To Trace or Ray Trace-Are we helped or handcuffed by technology?

[George Boone]

Well, Im studying landscape architecture at UK. My class had the opportunity to visit a landscape architect firm in NYC. We visited the office of Thomas Balsley. I can tell you that he could not stress the importance of being able to communicate design ideas effectively using hand drawn media. Being able to show design intent to others in a firm on the spot was an important component of the process for this firm. Balsley also said before hiring someone he had them draw a straight line on piece of paper!

[Al Amador]

Yes, we do and used it every day. Sketching and hand drawing will never be completely out , the new technologies only enhance the way we communicate our ideas to a media hungry generation. Drawing is essential in the design process from the master planning and concept development to the minutest detail.

The jobs are coming back, and the confidence of developers and owners are increasingly getting better. Many opportunities and possibilities, like “going green,” is doing wonders to all facets of our industry, reigniting a new wave of projects. I know that most of the work is out of the country, but hang in there.

[Donal Oldaker]

Here is my two cents. As my studio counts down the weeks till we are thrown into the real world, we are all asking each other what style do we want to learn to represent our ideas. One student is a master of trace and color pencils – the professor told her she is old fashion. Another student is experimenting with V-ray and Sketch up – and another professor can not even open up Sketch up.
We are all discussing with each other what to do? What should we learn? What steps should be taken to finish our projects before deadline? The current system of education just assume you will teach yourself. This is why we have these discussions.
The bottom line is that we the students are running wild with experiments with our technology in school because we are not getting paid and we do not have to conform to a client – yet. Honestly, most of us will not even be able to play with half of the software when we graduate. It is just to plain expensive to buy.
What is important is that we are experimenting ! Any art form ( and landscape architecture is an art ) needs to stay fresh to connect with current generation , keep the interest of past generation, and inspire the future generation.
Hand drawing will always be the best way to express an idea in the present moment. It is the language needed to talk / draw our design out to others, but technology allows us to document our designs into the future as inspiration. Our educators need to be knowledgeable or at least make a stand to a style and technique and let the student rebel against that style to create something new.

[Ryan C. Deane]

Sounds like an angry old GIANTS fan to me!

[Donal Oldaker]

Great advice!

Thank you

[Steve Mercer]

Cost to Upgrade my version of BricsCAD $190.00 per station… any questions?

If you need to make a lot of changes it may cost you $165.00 in erasers!

LOL!

just kidding.

s.

[Steve Mercer]

It is the number on selling Autocad clone. all the comands are identical to Autocad commands… if you know AutoCAD you know BricsCAD you can run Autolisp programs for autocad inside Bricscad. Save in .dwg file format. Why do you think AutoDesk is talking up Civil3D and Revit? They would love to get you to move into those programs because they have no competition there. For the price that BricsCAD is selling for, you can afford to put up with some minor quirks. By one seat of AutoCAD for absolute compatibility with other firms and out fit the rest of your shop with BricsCAD and take a free trip to Hawaii every year for what you will save in upgrade expenses from AutoDesk!

s

[Ryan C. Deane]

Everyone has put out very valid points here but seem to be on one side of the fence or the other…

As a 28 year old professional I find myself in some sort of an in between role at the firm I work at… Older designers are retiring with the capability of hand drawing perspectives with very little time. They’ve had years and years of practice and their own hand drawings are all they’ve know for presentation materials. 9 times out of 10, its exactly what a client wants to see for an idea early on. But now the fee’s and hours we’re being provided with on projects in this economy don’t allow us the luxury of time to design and draw off the cuff as much as we could, even just 5 years ago…

I find that there is a generational line drawn in the sand when it comes to this debate… Older professionals like drawing/sketching because its what they know… Kind of like how they had to walk to school up hill both ways in 8 feet of snow with outdoor plumbing and no heat, when they were kids… But the younger crowd is coming out of school in a bit of a unique situation. While the older crew has been drawing their faces off their entire life, with some CAD/Microstation experience, new graduates and entry level professionals have a myriad of skills to draw from (no pun intended). While I’d definately say the newbies have weaker hand drawing skills, and aren’t completely capable of picking up a pen to ‘SHOW ME’ what they are talking about, they unquestionably make up for it in the other aspects that they can bring to the table.

Here’s the ironic scenario. So many of the 55 + year olds rely now on a quick sketch up model of true geometries that are being drawn in a CAD plan, as their base for a drawn perspective. Printing out a simple wire frame from a selected vantage point makes their lives easier and its something that can be generated in a few minutes from a ‘junior’ staff member. The name of the game is efficiency. The only way to ensure your client is getting what will best convey the design to them, is to have all of the tools (analog or digital) laid out on the table, with a diverse team that can arrive at a final product quickly using what makes the most sense…

Its clear that the majority of LA’s dont start designing in CAD… A pen in the hand is worth two in the bush… or something like that… But the reality is becoming that the sooner you can get a project into CAD/REVIT… the better… In an architectural world that is trying to be completely coordinated with all disiplines from the go, hand drawing IS becoming a schematic design presentation tool, and honestly, more of a luxury than a necessity when its delivered to the client.

All of that said… Hand drawing will always have its place in designing, and graphic communications between professionals ALWAYS… But just as technology advances, so do our clients expectations on what they will see from us. How to communicate a meaningful design idea, while pleasing the client, and making a buck…. is really the question.

[Steve Mercer]

Hi Ryan,

Couldn’t have said it better myself only I am one of those 52 year olds and I still want to get my designs into CAD as fast as possible!

s.

[Jonathan Staldine]

As a student, I see this everyday I’m in studio. Two of our professors have awesome hand graphics, and the ability to draw something beautiful and expressive on the spot is really impressive. Other faculty are much more reliant on technology. As a studio, I think we have a respect for the old school, but we tend to want to integrate technology wherever we can. I personally feel like hand graphics have a lot more to communicate, if they’re done well. Sketchup looks cartoony unless you really know what you’re doing with it. my hand graphics are pretty decent, but my perspectives look a lot tighter and go a hell of a lot faster if I throw down a quick and dirty sketchup underlay than using a perspective chart.

[Jonathan Staldine]

Definitely going to check out that BricsCAD! Thanks for the heads up!

[Steve Mercer]

Add a copy of LandFX and SketchUP Pro and you will be well on your way!

best wishes

s.

[Steve Mercer]

Who says you have to give up your artistic look when designing on a computer:

 

http://www.gertrudisgraphics.com/landings/crayon-painting-made-easy

 

s.

[Ryan C. Deane]

Not going to lie… I’m a little more than impressed…

[alland]

At the Naval Academy they spend the freshman summer sailing and learning to tie every sailor knot there is…in the age of endless technology. ‘back to the beginning’ as they say.

For me, first learning to think with the pencil makes designing an auto reflex.

[Author]

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