Eric Gilbey

Kelly, I suspect from your comments that you may also not be an active member of ASLA, so if this is not true, please fast forward…I think your dilemma is certainly going to be more common, but what is not common is your dedication to staying involved with ASLA, when you can hardly afford it. For that, I think many within ASLA would commend you.…[Read more]

Andrew, I would love to see all accredited LA programs include a required internship or co-op. As part of my first degree (Associates in Landscape Contracting and Construction), an internship was (and still is) required and this really sets a student up for success. Having progressed to the BSLA degree which I achieved afterward, the owner felt…[Read more]

Miles, Many projects I did in Ohio included iron work from Fortin Ironworks…their website has a gallery http://www.fortinironworks.com/images/fen/index.php which displays their projects, and they have a catalogue that allows you to see what they do typically…but custom work is always fun. They typically were also a good resource to talk with…[Read more]

I think the issue of licensure for full members (or not) is still yet to be decided. Though several States have polled their members and board for an opinion to take to their Trustees, several opinions exist on either side… but to answer your question about relevancy, I would maintain that you would be hard pressed to find another professional…[Read more]

“Way back” in the 1990s, at the Ohio State University, we used GIS to help make the best choice from available land for our class projects…not much different than would occur in the real world, but the progression of its use really didn’t start migrating to smaller scale land planning usage until the last few years. As you see LEED and…[Read more]

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]