SketchTrack is a SketchUp plugin intended to serve as computer aided design (CAD) tool for track planning, especially for railway modellers who want to use the same planning paradigms used for real-world track layouts. This usually includes (but is not restricted to) self-made track work. SketchTrack reads a text file containing the track program and draws it in a 3D space. So, instead of clicking together a track layout in a graphical editor, the user of SketchTrack has to provide a geometrical description of the layout in SketchTrack language.
The advantage of this approach is that real-world track arrangements can be planned, especially ones including curve turnouts with any geometrical configuration. The track layout can potentially be processed beyond visualisation. Further development towards CAD-supported track construction is possible.
Features
- Draw railway tracks in 3D with this SketchUp plugin
- Plan model railway arrangements
- Visualize 3D scenes including complex track arrangements
- Use different draft and high fidelity drawing modes
- Define any point geometry
- Use SketchTrack plans as basis for self-made model track construction
- Extend SketchTrack towards computer aided track constuction support