XTrackCAD
 | |
| Original author(s) | Sillub Technology |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Bob Blackwell, Martin Fischer, Adam Richards |
| Initial release | 1.0 / 1996 |
| Stable release | 5.1.0
/ March 11, 2018 |
| Written in | C |
| Engine | |
| Operating system | Windows, Linux, Mac |
| Platform | PC |
| Available in | 4[1] |
| Type | CAD |
| License | GNU GPL 2+ |
| Website | xtrkcad |
Search XTrackCAD on Amazon.
XTrackCAD — cross-platform free and open-source 2D CAD program for designing model railroad layouts with simple mechanical simulation capabilities. Version 5.1 onward runs on Windows, Linux and macOS. It is a fork of XTrkCad originally developed by Sillub Technology company located in Ottawa, Canada[2]. Currently it is maintained by a community of volunteers, including a few developers that took part in the development of the original XtrkCad.
History
A previous software package called XtrkCad was developed by Sillub Technology, and XtrkCad 1.0 was released in 1996[3][4][5] as paid proprietary software[6]. Cost was $US65 (or $CDN90 for residents of Canada)[7].
On January 30, 2004 the status of XtrkCad was changed to freeware software[8].
On December 31, 2004 the status of software was changed to open-source[9].
On March 25, 2005 Sillub Technology released the code for XtrkCad 3.1.4 as open source under the terms of GNU GPLv2[10][11], development moved to a separate repository[12] on SourceForge[13].
On April 27, 2007 active development was stopped[14].
In 2009 XtrkCad was forked[15] by Martin Fischer, who previously took part in XtrkCad development.
V5.1, which added Bezier tracks and objects and Cornu easements, was released by Martin Fischer and Adam Richards in mid-2018.
V5.2, which has an upgraded UI for input and editing with Cornu for Flextracks as a primary feature, is in Beta in mid-2020.
Features
Applications include:
- Modelling 2D railroad layouts – Draw track using curve, straight, bezier and arc track or using parts library. Join tracks using pre-built easements or Cornu easements. Draw objects using straight, arc, bezier, box and polygon lines or using parts.
- Modelling multilayer layouts – Set parts of layout on different elevations
- Preparing for printing – Print layout scheme in 1:1 scale or in any other scale
- Simulating train running – During modelling layout user could test run trains on it during development. The cars and engines can be created or drawn from a parts library.
XTrackCAD is free software distributed under GPLv2. Files to open need to be in its own text-based XTrackCAD Track (*.xtc) format. Various export formats are provided, including 2D vector drawing as DXF.
Appearances
XtrkCad is discussed a few times in «Ryan Andersen's The Model Railcast Show» podcasts[16][17][18][19].
In 2015 XTrackCAD was demonstrated on NMRA Australasian Region Convention 2015 conference, and later on January 2016 slides[20]. From this demonstration it was published in «MainLine»[21] journal.
On January 19, 2016 XTrackCAD was demonstrated by Jeremy Janzen at the Gateway NMRA Meeting[22][23].
See also
- List of computer-aided design editors for architecture, engineering and construction
- Comparison of CAD editors for CAE
References
- ↑ "The XTrackCAD Wiki: Localization". www.xtrkcad.org.
- ↑ Sillub Technology: Registration (archived on 2000-01-18)
- ↑ Sillub Technology: /files/xtrkcad.fix.txt (archived on 1999-02-22)
- ↑ Sillub Technology: XtrkCad What's New (archived on 1998-02-05)
- ↑ Sillub Technology: XTrkCad Changes (archived on 1998-02-05)
- ↑ Sillub Technology (archived on 1998-02-05)
- ↑ Sillub Technology: Order (archived on 1999-02-03)
- ↑ Sillub Technology: Registering XTrkCad (archived on 2005-02-05)
- ↑ XTrkCad model railroad track software is going open source - The Silicon Underground (archived on 2018-03-28)
- ↑ Sillub Technology (archived on 2005-03-23)
- ↑ Sillub Technology: XTrkCad What's New (archived on 2006-02-05)
- ↑ SourceForge.net: XTrkCad Model Railroad CAD (archived on 2008-10-15)
- ↑ Sillub Technology: XTrkCad Source Code (archived on 2006-05-04)
- ↑ SourceForge.net: XTrkCad Model Railroad CAD (archived 2008-10-15)
- ↑ "XTrkCAD Model RR Track Planner". SourceForge.
- ↑ Ryan Andersen, Tim Harrison (29 March 2008). "Ryan Andersen's Model Railcast Show #006" – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Ryan Andersen, Tim Harrison (31 March 2008). "Ryan Andersen's Model Railcast Show #006B" – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Ryan Andersen, Tim Harrison (6 April 2008). "Ryan Andersen's Model Railcast Show #007" – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Ryan Andersen (15 November 2010). "Ryan Andersen's Model Railcast Show #127" – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "An Introduction to XTrackCAD – User-friendly Layout Design Software» by Lyndon Spence" (PDF).
- ↑ "«MainLine» — The Journal of NMRA Australasian Region (Vol.33, №2, Winter 2016)" (PDF).
- ↑ "Plan Your Model Railroad with XTrkCAD – Gateway NMRA Meeting September 19, 2016". 27 August 2016.
- ↑ "Using Computers for Model Railroads - Gateway NMRA". www.gatewaynmra.org.
External links
See also
| This computer-aided design software article is a stub. You can help EverybodyWiki by expanding it. |
This article "XTrackCAD" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:XTrackCAD. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
