Version History of Railroad-Professional

Below you will find a list of the versions of the program and the respective innovations. The list is in descending order, i.e. the most recent version is at the top of the list.

Version 4.0 :

• Sensitive highlighting: As soon as the mouse pointer is positioned over an element in the track plan, this element is highlighted. This is even clearer for handles and track end points, which then also appear in magenta. The latter is even the case if the element is not selected, i.e. the handles or track end points are not normally displayed at all. In this way, you can see before clicking whether you actually hit the desired handle or element, which further supports precise work with Railroad-Professional.
• A so-called Element Info is now displayed in the menu bar as soon as the mouse pointer hovers over an element in the plan or the icon selection of a library. This element info is also displayed for a single element selected in the plan. Both allow quick orientation in your track plan without having to request extra information.
• Flex tracks now show zones of excessive curvature. These change color as soon as the radius of curvature becomes smaller (i.e. the curvature becomes stronger) than definable limit values. For these markings, three different curvature limit values can be considered simultaneously, representative of three different wagon groups. In addition, the program can either use the three individual limit values stored in the flex track or program-wide blanket values. The latter can also be selected either as absolute values of the curvature radius or as relative factors of the track gauges of the flex tracks, as specified in NEM 111 (Standardization of European Model Railways). The values recommended there are already stored as standard in Railroad-Professional, but can be adapted by the user. In addition, flex tracks now also show the radius value of their current maximum curved point in their info panel.
  Furthermore, Railroad-Professional now marks excess lengths of flex tracks. This makes it immediately clear whether a route must be composed of several flex tracks.
• Supports now the use of vario tracks (and these are now also available in the track libraries, if the manufacturer offers them). The length of the tracks can be varied within the limits specified by the manufacturer. Overlengths or underlengths are detected and highlighted in color to draw attention to them.
• If text in the name of elements in libraries is placed in curly brackets ({...}), this text is considered 'protected text'. This means that the curly brackets are removed and the text within them is displayed unchanged. Protected text is therefore not subject to the usual unit conversion.
• All drawing properties and formatting that have nothing to do with shaping, but with the display of elements (colors, patterns, line thicknesses, as well as additional attributes such as brightening, shading, markings, etc.) can be transferred from the clicked element to (selected) other elements in the plan via the context menu.
• Two new context menu items now allow several elements to be conveniently combined into a single, so-called composition element or to dissolve such an element again in a single step. Previously, this was only possible using three consecutive sub-steps. However, the sub-steps are still available as special functions and allow finer details of the process to be controlled.
• The defaults for the properties and formatting used to create new measurement lines can now be specified in the Settings dialog. In previous program versions, these defaults were stored internally and fixed in the program.
• On the drawings tab, it is now possible to set the current settings as default values, i.e. they can then be used for new drawings. It is also possible to transfer all current settings on the Drawings tab to (selected) elements in the plan with a single click. Two new buttons have been added to the drawings tab for this purpose.
• In the settings for the article number display on the 'Templates' tab of the settings dialog, the text orientation has been added.
• Splines can be transformed into basic geometric figures if they correspond to them. For example, a rectangle consisting of a spline can be converted into the basic graphic form of a rectangle (with all its properties). In previous versions of the program, this was only possible in the other direction.
• A new, additional entry "As defined" has been introduced in the "Markings" submenu for both drawing templates and track templates. If this is selected, the values as defined for the respective element apply. Such an entry was already available in the submenus for the 'Color context', but was missing for 'Markings'. It is now possible to control even more precisely which template values should be transferred to elements and which should be retained according to their own definition.
• Track end points now have a dynamic size, so that in the case of extremely short tracks, the track end points are adjusted so that they do not cover other handles.
• The following track libraries have been added:
  • 0/Peco/Code124
  • 0/Peco/Code143
  • S/Stadtilm/Standard
  • 00/Hornby/Standard
  • H0/Walthers/Code83
  • H0/Walthers-Shinohara/Code83
  • TT/Hornby/Code80
• Bugfixes. The following bugs have been fixed (along with other, smaller ones):
  • If the positioning dialog was called up for a situation in which the positioning of the last clicked handle (HotSpots) is not allowed and then for a situation in which this positioning is allowed, this option remained inactive/greyed out on the dialog by mistake.
  • If elements were added as supplementary elements to an element that has an article number and these were then fixed, the article number was also fixed. Similarly, if fixed supplementary elements of a main element (with article number) were switched to variable, the article number was also switched to variable. The same behavior was also present for text boxes of measuring lines.
  • If a text element was clicked on, the line style (for outlining the text) was not transferred to the controls on the Drawings tab.
  • If a track was edited in the track editor and one of its flex segments was edited, this track (or this segment) was displayed selected in the matrix display of the element selection of the main program.
  • If the unit for height specifications for layers was changed in the settings dialog on the 'Units' tab, this change was not immediately visible in the layer list after closing the dialog, but only after other actions that caused the layer list to be updated.
  • If a position-fixed element was added to a library, it was also position-fixed when it was taken from the library and inserted into the track plan. Although this could then be switched off again using the context menu, it was counter-intuitive and confusing.
  • If special track terminations at track ends were desired in the program under "Track display" (e.g. cross lines, brackets, etc.), then these were transferred to those tracks that were included in libraries. As a result, they were also displayed there with their icons, which is undesirable as it is a track plan setting and not a setting that belongs to the element itself.
  
  

Version 3.7 :

• In addition to the previous method of docking tracks to each other (the so-called 'direct docking'), another possibility has been introduced (the so-called 'indirect docking'): If tracks are moved with the mouse, open track endpoints light up as soon as they come close to other, open track endpoints. When the mouse button is then released, the tracks snap into place there. This new indirect docking can also be switched off in the program settings.
• Railroad-Professional now offers a semi-automatic track laying. To put it simply: Each time you tap the space bar, the track type selected in the element selection or last selected there is automatically inserted into the track plan and thereby added (docked) to the previously inserted track. In this way, entire track lines can be built up semi-automatically in a flash. If another track type is selected in the element selection between two spacebar presses, construction continues with this track type.
• If a track is held at one of its track end points with the mouse, tapping the right mouse button at the same time can reorient the track in question so that another of its open track end points comes to lie under the mouse pointer (in short: the track is then automatically grabbed at the other track end point). This is especially useful for curved tracks, as it is equivalent to changing the direction of curvature (left curve, right curve). The same can be done by pressing the key 'T' (= turn). The latter also works during the above mentioned semi-automatic track laying!
• Redesigned layer list with new features:
  • Layers can be completely 'locked' so that no changes (especially accidental ones) are possible in that layer.
  • Intuitive symbols instead of letters for the properties of a layer ('visible', 'locked', 'transparent').
  • The layer that is clicked in the list is automatically the active layer into which new elements are inserted. The active layer is marked by an arrow (and further by its name appearing in bold).
  • Double-clicking on the layer name in the layer list opens the layer editor, in which the layer in question is already preselected for editing.
  • Clicking on the icons in the column header toggles the associated function for all levels.
  • Railroad-Professional now automatically adjusts the width of the columns in the layer list so that a horizontal scrollbar is never necessary. At the same time, this eliminates the possibility of manually defining the column width.
• The Windows-typical wildcards '?' and '*' are now allowed when selecting elements in the track diagram (menu item 'Edit'->'Select defined'). In addition, the selection criteria can be specified culture-specifically.
• Railroad-Professional now has a real print preview, i.e. the plan with all elements is displayed as a thumbnail as it will appear when printed. The previous information about the sheet distribution (when printing over several sheets), as well as the projection of the area to be printed on the sheet distribution are still available.
• Articel numbers of tracks can be positioned by program setting so that they are automatically output between the rails. This is of particular interest when printing track plans. If this program setting is cancelled again, the article numbers jump back to their previously defined positions.
• The background color of the track plan area can be freely selected. It is also possible to take this into account when printing the plan.
• Railroad-Professional now remembers the set print orientation (portrait or landscape) between sessions.
• Dialogs not only remember their position and size (as before), but also adjust them automatically when the monitor is changed. This is especially advantageous when switching frequently between multi-monitor desktop and single-monitor desktop.
• If the quick info is switched on (i.e. an info panel with the most important data about the element is displayed as long as the mouse pointer is over the element) and the mouse pointer is moved (quickly) over numerous elements in the plan, the info panel used to appear "smeared" during the movement. Now it is displayed clearly legible and updated quickly even during rapid movements.
• The entries in the library selection box of all loaded libraries can now be configured so that, for example, only the essentials are displayed. The output of the full information is still available via the program settings.
• Railroad-Professional has an intelligent language module which allows all search functions etc. to correctly process special characters. Special characters are also processed and found correctly in their substitute spelling. Thus, the following are considered identical: 'Mäl;rklin', 'Maerklin', 'Marklin'.
• Changes regarding the libraries supplied:
  • The library files are now no longer in a directory tree according to '[track]\[brand]\[system]', but with meaningful names all in one directory, only subdivided for tracks and accessories.
  • All paths and file names are now consistently in English. The main library directory is therefore now called 'Libraries' and the two subdirectories within it are called 'Tracks' and 'Accessories'. English names also apply to all other directories.
  • Now also the specifications for scale, manufacturer, system and identifier for elements are culture-specific. In addition, libraries now carry these values as template values for new library elements to be created. In addition, some system designations have been shortened, e.g. only 'C' instead of 'C-track'.
  • Base dimensions for track libraries are now integrated in the libraries and no longer present as an additional, external file ('default.rpb'). They can be edited via the library manager.
• Bugfixes. The following bugs have been fixed:
  • If layers were removed in the layer editor and the elements there were reorganized into other layers, it could happen that the track plan display was not yet updated after exiting the editor, but only after the next click with the mouse into the track plan.
  • Menu item 'Edit → Select defined': When repeatedly calling the dialog, it could happen that the value "0.00" appeared in the price fields 'from' and 'to', which then caused that only elements with a price of 0.00 could be selected.
  • The option 'Align across layers' on the 'Connections' tab in the program settings was ineffective.
    Note: The option 'Connect across layers' worked correctly. It automatically includes 'Align across layers'.
  • If an image element or a text element was touched with the mouse at the red corner point of its circumscribing rectangle and its size was changed, the rotation line was then incorrectly positioned. If such a resized image or text element was copied to the clipboard and later pasted back into the track plan, the pasted element did not appear at the mouse pointer but offset.
  • If the menu item "Image in original size" was called in the context menu of an image element that has no image loaded (empty frame), an error message appears.
  
  

Version 3.6 :

• The article number display has been extensively revised. Article numbers can now be formatted and positioned differently. Formatting includes font color, background color, display with and without borders, various line styles and line thicknesses, etc. Positioning allows not only free choice of position relative to the element, but also any rotation/orientation relative to the element. Thus, the article number can be designed in such a way that it fits into the track plan without interfering and at the same time additional information is available at the element.
  
  
• A readability direction (text orientation) can be specified for all texts in a track plan. This specification includes the directions 'from below', 'from the left', 'from above', 'from the right' and 'any'. Railroad-Professional then ensures that texts are never upside down from the respective viewing direction on the plan, but automatically "flips" them accordingly, except for the setting 'any', where no such automatic "flipping" takes place.
  
  
• The "Definable polygon" drawing element type has been extended to include circular templates. In detail, these are: circular arc, circular section, circular segment and circular ring. "Definable polygon" is therefore now called "Definable shape templates".
  
  
• When converting a circle or an ellipse into a spline, twice as many support points are now inserted into the spline, i.e. not every 90° but every 45°. This results in a much more precise approximation.
  
  
• The library selection dialog for selecting the working libraries can now also be called directly from the library combo box, which facilitates the workflow. There is now a special entry for this at the first position in the library combo box.
  
  
• If the element names displayed in the element selection for library elements contain size specifications with units (e.g. length or angle specifications), these are converted to the set unit system, as well as fraction display format and display accuracy.
  
  
• Measurement lines can now have supplementary elements added to them - just like all other elements. This was excluded in previous versions.
  
  
• Changed behavior for measurement lines: If the display box showing the length of the line is moved manually and then the length of the measurement line is changed, the position of the display box now follows proportionally, i.e. in proportion to the change in length (and no longer by the absolute value of the change in length). The new behavior is more intuitive.
  
  
• The already existing full screen mode has been extended, so that the whole screen is really filled. In addition to the existing toolbar button, the key 'F11' has been defined as a shortcut for the full screen mode. The full screen mode can be terminated either via 'F11' or via 'Esc'.
  
  
• When creating parallel tracks, a note is now displayed if the track system in question does not have any flex tracks, but the use of flex tracks has been requested.
  
  
• If the mouse pointer is over the track library combo or the accessory library combo, the currently selected library with complete path is displayed as a tooltip. This saves you from having to open the library to look it up.
  
  
• In the combo box display of the element selection, the selected element is now also indicated in the tooltip as soon as the mouse pointer is over the combo box or the associated icon. This applies to both tracks and accessories.
  
  
• Improved, dynamic memory management to better accommodate different memory (RAM) sizes.
  
  
• Several enhancements to already existing functions...
  
  
• Changes regarding the libraries supplied:
  • All track libraries have been revised so that the part numbers are optimally placed in the new design.
  • The track libraries for the TT and H0m gauge 'Tillig / bedding tracks' have been split into two libraries each: one for the 'normal' tracks and one for those with brown beds.
  • In the library N/Kato/Unitrack the article numbers and basic dimensions have been changed! If you have created a track plan using these, you can use the so-called track plan actualization to automatically change the tracks in the track plan to the newly defined tracks.
  • In the library N/Kato/Unitram the article numbers and basic dimensions have been changed! If you have created a track plan using these, you can use the so-called track plan actualization to automatically change the tracks in the track plan to the newly defined tracks.
  • The file names of accessory libraries that had a "speaking" name were changed to their English counterpart for internationality reasons (e.g. 'H0_Faller_BahnhoefeBahnbauten' to 'H0_Faller_RailwayStationsBuildings').
  • In some libraries, prices have been updated, as well as new items added in the meantime.
• Bugfixes. The following bugs have been fixed:
  • If a macro (consisting of several tracks) was selected by clicking on one of its tracks and then the positioning dialog was called and it was specified in it that only the clicked element should be moved, the macro was "torn".
  • If several tracks were selected and then moved using the positioning dialog, the track end points retained their color, even if the move meant that there was no longer a connection at the track end points to other tracks. However, this was only a display error and did not lead to a processing error. The color was displayed correctly again the next time the elements were selected/deselected.
  • If an element was selected in the track diagram by clicking on one of its supplementary elements and then calling the positioning dialog via context menu (to assign a defined position to the element), then only the clicked supplementary element was positioned instead of the entire element, which caused the element to be "torn apart".
  • If the dialog for changing a text was opened for a text element, but then left again without the text being changed, an Undo entry "Change text" was created anyway.
  • The drawing properties (color, line width, etc.) of supplementary elements of tracks in the plan could not be changed, although the respective supplementary element had been clicked on before (however, this was possible for supplementary elements of drawings).
  • If there were measurement lines in the track plan, a simple mouse click in the track plan caused it to be considered as "edited". This did not have any harmful effects, but it was unattractive and confusing.
  • If huge track plans were processed, then it could happen after longer work that the program quit with a message "Out of Memory". This has been fixed by the improved dynamic memory management.
  • If a track that was previously unselected was clicked on its body and this track was connected to another track via its reference endpoint, then the connection information was displayed in the info field, which should not be the case for a body click.
  
  

Version 3.3 :

• Integration of parallel track automation, i.e. fully automatic creation of parallel track running to existing track sections. Both fixed tracks and flexible tracks can be present in the master track. The parallel track automation of Railroad-Professional not only calculates parallel flex tracks, but is also able to determine the parallel fixed tracks matching the existing fixed tracks. If there are no suitable fixed tracks in the manufacturer's track library, the parallel track automation can replace them with suitably shaped flex tracks at your request!
  
  
• Support of different units of measure and unit systems (metric and imperial). The representations can be selected separately for different areas in the program. Various units (mm, cm, yard, foot, inch, etc.) are available, as well as whether a decimal fraction representation (eg '1.25') or a rational fraction representation (eg '1 1/4') is desired.
  
  
• Defined element positioning: Elements can be moved to a specific position or by a specific offset by entering specific coordinates. Likewise, drawings can be deformed in a defined way, in that their handles can now be moved to any position or by any offset via the positioning dialog in addition to moving them with the mouse.
  
  
• The moving of elements in the track plan is now additionally possible using the arrow keys of the keyboard. The step size can be refined by simultaneously pressing the 'Shift' or 'Ctrl' key.
  
  
• Railroad-Professional remembers the last two hotspots clicked on in the track plan and can mark them in the track plan if desired. In addition, the coordinates of the last hotspot are permanently displayed in the menu bar. This makes it quite convenient to track the change of position of a previously clicked point, e.g. when moving elements.
  
  
• The libraries of Railroad-Professional are now multilingual (before only the program itself was multilingual).
  
  
• Export of the track plan in various image formats has been thoroughly revised and extended:
  • You can now choose whether you want to export the entire track plan or only the section visible on the screen, only selected elements, or only the section of the track plan that is located within the mouse frame that was last stretched.
  • Extended design possibilities of the scale grid and scale labeling.
  • The image size can be selected automatically depending on the area to be exported, in addition to the manual selection.
  • The borders around the image content can be specified additively or inclusively with respect to the image size.
  • The image quality (or compression factor) for JPEG images can now be set.
  • In general, the picture quality has been greatly improved.
• Bugfixes. The following bugs have been fixed:
  • If the rotation line was hidden, its handle was still sensitive to mouse clicks.
  • If an empty track plan was added to a track plan containing elements, this caused a crash in further work. Fortunately, this situation almost never occurred, since empty track plans are usually not merged.
  • If the length of a flex track was changed in the track editor, this was not transferred to the library, so that the track remained unchanged.
  • If a circle or an ellipse was drawn at a location far away from the coordinate origin during large zooming (dimension smaller than 1:1.25), the program could exit with the error message "Not enough memory" or "OutOfMemoryException".
  • When rotating elements using the keyboard (left/right arrow while pressing the mouse button), fixed elements were erroneously rotated as well. Fix: Rotating fixed elements is still possible if the Alt key is held down at the same time.
  • When printing the statistics/list of bill, the set paper format was ignored (DIN-A4 was always used).
  • In rare cases it could happen on some computers that an error message was displayed when starting the program. This could be clicked away without any damage and the program ran properly afterwards, but the error message could be irritating.
  
  

Version 3.1 :

• The element selection for picking elements (tracks / accessories) from libraries has been completely revised. All elements of a library are now arranged as icons (thumbnails) in a kind of matrix which can be configured in many different ways. The new icon matrix offers an improved overview of all available elements and a much more comfortable access to each element. In addition, this icon matrix displays a history of the last picked elements on request. The former classical arrangement of elements in combo boxes (one combo box per category) is still available. The user can choose between the two display modes by simply switching between them.
  
  
• Settings for visibility and transparency of the layers can be stored in so-called Display Sets, which are saved with the track plan. This allows fast switching between different, recurring views. The user can create and manage any number of such display sets. They can be provided with (meaningful) names. When merging track plans, the display sets are overtaken and assigned to the existing layers.
  
  
• Up to now, the display scale could be adjusted continuously from 1:100 to 1:1. This range has now been extended to 1:1000 to 1:0.1. This means that the track plan or individual components in it can now be made smaller or larger by a factor of 10 than before. For one thing this allows for even more detailed work, for another also for huge landscape garden railways the representation of the entire track plan within the visible field of view. In addition, a scale can now be selected in which the distance between two fine grid lines corresponds to a distance of exactly 1 mm in reality.
  
  
• Drawings of the type line/polyline and spline can be continued at their end points later. A corresponding context menu entry is available for this purpose. Continue Figure
  
  
• Drawings of the type line/polylines and splines can be connected to each other at their end points so that a single, coherent polyline or spline is created from individual polylines or splines. A corresponding context menu entry is available for this purpose. Connect Figures
  
  
• Drawings can be converted to splines of the same shape with one mouse click (except for text-, image and measurement line elements). A corresponding context menu entry is available for this purpose. The resulting design possibilities are almost inexhaustible, such as round or over pointed corners, concave or convex geometric figures, speech bubbles, etc.
  
  
• Drawings of the type line/polyline and spline, as well as flexible tracks and segments can be cut at the clicked drag point or at any click point. By previously converting a drawing to a spline (see previous bullet point), this is also possible with circles and ellipses.
  
  
• If a further drag point is inserted in lines/polylines, splines or flex tracks, it will be inserted exactly on the line, even if the mouse is clicked next to the line. This avoids changes in shape when inserting another drag point.
  
  
• Now splines can be drawn continuously. The subsequent editing is of course still possible.
  
  
• If you close a Bezier spline via the context menu, the course is now smoother and more intuitive. In the previous version, this could easily result in "overshoots" or "overshoots crossings".
  
  
• Flexible tracks/segments can be merged into a single flexible track/segment at their joined ends.
  
  
• If a flex track is to be assigned a specific shape via a dialog, the current shape of the flex track is analyzed when the dialog is called and if it can be represented as a basic geometric shape (e.g. an arc), the corresponding parameters are automatically entered in the input fields of the dialog. Thus, a previously set shape is immediately read out when the dialog is called up again.
  
  
• When loading a track plan, the scale and position are automatically restored as they were when the track diagram was saved.
  
  
• Two new menu items now allow to save all track and accessory libraries with one click, that habe been changed in the main program, i.e. it is no longer necessary to do this for each of the changed libraries individually.
  
  
• Dynamic soft scrolling: Depending on the distance of the mouse pointer from the edge of the track plan area, the track plan is now scrolled at different speeds. This allows better control over the scrolling and prevents the "speeding away" of the track plan (also known from other Windows programs).
  
  
• For fixed elements no drag points are shown anymore, because drag points are only needed for editing and such editing is not desired for fixed elements. Therefore the display of drag points for fixed elements is only "ballast". Furthermore, the "seam pattern" is only displayed for a position-fixed mainelement. It is no longer displayed for supplementary elements, since it is also unnecessary there. Both new features contribute to substantially clearer track plan representations without affecting functionality.
  
  
• The handling for the creation of new drawings, especially when aborting by Esc or right mouse button, has been standardized across the different element types.
  
  
• If a text element is inserted into the track diagram, the editor for entering the text opens automatically. An additional call is therefore no longer necessary, which speeds up the workflow.
  
  
• Gradients are given in per mille instead of percent throughout the program. This applies in particular to the grade calculator. Per mille are more natural than percent in the environment of railways.
  
  
• Railroad-Professional now also handles modern, high-resolution monitors (e.g. 4k). The display is scaled accordingly.
  
  
• Railroad-Professional now also takes into account the size setting for text, apps and other elements in Windows 10.
  
  
• The dialog for the program settings has been completely redesigned. Thematically related settings are now located on separate tab cards.
  
  
• For the definition of lengths and radii (e.g. for flexible tracks or for specifications in the track editor), the maximum value has been increased from 9999.99 mm to 99000.00 mm. This extension was primarily made with regard to large track gauges (track 1 and track 0).
  
  
• The presentation of the grid scale now allows even more design options.
  
  
• Printing and image export have been improved. Especially texts are now automatically scaled so that the result is as close as possible to the screen display.
  
  
• The standard library path can be set by the user. This should be especially interesting for users of a network drive, since libraries can now be centrally placed on a network server and can be used by different clients.
  
  
• Bugfixes. The following bugs have been fixed:
  • If an arc of a circle with a negative angle was specified for flexible tracks via the 'Define Shape' dialog, it could happen under certain conditions that the flexible track changed its position in the track plan.
  • In some situations it could happen that flex tracks were very difficult to select with the mouse because they were only sensitive in an extremely narrow area around the center line.
  • If all but two of the handles were removed from Cardinal splines and the resulting line was then extremely reduced in size (to one point in the borderline case), it could happen that the program hung up.
  • If the rotation line (= the handle with which selected tracks can be grabbed with the mouse and rotated as desired) was made so small that it no longer had any extension, an error message could occur.
  • If the text box of a measuring line was double-clicked, the dialog for editing the text was displayed, although the text of a measuring line must not be editable, since it is determined by the length of the measuring line.
  • If a track was transferred from the plan to a library (e.g., after supplementary elements were added to the track), then the global settings for "Track Ends" were inadvertently included.
  • If one of the toolbar buttons was double-clicked, the corresponding function was also invoked twice. This was especially fatal when loading track plans or loading libraries in the library manager, as it caused the program to hang.
  • Some minor / cosmetic bugs.
  
  

Version 3.0 :

• Several accessory libraries with accessories from well-known manufacturers, as well as general symbols are available from version 3.0.
  
  
• To improve the overview of all available component libraries (both tracks and accessories), a Library Selection Dialog has been introduced. There are now all available libraries clearly sorted by gauge and manufacturer etc. The choice which libraries you want to work with can be made by simply clicking (ticking) them. Railroad-Professional can automatically compile all available libraries that it finds in various file directory trees (search directories). This is the perfect synthesis of both worlds: on one hand, offering libraries in loadable files that the user can create/extend himself, combined on the other hand with a clear compilation of all available libraries for a comfortable selection.
  
  
• Railroad-Professional now has a library automatic: a loaded track plan can be examined to find out which track systems and accessories have been used. On request Railroad-Professional loads all missing libraries automatically.
  
  
• Elements or entire track plan parts can be mirrored (flipped). In doing so, Railroad-Professional optionally looks for suitable mirrored counterparts in the libraries and inserts them into the track plan (e.g. the mirror-symmetrical right-hand turnout of a track system for the left-hand turnout). If desired, Railroad-Professional can also automatically generate mirrored elements if none of them are available in the libraries or can make a suitable rotation instead of mirroring. Mirror images and mirror texts can be created or avoided as desired. The mirroring can also be called up in the Library Manager to automatically generate the mirror-symmetrical partner for self-created elements (tracks, accessories).
  
  
• The rotation of elements is now also possible with the help of the mouse and a so-called rotation line and additionaly via a Rotation Dialog. As soon as elements are selected in the track plan, a line appears with a drag point. If the drag point is moved with the mouse, all selected elements rotate accordingly. The Rotation Dialog allows you to rotate selected elements by specifying an absolute or a relative rotation angle. Of course, you can still rotate elements by an adjustable step size using the keyboard, as was the case in earlier versions of the program.
  
  
• If elements hide each other, they can now not only be shifted to the foreground or completely into the background. In addition, a stepwise positioning is now possible with one concealing element to the front or the back. Thus, the arrangement in height of individual elements has become much easier.
  
  
• Creating polylines and polygons has been improved and simplified. You now build a line in a natural way, i.e. by using the mouse to move off the desired line and clicking on the "kinks" with the mouse. When you're done, right-click or tap 'Esc' on the keyboard. The situation is now similar when creating polygons: you simply draw them from edge to edge.
  
  
• Polylines and splines can now be provided with various end caps at the line ends. This creates a large pallet of new design options for symbols and graphic additions.
  
  
• With the help of the new shape templates, ground plates and other structural elements and geometric shapes can now be created simply by specifying their dimensions. This is not only easy and fast, but above all accurate, because the dimensions are guaranteed.
  
  
• The new drawing element type measure line now makes it easy to insert dimensions into your track plan. Simply drag the line from the start to the end of the line to be measured and the corresponding dimension line will be added to the track plan, along with a label showing the length of the measured distance. If you later change the length of the measure line, the labeled value will automatically change accordingly. Especially chic: you can format the label as desired, color it or move it to another location.
  
  
• Drawing elements can now be scaled in size by specifying a factor. With this you can, for example, transfer your self-designed accessories to another model building scale with just a few mouse clicks.
  
  
• Track strands, consisting of connected tracks, can now be selected with a single mouse click. This means that Railroad-Professional is able to search for all tracks connected to a selected track and selecting them automatically.
  
  
• Track markings now allow tracks to be provided with additional markings via a simple mouse click. With predefined markings, you can identify tracks that are located on bridges, dams, in tunnels or shadow stations, etc. in no time at all. On request, you can vary these markings in their style and color scheme.
  
  
• The options for editing a line element (drawings) have been extended by a segment editing mode. Double-clicking on one of the lines (segments) of the line element highlights the clicked line for editing. Afterwards the selected line can be moved with the mouse. This also takes into account settings for side parallelism (in the context menu) of the element. Clicking on a place outside the line will end the line edit mode.
  
  
• Elements can now also be dragged and dropped into the track plan by simply dragging and dropping them from their library into the track plan. The previous method of first selecting library elements by clicking on them and then inserting them in the track plan by clicking again is still possible and both methods can even be used side by side. Depending on the situation, one or the other approach may be more advantageous.
  
  
• Grid snapping (placing only on grid positions) can now be temporarily toggled by holding down the 'Alt Gr' key. This is especially useful if you generally want to work with or without grid snapping, but temporarily need the opposite for a single positioning. Instead of the 'Alt Gr' key, you can also hold down the 'Alt' key together with the 'Ctrl' key ('Alt+Ctrl').
  
  
• The possibilities to update your old track plans have been extended. On request, you can now replace old library elements (especially tracks) in your track plan with their respective counterparts from more up-to-date libraries. This eventually results in a "facelifting", for example, if in newer libraries elements are filigree designed or with additional supplements (e.g. a turnout box, etc.) are included.
  
  
• Changing the presentation scale has been extended by one convenient option: By pressing the '+' or '-' buttons, the presentation scale is enlarged or reduced by one zoom level and by pressing the '0' button, it is moved to the middle level set. In this case, the tip of the mouse pointer is taken as the center of the enlargement or reduction, unless the mouse pointer is located outside the track plan area - then the size is changed with respect to the center of the visible track plan area. These new possibilities can be advantageous, for example, if you want to zoom in on the exact location of an element "just in time".
  
  
• To create bills of material and statistics, criteria for grouping items can now be specified. For example, different variants of an article can be grouped into a common item, or all items used in the track plan can be added up separately by manufacturer, and so on.
  
  
• Color settings for fonts, grids and scale numbers, separated for screen and printer, are now possible. Thus, for example, the grid can occur more subtly in the background or be varied in color, which in particular may be desirable during printing.
  
  
• Some options in the program settings have been added and allow Railroad-Professional to suit your needs even more. So now country-specific or language-related settings are possible (e.g. you can choose whether you prefer to see a comma or a dot as a decimal separator, etc.).
  
  
• Railroad-Professional now runs with all .NET versions from 2.0 upwards. This eliminates the annoying unlocking or even installing of a specific .NET version, as long as only some version as from 2.0 or later is available on your computer (which should be the case on almost all Windows machines in the meantime).
  
  

Version 2.5 :

• Improved memory management. The new memory management allows the handling of large files, while at the same time requiring less resources. This is accompanied by a higher processing speed, especially with extensive track plans.
  
  
• Extended possibilities of track presentation. Especially for technical track plans, various symbols can be selected for marking of track ends and - if desired - the presentation can be reduced to the pure routing.
  
  
• Defaults for all element color contexts. This can be used, for example, to specify that newly inserted elements or tracks in the track plan should automatically be colored with the color of the layer in which they are located. This makes it immediately obvious whether one has inserted an element or track in the right or wrong layer. In the program settings you can also select for which elements from which sources these settings should apply.
  
  
• Optimized context menu. If a layer has only one color context (which is usually the case), it is now easier and faster to apply to elements/tracks.
  
  
• Optimized positioning menu. The new, context-sensitive structure and the associated submenu items make it easier and faster to move elements to other layers.
  
  
• Automatic update info. You will now be automatically informed whether an update is available for your version and how you can easily import this.
  
  
• If track plans of earlier versions are loaded, which refer to older libraries, these can be automatically converted to the current libraries, whereby a comfortable dialog is displayed, which offers appropriate choices.
  
  
• When unloading libraries, the program now automatically selects the appropriate tab, depending on the type of library. This simplifies operation and avoids sources of error.
  
  
• Accelerated program start. By shifting initialization processes into the background, the program start could be accelerated.
  
  
• Bug fixes. The following bugfixes have been made:
  • If elements from an accessory library were newly inserted into the track plan, this could not be undone.
  • The menu item 'Clear Undo List' was not clickable if only contents in Redo and none in Undo existed.
  • Macros were breakable when a track contained within them was touched with the mouse on one of its supplementary elements (e.g., turnout box) instead of the track body.
  • A few more, smaller 'make up' bugfixes.
  
  

Version 2.3 / Version 2.4 :

• Support for Windows 10 implemented.
  
  
• Possibility for feedback implemented.
  
  
• Simplified installation / uninstallation process. In this context, the supplied libraries had to be stored in a different directory path than before. For more information to this, see chapter Important changes compared to previous versions.
  
  
• Support for multi-monitor operation and high-density monitors (from Windows 8) implemented.
  
  
• Now images can be included in the track plan. The drawing element types have been extended so that in addition to Line, Polygon, Circle, Text, etc., there is now also a drawing type called 'Image'. Images can be loaded in the formats *.bmp, *.gif, *.ico, *.jpg, *.png or *.tif and displayed in the track plan. These can be framed, arbitrarily zoomed, rotated, their aspect ratio changed (distorted), as well as a background (possibly even patterned) can be faded in, shining through in transparent areas of the image.
  
  
• Track plans can be exported as image files so that they can be included as an image in other programs or documentation, for example. The image formats *.bmp, *.gif, *.ico, *.jpg, *.png or *.tif are available for this purpose. The size of the image to be created, margins, etc. can be set in an export dialog.
  
  
• Texts can now be displayed with a frame and a background, the latter possibly even patterned.
  
  
• An automatic backup function has been integrated. With this, track plans are automatically backed up at regular intervals. Should a system crash occur, Railroad-Professional can read in the backup copy the next time the program starts. This increases the work safety. Whether such an automatic backup is desired, as well as the duration of the time intervals, can be specified via the settings dialog.
  
  
• The print options for printing track plans have been extended by new possibilities of the print image. For example, selected elements can now be displayed unselected in the printout, only a part of the track plan defined by a mouse frame can be output, path information of the track plan can also be printed out, etc.
  
  
• When starting the program, the track plan that was last worked on can now be automatically loaded. This function can be switched on or off in the settings dialog.
  
  
• Elements can now also easily be moved to other layers via their context menu.
  
  
• Curved tracks (curves) can be taken from the library in either right or left curvature. For this purpose, only one option need to be ticked on the 'Tracks' tab. This saves the subsequent turning around in the track plan.
  
  
• When the mouse pointer stays over elements, a short info about the element can now be automatically displayed in a small panel. This function can be switched on or off in the settings dialog. In the case of tracks, it is additionally stated which other track it is connected to as soon as the mouse pointer is moved over one of the endpoints of the track. The detailed information about each element is still available via the middle mouse button and more recently via the context menu of the respective element.
  
  
• The zooming of the track plan with the help of the mouse wheel has been accelerated, so that depending on the current scale there is always an "intuitively suitable" speed.
  
  

Version 2.1 :

• Flexible tracks are supported. Any track can be switched flexible via the context menu and then be deformed as required using the mouse. During the deformation, constantly updated data about the track is displayed. It can also be assigned a certain basic shape (e.g. circular arc) whose parameters can be specified.
  
  
• Layers and layer management: Layers at definable heights can be created in the track plan. A Layer Editor allows their administration. Layers can be assigned colors and patterns that can be automatically inherited by elements in each layer (dynamic color assignment, as opposed to static color mapping, which is of course also possible). The display of the layers (and all elements in them) can be switched on or off. In addition, individual layers can also be switched to transparent, as a result of which underlying layers or their elements become transparent.
  
  
• In addition to track libraries, accessory libraries are now also available to manage design and decoration materials.
  
  
• Any number of libraries can now be loaded in the program at the same time. They can be chosen by a drop down list. This applies to both track and accessory libraries.
  
  
• Playful extension of libraries: Elements can be taken over from the plan in libraries with a few mouse clicks. This also applies to free drawings, which can be transferred to accessory libraries in this way.
  
  
• Free drawings have been extended by splines (= flexible curves) and circular or elliptical parts. With splines, you can choose between the common types in the CAD world - Cardinal and Bezier. A "flying" change between the two types is possible at any time, even retrospectively. Splines can be intuitively dragged into any shape with the mouse using the corresponding "drag/control handles".
  
  
• Transparency: A transparency value can now also be set for the coloring of all elements. This makes elements translucent and underlying elements visible. This is also possible for entire layers, so that all elements of the relevant layer become translucent (with a single mouse click).
  
  
• Dynamic Coloring: Layers can be assigned (even more) colors and patterns, and elements can be instructed to accept the color(s) of the layer to which they belong. When these elements are moved to another layer, they automatically change their color by adopting the color of the layer.
  
  
• Predefined markers: Predefined mark options for items can be selected via the context menu to mark or highlight them. This allows elements to be shaded or brightened. On tracks, it is also possible to show side lines next to the tracks (especially well suited for bridge tracks).
  
  
• Supplementary elements: Elements can be defined as so-called supplementary elements to another element (the parent or main element). As a result, several elements can be combined into a single element. In addition it is possible, for example, to complement tracks with drawing elements in such a way that their accessories are displayed (e.g. the switch box of a turnout, etc.).
  
  
• Elements can be fixed to protect them from being moved or changed accidentally. This can even be done separately for supplementary elements and their main element.
  
  
• Extended element info: The information panel, which can be displayed for each element with a middle mouse button, has been greatly expanded. It now includes both information on the manufacturer, article number, type and name etc. of the element, as well as its position in the track plan, its dimensions, orientation, color, etc.
  
  
• Extended context menus: The right-click context menu for each element has been extended and is now also available for tracks (and therefore basically for all element types). Addional menu items are offered here, in particular with numerous functions for managing supplementary elements, a s well as for coloring and marking elements.
  
  
• Current editing data: If an element is changed with the mouse (e.g. the size of a square, etc.) then the most important, current data of the element are constantly displayed next to the mouse cursor. Thus one is informed already during the change of an element about its size, length, extent, etc. That even applies to splines!
  
  
• Current mouse position: The position of the mouse in the plan is always displayed with the accuracy of 1/10 millimeter.
  
  
• Z-Position / Height Information: Although Railroad-Professional is still a 2D planner, it nonethless manages height information. So it is easily possible to arrange elements in a desired height (layering). For this Railroad-Professional provides corresponding functions.
  
  
• Precise alignment using grid snapping: If grid snapping is activated (one mouse click is enough), then elements can only be moved or placed on grid points and their size can only be changed within grid steps. Precise alignment becomes child's play. The distances of the grid points can be easily set via the display scale.
  
  
• Crosshair: Railroad-Professional additionally supports the exact alignment of elements via a switchable crosshair. You can see immediately whether elements are exactly on the same line or not.
  
  
• Shortest path: The shortest connection between two track ends is quickly and easily determined and displayed by Railroad-Professional, as well as its total length in millimeters.
  
  
• Grade Calculator: A grade calculator is integrated for checking slopes/ramps. Thus, the slope (in percent or degree) can be quickly determined for each route or the necessary slope or height can be calculated conversely to a given route.
  
  
• Extended selection options: The already extensive selection options have been enhanced with the option to select precisely those tracks that are involved in transitions between different layers. This allows layer transitions to be detected in no time at all.
  
  
• Named macro and clipboard entries: Macros and clipboard entries can now be assigned names. This makes them easier to distinguish from each other.
  
  
• Retooled Library Manager and Track Editor: The Library Manager (formerly called 'Database Manager') and the Track Editor have been retreaded. In the Library Manager several libraries can be edited at the same time, which allows the exchange of elements between the individual libraries. In addition, accessory libraries can be created and their headings can be specified. The Track Editor now also allows the specification of a sleeper offset at the beginning and end of a track, for tracks whose sleepers begin irregularly. In addition, the appearance of the track being processed has been improved. It now allows you to fade in all accessories that belong to the track, including any supplementary elements.
  
  
• Extended statistics: Statistics now also collects accessories and lists them separately from tracks.
  
  
• Dragging: The entire workspace (the whole plan, so to speak) can now be moved with the right mouse button as you like, which is much easier than using the scrollbars. Of course, the latter still works.
  
  

Older versions before 2.1 are not listed here.