Troubleshooting
Laying track
A piece will not join
Gauge Buddy refuses a joint it cannot make exactly, and says why.
| Message is about | Try |
|---|---|
| The piece needing to be turned | Rotate with [ / ], or mirror with M, then bring it close again. |
| Gauge | The two pieces are for different gauges and cannot be joined. Check the scale filter in the catalogue. |
| Scale | Turn on Allow track from other scales in the Layout tab of the inspector, if you mean to mix. |
If nothing is offered at all, check that the Track layer is visible and unlocked in the layer list, and that you are close enough to a free connector. A connector that is already joined will not accept another piece.
A piece keeps snapping where I do not want it
Hold ⌘ while dragging to ignore snapping for that drag.
My circuit does not quite close
Open the issues list. A Misaligned connection shows where two ends nearly meet.
- Sectional track only closes with the right combination of pieces. A gap of a millimetre or so often means one piece is from a slightly different length, such as a double straight in place of two standard ones.
- Some real track systems carry small compromises. The system report for a library shows them.
- A short length of flexible track is the usual way to make up an awkward gap, on the plan as on the bench.
I cannot select something
It is probably on a hidden or locked layer. Open the layer list and check the eye and padlock.
If it belongs to a group with a member on a hidden or locked layer, the whole group cannot be selected until that layer is shown and unlocked.
I cannot change one object in a group
Selecting any member selects the group. Choose Layout → Ungroup Objects (⇧⌘G) first.
The view
I have lost the layout
Press ⌘0 to fit the whole layout in the window.
Zoom to Fit leaves the layout off-centre
Hold Space and drag to move the view where you want it. Opening or closing the issues list changes the size of the canvas, so fit again afterwards.
A menu command is greyed out
Many commands need a layout window to be active, and some need a selection. Click in the layout window and try again. Flex Construction needs a flexible run; Group Objects needs more than one object selected.
Issues list
It says an endpoint is not connected, but that is the end of my siding
That is a note, not a warning. Open ends are reported so that an accidental one is not missed. You can leave it.
It reports scenery on the track, but that is a bridge
Select the object and set Ground to Spans over it in the inspector. See Scenery.
It says a track library is missing
The layout uses a library that is not on this Mac. Choose Libraries → Libraries in This Document… and click Import the missing library…. If the layout came from someone else, ask them to embed the library and send the file again.
The status line says "Checking…" for a long time
Large layouts are checked in the background. You can keep working. Exports wait until the check has finished.
Printing
The printed plan is the wrong size
- In the printer dialog, make sure the scale is 100% and any Fit to page, Scale to fit or Shrink option is off.
- Use the same paper size and orientation as in the Print Layout sheet.
- Measure the 100 mm calibration bar. If it is still out, enter the measured length in Measured 100 mm bar and print again.
The edges of each page are cut off
Your printer cannot print to the edge of the paper. Increase Margin in the Print Layout sheet.
There are far too many pages
Try Landscape, larger paper, a smaller Overlap, or untick layers you do not need. For an overview, choose Fit to one page. A plan that needs more than 400 tiles cannot be printed at full size.
The preview never appears
A plan with many tiles takes time to prepare. If it does not appear, reduce the number of tiles as above.
Exporting
PNG export says the image exceeds the size or memory budget
Choose a lower Resolution, or export SVG or PDF, which have no size limit.
Part of my layout is missing from the export
Check Crop to the baseboard (turn it off to include the room), whether the layer is hidden, and for reference images, Include reference underlays.
Opening layouts
A layout opens with a list of warnings
The file was readable but something needed attention, most often a track library. Read the list; you can see it again from Layout → Document Opening Warnings….
A layout will not open
- Made by a newer version: update Gauge Buddy from the App Store.
- Damaged: Gauge Buddy says what it found and does not change the file. Restore an earlier copy from Time Machine or your backup.
If neither applies, contact support and attach the file.