News

RailModeller Pro is getting ready for Big Sur with its latest update including enhancements to improve compatibility with the new macOS version.

Other changes in maintenance release 6.3.2 include:

• The Clean Up assistant has been extended to detect and remove duplicate tracks where multiple copies of a track are positioned at the same location
  
  
• An improved contextual menu when editing baseboards with the ability to hide / show all dimensions of a baseboard using a single command
  
  
• Extended summary tooltips in the Library Catalog also display the modification date & author of a track library
  
  
• The appearance of the Community Layouts catalog has been improved
  
  
• The layout setting to hide marks between tracks now also impacts how tracks are rendered in 3D view
  
  

In addition an issue that could cause crashes when reverting a layout document to a previous version has been fixed and a bug preventing the Library Catalog’s QuickFilter from hiding both automatically (for accessory libraries) and permanently (if configured) has been fixed.

As always the catalog of bundled track systems has been extended with new and updated libraries.

We provide more details on all that's new in our latest major release RailModeller Pro 6.3 in this dedicated article.

RailModeller Pro 6.3 requires macOS Sierra (10.12) or newer and is available exclusively on the Mac App Store.
The update is free for users of RailModeller Pro. Installations of the app are updated automatically by the Software Update mechanism of macOS.

The latest update to our track planning app for macOS is now shipping:
RailModeller Pro 6.3 features a range of improvements throughout the app.

• Auto-Colorize Layouts
  A new function to automatically colorize layouts by element type, radius, article number, or layer using multiple color palettes and custom color shades helps in communicating the structure of a layout and distinguishing individual elements with a simple to use assistant.
  
  
• Improved Library Catalog
  The Library Catalog now shows the shorthand or alias where published by the manufacturer so you don't have to remember that article 61113 is a 'G100'.
  A new filter option allows to hide elements not tracked in stock and negative counts can now be shown for all articles regardless of whether they are currently tracked in your stock. The latter can be enabled in the app's preference when 'Show required..' is selected. As a bonus the Library Catalog now displays a summary for the active track library when hovering above the selected library's name.
  
  
• Baseboard Assistant
  The baseboard assistant has been extended and now displays a large preview to help matching a new baseboard with existing layout content. A new inside corner baseboard templates (as used by e.g. the T-TRAK system) has been added, additional improvements include a new offset/alignment option as well as a number of minor changes.
  
  
• Better JMRI Export
  The export to JMRI's PanelPro application for controlling model railroads via DCC has been expanded to provide more control over the generated output.
  It now includes user-defined scaling enabling you to individually match your RailModeller Pro layout for JMRI's unit agnostic Layout Editor, options to show tunnel segments and to include only visible portions of the layout. The export has also been improved to be more robust when generating JMRI XML files.
  To learn more about JMRI and PanelPro please visit www.jmri.org
  
  
• Inspector for Generic Bumpers
  A dedicated inspector is now available for the recently introduced user-generated bumper (buffer stops) decorations that can be added to any straight, curved or flex track. It allows customizing the appearance of generic bumpers by offering settings to e.g. select the type of bumper (earthen, classic bracket, Hayes) or its position inside the track.

But that's not all: Many aspects of the app's user interface have been refreshed including an improved QuickFilter in the Library Catalog, updated color controls throughout the app providing the familiar iWork style color palette, and improved assistants.

Other changes in RailModeller Pro 6.3 include improvements to Cloud Layouts with an optimized view for individual layouts and swifter feedback for various actions, extended layer defaults, minor improvements and bug fixes when exporting layout files to multi-layer PhotoShop (PSD) images, and other enhancements -
too many to include all of them!

As always the latest update includes new as well as extended libraries for tracks and accessories.

RailModeller Pro 6.3 requires macOS 10.12 or newer and is available exclusively on the Mac App Store.
The update is free for users of RailModeller Pro. Installations of the app are updated automatically by the Software Update mechanism of macOS.

The latest release of our Train Layouts app for iPadOS adds the functionality to view your private, local RailModeller Pro layouts on the iPad.

Local layouts - for example from iCloud Drive - can be opened using the ➕ button in the catalog and displayed on the iPad. Just as any layout downloaded from the cloud it can be e.g. filtered by layers, rendered with various track element styles or have a part list created.

Other features of the Train Layouts app include:

• Browse and download model train track plans
  Download Community Layouts in all common scales and sizes shared by fellow RailModeller Pro users to your iPad.
  Browse track plans by model scale, author, or popularity.
  
  
• Favor great track plans
  'Like' layouts you find particularly nice and help other hobbyists to discover great layouts as they show up in the category of popular layouts (per community vote).
  
  
• Create shopping lists for layouts
  You can view the shopping list and export it as text to the clipboard for further processing or printing in other apps.
  
  

You can find out all about the Train Layouts app on our product page, now also featuring a brief video guiding you through the features of the app.

Train Layouts 1.5 requires iPadOS 12 or newer and is available on the App Store.

The update to RailModeller Pro 6.2 is now available on the Mac App Store with a range of improvements repeatedly requested by our users.
Some of the highlights include:

• Terminate any open track connection with a bumper/buffer stop
  A generic bumper or buffer stop can be 'tacked' on any straight, curved or flex track with an open connection, independent of the brand of track or model scale used. The new commands are available from the new Track Decorations section in the Element menu.
  This can be very handy not only for track systems that do not include buffer stops but also for special situations like terminating curved tracks with a bumper.
  
  
• Mouse cursor coordinate display
  A new setting in the app's preferences optionally enables a display with the current coordinates of the mouse cursor. Never get lost in your layout and see where you are even with the rulers and grid switched off!
  
  
• Exporting to a layered PSD (Photoshop) bitmap images
  A true 'Pro' feature that has been requested repeatedly over the years: Our improved export to PSD enables the creation of PhotoShop bitmap images with a dedicated image layer for every layer in the track plan.
  
  

Additional changes in this update include new track base textures for the 3D view and the option to use no texture at all, smoother curves for flex tracks bent to parametric curves and cosmetic improvements to the Community Layouts browser.

The (more than 250) bundled track libraries across all model scales and scale independent TruScale libraries - automatically adapting to all model scales - have been extended and updated. We provide the complete list of libraries on our web site for your convenience.

RailModeller Pro 6.2 requires macOS 10.11 or newer and is available exclusively on the Mac App Store.
The update is free for users of RailModeller Pro. Installations of the app are updated automatically by the Software Update mechanism of macOS.