Forum

Replies

• 

  Harsha Desai March 5, 2012 at 6:12pm

  Susan, 

  I use Autocad as it works with Microsoft which is good for me then use the PDF into Photoshop for rendering, but if you have a Mac then Vectorworks will be good plus is does have graphics that can be used well for planting plans etc.

  hope this helps.
• 

  Susan Oscroft March 5, 2012 at 8:02pm

  Thanks Harsha,

  I will have a look at Autocad costs.

  
  
  Harsha Desai said:

  Susan, 

  I use Autocad as it works with Microsoft which is good for me then use the PDF into Photoshop for rendering, but if you have a Mac then Vectorworks will be good plus is does have graphics that can be used well for planting plans etc.

  hope this helps.
• 

  Tanya Batkin March 5, 2012 at 8:32pm

  I used Vectorworks as a student and loved it, however now my student licence has expired the costs involved for a small business are prohibitive. Like Gaynor I also use Sketchup which is a more sophisticated piece of software than people realise. The only downside to Sketchup that I have found is that you cannot set a scale as you would with a 2D drawing. 
• PRO

  Gary RK March 5, 2012 at 8:43pm

  Look here :

  http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/group/usersofgooglesketchupfor...

  Tanya, have  a look at David's Post esp point 1.9.

  http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/forum/topics/quick-method-of-p...

  I've followed it, and others, in detail as it interested me as I'm going thru same pain threshold.

  Do a forum search for David's other posts - there are a goldmine
• 

  Tanya Batkin March 5, 2012 at 9:08pm

  So far I have trawled tinternet and youtube for that, where did you find info on setting a scale?
  
  Gaynor @ www.witchardgardens.com said:

  I can...but I need to use my 'idiot' list as it's fiddly

  
  
  Tanya Batkin said:

  I used Vectorworks as a student and loved it, however now my student licence has expired the costs involved for a small business are prohibitive. Like Gaynor I also use Sketchup which is a more sophisticated piece of software than people realise. The only downside to Sketchup that I have found is that you cannot set a scale as you would with a 2D drawing. 
• PRO

  Gary RK March 5, 2012 at 9:21pm

  See my post above :-)
• 

  David Beasley Garden Design March 5, 2012 at 9:44pm

  Hi Susan

  I've not myself ever used Vectorworks as when I was at College, drawings were still done on the walls of caves, nevermind on freely distributed student copies of Vectorworks.

  Asking the question what is the "best" programme for 2D plans is one that is not easily answered.

  The best and easiest 3D program for landscape plans is an easier answer - Google SketchUp 8.

  Instead of learning a complicated 2D CAD program over several years like I did (AutoCAD), you could be knocking out 3D visuals, animations and renders of your designs in SketchUp within a couple of months practice. The beauty of this approach is that you can turn "the perspective" off at anytime to produce 2D elevations, cross-sections and plans. Also (cue drum-roll), If you upgrade to SketchUp Pro, you get another program called "Layout" which is a 2D graphics program which allows you to import your SketchUp models, annotate them, add dimensions, tree graphics etc. and PRINT THEM TO SCALE easily (far easier than 2D CAD programs).

  Ideally though, you should definately look at learning to use AutoCAD which is still the industry standard for other related industries such as architecture and civil engineering etc (SketchUp is fast becoming the standard for 3D by the way!). No matter where you live in the UK, you will find a local college running an AFFORDABLE AutoCAD course.

  The downfall is that AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT still costs an absolute fortune to purchase, however you can FREELY download AutoCAD clones such as DoubleCAD XT and DraftSite and use them for commercial work. Alternatively, AutoCAD now offer a free APP called AutoCAD WS (google chrome app store) which allows you to open and manipulate AutoCAD .drg and .dxf files.

  Using SketchUp Pro together with an AutoCAD based program is the best way to go as you can produce awkwardly shaped base-plans from surveys in AutoCAD and import them in to SketchUp for 3D work.

  The main downfall with all CAD software I know of is Planting Plans! None of them that I know off/have used produce "grown up" graphics for planting plans based on the standard linetypes and hatches that have been used by landscape architects for decades (and understood by contractors) i.e. --v----v--- or ---u---u-- for shrub bed areas etc. They all seem to think that showing individual plants designated by a symbol is better for some reason and this really annoys me as I think traditional planting plans look a million times better. However, I may have been forced in to a corner on this one and have to concede to the "new" method :-(

  Gary R.K. - will this do? ;-)
• PRO

  Gary RK March 5, 2012 at 9:47pm

  Another top notch reply David :-)
• 

  Benedict Green March 6, 2012 at 9:55am

  What David said. Good advice and best of all its free and legal, unless you go for SketchUp Pro which is only £300 last time I looked. I used the DoubleCAD/SketchUp method for 2D/3D to good effect for a couple of years. The free SketchUp 8 doesn't allow importing of .dwg's (AutoCAD and industry common format for CAD files) so you need an older version or go for SketchUp Pro.
  I produced these images using the above method and a bit of Photoshop... 
  http://www.greengardendesign.com/images/gallery/public-garden.jpg
  http://www.greengardendesign.com/images/gallery/london-garden-image... 

  However, I have now switched to Vectorworks because the designers and landscapers I freelance for use it and it was becoming a nightmare switching between the two and converting files all the time.
  I still use SketchUp for 3D work though which might not be the most efficient workflow, but I currently find it easier to work with than VW's 3D system.
  Where Vectorworks has an advantage is with plant plans.  You can create your own symbols and display them in many ways, for instance you can just show an outline 'cloud' for a mass of the same species. Best of all you can generate plant schedules very easily from your drawings, with plant numbers totted up. I used to spend hours counting circles on schemes with several thousand plants.

  For purely 2D work and small plant plans then any CAD program will do really (but personally I'd only use sketchUp for 3D). They all have a fairly steep learning curve so time is often the biggest investment.
• 

  Susan Oscroft March 6, 2012 at 10:35am

  Dear Gary,

  Lots to think about, thanks so much.

  Sue
  
  a design and build company said:

  Hi Susan

  I've not myself ever used Vectorworks as when I was at College, drawings were still done on the walls of caves, nevermind on freely distributed student copies of Vectorworks.

  Asking the question what is the "best" programme for 2D plans is one that is not easily answered.

  The best and easiest 3D program for landscape plans is an easier answer - Google SketchUp 8.

  Instead of learning a complicated 2D CAD program over several years like I did (AutoCAD), you could be knocking out 3D visuals, animations and renders of your designs in SketchUp within a couple of months practice. The beauty of this approach is that you can turn "the perspective" off at anytime to produce 2D elevations, cross-sections and plans. Also (cue drum-roll), If you upgrade to SketchUp Pro, you get another program called "Layout" which is a 2D graphics program which allows you to import your SketchUp models, annotate them, add dimensions, tree graphics etc. and PRINT THEM TO SCALE easily (far easier than 2D CAD programs).

  Ideally though, you should definately look at learning to use AutoCAD which is still the industry standard for other related industries such as architecture and civil engineering etc (SketchUp is fast becoming the standard for 3D by the way!). No matter where you live in the UK, you will find a local college running an AFFORDABLE AutoCAD course.

  The downfall is that AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT still costs an absolute fortune to purchase, however you can FREELY download AutoCAD clones such as DoubleCAD XT and DraftSite and use them for commercial work. Alternatively, AutoCAD now offer a free APP called AutoCAD WS (google chrome app store) which allows you to open and manipulate AutoCAD .drg and .dxf files.

  Using SketchUp Pro together with an AutoCAD based program is the best way to go as you can produce awkwardly shaped base-plans from surveys in AutoCAD and import them in to SketchUp for 3D work.

  The main downfall with all CAD software I know of is Planting Plans! None of them that I know off/have used produce "grown up" graphics for planting plans based on the standard linetypes and hatches that have been used by landscape architects for decades (and understood by contractors) i.e. --v----v--- or ---u---u-- for shrub bed areas etc. They all seem to think that showing individual plants designated by a symbol is better for some reason and this really annoys me as I think traditional planting plans look a million times better. However, I may have been forced in to a corner on this one and have to concede to the "new" method :-(

  Gary R.K. - will this do? ;-)