Templot Club Archive 2007-2020
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posted: 1 Apr 2011 08:48 from: Richard Spratt
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Templot app for the iPad 2 – iPlot released today and available for purchase. Ever since Martin said that he was not going to produce a Mac version of Templot I’ve been working away cracking the code and converting it to run on the Mac platform with all the advantages of a Mac. When I first got to hold an iPad last year I wondered if it would be possible to convert my work into an app so it I could Templot as I travelled around. Well, I have and what’s more it works on the new iPad2. Nearly all of the Templot 0.91c functionality is present but in a completely different way. Most of the menus have been dropped as have the function buttons. Nearly everything is achieved by dragging with 1, 2 or 3 finger tips, called drag, pinch-zoom and hold pinch-zoom. If you’ve used an iPad or touch screen phone then most of the commands will be completely logical to you. Touch a template somewhere near the middle of what is visible and drag to move it around. Touch one end and drag the other end to change the radius. Or touch and hold both ends and drag any point in between to swell the curve. Taking that one step further makes transition curves dead easy. Touch and hold 2 points on the curve you are happy with and then drag another point to the new location and it performs the transition calculation. If you want to fit a long curvy section of track to a twisty curve you can do so by starting with a straight template aligned with one end of your twisty track. Change it to a curve that matches the first section. Then hold the beginning and end of the curved section and use a third finger (usually on the other hand) and drag to the next section of the curve. This can be repeated almost infinitely, well actually only 255 times but you’ll never need that many sections will you? To maximise the screen area that is available for template display the information boxes have been designed to automatically minimise to any corner of the screen and pop up when touched. The iPad can be used in either landscape or portrait modes, automatically switching as you rotate the iPad. This is particularly useful for turnouts that are vertical on your layout. iPlot can guess the formation you want if you overlay 2 simple templates. Eg a curve and a straight or to curves coming together can be used to define the basis of a turnout and two crossing templates can be used to define a diamond crossover. But I’ve been waiting for Martin to bring out the next pug with the curved crossover algorithms, so the current iPad version is a bit ropey here. One function that has been missed out is the use of scans. But it is replaced by the photos function. Simply take a photo with the built in camera, use hold pinch-zoom to correct any perspective errors and pinch-zoom to get it to the same scale as you template. One final advantage is you don’t need to print out. You can simply put a clear protective layer over your iPad, select the hold mode, and build on top of it. I have for sale rolls which you purchase at the same time as the App. Now there are a couple of disadvantages. You can’t print out from iPlot. You have to transfer you file back to Templot and print out that way. Because transition curves are different, they are converted to many templates rather than the one that iPlot uses. The second disadvantage is actually to do with the iPad. As it is not as powerful as most desktop PCs most of the calculations are performed in skeleton mode where only the centre line is drawn during dragging. It then takes up to a second to draw the rails and sleepers once you release the drag. The third disadvantage is cost. It is not a cheap and other apps, but then it is a niche product. So if you are interested in either purchasing or reading the full iPlot specification click here. |
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posted: 1 Apr 2011 10:43 from: Graham Idle
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You little tinker!! |
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posted: 1 Apr 2011 12:09 from: leflep
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Took me in hook, line & sinker. Peter |
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posted: 1 Apr 2011 12:46 from: Raymond
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That's nearly as good as the famed BBC one about the spagetti harvest in Italy many years ago. Great fun! Regards Raymond |
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posted: 1 Apr 2011 13:54 from: JFS
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I thought you were serious - then talked about the advantages of a Mac and I knew you were joking:-) :-) Many thanks for the leg pull!! Best Wishes, Howard. |
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posted: 1 Apr 2011 18:26 from: Jim Guthrie
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JFS wrote: I thought you were serious - then talked about the advantages of a Mac and I knew you were joking:-) :-)Yes - it had that hint of smugness typical of Mac ownership which made it believable.  Nice one. Jim. |
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posted: 6 Apr 2011 18:51 from: Richard Spratt
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Jim Guthrie wrote: JFS wrote:Thanks Jim, but I don't have and never have had a Mac.I thought you were serious - then talked about the advantages of a Mac and I knew you were joking:-) :-)Yes - it had that hint of smugness typical of Mac ownership which made it believable. Richard |
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posted: 6 Apr 2011 22:00 from: Jim Guthrie
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Richard Spratt wroteThanks Jim, but I don't have and never have had a Mac "." But you sounded like you did  Jim. |
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| Last edited on 6 Apr 2011 22:01 by Jim Guthrie |
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posted: 14 Oct 2011 16:03 from: gsmorris click the date to link to this post click member name to view archived images |
just had a deja view moment. and had to look this one up again. Just been using templot on my home computer using an Ipad as remote access device. not quite on the pad yet!!! but quite amusing. |
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