Which software to go for???

[soraya]

Hi I have just graduated in Landscape architecture and before purchasing any software I would like to get an idea of the different design softwares available for landscape architects for 2D drafting and 3Dm modelling. I have been to a seminar on vector works but not convinced. Any suggestions would be much appreciated...with pro's and cons. Thanx Soraya

[Fernando Lino]

I've seen people using sketchup for landscape plans...and yesterday I was taking a look at Vue 5, they have a very good render engine and very affordable prices...they also have a botanic package, so you can modify age, season and make your own trees.

 

http://www.sketchup.com

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Products/VueIndex.php

[soraya]

Hi Fernando..thanx for your feedback...Vue 5 looks like an excellent tool.... As for sketch up i know its very useful for starting up as its easy to use i heard but would rather go for something more sophisticated that may take more time to learn to use..... so if something comes to mind let me know...Thanx again.

[Fernando Lino]

as an architect is very important that the consultans use the same software for easy communication so Autocad is almost and standard...one option for you could be Autocad or Autocad LT ...depending how much you want to expend...I thing LT will be enought for Landscape.

 

Good luck!!!

[soraya]

I will check it out and compare both. Just saw you're from Peru... one of my best friends is also from Peru but lives here in london. Anyway thank you for your help.

[STRAT]

are we talking tress/bushes/planting etc or general land terrain and contouring, or a mixture?

[soraya]

Also as you mentioned sketch up what about 3DS max or 3D studio max...how do they compare???

[soraya]

Hi Strat...i think ill definetly be needing the lot...but most importantly land terrain, contouring trees, shrubs etc but also a good selection of hard landscaping and materials for boundaries etc. Have you got any suggestions??

[STRAT]

for 2d drafting i'd advise any popular cad application really. as mentioned, acad is the norm usually.

 

for 3d? depends how accurate you want to be. i certainly wouldnt plump for sketchup as it doesnt handle smooth 3d terrain all that well. autocad, max and maya for example, all let you model 3d terrain and landscaping.

 

vue 5 seems to be the mut's nuts. havent personally tried it, but it boasts (justifiably so) uber fast landscape realism and creation.

 

also autodesk, autocad's creators, produce land cad applications specifcally for accurate land modelling.

[soraya]

Thanx Stephen...Archicad seems to be a popular choice for 2D and 3D modelling but how about vectorworks landmark have you got any views? I think its meant to be tailored for landscape architects but has some set backs...i think when it comes to sections and elevations it is less useful than acad. Do you have any idea how they compare?

[STRAT]

no sorry you could always d/l the free demos and try them for yourself.

[bjornkn]

I would take a look at SketchUp, http://www.sketchup.com/?sid=17

There seems to be a lot of people using it for landscape architecture.

In version 5 there are some very nice new tools for landscaping.

It also communicates well with Autocad, both ways.

It's not photo realistic though, if that's what you're after.

Neither is it possible to use it to calculate volumes removed/added and so on.

And you can download the full version and use it for 8 CPU hours to see what it can do. Don't forget to look at all the tutorial videos on their site..

 

In Addition to SketchUp I'm also using Lightwave for photo realsitic renderings. Lightwave is now bundled with the new Vue Infinite, which looks very good. I think I'll preorder an LW upgrade, which is much cheaper than buying Vue alone

[soraya]

Thanx bjorn ill try it and see how it goes. Ofcourse it will be important for me to get photorealistic renderings and the Lightwave bundle sounds like a good option..will check it out too....Thanx very much.

[Fernando Lino]

Hi Soraya...Yes, I'm from Peru(the Peruvians are good friends and we cook very well)

 

about the software...everything depend on how much do want to spend...for plans I'll go to Autodesk products...for architectutal modeling Sketchup & Autocad...organic shapes Rhino,Silo (very affordable).

for photorealistic renderings...LW,Max/Viz, Maya,etc

 

It will be difficult to find one software can do everything....for example I use

Autocad(ADT),Revit, Sketchup,Viz with (Vray,Finalrender or Maxwell) ...I'm also thinking in Vue 5 for the landscape....buying software for first time is like buying cars...you need to take your time to think about, maybe you need a affordable car now, in 2 or 3 get a fancy one

 

buy a good workstation!!!!!

 

Good luck again.

[soraya]

Hi Fernando..good friends sure..but good food i dont know as my friend never seems to cook but ill make sure I get invited for dinner the next time her gran is in town.

 

Anyhow thanx for your reply and sorry to bombard you with more questions but I just need to know what you think..Ive been asking around and seems that I should go with a Mac rather than a pc (new thread altogether )..hence if so ill have to opt for Vectorworks for plans and 3d modelling also apparently a lot of architects are switching to vectorworks because its a lot faster and its the only cad application that works on macs..correct me if im wrong.

 

As for 3D modelling i think i will opt for Sketch up 5 as you suggested but if i get that do you think its worth getting 3Ds max.

 

For the rendering you and also others recommended LW but how about Cinema4D as i was looking at a couple of threads and seems there's nothing it cant do..have you heard of it?

[Fernando Lino]

Hi Soraya.

 

Archicad is the principal application for Mac, Max only works in PC

On the other hand Archicad and Vector works are BIM technology for Architects...I'm not sure if you can use theirs features..I've worked with some landscape companies and they use AutoCAD(2d) ....you can export your 2d in sketchup or VIZ and make a model with the landscape(Max is too expensive)

 

(Cinema 4d works in mac)

[bjornkn]

Mac or PC - IMO that's a question of what those whom you're working with are using? I know only one architect who's been using Mac, but he was forced to switch to PC. Of the landscape architects I've been working with none of them have been using Mac. Neither have they been using any 3D software, it's always either a site plan in Autocad format, a colorful pdf or a scanned hand drawn plan.

I'm sure you'll probably find most of the programs you need for Mac, but the choice is always bigger for PC.

 

I think you should try to figure out what you want to produce before you decide what programs and computer to buy.

Do you want the images to look like photos?

Or more sketchy and hand-drawn looking (water color?)?

Or maybe just very schematic?

Will you have to model a lot of buildings?

Landscaping, roads, playgrounds etc?

Plants, trees, bushes etc?

I'm sure a landscape architect isn't satisified with just using a generic "Bush with white flowers" model, but want something with a specific latin name?

Will you able to get plant libraries, or will you model your own plants? Or maybe use 2D "billboard" plants, which is very commonly used for 3D stills, but not so useful for animation.

Will you make animations, walkthroughs, interactive scenes etc?

 

In addition to 3D programs you'll also need an image editor, like Photoshop, and a file conversion program like Deep Exploration and/or PolyTrans (only PC?)

[soraya]

Hi there ..to be honest most landscape architects ive seen are still doing there drawings by hand and render everything themselves...but that is all changing and many are looking to go for computer rendered and 3D images. At the moment im working for myself and have done everything by hand but due to collaboration with architects who are all generating digital images i think it is important at this early stage for me to make this transition as I do think the trend is changing and clients are more satisfied with this medium. I have also been in touch with a landscape architect in the middle east Vladimir Djurovic i dont know if you've heard about him (http://www.vladimirdjurovic.com) and he's been using 3Ds for sometime now and it seems the way forward now.

As for what i want to achieve i think is diversity..depending on the client and project...I will be doing mostly residential for the time being but would like to work more at a later stage on commercial projects and yes I would like to be able to produce photo like images as well as more sketch watercoloured images (depending on the project) which I think you can achieve by using a software like C4D..which ofcourse I will have to learn how to use. Also a good presentation of buildings and roads i feel is important to get a good feel of the overall design. I dont think ill be modelling my own plants but with vectorworks landscape there is a good selection of plants in the library and as for the planting whats most important is to get the idea across not so much the detail.

As for walk throughs etc ..yes these are all good ways of communicating to the client..and i think I would like to offer that to clients on larger projects..so yes.

As for mac v pc ..I feel more inclined to go for mac as i have always had problems with pcs and i think most of the softwares ill be needing such as vectorworks landscape artlanatis R etc are available on mac. Who i work with...that is the question but to be honest i dont think ill be limiting myself on mac. Anyway thanx Bjorn for your advice..

[AJLynn]

Sounds like you're a candidate for C4D conversion

 

C4D is really good for modeling the kind of stuff I'm seeing landscape architects doing these days, the way it structures models it's good at doing things like making a model based on splines and instances of those that plug into extrudes, lofts, etc., so that if you want to make a change you edit the original spline and everything else fixes itself - I've been working on a pretty complicated project with a friend using techiniques like that and it's going well, amazing how much mileage you can get out of 2 splines these days. Also its renderer can work in a lot of styles, and it's going to have FinalRender 2 in a month or two, and that looks pretty sweet, it costs less than Max and it run on MacOSX (and so will FR2, or so they say).

 

Also, Vue 5 Infinite rocks hard.

[soraya]

Yes thanx andrew cant wait to get myself started on C4D this week. Will be purchasing it either tomorrow or day after. Ive heard a lot of good things about vue 5 infinite but I think C4D is all ill be needing..i hope.

All the best..

[soraya]

Also Andrew since you seem to know quite a few landscape architects do you know any on vectorworks and if so would it be better to opt for the landmark version or just the regular vectorworks as ive heard that landmark is a bit of a let down. If you can ask around that would be great. Thanx.

[AJLynn]

Also Andrew since you seem to know quite a few landscape architects do you know any on vectorworks and if so would it be better to opt for the landmark version or just the regular vectorworks as ive heard that landmark is a bit of a let down. If you can ask around that would be great. Thanx.

 

Actually I don't know that many personally, mostly I just admire their work

 

But the ones who work with our firm tend to be on Autocad, and a factor in that is probably that a sizable majority of architects are using it and everybody wants to be compatible - however, I do know architects who swear by Vectorworks - one of them has a feature on Apple's web site, talking about how his firm saves a ton of money on computer support by using VW on Macs instead of Autocad on PC's, and he says VW's support for Autocad files is certainly good enough for firms working together on projects to share their files.

 

BTW, you don't need to buy anything quite yet, try a trial download of some of these programs.