Mark Kirby

Whilst I am glad you all find the discussion useful – let’s avoid blank statements and overlooking the progress some applications had achieved. Every release of each application brings many new and sometimes very good features. Some of these upgrades make a huge difference and change the appeal of the software.
So for 2D – AutoCAD LT is g…[Read more]

I’ve been using Rhino and just a word of caution, it is primarily an industrial design 3D modeling program and I’ve found that it does not work well for large scale applications. It exceeds in designing small elements, which can then be exported into other programs that work better with land manipulation.

I think this conversation is great…[Read more]

After using AutoCAD for about 12 years of drafting, and then switching over to Vectorworks Landmark, I would say without hesitation that the advantages of working in Vectorworks over AutoCAD are immense. The only reason why I had been using the “industry standard” is because I didn’t seek anything better. Many take their work out of AutoCAD to do…[Read more]

Has anyone looked at Viz Terra?

Shimi; Thanks for the advice. I’ll give you a mini-review of the Vectorworks and its capabilities once I get started with it. I’m also interested to find out about an add-on program called Doodle. It looks promising. I’ll let you know. Thanks again.

I still have not found an intuitive terrain modelling platform for us landscape architects.
Rhino can produce nice surfaces, which can be pulled and pushed to get the aethetics right, but its contours are inaccurate and, unlike Civil 3D, very static. Civil 3D on the other hand is very dynamic and great in live sections and contours, but falls…[Read more]

Thanks RFox. I’m going to download a trial copy of Rhino and play around with it. I did that a few months ago with AutoCAD Civil and found the new interface pretty intuitive. I still need something that’ll be a simple interface with a landscape design focus. Right now, I don’t need super high-quality rendering capabilities, but I would like to…[Read more]

Personally, I would recommend Rhino 4.0. It is an extremely easy to learn platform and combines 2D and 3D design quite well. Plus there are really good render engine plugins like Vray.

Rhino is also very good at importing and exporting a wide variety of different file types from Autocad to Digital Projects to Maya. I don’t know the exact pricing…[Read more]

Thanks guys. I’ve seen many of the previous discussions on this topic. Reviewing my last post, I realized I had mentioned I had been running LandCAD. That part was true. However, I have not been using LandCAD. In fact, I haven’t used it for a single project. I couldn’t get out of the tutorial phase. The LandCAD folks have offered me extremely…[Read more]

John – this question keeps popping up and is a testament of the range of aspirations, skill sets and experiences out there in the industry.
I have seen them all and to date, I have not seen THE tool for landscape architects. We have to use various platforms to deliver the wide range of services we provide.

There are quite a few parameters to this…[Read more]

I personally would go with Autocad over Vectorworks for a couple reasons. To start, Autocad is the industry standard as far as drafting goes so alot more people know the program. Also, as more schools push digital rendering, more and more students are using software like 3ds Max and Revit which don’t play well with Vectorworks linework. On the…[Read more]

I’ve just started a one-person design firm specializing in residential. I’m trying to decide between the various cad programs and think Vectorworks would be the best fit for me. I have owned EaglePoint LandCADD (2000) but was running with its stand-alone cad engine (not AutoCAD). Now, years later, I’m really thinking it’s time to try again with…[Read more]

I am looking for some of your best exemples of rain garden project, rain managment etc. I am in a preparation of a seminar and will enjoy to see what is really happening outside my own practice. Please feel free to share informations and projects….

Does anyone remember how well the heating system worked? seems like it was 125 degrees in January

I’ve been aware of SSI but hadn’t seen their latest report. Go to: http://www.sustainablesites.org
You’ll find a link to the report on the first page. I must say, the “documentation” requirements suggested in this report read like an undergraduate studio assignment for a year-long class. My recent work on a small LEED project looks like a total of…[Read more]

Does anyone know of a good source for construction details for ‘green’ design? I’d like to review these…

Sad to hear Brown Hall is being demo’d. I still have lots of memories of that place.

Thanks Jeff, those photos are intense. Do you think they will repurpose all of those bricks?

Brown Hall is currently being demo’d. You can see some pictures on this Facebook group.

I had the opportunity to enter Brown Hall one last time this past fall, very eerie, I’ll share some images at some point. I know the interior was in rough shape, but to me the shell still looked salvageable…