Master Planting Tools

Note: The following catalog of content covered in this webinar is time stamped to allow you to follow along or skip to sections of the video that are relevant to your questions. You can also search for content on this page using the FIND command in your browser (CTRL + F in Windows, Command + F in Mac OS.)

• Intro / TOC
• Land F/X Projects Best Practices
• Plant Searching: “Sounds Like” Feature
• Assigning Plant Symbols
• How to Add Your Office Plant Symbols
• Importing Plants Into a Project
• Match Properties/Match Plant
• Paint Mode & Plant Mirror
• Verify Labels
• Plant Photo Callout
• Match Properties
• Highlight Plant: Select Similar
• Work Areas
• New Features
• Block Data: Replace
• Presentation Tools

 

0:00 – 3:35: Intro / TOC

3:35 – 6:54: Land F/X Projects Best Practices

Opening a new project (3:35)

 

Saving a project template (5:50)

Remember: Instead of trying to start a new project based on an existing project, use a template.

 

6:55 – 7:52: Plant Searching: “Sounds Like” Feature

Searching for a plant in the Plant Manager (6:55)

Note: If you happen to misspell a plant when searching, your search should still call up similarly spelled plant names; it just won’t highlight the correct plant. You can then select the correct plant from the list and add it to the project.

 

7:53 – 9:35: Assigning Plant Symbols

The new Planting dialog box (7:55)

The Planting dialog box, where you assign a plant symbol, has a new design. The symbol thumbnails are now combined with the symbol names, and you can scroll up and down the thumbnail panes.

 

9:36 – 12:52: How to Add Your Office Plant Symbols

1. Copy your symbol blocks into the appropriate location in the LandFX folder (9:36)

 

2. Copy your folder of symbol blocks, navigate to our folder of plant blocks (LandFX > Blocks > Graphics > Planting), and place your folder into the appropriate plant type subfolder (Trees, Shrubs, Groundcovers, or Shrub_Areas). You can then rename that subfolder containing your symbol blocks to your preferences.

 

3. Add the symbol blocks to the Land F/X system using BatchMan (10:55)

Make sure the following options are selected:

• Zoom E
• Make slide
• No save

 

4. You should now see thumbnails for your symbols in the Planting dialog box. (12:30)

 

 

12:53 – 15:06: Importing Plants Into a Project

Note: Do not copy blocks from project to project; use Import instead. Why? Because you need to copy not only the plant block but also the data associated with it.

 

The Match Plant tool (like the AutoCAD Copy/Selection tool for a plant, but more streamlined) (14:15)

 

15:07 – 17:00: Paint Mode & Plant Mirror

Placing multiple plants evenly using Paint Mode and the Snap Angle option (15:07)

 

The Plant Mirror tool (16:05)

 

17:00 – 19:29: Verify Labels

Label by Group tool (17:00)

 

Verify Labels tool (18:00)

 

Moving labels (18:30)

 

19:30 – 23:49: Plant Photo Callout

Demonstration of the Plant Photo Callout tool (19:30)

 

Plant Photo Callout in Paper Space (20:30)

Note that some websites protect their photos, preventing you from placing them. Note also that you can browse for and select your own plant photos. (22:09)

 

23:50 – 28:49: Match Properties

Demonstration of Match Properties tool (24:30)

Reminder to explore all the flyouts on the ribbons (the buttons available when you click the small down-facing arrow below some of the buttons on the ribbons) – example: Copy Along Line (28:00)

 

28:50 – 31:09: Highlight Plant: Select Similar

Select Current Set option (29:30)

 

Highlight Additional Plant option (29:55)

 

31:10 – 36:14: Work Areas

Creating a new Work Area (31:10)

 

Running separate schedules for separate Work Areas (33:15)

Note: Work areas look at the exact insertion point of trees and shrubs, and the boundary lines of shrub areas and groundcovers. Work areas will count the boundary points of shrub areas and ground covers. If more than half of the points are within the Work Area, that shrub area or groundcover is considered to be entirely within the Work Area. (34:50)

 

36:15 – 39:48: New Features

New feature: 

You can now draw a groundcover boundary on the fly as you place the groundcover. (Previously, you could only select an existing polyline. Now you can do either when placing a groundcover.) (36:15)

 

New feature: 

Automatically exclude shrubs when placing a groundcover (note that the shrubs have to be entirely within the bounding polyline for this feature to work (available in the Planting Preferences) (37:20)

 

39:49 – 42:11: Block Data: Replace

Changing out a plant in the drawing with the Change Plant button (39:49)

 

The Apply to All option (40:35)

 

42:12 – end: Presentation Tools

Plant Shadows tool (42:50)

Turning off Plant Shadows (43:41)

 

Color Render tool (43:50)

Placed vs. unplaced plants in the Color Render dialog box (44:40)

 

Groundcover hatches and Color Render (45:45)

 

Note that you need to be in Model Space to use Color Render. (46:30)

 

The appearance of Color Render in Paper Space (47:38)

 

Turning off Color Render (49:25)

 

Plant Outlines tool (49:40)

Plant Outlines in Paper Space and Print Preview (50:25)

 

SketchUp Connection(51:08)

Sending a layer of linework into SketchUp (52:10)

 

Exporting into SketchUp (53:50)

 

Selecting the same project as the one associated with the CAD drawing (54:07)

 

Selecting and importing symbols into SketchUp (54:25)

 

Adjusting shadows, shade, time of year (55:00)

 

Looking inside buildings to analyze plant shadows (55:30)

 

Exporting from SketchUp back into CAD (56:10)