SCARM - Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeller


Here is the list of SCARM Blog articles for September: www.scarm.info/blog/2013/09.

The most interesting are about Useful Stuff In Various SCARM Libraries and Nice Z-scale Layout With Marklin Tracks. See also the first post with video tutorial in it about Creating Helix In SCARM Using Sectional Tracks :)

Mixy
 
armyairforce said:
STOP!!! Every time you make updates, I design yet another layout I'm never going to have time to build!!
Click to expand...

No problem Stephen :) Just send me your SCARM layouts and I will publish them into Railway Layouts and Track Plans online database site, so it is possible someone other to like and build some of your plans ;)

And now, here is the video tutorial #5:

SCARM Video Tutorials – Part 5 – Rotate a Track or a Whole Layout.

This movie should help anybody who has trouble with rotating of the tracks or whole track plan in SCARM. Hope you will like it ;)

Mixy
 
The new SCARM v. 0.9.23 is ready – download it from SCARM Website :)

It comes with several new features, many updated libraries, some bugfixes and improved functionality. The most important new features are Background image, the Ballast roadbed in 2D and Track Heights numeric input. See details about the new features and more about this update in the SCARM Blog post SCARM v. 0.9.23 Released.

I hope that you will like the new version of SCARM and also hope that next one will come soon ;)

Mixy
 
SCARM will work nice on any PC, produced in the past 5-6 years :) It will run without problems on Win7, both 32- and 64-bit editions and also on Win8 and Win8.1 update. There are no special requirements for the graphic card - the driver needs to support OpenGL and this is a default standard from more than 10 years. However, on some complex layouts with many objects, a powerful graphic card will give smoother view in 3D when moving and zooming, but in general, almost any card and even build-in chipset solutions should work. You can just download and test SCARM from www.scarm.info - it is free :)

And if you are experiencing some problems, check Problems and Solutions section in the blog for possible workarounds.

Mixy
 
Here are my comments on the software:
1. For some reason it will not allow me to specifically define the dimensions of a particular area. I want to be able to tell it the size and shape of my layout, and go from there.
2. Figuring out the starting point on it is crazy and frustrating. More so that you cannot just grab the existing pieces and move them to where they need to be.
3. The grade geometry is off. No program besides AutoCAD can seem to account for the fact that as you go up in grade/elevation that the track from the top view will appear to be shorter. For example, 9 inch track flat is 9 inches, but 9 inches on a 2% incline is 8.99451744 inches. Sure it is close, but as you add more and more length of track, it can add up to a significant amount.

Otherwise the program appears to be fine.
 
Hello Nucular,

1. To form the shape of your layout, use "Edit" > "Create Baseboard" command. Read more about how to do it in the manual here: How to create baseboard in SCARM. You can also use the functions in the Toolbox for precise shaping of your baseboard.

2. Actually, you can just drag and drop tracks on the plan with the mouse without need of a start point - see demo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Ehr5xtA8A.

3. You are right, but SCARM is not AutoCAD and railway modelling is far from the real engineering. Otherwise, every modeller would use AutoCAD instead of simpler programs, such as SCARM to design model train layouts. The normal grades in the hobby are about 2-3% and even on a much longer routes than your example, the error is too small to be taken into account.

Mixy
 
Any idea when you'll get the complete Bachmann N scale EZ library?

I like the program so far, but without the complete library, it's not of much use to me.

Need
44863 + curved piece that comes with the stock item
44864 + curved piece that comes with the stock item
44853

and possibly others
 
Wow, this is a pretty cool program. I made it work without the missing track pieces. I really like creating polygons and rectangles to get an idea of size and scale for the buildings I've been researching. Already ruled some out because they're too big! One thing I'm having trouble with though....I can't figure out how to raise the ground to make a mountain. I can adjust track height, but the polygons have no slope, so my mountain looks like a giant wall with a tunnel.

Is forming a mountain an option?

Thanks
 
Nucular said:
Here are my comments on the software:
1. For some reason it will not allow me to specifically define the dimensions of a particular area. I want to be able to tell it the size and shape of my layout, and go from there.
2. Figuring out the starting point on it is crazy and frustrating. More so that you cannot just grab the existing pieces and move them to where they need to be.
3. The grade geometry is off. No program besides AutoCAD can seem to account for the fact that as you go up in grade/elevation that the track from the top view will appear to be shorter. For example, 9 inch track flat is 9 inches, but 9 inches on a 2% incline is 8.99451744 inches. Sure it is close, but as you add more and more length of track, it can add up to a significant amount.

Otherwise the program appears to be fine.
Click to expand...

There is a tutorial series on YouTube. It will help you out a lot. Forget any other software you have used. SCARM works a little differently. I use all kinds of CAD/CAM software daily. I also use XTrackCAD, and SCARM. I use XTrackCAD to run the trains, and SCARM to get a 3D perspective.

As for the 0.00548256" discrepancy over a 9" distance, I really wouldn't sweat it. If your entire layout contained 200 linear feet of track and it were on a fairly constant 2% incline/decline the entire discrepancy would only be around 1-1/2". I make aerospace components with looser tolerances, and I think you can cut a piec of flex-track to fill that gap ;)

Yes, the software could stand to see some changes. But for freeware - it's up there with with some of best freeware you can get - in any category.
 
I will look up those tutorials on youtube. Another quick question, will this software work with Linux Based Operating Systems?
 
@elsner203: I am now fulfilling the Bachman N EZ library with the new tracks and they will come with the next release of SCARM soon :) About the mountains and the terrain - see this: How To Create Hills And Valleys in SCARM.

@Nucular: All the video tutorials can be seen also on SCARM Blog here: SCARM Video Tutorials - Series 1-9. Note that the order in that list is reversed and #9 is on top while #1 is at bottom.

SCARM can work on Linux under Wine. However, the 3D viewer may give errors on some systems, but in 2D it seems to work correctly. Try it on Linux/Wine and post your impressions.

Mixy
 
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