 Extra Crispy  | 19 Jun 2023 9:08 a.m. PST |
I have an idea for a racing game but I need to draw curved pieces for the track. The track will be (I think) 6" wide. Straights are easy of course. What I need help with is curves. Ideally I want 9 identical curves to form a U so each would have an arc of 20 degrees, if my math is correct. I'm going to try the pencil with string method but if anyone has a better idea, especially how to get one digitally, that would be fantastic. I'm pretty naff at graphics programs…. |
| 14Bore | 19 Jun 2023 9:14 a.m. PST |
In laying out walls we would find center , tack a unstretchable string or a piece of wood. Connect pencil or a hole in wood and swing the line from point to point |
| JimDuncanUK | 19 Jun 2023 9:23 a.m. PST |
In days gone by I would draw a race track using a vector drawing program like CorelDraw and then print on an A0 plotter. |
 Parzival  | 19 Jun 2023 10:31 a.m. PST |
On any computer/tablet application capable of creating geometric shapes: 1. Draw a rectangle the width of one side of the track.
2. Duplicate this rectangle.
3. Space the two rectangles at a distance equal to the width of any median between two parallel sections of track.
4. Select the circle drawing tool. (Most draw a circle from a point selected as the "corner" of an imaginary square the circle would fill, so that the diameter of the circle would touch the square on opposite sides.)
5. Place the crosshairs of the circle tool on an outside corner of one of the rectangles.
6. Click and drag to make a circle reaching from that outside corner to the opposite outside corner of the other, parallel rectangle.
7. Do the same for the inner corners of the two rectangles.
8. Voila, you have now created the U turn curve for the end of your track.
9. Print and cut as desired. (Most printers can effectively "tile" your drawing, if your track is too wide for a standard piece of paper. If so, trim with a good, rotary or sliding paper cutter (NOT a lever cutter!) or a pair of scissors and tape together. No math necessary. |
| JimDuncanUK | 19 Jun 2023 11:32 a.m. PST |
Have just realised that you mean an 'oval' racing track which is a simple task with a pencil and a piece of string. My tracks were for Formula One with both left and right turns and also of varying radii and angles and widths. |
| jfleisher | 19 Jun 2023 11:40 a.m. PST |
There are free software applications available for drawing slot car tracks, should be exactly what you are looking for… link
uracerweb.org
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| Oberlindes Sol LIC | 19 Jun 2023 6:50 p.m. PST |
My wife was an architect earlier in life, and among her analog drawing tools are a bunch of French curve templates and a sort of flexible straight edge that can be bent into a curve that it will keep so you can copy the same curve over and over. So finding those tools might help you. |
| GildasFacit | 20 Jun 2023 1:46 a.m. PST |
What diameter do you want the semicircles ? It will take 10 mins to draw these but I need sizes. I'll do it in CorelDraw but can send it you as a PDF. Any use ? |
| Extra Crispy | 20 Jun 2023 6:48 a.m. PST |
The trick is not just the semi-circle. I need the semi circle cut into 9 equal parts. At the start of the game the part is face down. During the game it gets flipped to reveal whether it is clear terrain, broken, contains water etc. I can do the semi circle and parts manually it's making them digitally that is proving complicated…. |
| DyeHard | 20 Jun 2023 8:06 a.m. PST |
Just looked for a free and simple way. "Donut chart" might be the quick trick, I did one with 18 elements making two of your "U turns" (180 degrees each) so that eack "U" has nine sections of the same size. The size can be changed by entering different values into the data table. Do not know if this link will take to to the one I built but try:
link I just picked one a random, it was Canva.com |
| Extra Crispy | 20 Jun 2023 11:18 a.m. PST |
Cool – I'll save that for further reference…. |
