Did the dream of your own house come true? Reliable walls, a beautiful veranda, a bright roof - everything is in its place and pleasing to the eye, except for one thing: the adjacent territory after construction is uncomfortable and groomed. How to break a lawn, pave paths, plant a garden and put a gazebo? Everything should be in harmony with each other and represent a single ensemble. Attracting a designer is not always possible for financial reasons. And then the Landscape Design program comes to the rescue. With its help, almost any user of a personal computer can simulate a future infield.
General characteristics
To be more precise, such software is provided by several companies. All of them developed versions for professionals, but the popularity of the process of registration of territories adjacent to the house prompted manufacturers to issue the series “Landscape Design for Amateurs”. For the average PC user, such a solution is just a godsend. But from all the programs you need to choose one, one that will help transform your own yard.
There are several common characteristics that every amateur software has. The user, as a rule, is given the technical opportunity to create projects from scratch or upload real photos. The latter function is very convenient, since the issue of arranging the territory most often arises after the construction of the house, and the land can be occupied by any green spaces. Each landscape design program involves adding snapshot files with real images to the functional and then adding objects: plants, shrubs, trees, ponds, paths, and much more. As a result, the user sees a picture as close as possible to future reality.
A project from a pure face is an opportunity not only to arrange lanterns and flower pots in an artistic order, but also to form a terrain. To do this, on the plan, the places of elevation or lowland are initially outlined, then large objects are added. Only after that the rest of the details are built in: fences, fences, ponds or a pond.
Almost every program for creating landscape design has the functions of viewing the finished project in a two-dimensional image, as well as in 3D. The volumetric image makes it possible to see in more detail all the defects of the project, correct them and print the finished plan-design from any angle.
Free landscape software
The question of whether to buy software or download it from the Internet faces most users. How much does a free landscape design program differ in functionality and simplicity of an interface from paid versions? Understanding the mass of proposals is not so easy, but it is quite possible.
Consideration of a number of free software products is worth starting with Google SkethUp. A beginner in landscape design can easily understand the intentions of the developers. 3D visualization, a rich database of templates, a toolbar for drawing the missing parts - these are the main characteristics of this software. We note the only drawback: for the amateur user, the English-language interface can be difficult.
The next noteworthy tool is Sierra Land Designer 3D. This program is ideal for beginners. Landscaping is an exciting challenge with simple solutions. A feature of Sierra Land Designer 3D is the ability to set various weather conditions.
The next free landscape design program that has earned our attention is Artweaver Free. A powerful tool with a rich set of features. The mention that this software is provided by the Photoshop maker is already arousing interest in this development. The following features are standard in the specified graphics editor:
- customize brushes;
- work with text;
- embed various filters;
- imitate drawing tools: pencil, watercolor, pastel;
- select selection options;
- save the result in all known graphic formats.
Competition among free software products that allow you to visualize the landscape of the future site, creates X-Disigner. The graphical editor has an interesting feature. In the program you can not only imagine the site during the rain, but also see how the future gazebo will look at this place at night. That is, the user can set the time of day. It should be noted a rich library of patterns of plants and buildings. And one more nice and convenient moment: X-Disigner has a shadow function. A similar tool saves money. That is, plants for landscaping the site can initially be selected according to their characteristics such as shade tolerance and photophilia.
Russian software products
The most famous graphic editor in this area is Our Rubin Garden. This is not a free program. Landscaping with its help is carried out by both professionals and amateurs. The latest version from the manufacturer ZAO Dikomp is Our Rubin Garden 10.0. It is on it that it is worth dwelling in more detail. And the explanation is more than simple: the program has a Russian-language interface, which is a big plus for the user.
Installation and launch
The system requirements for the user's computer are quite democratic, which once again emphasizes: the 3D-program landscape design allows you to do everything - both amateurs and professionals.
The installation includes standard agreement with the terms of the license agreement and offers one of two sets of functions. The first is recommended. When choosing the second option, the user can mark in the checkboxes the functions necessary only for him. The full set looks like this:
- textbook;
- examples;
- Help, manuals, topics;
- additional pictures;
- 3D models of plants.
Needless to say, it is better for a novice designer to agree with the recommended installation kit?
Interface
Are you interested in landscape design? The program installed on the PC must be carefully studied. Central to the field of the future plan. The upper toolbar contains the following menu items: “file”, “edit”, “place”, “plant”, “view”, etc. The interface is very similar to the main page of a regular Word. And yet this is a landscape design program. This is evidenced by its sidebar, which pops up and changes depending on the tasks performed. So, choosing the “plants” menu item, the user will see on the side panel not only the patterns of shrubs, flowers, trees, but also a section with an encyclopedia. It describes in detail about each type of plant, caring for it, provides tips on how, what and where to plant.
Features, competitive advantages and disadvantages of software
The pluses include the following:
- "Our Rubin Garden" is software designed for the mass consumer who does not have specialized knowledge and skills in landscape design.
- Russian language interface.
- Encyclopedia of plants.
But, of course, there are disadvantages. The most significant of these is the quality of visualization and texture in 3D.
Professional program "Landscape Design", or Continuation of hobby
If you are fascinated by the transformation of the site and there is a desire to deepen your knowledge and skills, then all the above programs will no longer work. For professionals, there are more serious tools. And here are a few of them.
Realtime landscaping architect
Those who want to master the professional skills of computer landscape design can download a trial version of the program on the official website for free. By installing a demo version, the user will be able to evaluate its advantages over free analogues.
Designing in Realtime Landscaping Architect involves not only the conditional drawing of various objects on the plan design, but also the following:
- high-quality 3D image;
- calculation of estimates;
- viewing the finished project from a bird's eye view;
- use of a library containing about 13,000 objects;
- designing on examples of layouts, which in the program menu totals up to five and a half thousand.
Conclusion
At the first stage of creativity, the newcomer is most likely to use the Landscape Design program with a Russian-language interface, a limited set of functions, and simple settings. The biggest disadvantage of such graphic editors is the low quality of 3D visualization. Only after the successful development of amateur software is it worth thinking about professional paid programs for landscape design.