August 2009 Blog Posts (15)

SketchUp, Scope and Budget

In my previous blog, I wrote about SketchUp and Landscape Architecture. Today's blog focuses on how SketchUp is an econmical tool for landscape architects.

Design professions have changed a great deal with the advent and use of computers. From hand drafting we now have CAD drafting. Hand rendering has been replaced with Photoshop illustratives. Instead of pen and marker perspectives, we use… Continue

Added by Daniel Tal on August 29, 2009 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

Tuesday Tutorial: Now in 3D!

Now that you have a completed CAD base map, with all of the elevation edits needed, you have just one final step before you can Import your design into SketchUp. If you used a construction line hidden layer, turn it on, and every other layer off. Then delete all information off of the trace layer, and delete the trace layer itself. The main reason to do this is because when CAD files are imported into SketchUp, if a line exists in the same spot on two different layers, the line will be assigned… Continue

Added by Frank Varro on August 25, 2009 at 7:30pm — No Comments

LARE Sec E - Grading

To those who didn't pass it in June, any comments as to why? and what are you planning to do not resolve it.

Thanks

Added by Jim Del Carpio on August 21, 2009 at 7:15am — No Comments

Thesis Help

I'm currently on my fourth year taking up my thesis. Gaaah. I can't think of a new concept or a new body of knowledge that would be interesting at the same time related to my topic. waaah.

Added by Meryll Mallari on August 21, 2009 at 1:03am — No Comments

Licensed!!

Passed the final section I needed to get my license. Now just more paperwork and more money to actually get it in hand!

Added by Adam McGovern on August 20, 2009 at 12:00pm — 5 Comments

Tuesday Tutorial: Building Your Base

When you start your 3D model, you start with a cad base, just like you have for your plan graphics and for your Bid Set. However, there are some tweaks that need to be made, and things you have to pay more attention to then normal. In this tutorial I'm going to take you up to the point of bringing your model into SketchUp. Next time we will get into tweaking topo and base modeling, and then after that, the fine modeling level, and adding plants. But for now, we are focusing on the base, as… Continue

Added by Frank Varro on August 19, 2009 at 10:10pm — No Comments

SketchUp and Landscape Architecture

I will always remember the first time I saw SketchUp. A colleague brought a promotional video to the office by a company called @Last Software. The short video demonstrated how to create a simple square, extrude it into 3D and add a roof to make a house. Then, just like that, the video added windows and doors and some funky looking trees around the little 3D home.

It took me all of 10 minutes to download SketchUp version 3 (we are now on version 7) and run through the accompanying… Continue

Added by Daniel Tal on August 19, 2009 at 6:00pm — 23 Comments

First Ever Landscaping Institute Opens in Sri Lanka

The doors of the Sri Lanka Institute of Landscape Architecture finally opened on ~~Thursday~~ "the 24th of July 2009 and it was the ceremonial inauguration that was had on the 13th at Waters Edge", after the Institute of Landscape Architects Bill was approved back in May. The Sri Lanka Institute of Landscape Architecture (SLILA) is operating as an independant institute to serve the students who… Continue

Added by Land8 on August 15, 2009 at 8:30am — 2 Comments

Earth Architecture

Ronald Rael is an Architect, Author and Assistant Professor of Architecture at The University of California, Berkeley. He is the founder of EarthArchitecture.org, a clearing house of information on the subject. In his book titled,… Continue

Added by Andrew Spiering on August 14, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Tuesday Tutorial Primer: So you want a 3D model...

The first thing you have to figure out when you want to make a 3D model for a rendering is if you really want a 3D model rendering. This decision is similar to the question of if you want a hand rendered plan or a Photoshop plan. There are of course aesthetic reasons involved. Both can work extremely well, and look amazing, but by understanding your client, your design, and the look you will get from either method of rendering you can make the choice of which is best for you on a given… Continue

Added by Frank Varro on August 11, 2009 at 9:40pm — 3 Comments

Stirling Prize Shortlists Masterplan for First Time

BDP’s masterplan for Liverpool One has been nominated for the 2009 RIBA Stirling Prize.

Via LandscapeJournal

"The Stirling Prize…

Continue

Added by Andrew Spiering on August 5, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Next week on Design + Tech...

Next week the Tuesday Tutorial will return from its 3 week vacation with theme projects. Next week, I'm starting on 3D visualization tutorials as I build the framework my new Flash based website. That way you get to see a project I'm working on from start to finish over a few weeks, and then you get to see the real thing up and running, which I think will be a nice change. Let me know if you have any issues in particular that you've had trouble with when doing landscape renderings, and I'll be… Continue

Added by Frank Varro on August 5, 2009 at 6:45am — No Comments

Video Games and the creative professional

I can admit it, I'm part of the relatively new demographic of video game players. I'm in my late 20's, I have buying power (until the economy went berserk), and I own a PlayStation3 and a Wii, and every home Nintendo console since the original NES. I enjoy games ranging from Gran Turismo (a racing simulator), to Burnout Paradise (a crashing simulator), and from LittleBigPlanet (an adorable platformer about small stuffed sack-people with stickers) to Grand Theft Auto 4 (a game where you try to… Continue

Added by Frank Varro on August 4, 2009 at 10:01pm — No Comments

Interview with Andrea Orellana

Andrea Orellana is a landscape designer who, as she says, “swims against the stream”. She has a Bachelor of Science and Environmental Studies from the Central University of Chile. Andrea is the founder of Paisajismo Interior, a corporate website that has evolved into a diffusion and transmission website of landscape architecture and environmental topics. The website involves the contributors’ work and is based in Chile.… Continue

Added by Jessica Wolff on August 3, 2009 at 9:00am — 2 Comments

One Biofuel to Rule Them All

We found this on our sponsor's blog, Committoblue.com, and thought it is a valuable read...

"Ethanol is gathering ire. While many farmers and connected politicians are still supporters of the corn/grain-based biofuels, the facts are coming to light: It's simply another… Continue

Added by Land8 on August 1, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments