Templot Club Archive 2007-2020
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posted: 24 May 2016 07:41 from: PaulTownsend click the date to link to this post click member name to view archived images |
I am using the export to .DXF function and want output to include the rail foot that can be drawn for flat bottom rail. I have been using this with the rail foot defined as 5mm wide which gives a good simulation of 4mm scale Broad Gauge baulks. I now want to laser cut the baulks so need to be able to create a cutting file from CAD that just shows baulks i.e "rail-foot". The print to paper function works fine , showing rail head as usual and optional rail foot too. I had assumed the .dxf output would include rail-foot. AFAICS it doesn't. I am a bit pushed for time to get a lot of baulks cut and BG track laid for an upcoming exhibition. Can I ask a pretty please to Martin to enable the rail-foot to .dxf in such a way that it appears in CAD as a separate layer? |
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posted: 24 May 2016 08:19 from: Martin Wynne
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Hi Paul, At present the flat-bottom rail foot lines are not available in the DXF output, as you found. Sorry about that. I will see if I can get this fixed as soon as possible. Adding them to the RAILS layer wouldn't be difficult, but creating a new separate layer so that they can be exported separately is more work. Thanks for asking for this, the need for a separate layer hadn't occurred to me. You could perhaps try exporting only the rail centre-lines (in the generator settings, remember to rebuild), and have your CAD system widen the lines to whatever width you need. Alternatively you could get the outer edges into your DXF now by widening the rail head, and setting only the outer rail edges in the generator. Your CAD may be able to create the parallel inner edges. In truth the FB foot lines were done quickly as a bit of a kludge in the code, and I'm not very proud of it. You can see the problems around the switch tips. In practice it works well enough, but I would like to do it properly one day. regards, Martin. |
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posted: 24 May 2016 08:35 from: Martin Wynne
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p.s. Paul, Baulk timbers were normally (always?) straight. If you use this method to cut them, you will have some curved ones.  Martin. |
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posted: 24 May 2016 18:17 from: PaulTownsend click the date to link to this post click member name to view archived images |
Is this a record: Martin providing solutions, 2 instant and one prospective to my difficulty all within 1/2 hour of me putting my query up? Give that man a medal, once I have tried his ideas out which will take a little longer, if they work 2 medals. Yes I do know about not-curved baulks.....working on it. Plain track won't need Templot or laser to provide the straight with corners. The planned lasering is for complex pointwork where I have a cunning plan..... PS HMS Dreadnought of c. 1840 ( Victorian equivalent to the nuclear deterrent) had two layers of teak with an iron plate in the sandwich. ISTR the planks were around 14" thick and wider. They were certainly curved, presumably after steaming and much sharper curves than Brunel's baulk road which used mere 14" wide on plain track and 20" for turnouts and softwood too. I suppose cost put IKB off. |
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posted: 28 May 2016 11:16 from: Martin Wynne
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Hi Paul, Just a reminder that you can of course do baulk timbering now, if a bit tedious. It will be in the DXF export. And they will be straight.  It's best to do this on the first template, so that it propagates through to the rest of them as you create the track plan. First set the timber width to the requirements for baulk timbers. Then shove each timber into position. Twist it by 90 degrees (click the data... button), crab it across under the rail, and then do the final twist and length adjustments to align under the rail. The shoved timbers will mostly retain their position when curving the template, changing the turnout size, etc., needing only fine tuning for each fresh template. Select the tools > make tools: options > retain shoved timbers setting, so that the shoved timbers are retained in making crossovers, double track, etc. regards, Martin. |
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