not to mention porting to another popular platform like the Mac. 

Stuff like this takes time, effort and resources.  And while I freely admit that I'm a dinosaur with respect to the tendency of today's younger generation to offer "apps for free" because they LIKE to do it, I can't help but wonder why users don't just pony up the $$$ for a well-established application like RR-Track that has been around for years.  Why re-create it, and then offer the resulting re-creation for free?    Unless the developer(s) have a HUGE sponsor (or sponsors) paying for things behind the scenes, I can't imagine HOW you can continue to develop/support a program like this for free.  I must be missing something.

OTOH, I completely understand that folks WANT as much as they can get for FREE.  But that's a whole other topic for an entirely separate thread. 

David

Not everything is $$$, David

And I do not expect you or anybody else to "understand" me and why I am working over SCARM and sharing it for free, but I will try - because I like to do this

It is the same as model trains hobby - many others just don't understand why and how somebody can spend so much time and money for "stupid toys like these trains", but all forum members here just like to do this.

Mixy