Irrigation Preferences

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Customization Getting Started Guide

• Important: Do You Work in an Office With Multiple Land F/X Users? Read This First!
• Accessing the Preferences Screen
• Irrigation Preferences: Overview
• Valve Callouts
• Spray Symbols Section (Removed as of 2021)
• Irrigation Symbol Scaling
• Dripline Hatch Scaled at Row Spacing
• Include Dripline Perimeter in Flow Calcs
• Pipe Size Options
  • Color-Code Sized Pipe
  • Pipe Callout Lasso
  • Pipe Callout Layer Per Class
• Irrigation Defaults
• • Schematic Irrigation
  • Pipe Data Defaults
  • Schedule Defaults
• Pipe Classes
• Line Colors and Layers
• A Note on Pipe Callout Masks
• Saving Your Preferences in a Preference Set
• Other Preferences Categories
• Related Webinars
• Troubleshooting

Our Preferences settings allow you to configure our software quickly to work closer to the way you work. Although we recommend reviewing the Preferences early in the process of using our software, you can make changes to the Preferences at any time.

It's important to review the Irrigation Preferences, as these settings will establish the general look and feel of your irrigation designs, as well as to set which symbols you will be using for callouts and spray heads. The Irrigation Preferences screen includes settings for the valve callouts, pipe data, and irrigation schedules and reports.

Changing a setting in the Preferences does not affect any existing projects. We engineered this preventive measure to keep users from altering the contents of current projects unintentionally. If you make a change in your Preferences and want to apply it to an existing drawing, you'll need to delete and purge any items that would be affected by the new Preferences settings. When you place these items back in the drawing, the new Preferences will be applied.

Do You Work in an Office With Multiple Land F/X Users? Read This First!

Preferences are saved in what's known as a Preference Set. If you work in an office where multiple people use our software with an office server or shared online folder, it's extremely important to realize that your office's Preference Sets are shared by everyone. That means if you make changes to an active Preference Set, you're making those changes for everyone who uses that Preference Set. Before delving into changing your Preferences, make sure oyu have a good understanding of what Preference Sets are and how they work.

If you're not sure whether you should be making changes to a Preference Set, ask your CAD manager.

Accessing the Preferences Screen

 

F/X Admin ribbon

 

 

 

 

Preferences flyout buttons on any of the other F/X ribbons

 

 

or type *FXPreferences in the Command line

 

Any of the F/X pull-down menus

(F/X Admin, F/X Site, F/X Planting, F/X Irrigation, or F/X Details)

The Preferences screen will open. (See image below.)

Irrigation Preferences: Overview

Irrigation Preferences establish the general look and feel of your irrigation settings. These settings apply to the organization and display of irrigation equipment and components, allow for adding or importing irrigation data, and control the water source data and pipe type and data.

We've removed the Spray Symbols section from the Irrigation Preferences. You can now select a symbol family to represent your symbols on the fly when adding a turf spray type or shrub spray type to your project.

 

1. Valve Callout: Select a default style for valve callouts. You can always edit a valve and assign that valve a different callout.

 

2. Symbol Scaling: Use these slides to make global changes to the graphic size of the spray heads, rotor heads, or equipment (such as valves).

 

3. Check this box to scale dripline hatches to match their row spacing.

 

4. Check this box to include dripline perimeters in your flow calculations.

 

5. Pipe Size Options:

• Color-code sized pipe: Check this box to color code the pipe after sizing.
• Pipe callout lasso: Check this box if you want the pipe size callout to have a “lasso” to the pipe. Uncheck it if you simply want to place the size indication near the pipe.
• Pipe callout label per class: Check this box to separate your pipe labels by layer per pipe class.

6. Pipe Classes: Use this pull-down menu to select the types of pipes that will be available in the pipe data for a project associated with the active Preference Set.

7. Flow and Pressure Units: Select an option for flow units (left side) and pressure units (right side) to use in your irrigation systems.

8. Irrigation defaults: Configure the default settings for the active Preference Set for the following items:

• Schematic Irrigation: Open a list of Schematic types to choose from within projects associated with this Preference Set. You can add to, edit, and delete categories from our default collection of Schematic types, and the list will be tailored to this Preference Set.
• Pipe Data Defaults and Irrigation Schedule Defaults: With one click, apply the current settings for either or both of these items to the currently active Preference Set.

9. Once you've configured all your Preferences, save them into a Preference Set. More Information >

Valve Callouts

Click the Valve Callout thumbnail to select the default callout style for labeling your valves.

The options for valve callouts offered in the Valve Callouts dialog box

Spray Symbols Section (Removed as of 2021)

We've removed the Spray Symbols section from the Irrigation Preferences. You can now select a symbol family for your spray symbols on the fly when adding them to your project.

Irrigation Symbol Scaling

If you want to change the graphic size of the spray heads, rotor heads, or equipment (such as valves), you can make a global adjustment using these slides. This will increase or decrease, by a percentage, the size of any of these equipment types placed into a drawing in the future (this will not affect any previously placed graphics).>

Dripline Hatch Scaled at Row Spacing

Check the Dripline hatch scaled at row scaling box to scale your Areas for Dripline according to the row spacing you've set for them.

For example, if you've set your row spacing at 12 inches for a dripline area, that area will be scaled to reflect that 12-inch spacing when placed in a drawing if you have this option selected.

Include Dripline Perimeter in Flow Calcs

You also have the option to Include dripline perimeter in flow calcs.

This option can be handy for hatch boundaries that are offset. To ensure accuracy, take care to offset the boundary appropriately and to the manufacturer’s specifications if you choose this option.

Pipe Size Options

Color-Code Sized Pipe

Select this option to color-code your laterals according to their sizes.

The lateral pipes as viewed in your drawing will be assigned with colors that we've pre-associated with each size, as pictured to the left.

 

Note that the color-coded pipes will still show up in black when you plot, as pictured to the right.

If you want, you can change the color that's assigned to each pipe size. First, download our LFX Pens DWG (linked below).

Then use our Block Colors tool, available in the General Preferences, to change each color to your desired color preference.

Want to plot your pipes in color while also having the pipe size colors in the Irrigation Schedule match the pipes in your drawing? Here's how.

Pipe Callout Lasso

Select this option to include lassos in your pipe labels.

 

 

Deselect this option to leave lassos out of your pipe labels.

Pipe label with a lasso

 

Pipe label without a lasso

Pipe Callout Layer Per Class

Select this option to separate your pipe labels by layer per pipe class.

Pipe Classes

Use the Pipe Classes pull-down menu to select a regional pipe class. This class will be applied automatically to the pipes you draw when the current Preference Set is active.

• US Imperial: pipe used in the USA with Imperial sizes intended for Imperial plans.
• Australia/New Zealand: pipe used in those countries with metric sizes intended for metric plans.
• British Imperial: pipe used in British influence areas with imperial sizes intended for metric plans, typical in Dubai, Great Britain.
• Chinese Metric: pipe used in China with metric sizes intended for metric plans.
• US Metric: pipe used in USA with metric sizes intended for metric plans. These are the same pipe types in US Imperial, but with metric size callouts.
• European Metric: pipe used on the European continent with metric sizes intended for metric plans.
• British Metric: pipe used in British influence areas with metric sizes intended for metric plans, typical in Abu Dhabi, Great Britain.

Irrigation Defaults

With the Schematic Irrigation, Pipe Data Defaults, and Schedule Defaults buttons, you can configure your default settings for these three features as they apply to projects associated with the currently active Preference Set.

 

Click Schematic Irrigation to add to, edit, and delete the schematic types available for selection under this Preference Set.

 

You can simply click the Pipe Data Defaults and Schedule Defaults buttons to apply the current Pipe Data and Irrigation Schedule settings to your Preference Set.

 

You can create a number of defaults for any number of Preference Sets as needed.

 

 

 

Schematic Irrigation

Click the Schematic Irrigation button in the Irrigation Preferences screen to see a list of the schematic categories available for selection in projects assigned to your current Preference Set.

 

 

 

The Schematic Irrigation Preferences dialog box will open. The list of available categories is based on our default schematic categories, but you're welcome to use the three buttons to:

• Add a New schematic category to the list associated with this Preference Set
• Edit or Delete one of the existing schematic categories from the list associated with this Preference Set

Our Schematic Irrigation tool provides a great way to sketch out your design before actually placing any equipment. Note that the list you see here is tied to your Preference Set, but the actual Schematic Irrigation tool is tied to your projects. You can use this list of Schematic types in your Preferences to fine-tune the list of types you can then select from in each project. For more information on using this tool, see our Schematic Irrigation documentation.

The process for adding, editing, or deleting a schematic category from the Preferences will function similarly to how the same process works when using our Schematic Irrigation tool, except the changes you make here will apply to the entire Preference Set and any projects based on it. For further instructions, see our doucmentation on:

• Creating a new Schematic Irrigation category
• Editing a Schematic Irrigation category
• Deleting a Schematic Irrigation category

 

 

 

Pipe Data Defaults

Click Pipe Data Defaults to apply the current Pipe Data settings to the current Preference Set.

The Pipe Data Defaults will only apply to new projects. To change the Pipe Data settings in an existing project, you'll need to use the actual Pipe Data tool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's an example of Pipe Data settings you might want to set as the default.

 

 

Note that you can set the defaults for laterals and mainline lipe, as well as pipe sleeves.

 

 

You can set defaults for up to 9 different classes of lateral pipe (pictured), 6 classes of mainline pipe, and 4 types of pipe sleeves.

 

 

 

 

You can then create or open another Preference Set, configure completely different Pipe Data settings, and set those as the default of that Preference Set.

 

 

Schedule Defaults

When you go to create an Irrigation Schedule, you have the opportunity to configure a number of settings in the Irrigation Schedule dialog box. These settings consist of menus, radio buttons, and checkboxes that control settings ranging from which equipment to include, whether to organize equipment by Group or By Nozzle, and whether or not to include various data columns. One bonus feature of the Irrigation Schedule is that you can set different defaults for schedules that you place in the drawing and those you place in a spreadsheet.

 

 

Let's say you selected a Table style schedule.

 

 

 

 

In this example, we've opted to include a Description column in the schedule.

 

 

 

If you know you'll often use this combination of settings, you'd obviously like to avoid having to set them again and again.

 

 

The Schedule Defaults button turns those settings into the default for the active Preference Set (in our example, New Preferences).

 

 

 

If you want, you can also set the defaults for schedules placed in a spreadsheet.

 

 

 

For example, let's say you didn't want a Description column in schedules that you export to a spreadsheet.

 

 

 

You could then select Spreadsheet as the Destination and configure the settings how you want them – in this case, to not include a Description.

 

 

 

Back in the Irrigation Preferences, click Schedule Defaults again.

 

 

 

The settings for schedules sent to a spreadsheet will be applied to the current Preference Set – and the settings you configured for schedules sent to the drawing will remain in place.

Line Colors and Layers

Do our default line colors, such as those assigned to pipes you draw, conflict with your office standard? Fear not; we offer an easy way to change your line colors to suit your preference. For more information about customizing your layer and line colors, see our Land F/X Layers page.

A Note on Pipe Callout Masks

The Irrigation Preferences screen used to include an option to add background masks to your pipe labels to make them more legible when placed on top of items such as hatches. We've removed this option and made the background masks the default setting. Don't want the background masks on your pipe labels? Here's how to remove them.

 

 

 

 

Pipe label with a background mask

 

Pipe label without a background mask

Saving Your Preferences in a Preference Set

Preferences control the look and feel of your usage of our software to match your office standards. However, some projects may require different preferences, such as those produced for a client whose requirements differ from your office standard. These projects may require different text styles, or callout looks, or schedule setups, different colors, or any of the various items covered in Preferences.

 

 

Once you've configured your Preferences, you can save them as a Preference Set. You can create multiple Preference Sets – one for each client, project type, region ... the choice is yours. When starting a job for a particular client, for example, open the Preference Set you've created for that client. Your standards for that client will be applied automatically as you draft.

 

 

In all six Preferences screens, the Preference Set options are in the bottom left corner.

For detailed information on creating a Preference Set, see our Preference Sets page.

Other Preferences Categories

• General: Preferences for Text Styles used by our software (such as for schedules, callouts, titles), as well as license information and several other options, including layer settings and line colors.
• RefNotes: Preferences for how your office organizes Reference Notes (RefNotes).
• Planting: Preferences for plant codes and plant labels.
• Plant Sizes: Preferences for the list of plant sizes, default plant size, the number and type of fields in the schedule, and the default cost for each plant in your project.
• Details: Preferences for the Detail Module size and callout

Related Webinars

• Implementing Your Office CAD Standards: Find out how easily you can adapt your own office standards to Land F/X – and how effectively the software will then apply them to your projects. (1 hr 2 min)
• Customize for Office Color Standards: This webinar covers the necessary tools and techniques for a black belt in the art of office standards – from CTB plotting files to valuable Land F/X tools that enable instant layer color conversions and office color setup. (1 hr 2 min)
• Understanding Pressure and Flow: Learn the differences between static and dynamic pressure, how specific equipment types affect that pressure, how flow affects pipe sizing, and what to consider when dealing with pressure issues both before and after installation. (1 hr 4 min)
• Customizing Land F/X: Learn how to work with specific blocks, layer names, sheet protocols, and other distinct elements that make up your firm’s practices and preferences. (1 hr 3 min)
• Planting F/X Setup for a Multi-Office Firm: Wondering how to acquaint your office with our planting tools? Michael Bain, CAD manager at Boffa Miskell Limited, walks through his introduction of Land F/X into the New Zealand firm with 7 offices and 70+ landscape architects. Michael shows how easy it was to get the firm's standards into the software, and provides real numbers showing the time savings they experienced right away. (1 hr)
• Setting up Templates and Preferences for Repeat Clients: To save time and increase your accuracy, learn how to deliver a consistent drawing package for your repeat clients by setting up project templates and Preference Sets. (50 min)

Troubleshooting

Issue: You are unable to open any of the Preferences screens, and your office has our Cloud Data option

 

Issue: You opened the Preferences, and the buttons and options are grayed out, and you are not able to make changes

 

Issue: Your heads are placing with the incorrect symbol family

 

Issue: The list of Schematic types is missing or blank when you try to call it up from your Preference Set

 

Issue: Your pipe sizes or pressure/flow units are in the wrong measurement system – for example, you might be desgining in Imperial units (feet and inches) but the pipe sizes are in metric

 

 

Issue: You want to use custom linetypes for different pipe sizes

to use, or you need to clear your pipe class cache to show newly added pipe classes

 

Issue: You're attempting to add or edit pipe classes in your Pipe Data default settings or your project Pipe Data, but the data is not saving

 

Issue: You want to use Imperial valve sizes, but your drawing is set to metric units

 

Preference Sets troubleshooting