Re: 3d garden design
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: 3d garden design
- From: s* f*
- Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 11:19:57 -0700
Marjolein Keuning wrote:
>I would like to know if anyone has ever designed a garden with the use of
>one of those cd roms you can now get, which work in 3d.
>And, especially for mediterranean gardens ( i have a holiday home and garden
>in Tuscany, which i have recently bought).
>Because i am from Holland, and we have no hills, it is rather hard for me to
>envision landscaping in a mountainous area.
>I looked at some products at amazon.com, but there the customer reviews were
>so bad, i thought i'd check out in this forum, which product is best.
>
>Marjolein Keuning
As I am a landscape architect, I'm always on the lookout for a 3-d program
that would work easily and intuitively to help me visualize a garden on
hilly land. I have not found it yet.
I use a program called Vectorworks to create plans and this program has
what they call a "digital terrain modeler". You take elevations from your
own measuring or contour lines from a topo map to enter into the program.
It will then create a 3-d form. I'm just learning to use this, and it's
anything but intuitive. Even with the 3-d topo its very difficult then
adding trees and vegetation as well as arbors and walls and other
construction.
Another program is Design Workshop. You can find it at
http://www.artifice.com/ . This program is offered in its light version for
free, being downloadable from the internet. It is supposed to be an
intuitive way to design quickly in 3-d. I haven't learned how to use it
yet. Its difficult for me to find time to learn new computer programs. The
problem that I've found so far is that 3-d computer design works
wonderfully for architects and building designers. Those structures are
geometric - but a garden is extremely complicated for a computer; all those
organic forms!
You will have to learn to make elevation measurements to be able to use
any 3-d design program. One lays out a grid on the ground, say 1.5 - 3
meters square depending on the resolution you want. Then find the elevation
at each crossing line of the grid using a surveyors transit or hand level.
Here's a way I've used to visualize. Take lots of photos of your property
from all angles. Choose the most useful and trace on tracing paper the
major elements of the photo. Then draw in your garden ideas. Drawing is an
important and useful skill. If you can draw, then make yourself comfortable
in various parts of your property and draw what you see. Then try to draw
in garden ideas. Sketchy is fine. Just think of forms, not details. I use a
felt pen and colored pencils. Also study the gardens in your area. Walk up
and down those hills! You get the feeling of them in your body as well as
mind. I've spent quite a bit of time studying Italian Renaissance villas -
they mastered slopes. What a fun thing to do! I haven't been to Tuscany,
but everyone says that this area of Northern California resembles it.
Gardens on sloping land are the most beautiful. I've found I have to make
sure I have a variety of tall and low elements to make flat gardens
visually interesting. However construction on slopes is the most difficult
and expensive. Make sure you plan where the rainfall flows.
Let me know if you find a decent 3-d program, and good luck with your very
fun garden project.
Steve French
Steve French Landscape Architect
2616 Meier Rd.
Sebastopol, CA 95472
tel: 707-829-1200
fax: 707-829-3967
http://www.monitor.net/sfla/
sfla@monitor.net
