SCARM sucks

[velotrain]

I thought I'd try SCARM, but very quickly decided that I'll stick with AnyRail - which I find exponentially more intuitive.

 

It seemed like it took inordinately long to create a baseboard of the desired size, and see all of it on the screen without a lot of area that wasn't part of the baseboard.

 

It doesn't help that there is no Search function in the online Help.

 

I finally got to the point of placing my first track component.  I will say that one benefit over AnyRail is they show the track by what it actually is, and not the Tomix catalog #.  Also - it's much easier to identify the track segments graphically, vs. the generic - confusing AnyRail icons.  I had to create my own cheat sheet for the 20-30 track types I thought I might be using in AnyRail.

 

It was easy enough to drag a track piece onto the baseboard, but the real fun started when I wanted to rotate it.  Just because this is a graphical application is no reason to think that there is some easy way to do that graphically - as is the case with AnyRail.

 

Instead, you need to select the Toolbox from the Tools menubar option, then select Start, and identify a start location using X/Y axis locations.  Then you need to specify what angle you want the track at by numeric degrees.  That was the point where I decided to quit.  With AnyRail, I can place track on the layout surface, snap them together, and rotate or move them freely - using easy and fast graphic functions.

 

I know some folks on the forum like SCARM, and I wonder what their reasons are - outside of it being free.  Are there alternate methods to positioning track other than the ones the rather minimal documentation and help videos pointed me to?

 

Or - do you just get used to working within its limitations?

 

 

[splifdfx]

SCARM rulez.

 

I used to start working with Anyrail, which I gave away after bumping into its free-version limitations.

Thus I found SCARM, which is pretty good for a free piece of software.

 

I find that the layout feels more easy to read in SCARM (multiple modes of display for a piece of rail, and you can show/hide the ballast).

 

Also, I don't get the cheat sheet problem, as you just have to select which track library to use. But perhaps I understood your problem wrong Velotrain.

 

For the rail placement, well, the easiest way is to start from a piece of track parallel to one of the borders of your baseboard !  :) 
Or else, just click on the right mouse button, select "New Start point" (first item), and place your new starting point with the angle you want. Easy and quick.

 

Finally, the 3D render is very very helpful to get a sense of the space available for scenery, especially when working on small layouts.

 

I also don't create a baseboard but draw one up in photoshop (with 1px = 1cm in 72dpi) and then use it as a background image in SCARM ; works better and faster.

 

Well yes, there's probably a learning curve to using the different interface.
But SCARM does the job and doesn't cost a penny.

[cteno4]

after using quite a few different track programs over the years (xtrak cad, 3rdplanit, anyrail, scarm, cadrail, railmodeller) ive realized its one of those things that seems to have different pathways for different folks. None i have used has ever felt like yes this is it! some ive thought the logic on how to do things totally nutz, but others thought it brilliant and visa versa! Ive settled on telling folks if they have simple needs just find the ones that works best for your brain, but if you have very specific needs then its pays to go over feature lists and put up with logic that does not speak to your brain so well to get the best combo of features you need. 

 

Notes are always good with these kinds of programs as walking away from them for a bit usually means some non intuative to you features get lost and then its frustrating refinding and relearning them... xtrakcad is the worst like that for me w/o my old notes...

 

Cheers,

 

jeff

[railsquid]

I'm sure the SCARM author would love your constructive feedback. Maybe you could send him an email with the same subject as the title of this thread?  He does, after all, put a great deal of time into creating a robust product, which while far from perfect and has quite a steep learning curve, is available free of charge.

Edited February 20, 2016 by railsquid

[cteno4]

Point to be well taken squid.

 

Our club has use xtrakcad thru it's whole history as it is free and thus all members could grab it to review plans and such. unfortunately the logic is opposite my brain but one of our other club members who did a lot of track planning it spoke to well. I always struggled thru using it to do planning as I realized it was free for all of us. Even so it has served me and the club very well. I still use it for certain things and I am always grateful to the developers that created it and keep it going, for FREE!

 

Also with a group no one program was going to be perfect (and there is the whole spectrum of programs defaulted to by individual club members!) so compromises need to be made and accepted and then just get the work done.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[velotrain]

I'm sure the SCARM author would love your constructive feedback. Maybe you could send him an email with the same subject as the title of this thread?  He does, after all, put a great deal of time into creating a robust product, which while far from perfect and has quite a steep learning curve, is available free of charge.

 

Here's his response and what I wrote - I told him that I would:

 

/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/

 

Just use AnyRail.

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Charles Hansen

Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2016 12:53 AM

To: scarm@scarm.info

Subject: WHAT?

 

Hi -

 

I'm sorry, but this seems really dumb.

 

It's a graphical application, but to orient a piece of track I need to open

the Toolbox, create a start point, and specify an angle?

 

Are you serious?

 

I don't know what angle I want it at in advance - I want it on the baseboard

where I can VISUALLY manipulate it.

 

How can you design a Visual application that requires so much non-visual

effort?  Insane!

[velotrain]

I used to start working with Anyrail, which I gave away after bumping into its free-version limitations.

 

 

Also, I don't get the cheat sheet problem, as you just have to select which track library to use. But perhaps I understood your problem wrong Velotrain.

 

For the rail placement, well, the easiest way is to start from a piece of track parallel to one of the borders of your baseboard !  :) 

Or else, just click on the right mouse button, select "New Start point" (first item), and place your new starting point with the angle you want. Easy and quick.

 

> I used to start working with Anyrail, which I gave away after bumping into its free-version limitations.

 

How can you give something away that anyone can get for free?

Or, do you mean you just stopped using it?

 

Yes, there is a 50 track piece limit on the free version, and I've just bought the full version.

 

I sent the first message while I was freshly angry, which is probably not a good thing to do, but I just couldn't believe the situation I was encountering.

 

This is graphical software - I just don't understand why I should have to identify a start point and an angle in advance? 

 

With AnyRail it's intuitive and dynamic - "Click it, place it". 

 

Want to change the angle?  Then just select it and spin it around.  No need for toolbars and menus and commands.

 

You misunderstood the cheat sheet reference - see below.

 

 

ATTACHMENTS:  AnyRail Tomix track library, SCARM Tomix track library, part of my cheat sheet.

 

The AnyRail library display can be narrowed or widened, or placed at the top of the trackplan.  If you give the SCARM one a wider column, the font size, etc. just increases.

 

As mentioned previously, I prefer the SCARM labeling, which does not require a cheat sheet.  I think that's about all I prefer, but I do admit to having used AnyRail first, and that often forms a bond.  I had started trying SCARM multiple times previously, and had always stopped because I found it so non-intuitive.  This time I was more determined, but the insanity of the process required to manipulate track elements just blew me away.

 

 

 

 

 

[splifdfx]

Here's his response and what I wrote - I told him that I would:

 

/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/

 

Just use AnyRail.

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Charles Hansen

Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2016 12:53 AM

To: scarm@scarm.info

Subject: WHAT?

 

Hi -

 

I'm sorry, but this seems really dumb.

 

It's a graphical application, but to orient a piece of track I need to open

the Toolbox, create a start point, and specify an angle?

 

Are you serious?

 

I don't know what angle I want it at in advance - I want it on the baseboard

where I can VISUALLY manipulate it.

 

How can you design a Visual application that requires so much non-visual

effort?  Insane!

 

Well, I find your first email pretty aggressive, not really constructive.

It feels like this : "Hello, I'm gonna accuse you of being stupid. Why are you stupid ? How can you develop this piece of shit of a software. Why ?"

So it's no surprise that you get that kind of answer, which is still really polite.

[splifdfx]

> I used to start working with Anyrail, which I gave away after bumping into its free-version limitations.

 

How can you give something away that anyone can get for free?

Or, do you mean you just stopped using it?

 

Oh yes. I meant that I just stopped using it.

Excuse my bad english, I should probably have said "I gave it up".

 

Also I can understand your frustration towards the SCARM rail-manipulation system.

While I found it strange at the first time, I managed to get around.

I think the logic behind is to build the layout as you would build a real railway line : start from a certain point and move forward, laying the rails where you can, with the limitations of your chosen track system.

Not "let's build this kind of layout and squeeze it into the baseboard somehow".

Anyway it works for me, as I have seldom the use of rotating a piece of track.

 

Thank you for the explanations about the cheat sheet.

Anyrail drove me mad with its part-number labelling.

[kvp]

Generally if a user can't use a program there is a large chance that the problem is between the chair and the keyboard/mouse.

 

For scarm:

-baseboard: there is an auto baseboard option in view, a parametric one in toolbox and a visual one under right click

-track placement: you can pull them from the list, click them from the list with auto snap, put them parametric with the toolbox or fast place them with the keyboard

-starting point: drag and drop with mouse, visual with right click and parametric with the toolbox

-labels: the libraries are user editable so you can rename each piece as you like and even enter new ones if something is missing

 

So i think this is just case of user error (as replace user and try again) like the frustration of some people with dcc and saying it's dumb because they can't understand it. There are lots of modellers who can't even figure out a computer but at least they don't post here.

[westfalen]

I find no need for a cheat sheet in Anyrail, just hover the mouse over the track piece in the tool bar, or on the track plan after you've placed a piece and you get a full description of that piece of track.

[kvp]

The problem with that is you can't see length and type in the overall view of the parts box. Scarm shows the type instead of the product number as you can use the s140 piece as any s140 piece from the 6+ variant tomix makes. If you really want 6+ s140 pieces, you can enter all of them into the library and have a huge parts box with product numbers as labels. Anyrail doesn't allow editing in its libs.

 

Ps: i actually made a fremo library for the hungarian club modules, it has all the 25, 50, 100, 200 cm straights, the 30, 60, 90 degree curves and the Y and delta modules. You can snap together a custom setup and have scarm calculate the baseboard (floor space) requirements. I plan to do the same for ttrack. Now try to do the same with anyrail...

[velotrain]

I find no need for a cheat sheet in Anyrail, just hover the mouse over the track piece in the tool bar, or on the track plan after you've placed a piece and you get a full description of that piece of track.

 

Yes - that happens, but if I want to add a specific piece of track, I prefer to go directly to it and not have to hunt it down by hovering.

 

The developer says he might offer alternate track library displays in a future release, and he's also working on 3D.