My 1st layout I used 'Charting or Graphic Tape' to lay out the track plan for a control panel. Small layout, many parallel tracks, but it worked out ok.
That was 15 years ago and I guess no one does that anymore in favor of a computer program to do so.
Problem is, I'm not a graphic artist, I don't use Photoshop though I can navigate through Windows Registry with little issue. I never used any of those track planning programs as I did my hand drawn plan as to scale as possible, then full scale with turnout templates so I know it's at least 95% feasible.
I see all these PC generated control panels and they do look great, but anything graphic is out of my league. Ideas??
You can use a relatively simple graphics program like PowerPoint to draw "digitally" if you want. Even MS Paint (usually included with the OS) would do. There's also the saying that "if it ain't broke..." which might mean there's nothing wrong with your approach after all...!
Andrew
I've used a CAD program in the past, but, as Andrew says, most any drawing program would do it for you. I think Google has a free program called, "Sketchup". I've never used it, but I can't believe it wouldn't do what you want.
I like spreadsheet programs to do so. The cells are a perfect grid. You must only find one that permits diagonal lines too.
Or you can lay it out either as a stencil or masked with painter's tape and paint it, either with spray or by hand. Whatever works for you.
I would even go so far as to say that if you are a sole operator, as I will be, and you know where everything is, you might not even need a diagram.
At the NMRA convention in Sacramento last summer they offered a clinic on using Microsoft Excel as a drawing program. It was amazing what the guy was able to do by changing the size of individual cells in Excel. I think by making some longer and narrower, some larger, coloring some cells, you could come up with a pretty good control panel diagram.
If you have a sketch of it, I could knock it out in about 10 minutes in Corel Draw. I could send you a hi-res jpeg that you could print out.
Attached is V3 of the layout minus the five tentative industrial spurs, three spurs for the passenger station and the engine house. It's 95% to scale and in proportion to one another. All turnouts positions were confirmed by templates full scale. The 'bowl' of the hump will probably have to be 'tweaked'. The three parallel tracks on a diagonal, to the right are elevated.
Whew! That's a bit more complex than what I had in mind, but it's still doable. Are you wanting it just like that, or in sections placed around the layout?
Due to the 'height' of the plan, I decided to 'cut off' the lower right side so that it cam be moved to the open area under the hump yard left of where it is now (if that makes sense).
The 'panel' will extend a couple of inches above the table, but will be limited since the 'hump' is directly behind it. I kinda screwed up here.
Frankly, while I appreciate all the suggestions, I'm not graphic artist so a software program isn't going to happen.
I re-thought about doing this and decided to revert back to graphic tape like I did before. I have the plan to the size I want the panel. I will use 1/8" white and a sheet of 1/8" clear above that for the panel. Place the plan under the white sheet, shin a light up under it and lay the tape above the shadows from the paper plan below (assuming I can see those lines ok).