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Personally I don't think you can go far wrong with Sketchup.
I bought "Sketchup for Dummies" which was a great help. There are many online tutorials on youtube and also an extensive knowledge centre which can be found in the help menu.
It's a very versatile program and you can create your own textures and fills from images etc.
There is a similar program called Vector works but I believe it is quite expensive especially as sketchup is free.
Hi Mark, Many thanks for your advice! I think I will give it a try, Especially as its free so I guess I cant go wrong!
Hi Nicola,Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! That's great advice and I am going to download it this afternoon. Like you say, with a little time and patience I should eventually put together something to a reasonable standard. Although perhaps if it doesn't look too good, the actual end result when finishing the garden should be more impressive!!!
Where do you get your tutorials from if you don't mind me asking!?
Simon
There's a series of tutorials on Sketchup's website which takes you through all the key tools. I used those, and various odds and ends from YouTube. I find it intuitive enough to enjoy experimenting with designs in the early stages - it's good fun manipulating the space in 3D :)
Nic
hi simon dont knwo if any good or how in depth you want the programmes to be but i sent you a link for a design programme i use, i would say that i only use it for quote purposes so client can see plans. but its free and simple to use
I have used Sketchup for several years and would never go back to hand drawing. Just upgraded to 2017 Pro and (combined with Shaderlight render package) results are exceptional. Use You Tube for tutorials - although many on earlier versions of Sketchup they are still generally relevant. To start I would advise using your own hand drawn plans and converting them into Sketchup format.
When evaluated and you want to go further then the Pro verson, with Layout, makes drawing presentation so professional
Hi Mike.
Is shaderlight easy to use and have you tried any other rendering plug-ins. I've only used visualizer with sketchup with mixed results but it was simple to use, just press start and wait for render to complete. This plug-in I believe has been discontinued, so looking for a new render plug-in which does not require too much involvement.
Cheers
Mark
When I first started rendering my designs, purely as an additional presentation tool I tried several different programs. Many were complicated and not particularly user friendly; my parameters were ease of use and Sketchup compatibility. So, although on a not very scientific basis, I 'played' further with Thea, Brighter3D and Shaderlight. You- Tube videos of most options exist but I was particularly impressed by 'Shaderlight for SketchUp demonstration of features' uploaded to You Tube on 1/2/2011. Take a look,
I think that a free trial version of Shaderlight is still available. I got this first but have since upgraded to the Pro version. Easy to use, good effects, few problems. Cloud rendering also available, I believe.
'Rendering for Sketchup' book by Daniel Tal encompasses rendering in Vray, SU Podium but predominantly covers Shaderlight rendering that seems to reinforce my impressions.
Renders on my page (photographs on pages 1 and 4) are done in Shaderlight. I use low resolution and quick render times for general use but Pro version gives HD options; this can take time and slow computer down however.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Mike. Looks good, some impressive work on those pages.
I think that low resolution works better than photoreal. It's just enough to soften the hard edges of sketchup whilst retaining a design appearance.