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I think it’s cool to learn 3D programs like Max and Maya in school, but think it’s kind of a waste of studio time to ‘teach’ to it after looking back a little over a year out of school.

Several reasons:

1) The more intensive the 3D program, the less time there will be allocated to thinking about design (ie fundamental design).

I would liken the…[Read more]

If I recal it correctly, 70% on a section passes. Sometimes these discussions make it seem like perfection is necessary which is not the case. When I took it at the end of the 90’s, there were more than one vignette to a section…I believe there were 5. While you could make a fatal error on one vignette, you could still pass the section.

I don’t…[Read more]

Excellent post, Pat. Like a lot of life, the LARE exam is a different experience for every candidate. As we all know, the LA field is very broad. Part artist, part engineer? For the kids who get out of school and pass it, congrats. For others its longer. Years. Licensure at this point in time is in no way supported by career opportunites.

Maybe…[Read more]

I appreciate your words of encouragement Marc. Since you have successfully passed the test and are licensed, please tell me about your experience. Did you pass all the sections on the first try? What did you do to prepare that was most helpful? What tips or tricks did you pick up that would be good to know?

After reading all the comments on this…[Read more]

UC Berkley (Walter is definitely awesome – had him in a couple of reviews) and U of MN are particularly keen on social aspects.

I went to UVA and they do a good mix of ecological design (recently thru our new chair Kristina Hill) and have had a strong social function emphasis throughout.

Chelsea, did you have any tutoring on how to use them, or did you just picked it up/figured it out while working on a project?

@UVA the school transitioned from Form Z to Maya to Rhino while I was there. SketchUp was introduced along with AutoCAD and Rhino early in the program to give students a variety of tools to work from (Microstation was also req’d earlier). SketchUp is free and Rhino’s educational copy was $99 for us, so relatively affordable (considering prices of…[Read more]

I am in my 3rd year in the MLA program at UT Austin and we use both 3D Max and Rhino in our studios.

This is a profession filled with a lot of soft lines. If paying for the review gives and opportunity for your test to be rescored and increases the possibility of success, then by all means invest in it. Don’t take the score as gospel and look to any avenue you can to pass. Once it is finished, no one will ever care how it was accomplished.

PS.…[Read more]

I have never heard of these programs. Just remember that not all places hiring LA’s do all of the fancy modeling. We have 7 LA’s in my office(municipal work) and we almost never 3d model. We frankly don’t have the time to invest in it or the money to purchase it. In our world a strong knowledge of the standards, ACAD, GIS And ADOBE products, is a…[Read more]

Microstation. Ugh. I had to learn that at an engineering firm. Hated it. Any program designed by and for road engineers, is just not a good fit for me!

I agree with you Frank. If it were a fair and accurate test of abilities that produced consistent results, fine. But I think it’s completely arbitrary the way it’s graded, and the only way you can challenge your failing score is if you pay an extra $230 to see your failed exam. I have friends who received an initial failing score, and then paid…[Read more]

with all of these…is it practical to plant plugs vs. hydro seeding? I am interested in planting swathes of different grasses.

As part of your hydro seeding, I would recommend a bonded fiber matrix- See the Profile Products website-either of their Flexterra products should work

The problem is, if a test is hard because the questions are difficult, thats one thing. If the questions are hard because you might make what they deem to be an error, but no practicing person would, and you have no way to find out other than by paying them, thats where it enters the realm of BS. If there is only one correct way to grade it, fine.…[Read more]

Agreed. If we lower the standards to be a Landscape Architect, should we also lower them for our structural engineers, doctors and architects? If we want respect and to be professional, we need to earn it. This test is the minimum standard to do this. CLARB is not out to get you or make huge profits from you. They are just the guys in the black…[Read more]

You saw recent job postings? Did you see these open job postings while pigs were flying and hell was freezing over? I have not seen viable job postings in this industry for months.
As far as 3d is concerned, it is not taught in school because instructors don’t know how to use it or teach it. Most don’t even know Autocad. From what I have seen in…[Read more]

In working on reclaimation projects in my undergrad, I know Coconut fiber matting is a popular choice, as it will hold the soil, let grasses etc grow through it, and break down and fertilize the soil in the long run.

Jebus, I hope someone fixes this BS before I have to take this test.

I understand you can’t have everyone pass or it doesn’t maintain the appearance of a qualifying exam, but really? Charging to see what you did wrong? If its not “hard enough” to pass a test where you see what is wrong after failing, they need to make new questions, not…[Read more]

I TA’ed an undergrad course in Computer Tech, and most of the 3D time was spent on SketchUp, as that seems like the hands-down industry leader when it comes to ease of use and quick turn around.

When I was in undergrad I took a computer graphics course at Iowa State that involved Form-Z, and I taught myself 3DS Max, and am starting to teach…[Read more]