Tutorial 2. Building a Layout

In this tutorial, we will start to build a first simple layout with Rail3D, practicing some basic tracklaying techniques.

Start Rail3D

If you have been looking at other layouts, create a new empty layout by selecting “New” on the “File” Menu. You should see an empty, green area.

Lay some track

Switch into tracklaying mode by clicking the “track” icon on the button bar.

Click with the mouse somewhere near the top left hand corner of the screen and drag across to the top right-hand corner.

Notice the display in the status bar (bottom left-hand corner of the Rail3D window) that gives you the length and direction as you drag.

When you release the mouse button, two new nodes are created and a length of track appears between them. If you don’t see the yellow ticks and red crosses, press <F6> to turn on track aids.

Congratulations - you’ve laid your first length of track!

Now lay another, at right angles to the first, and a little distance away from it.

If you don’t get it in quite the right place, move the mouse over one of the new nodes and press the <delete> key to get rid of it and try again.

Now lets lay our first curve, to join the two sections of track together.

Simply click with the mouse on one of the adjacent two red crosses, and drag towards the other one. Release the mouse button when you’re over the second cross, and you should see something like this:

Hmmm - that curve’s a bit sharp. Never mind, it’s only a tutorial…! Notice how the track is always straight when you lay a section in isolation, but curves when one end is attached to something.

Try laying a couple more straights and joining them with curves to complete a loop of track. Make sure that the track sections snap together properly - if you can still see red crosses, you have left a gap. Delete one of the sections and try again.

If you run out of screen, use <control>+mouse to move around - don’t forget, the <home> key will take you back to where you started (see Beginners’ Guide Part 1).

So, now we’ve completed a simple but usable layout. Exit track-laying mode by clicking again on the track icon on the button bar (this will avoid accidentally laying more track if you happen to click somewhere with the mouse).

Don’t forget to save your work using File - Save or the save button on the button bar.

In the next lesson, we’ll add a train.