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I use Photoshop for renderings. Here are my two cents that might save you some time.

1. Save your working file with the .psd extension. Creating the .pdf extension directly from within Photoshop is unstable on larger projects, leading to errors, data loss, huge file sizes and overall anarchy.
2. Confirm that you really need 300 dpi, especially if you…

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I did try my luck on Elance for a couple of months to check it out, and my conclusion is that the competition bring the prices down so low that it’s not worth investing more time into it. (May be others have a different experience, should be an interesting topic for another thread…) So well, Elance is a buyers market. If clients believe they…[Read more]

Yes. I forgot about that. The client posts the job and anyone can provide a proposal. My experience was that the other people proposing were off the mark as far as what the job entailed and what kind of experience it required…
You are probably right to avoid it if this is key to getting a future job. Not to change the subject, but its looks like…[Read more]

Hmmm, just what I thought, thanks for putting me back on track 🙂

Why not require that they give you a panda?

I was thinking about something ‘off the tracks’, let’s call it thinking ‘out of the box’ ! 

-> This job they want me to freelance is a planting design test to check my skills prior to hiring me (or so they say). So well, if it works, I’m thinking that I will have to fly there to go for a final interview, check their office, find accommodation…[Read more]

Thnak you both both dearly for your advice, keep it coming ! 🙂
@Rob :
Thank you for describing the regular process, though I must admit I don’t like too much what I hear (waiting for months ; 17% 🙁 ). I asked my prospective client if they have experience and to tell me how they proceed, while I contacted my friends in China and asked for…[Read more]

You could try Elance.
I used it for a couple of projects with a somewhat shifty client and it worked pretty well. It was only in the States, but there are tons of freelancers and jobs posted there from all over the world. Its kind of a pain to set up, but the client is required to have at least a portion of the project funds in an escrow. The…[Read more]

Sorry all, I know I’m opening a can of worms here, but — J Robert, we get it.  You despise computers and their software and constantly argue that “real LAs use pens and hand draw everything” — but it’s not true.  Saying that simply dismisses everyone’s abilities, training, insight, knowledge, etc. just because they work on a computer.  It’s ok…[Read more]

Aside from the client’s intention to pay or speed of payment, there are legal roadblocks to slow down their payment and even to take fees out. In short, unlike a client in Europe, the Chinese cannot simply do a wire transfer even if they want to.
The projects I have worked on in China include a local Chinese licensed office that is part of an…[Read more]

Sketchup warehouse has got plenty of sketchup models plants. I am surprised your company doesn’t already have such libraries. May be a bonus service you can offer ?

A new industry is going to be amateur hour a while. There are multiple perspectives going into it and multiple perspectives on executing. As time moves forward the benefits and consequences for each perspective will play out. So will the scrutiny and criticism. All of that will shape practices on assembling design teams, values, construction, and…[Read more]

Bruce, look closer at the Vizterra info, that’s a $95 per month software license.  You don’t actually buy their software, just “rent” the license.
We use their Pool Studio on every project (high-end residential), and I export the “bones” of the project into CAD LT for 2D drawings.  Their control of slopes & terrain is pretty poor, though it’s e…[Read more]

Landform: Rhino (precision and fine surface modeling)
Massing sketches: SketchUp / Rhino / Vectorworks
Documentation: AutoCAD (Landf/x) / Vectorworks / MicroStation
Diagramming: Illustrator / Photoshop
Renderings: any render engine on SketchUp/Rhino + Photoshop
Animation: 3DMax / Maya
High level of competency is recommended to use these as real…[Read more]

well, and academia wants their students to get checks, so they get endowment checks and so on.

Very true, though in my experience the restoration firms tended to be heavy on ecologists (is the science not there? or the methods of analysis?).  
I would also point out the reverse is true as well – they published recommendations for green infrastructure that sorely lacks systemic understanding of hydraulic engineering and campus design.

Wetlands develop in the natural environment because of what’s around them and beneath the surface. It’s the relationship of several meters of various soils, geology and the hydrology of a greater drainage system. The problem with “designed” wetlands is that we decide it would be nice to have a wetland somewhere and none of the bigger picture is…[Read more]

“Looking for a best architectural/landscape design software for creating large-scale environments”
The answer does not match the question.

123rf.com search “isolated trees”  they are really nice – around $3~$4/image
I’d cut out the ones you want though.

thanks for all the answers guys 🙂 I appreciate it!!!
Well, after googling a few different software programs I thinking about going with Vizterra http://www.structurestudios.com/website/software/vizterra/ , unless someone can give some good reviews on something different that is around the same price. I like the Photo view…you can take pic’s of…[Read more]