Saturday, June 02, 2007
XTrkCad Tutorial Part 3: Using FlexiTrack
So far I’ve shown how to use XTrkCad to design a layout using set track, but using flexible track offers a much wider scope in layout design.
Even though you are designing with flexitrack you will, of course also want to include points and other fixed trackage elements. These items are added in exactly the same way as the set track elements we used in parts one and two. XTrkCad makes it easy to mix fixed and set track items with flexitrack. Indeed, I usually start a design from a ‘fixed point’, such as a set of points, and work outwards either towards the end of the line, or to another fixed item, such as another set of points.
Extending Tracks
Once you have a piece of track on the layout, it’s easy to join flexible track on to it. Click the Modify button 
, then click and drag from one of the ends of the track piece. A section of straight track will be drawn. Release the mouse button to fix it. Now click Modify again, and shift-click on the end of the new section and you can drag the mouse around to turn it into a curve.
Straight Track
If you don’t already have any track in place on the layout, start by adding a set of points on which we can build from.
Click the Create Straight Track button, 
click near where you want the track to start (ie. the exit from the points) and drag the mouse to the other end. Now click Connect Two Tracks 
and click on the exit from the points and the end of the straight track to join them. (You may need to move or rotate the straight track slightly if you get an error message - see the previous article).
If necessary, you can adjust the length of the straight. Click the Modify button, click on the free end of the track and you can drag it to change the length.
Joining With Curves
Curves can be created in a similar way to the method descibed for straght track above, which we’ll come to in the next part, but it’s often simpler to use the ‘join tracks’ feature. This method can be used where the tracks can be joined by a ‘simple curve’, ie. one which uses a curve in a single direction (as opposed to using reverse curves).
Click the Join Two Tracks button, 
click on the end of one of the tracks to connect, then click and hold the mouse button down on the other end. A track will be drawn connecting the two end points. If the track is drawn in black (and you are happy with the curve drawn), you can release the mouse button. If the track is drawn in red, XTrkCad can’t find a way draw a track to that point. Move the mouse back toward the other end of the curve and the track should turn black. You can now release the mouse button to keep the new track.
Throughout the above, you can adjust the exact shape of the curve by moving the mouse around while keeping the mouse button held down.
Sometimes, no matter where you move the mouse, the curve stays red. This means that either a reverse curve is needed or the curve needed is too tight. (You can adjust the minimum radius from the Options/Preferences menu item). Also you may find that XTrkCad will not create the curve in the exact shape you want. If this happens you may need to either move one of the end points, draw a partial curve (or straight) and try again, or put some track down (either set track or flexitrack) as a centre point.
Our tour of XTrkCad is nearly over. There’s just one more feature to describe, creating curved flexible track, and I’ll cover that in the next part.
Inserting Track
You can insert a fixed track element (eg a set of points) into a piece of flexitrack (either curved or straight) by just dropping in onto the flexible track. Hold down shift and click to cycle through the different positions the point can be positioned in. When you are happy, press Enter.
See also:
Download XTrkCad
XTrkCad Tutorial Part 1: Getting Started
XTrkCad Tutorial Part 2: Editing Tracks
XTrkCad Tutorial Part 4: Curved Track