Welcome to TrackPlanning.com, your primary source of in-depth
information on Model Railroad Track Planning and home of 3rd PlanIt. We
hope you find this site a convenient reference, and encourage you to visit
regularly to enjoy new content!
Version 9.04 Demo
Order v9.04 Here
Fully compatible with Windows
7, Vista, XP, and 2000
This web site is brought to you by El Dorado Software, supplier of precision
track planning and layout design software for model railroading hobbyists. Our latest offering of
3rd
PlanIt for Windows is available for Internet delivery or shipment. With a broad set
of features and powerful automation, model railroad planning has never been easier or
faster.
There has never been a CAD system that offers so many
first-quality features specifically designed for the model railroader. From
track planning and layout design, to building construction and fabrication, to
beautiful terrain rendered at high speed, 3rd PlanIt
offers you a complete line of features that will meet the needs of the most
demanding hobbyist. Take a few minutes to view this 31Mb AVI movie of the
beautiful roundhouse built from scratch in 3rd PlanIt by Gerry Baldwin.
3rd PlanIt: refined and improved over ten years...
used in thousands of applications around the world... your very best choice for
track planning software! Is one of your neighbors using 3rd PlanIt?
|
Great product btw...
have used it to plan and build at least seven layouts for my custom
layout building service. HO scale, O scale, and even a football field
sized G scale layout. The 3D feature is a real "seller" when
clients are looking at my ideas.
Regards,
Dave MacLean |
|
I've mentioned your program and shown my
layout drawings to my local hobby shop and they were impressed. Being
a retired draftsman, I KNOW a good program when I see one and 3rd PlanIt
is the best of the bunch hands down!
Best regards,
Gord Schneider
Mississauga, Ontario |
Track Planning for Model Railroads
If you are about to build or design a model railroad, you will find
yourself facing a number of decisions. You need to choose a theme that
reflects your interests and experience, decide on the primary goals for
your layout, design the layout, and refine the plan. The buildings and
landscape are integral to a great track plan, and you may even want to
scratchbuild a building or two to really personalize the layout. Sooner or later, when
you've arrived at a track plan that meets your needs, you can take hammer
to nail and construct your dream layout.
The process of Track Planning
is where you experiment with ideas, negotiate for space, find the ideal
compromises for your setting, and establish the operating characteristics
of your layout.
Browse our Layout page for a collection of other
designs by hobbyists to help inspire you, or refer to the Design
page for detailed concepts to help with design problems you may
encounter. And, of course, find out more about 3rd
PlanIt, including AVI animations to demonstrate its features for you!
About El Dorado Software
El Dorado Software is dedicated to bringing state-of-the-art software technologies to
the Model Railroading hobby. We believe that today's hobbyist seeks to use the computer as
a tool to bring pleasure, productivity and accuracy into their pastime. We also believe
that feedback from our customers provides the most valuable understanding of your needs,
and incorporate your input into our evolving products.

El Dorado Software's first
consumer product, 3rd
PlanIt, provides the foundation of our retail product line. 3rd PlanIt offers the model railroad
hobbyist the precision of CAD layout in an easy-to-use program, using the power of the
computer to accomplish the difficult tasks of alignment, placement and trimming. Automated
functions create multiple parallel objects with one mouse movement, connect circles to
lines with spiral easements while trimming them to meet end-to-end, and find paths through
long and complex trackwork for setting elevations and viewing in profile.
Trackwork can be customized for standard or normal gauge, and you can even
define the size and spacing of railroad
ties. A demonstration version is available for download.
Contact Information
El Dorado Software is in the
Pacific Time Zone of the United States. Our hours are 8am to 5pm Pacific Time, and you can
also reach us by e-mail. On-line ordering is
available
here.
- Telephone
- 1-530-792-1990
- Postal address
- El Dorado Software
- 1520 E. Covell B-5
PMB 234
- Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Electronic mail
- General Information: 3pi@TrackPlanning.com