even after using XTrackCAD for years, I still need to peek at the help file to 'remember' how to do some rather common tasks such as joining tracks and moving things between layers. I don't' think the tools are as intuitive as 3rd PlanIt's were. XTrackCAD is FREE and it will let you plan just about anything. I think for a professional track planner, the customer would have a clearer understanding of what the layout will actually look like from the 3-D views that 3rd PlanIt can provide. Learning curve was not too bad, and pretty much intuitive in my opinion. 3rd PlanIt was very good 3-D views were neat and running trains in 3-D was cool, even if a bit clunky for better resolutions and larger layouts. and then the developer had some VERY serious issues, and I learned that a one-man software program is just an invitation for problems/disaster.
