Edward Ferguson

Hello Tamera,
Well, As a LEED AP, I can tell you that LEED doesn’t deal with the spaces BETWEEN the buildings on a level that is watershed centric, site planning, soils responsive. LEED does not give points for passive solutions, but favors mechanical solutions. In so many ways, LEED is very narrow, and SSI is very broad. Those are just a few…[Read more]

I meant to add, use the trees as proxies otherwise the polygon count will kill you.

I like the Luxigon style where pretty much everything but the basic render is done in photoshop. but if you can get onyx Treestorm which comes with a grass generator and and a lot of trees that can be changed and there is a free ivy generator that I posted somewhere on here but I can’t remember the name.

Most people just seem to get the…[Read more]

never mind, found the tutorial

I REALLY like the itoosoft, wish the full version was free though so I could use some of my own images. Still working on the shadows though…

I got the same question with Alexandru, I’v been told to use photoshop do the aftereffect of vegetation for plan or the cluster of trees and grasses in 3dmax would drag my laptop to work exemely slowly.Is there any good suggestion for the plugin programmes to create vivid planting elements in 3d max?

I believe it is a Nvidia 280 GTM, middle of the range but still better than the one on my old computer that ran max 2010 quite well. i7, 8 gigs of ram. Having some photoshop problems too. pretty much everything is frames per second related, it makes zooming and moving things around so hard.

My experience with 3ds max 2010 on Windows 7 Enterprise x64 has been very good. Its certainly a huge step up from Vista. I’ve got a nice set of graphics cards though so maybe thats the difference. What kind of hardware are you running?

So what are people’s experiences with windows 7 and max? I am running 7 professional 64bit and max 2010 64 bit and having some problems, mainly graphics card related. very low fps which is making it hard to model. though I am hoping that max 2011 which comes out in the next month will help.

Joy, have your Chapter Trustee or President check in with Liz at ASLA national and she can certainly help find appropriate speakers for you. Also, the ASLA Sustainable Design & Development PPN can help guide you as well. We have many talented speakers that can address many different aspects of this topic.

The NY Upstate Chapter of the ASLA is teaming with the NY State AIA for the first time ever to put a JOINT conference together! Sustainability is a particular topic that is HOT on both arenas. Please feel free to let me know if there are people interested in presenting at the conference regarding the SSI to LEED roll out, or to a particularly…[Read more]

Feel free to use the group’s forum to post questions and discussion topics. Just click the “+ Start Discussion” link.

Thanks!
Andrew

Charles,
Perhaps they are hiring knowledgable Landscape Architects? Clearly they need help.

My civil engineer handed me a brochure on the Filterra Bioretention System which appears to be a vault, filled with gravel, sand and a little peat moss that takes in and filters storm water. The vault is topped with a tree grate where you plant a plant from the recommended list provided by Filterra. Has anyone used this system? They recommend that…[Read more]

I agree with Heather about building a track record of using the SSI. It is through application in the real world that tools like the SSI show their strengths and value.

I am anxious to see the outcome of the pilot projects. I think the real world application and testing of Sites is of the upmost importance and we will learn a great deal from this process.

In order to continue building natural capital through the design construction and maintenance of regenerative systems, we need to see the application of…[Read more]

Hi Heather! You and I have had many past conversations when you were in the trenches with SSI. So what are your current thoughts from your new perspective relative to what needs to happen to keep the SSI momentum going? Is practical application the key….or are there other issues that are just as critical?

You’ve been a great resource…..hope…[Read more]

Hey Folks! Just a quick note to say hello and introduce myself. After completing the 2009 report, I resigned as project manager of the Sustainable Sites Initiative to pursue other opportunities and spend more time with my 7 month old son. I am excited to hear your thoughts and concentrate more strongly on the practical application of the…[Read more]

Did anyone go to Chicago and see any SSI presentations? Anything good?