Brandon Reed, CVO, ASLA / Rooftop and Urban Designer / Landscape Architect

Thomas, not sure about Filemaker, but you may want to check out Include Software’s Censeo. They also have a larger version called Asset that has been around for over 2 years. They could also help you with the conversion of your files, I’d expect.

The use of programs like DynaSCAPE and Vectorworks offers the user the ability to do purpose built design intended for landscapes. Vectorworks Landmark is actually like taking AutoCAD, a landscape plugin, Photoshop and SketchUp and putting it all together in one program. The objects you design with have intelligence, and hybrid representation, and…[Read more]

Hey Laith, Vectorworks has a guardrail tool and a wall tool. A tool specific to fences has been discussed for development, but not yet a current feature. Landscape features/site furniture are symbol objects and are available for use. Data can be assigned to them, and routinely, we release vendor specific libraries of these objects where data will…[Read more]

Laith, There is a similar discussion just now happening in LinkedIn, and I’m glad to hear you are using a tool that uses information associated with the 2D and 3D objects within your CAD workflow. In seeking a CAD application that does it all for landscape architects, I think you may be surprised to see that Vectorworks Landmark actually does the…[Read more]

This would actually be really cool if those turf areas were community garden plots…oh wait this is Santa Monica….never mind.

Jonathan, if you’re looking for solutions that are cheaper than $1000, then BricsCAD comes to mind. My experience with using older versions of AutoCAD brings at least two challenges…lack of Autodesk support and the pain of having your collaborating design team members save back to the version in which you are working. Though on the surface this…[Read more]

Chad, I think there have been other discussions regarding estimation software suggestions, but I’ll throw these your way, just in case I’m wrong. If you are looking for design/build related estimation software that utilizes assemblies for the materials you would be quantifying and turning around for a proposal to build said design, Include…[Read more]

Nick, Your post is intriguing and I say this after just last week thinking about the promotion of Bike to Work Day/Week. I was thinking about the idea of taking that same idea and promoting the idea of not only biking, but walking, bussing, light rail, car pooling, etc. And it came to mind the idea of telecommuting as a way to save…[Read more]

Wags, using an application like Vectorworks Landmark with Renderworks would enable you to work both in 2D and 3D at the same time, while using smart objects that know what they are and budget pricing can be included in what they know about themselves, so that as you compile your design, you can see your ideas come to life, analyze for sun/shade,…[Read more]

First, Congratulations, Jamie! The change from non registered to registered is significant, or there wouldn’t be such an issue with states having laws which protect our rights to call ourselves landscape architects or to practice landscape architecture. If your company has different opinions, it seems like something they should settle as a company…[Read more]

Steve, You’re right…Vectorworks has been on a Mac since it started out as MiniCAD in 1985. AutoCAD did once have a Mac version then pulled out of the Mac world until just coming back in this year.
Irene, I have used AutoCAD for many years, but started using Vectorworks Landmark just over 3 years ago and absolutely love it. I believe Vectorworks…[Read more]

Macs have many advantages for us, the first that comes to mind is its speed with graphic management. A plan redraws faster so if you make a change and go to pan to another place in your drawing, the Mac makes it feel more instantaneous while the PC might have a longer regen first. Also, the Macs are less susceptible to virus issues. Many of the…[Read more]

Steve, I’m curious about your statement on Vectorworks being expensive. I would contend that compared to your setup of BricsCAD, LandF/X and SketchUp Pro, Vectorworks Landmark with Renderworks would cost much less and provide the us with actually more functionality. I no longer have to take vector based drawings into raster based enhancement…[Read more]

Steve, I am using Vectorworks Landmark with Renderworks. Though the 2D rendering is very nice without Renderworks (solid and gradient fills with changeable opacities), as well as shadowed plants and massing outlines, if you want to see the 2D and 3D views become artistic or photorealistic, you would need Renderworks (it’s required for my solar…[Read more]

William, I have used AutoCAD for many years in both design only and design-build companies, and about 3 years ago, I began using Vectorworks Landmark. It is a stand alone CAD application that is industry specific to landscape architecture/landscape design and gives you the ability to do site specific design in unified 2D and 3D. Your designs can…[Read more]

Stef,
If you are using a program that provides for .ifc export, it would then fundamentally export your site’s geometry out, and in some cases, information associated to those objects, and should come into Revit, as it also supports the import of IFC files. The IFC exchange has some growing to do, to include more site related objects, like plants…[Read more]

Stefanie, As all BIM applications are continuing to evolve, the ability to work through open source BIM will likely prevail. As architecture or planning projects form that require BIM, and realizing that there are more than one BIM application out there, the ability to communicate with most or all BIM applications will be the ultimate goal. The…[Read more]

I would suggest that anything that is significantly far from the MSRP would need to be verified for a legitimate license. Software companies do have the ability to track bootleg software and this tracking does identify the IP address of the machine on which it is installed. Beyond not getting support for the software, with that new of a version,…[Read more]

I have been wanting to share this with you, and now that the press release is out, your wish for Cinema4D and Vectorworks Renderworks to work more as one is being granted. When Vectorworks 2011 is released on September 14th, Renderworks will be powered by the Cinema4D rendering engine.

It is tedious work, and of course we can make it easier by staging our photo image with a neutral background board or sheet…and may even take planning a day to photograph when the sun light is less dramatic to capture a more generally lit plant. There are so many variables about capturing your own cutouts that it could end up being a discussion…[Read more]