Add/Place Site Blocks & Hatches

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Converting an Existing Plan to a "Smart" Plan

• Adding and Placing Site and Hardscape Objects
• Adding Your Own Site and Hardscape Objects
• Adding and Placing Mulches
• Assign Data to Existing Site Objects
• Having a Hatch Issue? Download Our Updated Hatch Patterns Manually
• Related Webinars
• Troubleshooting

We make it it easy to add and place hardscape items such as rocks and pagodas, as well as site amenities such as benches, play equipment, and bike racks, to your project. You can add these items, and anything else you can think of, to your project and then place them in your drawing as blocks. You can complete this process quickly and easily using Object Reference Notes.

Reference Notes allow you to calculate costs for objects placed in your site. Simply assign a cost in the Cost field when you add the Reference Note.

For mulches and other items that are measured in area or volume, you'll use an Area/Volume Reference Note. These Reference Note types allow you to calculate materials needed, as well as costs.

Did you know you can quickly convert generic blocks in your drawings directly into Amenity Reference Notes with data, costs, etc.? Find out how.

Adding and Placing Site and Hardscape Objects

To add a site or hardscape object to your project, simply add and place an Amenity (Object) Reference Note. You can then select between generic objects, and products in our manufacturer database. 

For more information, visit our Amenity Reference Notes page.

Adding Your Own Site and Hardscape Objects

All site and hardscape items are stored in our Plan Graphics library. You are free to add and place your own site and hardscape objects into this library as blocks using the Save Block tool.

You can then add your blocks to your project and place their blocks into your drawing using Amenity Reference Notes.

Before adding your Site and Hardscape objects, you should familiarize yourself with how AutoCAD blocks work, as well as the structure of our block folder system. For more information, visit our documentation sections on:

• AutoCAD Blocks
• The LandFX/Blocks Folder
• The Land F/X Blocks

Adding and Placing Mulches

Want to place gravel, bark, or any other mulch in your drawing? Our Area/Volume Reference Notes are your best friends. This option allows you to place a hatch in your site plan that denotes a specific material. You can calculate the area or volume of the material as needed in your site, as well as assign a cost to the material. For more information, see our Area/Volume Reference Notes documentation.

Assign Data to Existing Site Objects/Generic Blocks

What if you've placed a number of generic blocks from our Site Amenities library, such as chairs or benches, into your drawing, and you now want to go back and assign them with data such as cost? You can assign each instance of your generic block with data, allowing you to call them out out in a schedule. For instructions, see our Assign Data to Generic Blocks documentation.

Related Webinars

• Intro to Site Tools: This webinar covers the basics of what our Site tools have to offer, including a segment on the Reference Notes Manager. (1 hr 2 min)
• Common Land F/X Questions: This webinar covers some of our lesser-known tools, including Reference Note User Fields. (1 hr)
• How The Manufacturer Connection Works: The Manufacturer Connection works in conjunction with our Reference Notes tool to help you spec site amenities and hardscape materials from specific manufacturers. Learn all about it here. (53 min)
• Using RefNotes & Cost Estimates: Setting up a project with RefNotes right from concept can help speed up the process to produce accurate detailed drawings, and construction drawings, with cost estimates at every step along the way. We'll go through some advanced-user tips with RefNotes using an actual project. (46 min)

Having a Hatch Issue? Download Our Updated Hatch Patterns Manually

Are you experiencing any of the following issues with your hatches?

• Hatches looking fragmented or broken apart
• Hatches with scales that are too large or too dense
• Hatches that place blank or empty
• Hatches that are not appearing in schedules
• File size bloating

 

If so, follow our steps to download our updated hatch patterns manually.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Error Message when placing blocks: Lighting – Non-photometric lights: Non-photometric lights are not supported by the current render engine

Issue: Error message: The hatch no longer exists

Issue: While working offline, you are unable to access hatch patterns you've already used. The thumbnail previews in the Hatch dialog box are blank.