Joined
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117 Posts
Good morning to you all,
I have been using SCARM now for a few hours and my overall impression is very positive. This program has arrived at a good time for me as i am in the early stages of a new layout design and I was preparing to transfer all my "chook scratchings" from my notepad to some form of design software. I used SCARM as a test for this leap and the feeling was good.
The program and its functions were easy to navigate through and easily identified on the Menu Bar and the Toolbar. The libraries are very comprehensive however I must admit I only used the Peco library to any great extent.
What sold it for me was the fantastic 3D feature which enable me to view my layout plan in a 3D representation. Using the mouse movement, the left-mouse button and scroll wheel, I was able to "fly" around my layout, viewing it from all angles. This visual feature brought my layout to life! (see attached image 2).
Mixy, I have some constructive point to mention:
1. I felt the scroll wheel on the mouse in the 3D function was reversed (at least for me). When I rolled the scroll wheel "forward", I expected the view to zoom in but instead the view zoomed out. Did anyone else experience this?
2. I could not locate any turntables however I understand that they are being considered in future updates.
3. In 3D screen, you need a "2D" button on the toolbar to take you back to 2D mode.
4. In 3D mode I would like to see a "point of view" (POV) or "loco view" feature where you can lock the camera to the track and move the camera "along the track, providing a cab view. I very clumsily simulated this with my mouse to simulate the shunting operation of my design to a colleague. Whilst I do not want to turn SCARM into a train simulator, I feel this simple feature would be very helpful (see attached image 3).
5. When using the Screenshot function in 3D mode, can you provide other image formats in addition to BMP's? i.e. JPG and PNG?
6. I think was your program evolves you may want change the name. When I first read the opening post, and indeed when the software was extracting, the first this I my brain registered was the word "SCAM". This may be a distraction to some users downloading and reading it for the first time.
Overall, an excellent package, far superior to the Atlas and RTS equivalent, and it will be my program of choice from here on in. Like many others here on MRF, I welcome your endeavour in providing a free application to the model railway community. I am more than happy continue testing and providing feedback for you.
Well done.
Regards,
Stephen
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I have been using SCARM now for a few hours and my overall impression is very positive. This program has arrived at a good time for me as i am in the early stages of a new layout design and I was preparing to transfer all my "chook scratchings" from my notepad to some form of design software. I used SCARM as a test for this leap and the feeling was good.
The program and its functions were easy to navigate through and easily identified on the Menu Bar and the Toolbar. The libraries are very comprehensive however I must admit I only used the Peco library to any great extent.
What sold it for me was the fantastic 3D feature which enable me to view my layout plan in a 3D representation. Using the mouse movement, the left-mouse button and scroll wheel, I was able to "fly" around my layout, viewing it from all angles. This visual feature brought my layout to life! (see attached image 2).
Mixy, I have some constructive point to mention:
1. I felt the scroll wheel on the mouse in the 3D function was reversed (at least for me). When I rolled the scroll wheel "forward", I expected the view to zoom in but instead the view zoomed out. Did anyone else experience this?
2. I could not locate any turntables however I understand that they are being considered in future updates.
3. In 3D screen, you need a "2D" button on the toolbar to take you back to 2D mode.
4. In 3D mode I would like to see a "point of view" (POV) or "loco view" feature where you can lock the camera to the track and move the camera "along the track, providing a cab view. I very clumsily simulated this with my mouse to simulate the shunting operation of my design to a colleague. Whilst I do not want to turn SCARM into a train simulator, I feel this simple feature would be very helpful (see attached image 3).
5. When using the Screenshot function in 3D mode, can you provide other image formats in addition to BMP's? i.e. JPG and PNG?
6. I think was your program evolves you may want change the name. When I first read the opening post, and indeed when the software was extracting, the first this I my brain registered was the word "SCAM". This may be a distraction to some users downloading and reading it for the first time.
Overall, an excellent package, far superior to the Atlas and RTS equivalent, and it will be my program of choice from here on in. Like many others here on MRF, I welcome your endeavour in providing a free application to the model railway community. I am more than happy continue testing and providing feedback for you.
Well done.
Regards,
Stephen
