Glossary of Key Terms

We use "Land F/X" as a general term for our AutoCAD add-on, also known as a plugin. It requires AutoCAD because it's really just a set of tools that drop into AutoCAD – which is why it's called an "add-on."

We offer three licensing options for our Land F/X add-on: Design F/X, Planting F/X, and Irrigation F/X. (Scroll down for more information.)

(Land F/X is also the name of our company.)

We offer three Land F/X license types. The tools you have will depend on which license you have installed:

• Design F/X (includes our detail system)
• Planting F/X (includes Design F/X, our planting system, and our SketchUp plugin)
• Irrigation F/X (includes Design F/X, Planting F/X, our SketchUp connection, and our irrigation system)

See our Products page for more information on our different license types.

A Land F/X installation includes three components:

• F/X Server: A data library that contains all necessary information for the correct use of our software, including all of our tools and all the data for plants, site amenities, irrigation equipment, and other items. When you click any of our tool buttons, add a plant to a project, or configure a piece of irrigation equipment, you are accessing data from the F/X Server. Your F/X Server component can live directly on your computer or on an office server or shared online folder. (More on that below.)

• F/X Workstation: The actual application that runs our software. F/X Workstation is a software program in the traditional sense. It's always installed on the computer you're using when you use our software, even if your F/X Server component is on an office server or a shared online folder. When you click one of our tool buttons in AutoCAD, it's F/X Workstation that accesses that tool from F/X Server. 

• LandFX folder: When you install our software, the installer creates this folder (literally, a folder named LandFX) automatically. It contains all the files and content (such as plant blocks, callouts, hatches and details) our software needs to function correctly.

Multi-User (server or shared online folder)

A Multi-User installation puts the F/X Server component and the LandFX folder on either an office server or a shared online folder using a service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. In this setup, the F/X Workstation component will be installed on each computer where you and your co-workers plan to use our software. So while you're working in AutoCAD on your computer, you're also accessing data and content from that central location. In this way, everyone on your network has access to the same data, content, and preference settings.

However, we also recommend a Multi-User installation even for sole proprietors because it allows you to easily use our software from multiple computers – such as an office computer, a home computer, and even a laptop. As long as you have AutoCAD on all of those computers, you can move easily between them when you need to travel or go home from work. If you choose our Cloud Data option when installing (highly recommended), this process will be even easier.

A Multi-User setup is the best way to:

• Keep your files secure with automated backups
• Easily enable multi-user access to your Land F/X data (such as plant palettes and Preference Sets) and custom content such as plant blocks and details your office has created
• Work from different computers and locations as the need arises

See our server recommendations and our guide for installing Multi-User Land F/X on your server.

Single-User

If you are installing to one machine only, we call this the Single-User installation. The Single-User installation will install both the F/X Server and F/X Workstation components on one computer. The LandFX folder will also live on that computer.

Though a bit simpler to set up than a Multi-User installation, a Single-User setup will make it more difficult to work from different computers if you need to. You may also run into problems in the event of a computer crash.

See our Land F/X system requirements and our guides for installing Single-User Land F/X.

Each time you specify a plant or a piece of irrigation equipment, or change a setting in your Preferences (such as your layer colors or plant label styles), you are accessing data. When we talk about your "Land F/X data," we are referring to the plant palettes and equipment inventories you've built up in your Land F/X projects and templates, as well as your Preference Sets. We offer two options for how this data is stored:

• Cloud Data (recommended): Your Land F/X data is stored online at landfx.com. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can access it when placing plants, labeling site amenities, and doing all the things you need to do when using our software. It's a great solution for sharing data, working on multiple computers, and keeping your data backed up. Note that your DWG files will not be stored online. You'll still need to save and transfer them as you would normally.

• Local Data: With Local Data, your Land F/X data is stored locally – that is, on your computer or office server. With this setup, it's more difficult to share data across multiple locations, and your data won't be backed up as securely. We recommend Local Data for offices that do not have a reliable or fast Internet connection. Otherwise, we recommend Local Data.

As you know by now, our software is an add-on for AutoCAD. For that reason, it requires an AutoCAD engine to be installed on your computer. We offer an AutoCAD engine that's tailored specifically for use with our software. It's a more affordable and scaled-down version of standard AutoCAD, and it includes some features we've added.

If you want to use our software but you don't have AutoCAD, F/X CAD is a great option because includes a genuine AutodeskD engine – just sold and supported by us.

See our F/X CAD page for more information.