[nigel varley]

Andrew, you are right. It is important for many that the files you export or import are essentially the same on your machine as they are on your associates.

Surveyors, Architects, HVAC engineers Electrical engineers and Structural engineers etc all have the same issues as Landscape Architects, however it is a myth to think that because you use one product from Autodesk it will produce a file that is the same on another product from Autodesk. For instance, if you use AutoCAD it does not produce the same file format as someone using Revit and so there is a conversion process that takes place. The same is true for LANDWorksCAD and AutoCAD. LANDWorksCAD make sure the conversion is as close to perfect as possible. If it is a big concern however there is a version of LANDWorksCADthat runs as an app for AutoCAD (or BricsCAD) and this will maintain your original DWG file format without conversion.

Historically the DWG interchange issue has bee a problem with software such as ArchiCAD, Vectorworks and others but due to the OpenDWG Alliance the DWG format is available from just about all up to date design software.

[nigel varley]

Hi J. Robert, and thank you for your input.

It’s great that you took the time to check the software out and voiced your subjective views (albeit in an objective manner). Luckily for us our users have a differing opinion and luckily for everyone the software does not dictate the style of the end result as you have intimated.

LANDWorksCAD software, unlike many others, is a tool that can be used to produce almost any graphical style and like pencil and paper, some styles will take a little longer to produce than others. Each user likes to create a unique style that clearly delineates his or her work from all the dross; LANDWorksCAD is NOT AutoCAD and offers unique abilities that allow those unique design styles. It is definitely the user that decides. This applies to colors, depth, line styles, labeling, text, shadowing, fills, plant and hardscape graphics and in fact everything you might include in your drawings. LANDWorksCAD does not have a limited style palette.

Having viewed some of your hand-drawn published works online and witnessing the style you have developed and clearly prefer, it would be possible to duplicate that style using LANDWorksCAD, or at least create something extremely close. Robert, honoring your opinion, is there a particular drawing you feel stands out as being ‘professional’ and appeals to you? I would love to have a bit of fun and see what I personally could do to emulate it in some way. 

Ultimately, LANDWorksCAD isn’t for everyone (neither is a Porsche or Lamborghini) but those that use it seem to love it and that’s very important to us. We take our software seriously and have a bit of fun along the way.

[nigel varley]

Let me first declare my interest, I developed LANDWorksCAD and to this day still have a significant input into its future direction. LANDWorksCAD has been a great success story for my company and forms a large part of its annual revenue, mostly in new sales and more than 50% from referrals. It appeals to professional landscape Architects and landscape designers all over the world because of its very high quality output and ease of use.

The license is permanent so there is no compulsory annual fee like AutoCAD now have although you can subscribe to upgrades and very personalized support.

LANDWorksCAD works the same on both Mac and Windows and has a wide range of specialized tools that take it from being a simple but very powerful 2D drafting system to a highly efficient landscape specific product for fast creation and editing of design documentation. 

There are two versions of the software – LANDWorksCAD LT and LANDWorksCAD Pro being 2D only and 2D/3D respectively. It works along side other software too such as SketchUp that some users also like to work with and has a huge database of plants that can be edited and added too very easily. It is compatible with files from other designers too which makes working with AutoCAD DWG files very simple.

LANDWorksCAD’s online training course make learning the software a straight forward step-by-step process which also appeals to new users in particular.

LANDWorksCAD’s library is pretty much unlimited as it can import from just about anywhere including the worlds largest 3D model repository, Trimble’s free 3D warehouse. 

One of the main reasons LANDWorksCAD was created was because of clients calling to ask for an easier to use and more friendly CAD software for landscapers. There was Vectorworks Landmark and AutoCAD with various plug-ins at the time but people either complained about the complexity or lack of support or engineering style output, so it seemed there was a market which LANDWorksCAD has met with open arms.

If you’re still unsure then you can always get a ‘starter pack’ which gives you training, support and the software for a year, at the end of which you can purchase outright.

I don’t get much time to frequent these forums feel free to email us or ping me if you have any questions at all. We find most clients are almost as passionate about the software as i am…  🙂

[nigel varley]

Hi Chris,
We too are a software developer and created Landworkscad software. It would probably compliment your product very well if you were interested in bundling our software with yours or licensing the CAD engine or???? anyway feel free to contact me. Oh our new web address is http://www.cadinternational.com

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