Contents For XTrkCad

Introduction

	Getting Started
	General Operation
	Warranty and Copying
	Features
	Performance Issues
	Glossary
	Registering
	File and Directories
	Bugs and Enhancements

How To ...

	Move about the layout
	View the demos
	Load and Save layouts
	Use straight and curved flex-track
	Modify tracks
	Join tracks
	Use Easements (Spiral Transition Curve)
	Delete tracks
	Use Turnouts and Sectional Track
	Define New Turnouts
	Use Turntables
	Move tracks
	Draw Table Edges and Room Boundaries
	Draw Lines
	Print
	Use Tunnels and Split tracks
	Use the Ruler
	Set Layout Parameters
	Record and Playback
	Register Your Copy of XTrkCad
	Create a Parts List
	Use Layers to hide parts of your layout
	Set Elevations and view the Profile
	Manage your Car Inventory
	Run trains on the layoout

Windows

	Main Window
	Map Window

Commands

The commands are accessible from the Toolbar, various menus and accelerator keys.

Zoom In, Zoom or Zoom Out

Undo or Redo

Easement

Straight, Curve, Circle, Helix, Turnout, Handlaid Turnout, Turntable or Parallel

Modify Join, Connect, Split, Elevation, Profile or Move Label

Describe or Select

Move, Rotate, Flip, Delete, Tunnel, or Above/Below

Run Trains

Text, Draw Objects, Notes or Structures

Ruler

Layers Next Page

Getting Started

MS-Windows Installation

XTrkCad is shipped as a self-installing self-expanding program (executable).

Select the Run item from the Start menu (on MS-Windows). Enter A:\XTC32310 (replace 310 by the current version) if installing from the floppy. Otherwise enter the complete path to XTrkCad installation program.

Alternatively, you can run XTC32310 directly from MS-Windows Explorer.

The XTrkCad installation will prompt you for a directory name to install XTrkCad. This directory will be the XTrkCad Install Directory.

You will then be prompted to specify the Working Directory. You can choose:

• the Windows directory, which is directory used in older versions of XTrkCad
• the Install Directory
• Custom Directory, and you will be prompted for the Directory name on the next dialog

The installation program will then proceed to install the files and build a Windows Program Group for XTrkCad.

You can run XTrkCad by double clicking on the XTrkCad icon.

Linux Installation

Where VVV is the version number:

• Installing from .rpm file
  After downloading the .rpm file, do

  	rpm -ihv xtrkcad-VVV.i386.rpm
  

  Replace -ihv with -Uhv to upgrade an existing XTrkCad installation.
  
• Installing from .tar.gz file
  Chdir to /usr/local/lib (or where ever you install local commands) do

  	tar xvfz xtrkcad-linux-elf.VVV.tar.gz
  

  This will create the xtrkcad directory. You can move xtrkcad/xtrkcad to /usr/local/bin/.
  If you install XTrkCad into another directory, set the XTRKCADLIB environment variable to point to that directory.
  

Quick Tour

When XTrkCad starts, it displays the Main and Map windows. The Map window is used to change the origin of the Main window when the entire layout cannot be displayed at one time.

The Menu bar across the top of the Main window contains standard Windows menus. Some of these are particularly useful to the new user:

• The File|Open menu opens existing layout files. When first installed, the default directory contains some example programs you can look at.
• The File|Exit menu exits XTrkCad. You can also exit by selecting the System menu in the upper left corner of the Window.
• The Options|Setup menu specifies the working scale and overall room size. You will be limited to a roomsize of 96" x 48", unless you have registered XTrkCad
• The Options|Preferences menu specifies some less frequently changed items. You can use this menu to choose Metric units.
• The Help menu can be used to read the XTrkCad Help file (which you are reading now). Also, the Help|Demo menu selects a number of demonstrations which illustrate various features of XTrkCad

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