Planting F/X Setup

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
  • What You Need in Order to Follow This Webinar
• What to Consider When Starting With Planting F/X
• Customize Plant Sizes
• Customize Plant Symbols
• Customize Plant Callout Style
• Set a Plant Schedule Template
• Convert a Non–Land F/X Plan to a Land F/X Plan

0:00 – 2:59: Intro/TOC

What You Need in Order to Follow This Webinar (2:30)

• AutoCAD or F/X CAD 2014 or newer
  • Check latest Land F/X compatibility is you’re watching in the future.
  • Not LT or Mac version
  • Basic AutoCAD skill set

• Planting F/X license
  • Server and Workstation components installed
  • (Note that Irrigation F/X license includes Planting F/X)

3:00 – 9:09: What to Consider When Starting With Planting F/X

We recommend trying Planting F/X on an existing plan, dabbling in all the planting tools to get to know how they work. You can then use it confidently on real projects with deadlines.

 

What’s holding you back?

• Who needs convincing?
• Is there a critical style standard they need?

 

• Make a list.
• Watch this webinar.
• Contact Land F/X support.

 

The more you customize from Land F/X defaults, the more customizing work needed.

 

Examples: Old style vs. built-in Land F/X (symbols, schedules) (5:40)

9:10 – 15:49: Customize Plant Sizes

Editing a plant: Plant Size and Container Type fields, as well as other customizable fields (9:30)

 

Editable fields in the Plant Sizes Preferences (11:00)

 

Adding fields in the Plant Sizes Preferences (11:35)

You can have up to six fields, which will correspond to the fields you see when editing plants and the columns in your Plant Schedule.

 

Limitations to customizing plant sizes (14:20)

15:50 – 29:46: Customize Plant Symbols

Editing one of our default source blocks (16:30)

 

Our folder system for plant blocks (LandFX/Blocks/Graphics/Planting) (17:50)

 

Each of our plant symbol blocks has three corresponding files within these folders (18:45):

• A DWG source file that contains the linework for the symbol
• An SLD file, which allows for the thumbnail preview slide of that symbol in our software
• An XML file: the data associated with that block so it scales and places correctly in your drawings

 

Saving custom blocks into our folder system (19:40)

You are free to create your own folders to house your own symbols, as long as you follow our naming conventions for those folders and keep the names relatively short.

 

Using our Save Plant Block tool to save a custom symbol (20:40)

 

Accessing the saved custom symbol from the software (22:35)

 

Reshooting the thumbnail slide for the saved block (22:40)

 

Replacing plants in a drawing with a customized plant symbol (24:07)

 

Keep in mind that excessive linework in symbols – especially shrub symbols –can cause bloated file size. (25:00)

 

Note that you can also save in your own hatches for groundcovers and Shrub Areas, as long as you have them saved as PAT files. (25:50)

 

Want to save your custom hatches into our system? See our documentation page on saving hatches.

 

Also consider: If you feel that we’re missing anything in the software, such as patterns or symbols you want to use, don’t hesitate to let us know in a support ticket. (26:50)

 

It’s possible, although not recommended, to use the same symbol for different plants. We recommend using our diagrammatic symbols if you want several plants to have a similar appearance. (27:50)

29:47 – 43:24: Customize Plant Callout Style

Overview of the Planting Preferences (30:00)

 

Configuring the plant codes that will appear in your labels (30:15)

We recommend keeping the six-letter code option because it will be easier for contractors, city officials, etc. to read.

 

Changing the plant label style (31:30)

 

Our default plant label styles (31:45)

 

Editing our default label source files to create your own customized label styles (32:30)

Note that our default label styles are made up of just lines and attributes. (An attribute is a piece of dynamic text that allows "smart" blocks, such as plant labels, to take on different values each time they're inserted into a drawing. Because plant label blocks contain attributes, they are able to "read" information about valves in your drawing and reflect that information automatically.)

 

Note that each label source file has a left (L) and right (R) version, which allows for the label style to be placed on either side of a plant. When you customize any of the label styles, don’t forget to edit both the L and R versions. (33:40)

 

Changing the attributes in our plant label styles (34:30)

For more information on these attributes, see our Attribute Definitions for Plant Labels documentation page.

 

Using our REDEFINEBLOCK command to redefine and update the existing labels in a drawing. Just type REDEFINEBLOCK in the Command line and press Enter. Then run our Verify Labels tool, and Bob’s your uncle* you’ve replaced the labels in your drawing with the new style.  (36:14)

*Bob’s your uncle: A classic British expression, uttered hilariously by our presenter, meaning “You’re all set.”

 

Why it’s important to make your changes to both the L and R versions of a label style (36:45)

 

Adding your own attributes to a label style (37:10)

 

Using the TEXT2ATTRIB command to turn text into an attribute in a source file (39:30)

 

Running REDEFINEBLOCK and applying the new attribute to existing labels (40:14)

 

Adding a dynamic background mask to a callout style (40:55)

 

If you want us to add an attribute, feel free to request via a technical support ticket that we add it to our label styles.

43:25 – 49:24: Set a Plant Schedule Template

Example of our default Plant Schedule (43:30)

 

Changing the default settings for your Plant Schedules (43:58)

Examples of settings you can change include:

• Sending your schedules to the drawing with or without table format, or sending them to a spreadsheet
• Placing remarks below the plant names or in their own separate column
• Listing plants by common and/or botanical names.
• Listing plants by codes or symbols
• Including symbols at plan size
• Listing or not listing plant quantities
• Including, or not including, details associated with plants
• Including, or not including, plant data fields

49:25 – end: Convert a Non–Land F/X Plan to a Land F/X Plan

Adding plants to a project and converting “dumb” blocks to “smart” blocks (50:05)

 

Importing from an existing project (51:18)

 

Assigning symbols to plants and placing them in the drawing (52:20)

 

Using our Match Properties tool to replace “dumb” blocks with “smart” blocks (52:40)

 

We fielded several questions during the webinar about settings that are not currently possible in the software, including:

• Putting plant symbols into plant labels automatically
• Putting container sizes before plant names in the Plant Schedule

 

 

For these and other settings, we encourage you to assess your actual standard and evaluate what is an actual requirement. Moving into a new software is a great time to have another look at your existing standards and determine what can change.