Landscape Design Software

9 years ago

I have been asked by a friend to help advise on some landscape software and also hardware.
He does landscape design and currently uses a drawing board and traces over a photograph of the garden to make the design

He was talking about getting a macbook pro (as its needs to be portable and run on batteries) to use for hes landscape design

But before splashing out on a mac , i suggested understanding the software available and also what platform it runs on.

anyone have any recommendations - I dont have a budget and really dont know much more that I have posted

Thanks in advance

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Comments (3)

User
9 years ago
He needs to find SOFTWARE that does what he needs, and then buy whatever it runs on ... because Murphy's law of finding the ideal speciality software is that it always runs on any computer except the one you bought just before you spotted the software of your dreams.

If he buys the MacBook Pro, the software he loves will require Windows 95. :)

What does he want software to do for him that his current process is lacking? What sort of work process does he envision?

He does landscape design and currently uses a drawing board and traces over a photograph of the garden to make the design

I do that, but with digital photos and graphics editing software. It's a good way to get a sketch for the client of what needs to be removed and what will be installed. I can do multiple layers and make a slide show presentation of "what we have" in an area, "where we want to go" and the intermediate steps.

I don't do it in the field - I take a series of photos with a good camera on a tripod and edit in the comfort of my office with my over-powered computer and humongous screen.

Then I can make a scaled drawing in almost any software (what I use is not specific for landscaping, it's open source compatible with AutoCAD) to use to talk to the contractors.

=======
Be warned that it takes serious effort and time to get up to speed on full-blown professional level design software - layers, object defining for use and reuse, bills of materials. It's l;ike learning to drive a fighter jet compared to a passenger car.

And serious money to buy it or license it.

He should try some of the ones with a free version, or a free 30-day trial, to see what he's getting into. He might realize that it's not going to do much for him, he might kick himself for not doing it years ago. His needs might be simple enough that "My First Landscape" is good enough or he might be doing things that need "SUPER-Pro Landscaper Deluxe" models.
gregbradley
9 years ago
I've been managing IT systems for 30+ years and agree with lazygardens 1000%. Buying hardware first is like starting a delivery service business and buying vehicles before you know if you're delivering documents in downtown Manhattan or moving full trailers long distance.

Yes, Mac laptops are nice. They are the only ones shipping 16:10 aspect ratio screens on laptops instead of the too wide & too short 16:9 normal on Windows machines. Also, if you are buying a business windows computer, go to HP.com and choose "For Work" to get to actual computers, not the consumer electronics sold by Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, etc.

For things like AutoCAD, Chief Architect, etc. you will want something HP from their Mobile Workstation line. Most artwork software like Adobe products will work best on a Mac Pro.

As far as doing CAD on a laptop, the small screen is very limiting. If you decide on a laptop, be sure it has Displayport video output for better monitors. Apple's Thunderbolt output is a version of Displayport.
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Original Author
9 years ago
brilliant thanks for those replies - Yes I have told him to spec the software before spending on a Mac
Unfortunately his workspace does not have electrical power at the moment - so he uses the laptop for email etc on batts and his drawing board
so cant have a large screen.

The main point was to be able to put a design over a photo(s) - as at the moment he uses tracing paper and then puts onto paper once traced

"it's open source compatible with AutoCAD"

I think he may have had that AutoCad on an OLD XP PC which is now broken and replaced with a cheap Windows 8 PC

Not sure what version of Autocad he has or how much he paid - OR if it can run on Windows 8

But he specifically mentioned the photograph bit
as a photographer - i immediately thought of using photoshop elements, or the Gimp open source

where he could use layers etc

@ lazygardens
what is the software you are using

@GregBradley
"As far as doing CAD on a laptop, the small screen is very limiting. If you decide on a laptop, be sure it has Displayport video output for better monitors. Apple's Thunderbolt output is a version of Displayport"

As I mentioned its all on Battery - no electric available - they do have a generator - buts its very loud and only used for emergencies

Then we he returns to the house charges the devices back up for the following day.