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TEMPLOT 3D PLUG TRACK - To get up to speed with this experimental project click here.   To watch an introductory video click here.   See the User Guide at Bexhill West.

  • The Plug Track functions are experimental and still being developed. Some of the earlier pages of this topic are now out-of-date.

    For an updated overview of this project see this topic.   For some practical modelling aspects of using Plug Track see Building 3D Track.

    The assumption is that you have your own machines on which to experiment, or helpful friends with machines. Please do not send Templot files to commercial laser cutting or 3D printing firms while this project is still experimental, because the results are unpredictable and possibly wasteful.

    Some pages of this and other topics include contributions from members who are creating and posting their own CAD designs for 3D printing and laser-cutting. Do not confuse them with Templot's own exported CAD files. All files derived from Templot are © Martin Wynne.
  • The Plug Track functions are experimental and still being developed.

    For an updated overview of this project see this topic.   For some practical modelling aspects of using Plug Track see Building 3D Track.

    The assumption is that you have your own machines on which to experiment, or helpful friends with machines. Please do not send Templot files to commercial laser cutting or 3D printing firms while this project is still experimental, because the results are unpredictable and possibly wasteful.

    Some pages of this and other topics include contributions from members who are creating and posting their own CAD designs for 3D printing and laser-cutting. Do not confuse them with Templot's own exported CAD files. All files derived from Templot are © Martin Wynne.

Template details and MS marker

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AndyB

Member
Somehow or other I've managed to create some templates without the MS flag/marker at the end while other templates do have the MS flag/marker. I'm working with center-lines only and I suspect I have turned them off when I was suppressing timbers and rails but I can't find an option that might let me do that (although it's probably staring me in the face).

It's not exactly a major problem but I would like to know how I created it :)

Andy
 
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@AndyB

Hi Andy,

A few pointers:

1. the MS marker flag appears only on plain track templates. (On turnout templates the main side and which end is which are obvious*). But it's possible to create what looks like plain track by shortening or blanking a turnout template to leave only the approach or exit tracks -- if you want to create plain track with a continuous check rail, for example.

2. if you use the geometry > centre-lines only options, the marker is removed (because it isn't a centre-line).

3. if you use the geometry > no track centre-lines option, the marker is removed (the assumption is you want a neat template for display purposes, rather than a full set of guide marks for track planning).

4. if you use the real menu instead (no rails, and/or no timbering), the marker is not removed (the assumption is that you are following the intended model or prototype, such as rails inset in a dockside, or a row of timbers from which the rails have been lifted, or an abandoned platform with no track, etc.

5. if you use the generator menu instead, it's possible to remove the marker by removing the guide marks. In that case the setting won't get saved in the BOX file, but will be saved if you export a file, such as a PDF or DXF.

If none of that explains it, please post your BOX file and I will see what's going on. :)

* the switch drive slot (tie-bar) is extended on the turnout side, making a useful indication of the turnout hand when zoomed out.

cheers,

Martin.
 
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Thanks again Martin. I think I have a good enough handle on it now.

I was using center lines only when I was working on this somewhat grandiose design as I was finding a lot of detail was making it more difficult to understand the "big picture". I tend to zoom in and zoom out a lot. It's great to be able to see all the detail when I zoom in but I was wondering if it might be possible automatically suppress some of the detail on a zoom out? At the highest level that might mean center lines only.

Screen shot and box attached.

Screenshot (36).png


Cheers!
Andy
 

Attachments

  • December20M.box
    1.1 MB · Views: 55
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@AndyB

Hi Andy,

That's looking impressive!

There are several settings to control how much detail appears on the screen and on which templates -- on the trackpad and generator menus. However, none of the settings are zoom-level specific. That's an idea which I might explore further, although I can see a forest of ifs and buts approaching.

What you can do at present is to use this dialog to control the detail on background templates -- it has no effect on the control template. If you remove the timber outlines, but not the timber infill, you get this effect -- with my eyes the timbers become effectively invisible as you zoom out (or you can change the colours until they do, or remove them entirely):

bgnd_detail.png



That dialog is on the trackpad menu here:

bgnd_detail1.png


Note also the keyboard toggles to hide or show unwanted templates while you are working. SHIFT+CTRL+HOME does the same for group templates only (which seems to have gone missing from that menu, I will get it back).

You can also change the visibility of areas of the track plan using marker colours (all the storage loops for example, or all the parts of the plan which you regard as finalized). These settings have the advantage of being included in the BOX file:

bgnd_detail3.png



Also of course you might find changing the entire colour scheme makes it easier to work on a large plan, this is the bright-night colour scheme:

bgnd_detail4.png


p.s. I notice you have set the turnout timbering to equalized - constant which is a bit unusual for UK track, is that intentional or a mis-click? The usual timbering options are equalized - incremental or square-on for turnouts.

cheers,

Martin.
 
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Wow!

Thanks Martin. As usual there are lots of things I've never even tried. They should help a lot. (I'm just quite impressed that I even managed to get this far :))

And yes, the timbering option was an "operator error". Should have been incremental. Easily fixed.

The baseboard for this lot already exists. Believe it or not it's actually a simplified layout. The original version was a big terminus with an "out and back" arrangement but I concluded the terminus was really quite boring. This version allows for a lot more interesting activity (I think). I've tried to make it comply with 50's practice - very few leading switches on the main lines. BTW, all the small radius curves will be hidden.

The zoom thing was just a thought. I think it would be extremely "cool" but I would not be surprised if implementing it is a complete nightmare :)

One other observation: I was able to create that layout using a very small subset of Templot features and options. Once I got into the swing of it I was ripping up track and trying different configurations in no time (the M suffix is a clue). I was so impressed with how simple it was I even gave Lorna a demo. (Lorna is a nurse and an artist.) I started with a straight and she immediately said "curve it".

I know there are quite a few layout design tools out there but as far as I know none of them come anywhere close to Templot. Of course very few people start off trying to build their own turnouts (except twits like me who tried it 60 years ago!) but I was thinking it would be great if people could learn the Templot paradigm using RTR turnouts first them come to realize they could do a lot more than that in Templot.

Not a new idea at all, but 3-D printing does make it a lot closer to reality.

Greetings of the season,
Andy
 
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One other observation: I was able to create that layout using a very small subset of Templot features and options. Once I got into the swing of it I was ripping up track and trying different configurations in no time (the M suffix is a clue). I was so impressed with how simple it was I even gave Lorna a demo. (Lorna is a nurse and an artist.) I started with a straight and she immediately said "curve it".

I know there are quite a few layout design tools out there but as far as I know none of them come anywhere close to Templot.
@AndyB

Hi Andy,

Many thanks for that.

Right from the start I made Templot what I thought would be easy to use for anyone with a basic knowledge of model railways. It has always been a mystery to me why Templot has gained a reputation on some internet forums for being difficult or impossible to use, and my attempts to explain it have never seemed to make much difference.

But I know there must be an obstacle for some users, because even today I still get occasional emails along the lines of "I downloaded your program. After staring at the screen for an hour and clicking everything I could think of I had achieved absolutely nothing". At one time I tried to make helpful replies, but never got anywhere much. It seemed that if someone hadn't got started in an hour, they never would. So for the 11 years now that Templot has been free I have replied simply "Thanks for your message. I'm sorry you don't like Templot, please don't use it".

I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing actually difficult about Templot, the problem is simply that it is different. Recently I have been adding a link to this post in my replies:

https://85a.uk/templot/club/index.php?threads/kit-building-on-templot-plans.483/post-4491

which contains a couple of videos showing the difference. But I have received very little feedback to suggest that anyone found them helpful. I didn't set out to make Templot different, because when I started there was nothing to make it different from. Or at least nothing that I was aware of.

Nowadays Templot is simply my hobby, and it's great to have so many following my experiments and providing support and encouragement. Thanks again.

Martin.
 
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