OK guys, I know. Just seems that sometimes a simple question sets off a firestorm. I enjoy trying to visualize projects before I bring out the shovels. I use Showoff, Photoshop, and even Paint to take a photo of the area I am fooling around with and trying different combinations of things until something clicks. It doesn't even have to be a true representation of the specific plants- sometimes just drawing out some bones and different shapes to balance things can be incredibly helpful to me. I choose my exterior colors this way, my roof color, bed placement, plants groupings, hardscapes, and so on. So while such novice timewasting might be useless to someone trained in the art of landscape design it can be incredibly useful to someone who is not. I know what I like but can't always call it right up- I need to finagle things on paper/screen before I commit. If we want to play with it what's the harm? Some of us enjoy the process of learning what works and what doesn't work and while of course not every eventual problem will show up on a simple program, some things do work this way. I don't want to hire someone to make decisions for me, and them bam do an installation and it's done. I want to continue to work the area and improve it in a way that pleases me and satisfies my own needs while at the same time providing me a fun hobby. I want it to look great, too, but I want it to be my creation. I'm way off course and apologize for butting in. But I still say it's fun to play around with the programs available even if they aren't 100% accurate or fluent in teaching design.

What if, Worm, no decent professional landscape designer or architect would touch your software package with a 10 foot pole? That would mean ... uh ... that those who have used your software of choice would all be ... uh ... homeowners and DIY garden designers. Except the experienced, creative homeowner garden designers probably wouldn't touch the program either. If you want someone to tell you the program is great, then, okay, I volunteer. It's wonderful. It solved every problem I've ever had. Well, I couldn't really figure out what the heck I was doing, but I'm assured by people in the know that my work with this program is a strong example of what it can do. Now, you have several responses in this thread from real pros and real experienced homeowners, some of whom have also taken design courses. They are in the cutting edge of landscape design. One said put "software" in the search box. You said you put the program name in and got nothing. Doesn't that tell you something ... There is a pretty good chance that there are real drawbacks to these tools ... Not just specifically, but generally. Part of the problem has to do with the way that photos trick the eye and create overly two-dimensional representations. They are too divorced from what happens on the ground. So, I'd still recommend putting "software" in the search box of this forum. Some of the discussions were at some length. Once you know the basic weaknesses of these programs, your own comfort and expertise with software evaluation should help you to know whether Realtime landscaping photo makes sense for your needs.

Depends on the type of work that you're doing... from what I remember of Punch was that it was all pretty standard fixtures for decking, paving, and the remainder of landscaping. If you're doing a lot of custom, atypical structures or pieces, I would highly recommend Sketchup. It also depends if you actually want to create a proper 3D model of the project (from which the program can take snapshots of elevations, sections, perspectives, etc) or if you just want a program to do 2D mockups. 3D models can provide the most automation (i.e. in the production of multiple graphics), but basically you have to put in any information you want shown which is typically a huge time investment. It's after the long run, multiple revisions and versions, updates, and the production of a large number of different views that the upfront time investment starts paying off. Fastest version of creating decent presentation graphics? Probably doing a hand-sketch over a good photo (or photos) of the site, scanning it in, and doing an overlay over the original photo[s]. That would be my first choice. - Audric

Build the basic shape of the house, including the roof, then add the windows, then add the roof eaves, rakes, trim, then the materials. Sketch Up is not an assembly of pre-designed parts, you draw as you would with a pencil and the surfaces form when three or more points lie in the same plane. It looks like a sketch but it is very accurate. You can tell which direction you are drawings by the color of the line and type in the length after picking the start point and choosing a direction. To align the ends of lines touch the another point and then move the cursor until a dotted construction line appears to signal the alignment. To match the slope of a line, start a line and then touch another line with the cursor and then move the cursor until the new line turns pink. Press the shift key to constrain that line in the new direction. The mid-point of a line is signaled when a blue dot appears. The best tool is the push/pull tool that allows you to drag a surface in or out. It allows you to stretch a roof shape across the house or push a door back 4 inches. The "follow me" tool allows you to do a similar thing but the shape follows an edge so you can extrude trim along a curve, like adding a bullnose to a curved kitchen counter. This is a 3D modeling program; it is not made for drawing 2D plans for construction although the new Pro 6 version has a Layout program. I do a layout in a CAD program and then import it into Sketch Up, then draw the walls, then the roof. It is a design tool but when the design is working well I often show it to a client. The full Pro version is quite sophisticated. It can be tedious to make a lot of changes so I wait until the basic shape is good before I add the details. Others, often architects, make objects and put them on the internet for others to use. Some are quite unbelievable.