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I agree with the others, start with quality components (with good detail) and textures. My blog may have some ideas for where to find these at http://sketchupland.posterous.com/ If there is something specific I can answer, let me know. I will have some upcoming articles about depth of field and other tricks that can increase the quality of a model…[Read more]

It’s lack of realism is my primary issue with it. 
It is best to mass a model, then like dave said, do the heavy graphic lifting in photoshop…

I am learning a Vue architectural package with the sketchup import plugin.  The Vue interface is tough and the options for every element are limitless.  It is a steep curve to get usable images.  Rendering an image is also a consideration because you need hours to develop a few images for printing.  The plants and materials and ecosystems and ski…[Read more]

If you want photorealism with Sketchup you need to start with high quality textures and components. Then you need to take your model into some sort of rendering program. There are lots to choose from, from free to fairly expensive. To a large degree you get what you pay for, although I have had success with some of the less expensive options. I…[Read more]

Consider a convex surface for drainage and keeping the fire breaking apart for extra oxygen supply. Slightly more wood would be needed for the session however.

There was a discussion about this in the Sketchup group a while back.

In 1997 I did my senior project with ArcInfo (unix). It was the analysis of an actual proposed zoning ordinance that was being developed in Latah County, Idaho. The proposal was to use soil types, areas of comparatively higher existing infrastructure, and existing lot size. It was a pretty advanced idea for preserving agricultural and timber land…[Read more]

I’ll be using GIS quite a bit for my thesis. My project is at the city scale, and I think it can be very useful at that scale, assuming the data is accurate. But I had to get a new computer just to run the software. I tried loading the newest version onto my old computer, but it just couldn’t handle it. I got most of my data for free, but some of…[Read more]

“Way back” in the 1990s, at the Ohio State University, we used GIS to help make the best choice from available land for our class projects…not much different than would occur in the real world, but the progression of its use really didn’t start migrating to smaller scale land planning usage until the last few years. As you see LEED and…[Read more]

When it comes to vegetation, I can’t recommend ANY 3D program (except maybe the Vue xStream or Onyx plug-ins for 3D Studio Max) and would suggest handling your plants in Photoshop. Plants are so complex that they take forever to render. Just be sure to match your plant materials to the lighting scheme of the image and to vary the size and…[Read more]

Hey Maui, they apparently had one live goat delivered every week..So don’t forget the abbatoir, or whatever Muslims need to slaughter a goat!

Hi! I was wondering the same thing. Does anyone have any resources they’d like to share? Thanks!! 🙂

That is what I suggested in my earlier comment to hire a landscape architect/designer. A simple pool, turf, gazebo, patio chairs, flowering shrubs and palm trees could’ve soften up the place and maybe make the CIA pass on it as a terrorist compound. The place was screaming “Mister Terrorist” lives here.
Depends on comparison. It was luxurious due…[Read more]

I do regional level landscape planning and analysis and I find a medium level of GIS expertise to be extremely useful, even when I work at smaller scales (for me 1000 acres is small).  We have an entire GIS department that can tackle the high-end stuff and data management so I could get by ok without being adept with ArcGIS but it is usually…[Read more]

This is where those with planning degrees wound up from my generation, doing GIS data entry in a municipal planning office. Mostly converting paper records to digital. The actual planning was done by architects and landscape architects brought in as consultants.

Sure, I’ve been to  Vegas, and out into the desert (in August, no less). Thats kind of the point of the joke, you have to force stuff to grow there well. And the post I was replying to was that the compound OBL was hiding in had horrid landscape. They invested money in the 15′ high wall with concertina wire rather than a lawn and palm trees. If yo…[Read more]

I agree 100%. The County employs GIS technicians and I consult with them on regular basis for the heavy duty data work. I use it (ArcView) occasionally for land use exhibits and analysis. In the last 3 years, while jobs for landscape design have dried up, I’ve seen several steady flows of open GIS positions in the public sector.

At my school (ISU) we are required to take one studio that focuses on design using GIS.  The first project we did was taking a site in the City of Ames and converting it to a habitat for a certain species of animal.  We used GIS to look at soil conditions, slope, etc.  The second project we had to design a community of 400 single family homes, ag…[Read more]