Insert a layout plan

[roythebus]

I'm not new here but have forgotten how to copy a layout plan into Templot. I've got the plan onto the screen but can't work out how to upscale it to the right size and place it where it needs to be.

 

[roythebus]

I've got a white box in the corner of the screen that I do't need, I've got the baseboard size which I do need outlined, got the layout plan on an A4 sheet which needs to be enlarged to fit the baseboard size.

 

[Martin Wynne]

I'm not new here but have forgotten how to copy a layout plan into Templot. I've got the plan onto the screen but can't work out how to upscale it to the right size and place it where it needs to be.

@roythebus @Simon Dunkley

Hi Roy,

Can you clarify? Is this image on paper, or on the screen? If it's on the screen, is it already in Templot or is it in an image viewer program?

Is it an historic map from the NLS? If so the easiest way is to let Templot get it again from the NLS web site.

Whatever it is, you want it to end up in a background picture shape.

In Windows you can:

For a paper image, you can scan it directly into Templot.

For an image displayed in an image viewer, you can drag and drop it onto the Templot trackpad.

Or you can copy and paste it into Templot.

Or you can open the image file in Templot, or drag and drop an image file from your file explorer.

Unfortunately I haven't the faintest idea whether any of that works in CrossOver on a Mac, especially if it means copying from the native Mac locations. Simon?

What I do know, is that the easiest way by far to get files into CrossOver is to put them on an external drive such as a USB memory stick -- and not in the system disk drive.

If you can post your image here, I will put it in a Templot BGS3 file for you. You can then load it into Templot and move it around or re-size it to fit as required. What model scale are you using?

cheers,

Martin.

 

[roythebus]

Hi Martin, I've got trackpad open, got the baseboard outline on it, and the track plan scanned in on an A4 sheet on the trackpad. I need to scale up the track plan, it's to a scale of 1.25" to the foot, hand drawn by Frank Dyer. This is just one end of the layout. The width of the baseboard is 3' at the right hand end. I need to re-work the curves and build a new double-double junction further to the right. i think the pdf has the whole plan in 3 sections. I done a few copies as an experiment. thanks for your help again.

 

[Martin Wynne]

@roythebus

Hi Roy,

I scaled your plan to a 3ft grid.

As it's a poor quality image, here are 3 versions -- bright, grey and negative. Choose whichever is easiest to work over.

BGS3 files attached below. They will open in the the background shapes (even in CrossOver!).

cheers,

Martin.

 

[roythebus]

Thanks for that. Very helpful.

 

[roythebus]

Back again, still struggling with the same problem. I've got the shapes that Martin kindly sent as bgs files but can't for the life of me work out how to get the bgs into the background shape. I've been to the list of files in "finder" and double clicked to copy, but where do I click on the Templot page to drop the bgs file there? Or maybe I should try again by copying it to a memory stick and downloading from there. But then I can't remember what page I should be on. My memory is hopeless when it comes to computer stuff. Once it's loaded, I'm ok!

Otherwise season's greetings to one and all. Christmas day will be boring, just the two of us and the cat here, so might as well et on with some bank holiday track planning, just like the real thing.

Templot seems to open straight away with Crossover (the paid-for version) on my Mac without the fix that Martin provided before.

 

[roythebus]

I think I seem to have solved the problem. On the Mac go to "finder", search for .bgs. It should then find the bgs files. At the bottom of the options box is a "more" button. that gives the option to open with Templot. I clicked that and it did! It's also found all my other bgs files stored on the Mac. Let's see how it goes.

 

[roythebus]

Having got the plan onto Templot, it's now a white bckground shape. How do I get that onto the tack plan to be abe t use it? I'm sure i've seen how to on here somewhere. it's also a bit out of scale, I'm using 00sf, got that set properly. Maybe "make background shape into a trackplan or map"? It's so long since i've done this I forget...

 

[Martin Wynne]

Having got the plan onto Templot, it's now a white bckground shape. How do I get that onto the tack plan to be abe t use it? I'm sure i've seen how to on here somewhere. it's also a bit out of scale, I'm using 00sf, got that set properly. Maybe "make background shape into a trackplan or map"? It's so long since i've done this I forget...

@roythebus

Hi Roy,

I do my best to help folks with the workings of Templot. But I have to start from the assumption that they know what they are doing on their own computer. If that's not the case I'm at a loss to know how to help, or to understand what they are saying. For example I do not know what "finder" is. You go on to say:

Having got the plan onto Templot, it's now a white background shape.

Since the track plan isn't a plain white background shape, both those statements cannot be true. Have you loaded the track plan or something else?

When your browser asks you if you want to open a BGS3 file in Templot, it means that it will launch a fresh instance of Templot for the purpose. That's not usually a good idea -- if you already have Templot running at that time, you will then have 2 separate instances of Templot running and very likely get in a muddle. If you had set the track gauge to 00-SF in the first one, you would need to do it again in the second one.

Generally it is better to load Templot's files from within Templot. There are two separate types of files in which Templot keeps its data. BOX files contain the track templates. BGS3 files contain the background shapes. Maps and track plan sketches are called picture shapes and included in the BGS3 background shapes files.

To load a BGS3 file into Templot:

1. click shapes on the trackpad menu.

2. on the background shapes dialog which appears, click the files menu.

3. on that menu click the reload... menu item. Reload means "replace and load", meaning that any existing background shapes will be deleted and replaced with the background shapes loaded from the file.

4. alternatively you can click add file... which means that the background shapes loaded from the file will be added to any existing ones, instead of replacing them.

5. you will then need to navigate to the location on your computer where you downloaded the BGS3 file. Only you know where that is. Generally when using CrossOver it is best to download files onto an external drive such as a USB memory stick. External drives can be easily accessed from the native Mac computer, or from CrossOver, or from within Templot. Which is not always the case if you allow files to download to some other internal location.

This is all basic computer stuff which applies to any program on your computer. I don't understand why I have to write it yet again after 25 years of explaining Templot, and I'm not sure that I can go on doing so much longer.

I previously set the files which I prepared for you to the correct scale. On the screenshot above I set the grid lines to 3ft squares, and as you can see it has loaded exactly matching the marked 3ft squares to the grid. If it has loaded to some other size, or is now a plain white shape, you must have loaded some other file.

I hope the above helps you, but if not I don't know what else I can say. Others may be able to help you more, but as it is now Christmas morning in the UK, you may need to wait a day or two for more replies.

Happy Christmas to all.

Martin.

 

[roythebus]

Hi Martin, thanks very much for your patience and understanding.

I have what is shown in your screenshot above. The plan is loaded to a memory stick, it was getting it to be something useful I couldn't fathom out.

"finder" is the mac equivalent of "explorer" I think. It's a while since I had a useable windows machine. I'm getting a bit tired of diagnosing problems o 70 year-old buses online for people, so I know how you must feel with Templot. We all have our own specialities. I've had to virtually give up my physical work on these old machines due to muscle wastage that comes with getting old.

Maybe I'll try opening the plan then opening in Templot as you suggest above. Christmas day is boring when there's only 2 of us and the cat.

Enjoy your day. thanks again.

 

[Martin Wynne]

Hi Martin, thanks very much for your patience and understanding.

I have what is shown in your screenshot above. The plan is loaded to a memory stick, it was getting it to be something useful I couldn't fathom out.

"finder" is the mac equivalent of "explorer" I think. It's a while since I had a useable windows machine. I'm getting a bit tired of diagnosing problems o 70 year-old buses online for people, so I know how you must feel with Templot. We all have our own specialities. I've had to virtually give up my physical work on these old machines due to muscle wastage that comes with getting old.

Maybe I'll try opening the plan then opening in Templot as you suggest above. Christmas day is boring when there's only 2 of us and the cat.

Enjoy your day. thanks again.

@roythebus

Hi Roy,

If you have what is shown in my screenshot, I'm not clear what you are asking?

All you need to do now is change to 00-SF gauge if not already, zoom in over the track plan, and start creating track templates. Using the track plan as a guide.

It's more fun than peeling sprouts.

Martin.

 

[roythebus]

Thanks Martin, I'm just working through what you've just said. Hopefully I'll have some success by the time the King's Speech comes on the wireless. Frozen sprouts take away the drudgery.

 

[roythebus]

Damn, or similar words, i missed the King's Speech! But got where I wanted with Templot. I seemed to have multiple sets of Templot vying for position, with me not being sure what was the latest version. I deleted the lot and started again. Codeweavers couldn't find my memory stick, I eventually found it as "D drive" on their list. I had the files I wanted on a new memory stick, nothing else on there.

I manually typed in the file I wanted to move to Templot, something like roy_bright_something.bgs The system found that and loaded it where I wanted it. Next problem was trying to remember how to move the peg from the edge of the page onto a spot on the track plan! I dine it eventually, but too much strain on the eyes in the last few days on computer so I put it all away for a few hours. Basically i have to do 2 double junctions between 4 track main lines on a curve in 00sf. I'm wondering if Wayne Kinney's diamond crossing will work on a 60" radius curve?

Thanks again to Martin for being here on Christmas Day! Now off to ebay to pay for a set of spanners I won this evening!!