Chris Whitted

Ah, that changes things then. I suppose I should have looked at your profile before I answered. 🙂

But this represents exactly what I was talking about. SolidWorks is an ideal program for what you guys do for precisely the things you mention – materials selection, testing, and analysis. Inventor is one of their main competitors. But for me as a…[Read more]

Best for what? For who?

In examining any piece of software you have to judge it based on the features you need or would use, and what you’d use it for. ACAD is notorious for not being well-suited to landscape architecture. That’s why there were add-ons developed like Eagle Point or Land F/X. Sketchup is great for quick, blocky things or if you…[Read more]

Now that it’s been opened up for more general comments…

This survey was conducted by the Colorado Chapter of ASLA, and the results recently reported in our Exposures newsletter on page 8 (which showed up in my mailbox last week). Survey was conducted back in October.

105 respondents, representing approximately 20% of membership
50% reported no…[Read more]

Nope.

Not being at an intersection should actually be a bit easier than otherwise. We do mid-block neck-downs out here all the time. You lose some on-street parking (if you had it to start with), but you also gain some potential stormwater benefits if the design takes advantage of that. Another alternative would be a refuge/landscape island in the…[Read more]

Having seen the plans Nick is referring to, I can attest to the level of rendering straight CAD is capable of. When I first walked in I made the assumption they were done with Photoshop because they looked just like (at wall viewing distance anyway) some of the plans we’d turned out. I was more than a little surprised when he told me it was all…[Read more]

I suppose limiting to specific programs is really no different than limiting to only pencils or only markers or what have you, and I’ve heard of (and worked under) both. Personally I’d say it’s unwise because you’re hobbling people to one specific tool when they may be better with others. The counter argument being that gets you a consistent look…[Read more]

And that is the primary reason I started the thread, because I’m from a state that has started out under ‘license’ and quite recently. As Julia stated, for now it appears to be semantics. Or that it’s simply going to be the term we’ve adopted to represent either.

Our state’s board rules happen to address that using RLA (in full or abbreviated) to…[Read more]

As far as I can tell the bylaws (as currently available on the ASLA site) don’t specifically address licensure with use of ASLA designations (meaning in the privilege section). It’s only covered in the membership type section, where licensure is one of four ways to be a Full Member. The additional requirement is having professional practice…[Read more]

Thanks for the in-depth reply! I think I actually recall reading your original article, but a few different web searches still had me coming up empty.

We always used little balls of construction paper or dried Baby’s Breath. The architects liked to use balls of styrofoam, clay, or trace. Toothpicks are an option, but thin dowel or wire rods were easier to work with if memory serves. I guess it kind of depends on the level of abstraction and the overall look (delicate and refined or quick and…[Read more]

Yes, I think in some cases there is a generational disconnect. As far as seeing it before, the article mentions Japanese business culture already, but that’s where I first saw the issue explored in depth a couple of years ago. I’m pretty sure it’s been covered in the context of former Soviet block and some other countries that have long, rich…[Read more]

The landscape (metaphorically speaking and no pun intended) is a bit different today than when I did mine back in ’98, but I had a six week training course in AutoCAD prior to doing my internship. Granted, tech generally comes easy to me and I had extensive MicroStation background before that, but they’re very different schools of thought in many…[Read more]

First considerations are what (if any) requirements does your school have? Mine allowed for paid or unpaid internships, both for credit, one was required, and it was generally done in the fourth year. There were also requirements as to the type of things you had to be exposed to for it to count. I only did the one, but after that I wished I’d gone…[Read more]

Fort Collins has something similar, a Bike Library. You have to put a deposit down in case you don’t return the bike, but if you do it’s refunded and completely free. They don’t track any stats on your ride though. Never used it myself, since I own a bike, but it is nice to know it’s there for when I have out of town guests.

You have prior experience running such a business, which is a huge plus. You have gained additional skills and knowledge, which is another plus and in some ways gives you a leg up over contractors and some of the other design-build guys. I would ask what have you got to lose? To me, gaining relevant experience is better than doing nothing or doing…[Read more]

I’m something of a Colorado anomaly in that I don’t ski – it’s the hiking and 14ers for me. 🙂 But yes, it poses a particular challenge sometimes.

Depends on what kinds of data you’re looking for. Places to start would be the websites for the US Geological Survey, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and whatever city/county your site or area of study is in. I’d probably try to work those sources in reverse of the order I listed, going from local to national, but again it depends on what…[Read more]

ARGH. I had just finished typing up a response when some flash object on the page took my browser down. Third time that’s happened to me on these forums.

Anyway, the short version:

xref isn’t a file format, it’s a method of using other cad files as external references in the one you’re working on. This is a fundamental concept in AutoCAD, which…[Read more]

You might also call a couple of the local school districts. I know many of the ones around here have specific guidelines for minimum or preferred site area, as well as some standard prototypical footprints. You might even be able to get them to send you a CAD drawing.