3D Landscape Design Software
A good landscaping design program is a determining factor in the creation of a perfect outdoor space. The most available versions are the free and the paid ones. It is important to know much about each one of them. Many firms and companies who offer various landscaping designs which differ with regard to the features and prices.
Most landscape-design programs are built with do-it-yourselfers in mind. Many software packages allow you to scan a photo of your yard and drag-and-drop plants and hardscape features on a digital version of it. Other programs let you create an electronic base map and make infinite changes as you choose plants and features and move them around. Look for a program that guides you through a survey of your property and lets you define and map the site. An accompanying tutorial helps with this process.
The software you choose might also include a growth feature that enables you to see what plants look like as they mature, and a shadow caster that shows where tree and building shadows will fall any time of day throughout the year. Growth and shadow affect the placement of gardens, decks, and swimming pools. Three-dimensional viewing gives you a real-life view of the landscape and even takes you on a virtual tour. A cost-estimating feature helps you plan and track costs at every stage. A sprinkler system installation feature simplifies this project by formulating a workable plan, complete with flow rates and a shopping list of pipes and emitters.
Other software features include plant encyclopedias with photos, botanical names, and plant-care guides; a search feature that helps you identify plants appropriate for your region's climate; demonstrations of common gardening and building tasks; and troubleshooting guides.
Source : http://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/landscape-basics/using-landscape-design-software/
The most and commonly found characteristics of landscaping designs include: backyard, deck, pool, terrain, and other outdoor projects; video tutorials that give direction that enhance maximum utilization of all the program features. They are easy to use with drag and drop feature that entail addition of grass, houses, plant, deck, paths, fences, edging, retaining walls, beauty parks, walkways and many others. It also provides for thousands of plants to choose from and at the same time offer avenues for advanced search by shade, sun, watering and many more. It also gives focus on the future- that is, to pave way for future expansion and cater for any other emerging issues. It allows viewing in two dimensional and three dimensional angles. Varied pr-designed landscape, pool templates and deck can be made.
The best landscape design software has a streamlined workflow. With it, you can design anything and everything with just eight powerful tools. A pool, a deck, topographic terrain, plumbing lines, construction markings and more. All accomplished with three drawing tools and five editing tools. And all eight are smart tools — like the Arc tool that maintains perfect S-curves no matter how you move or alter an object — so you can design and edit with unrivaled ease. Update your design as you present it with unprecedented ease. With powerful outdoor living software, 3D objects update seamlessly so you can respond quickly to your clients’ requests. Simply drag and drop 3D objects to feature them in another location or to achieve the perfect layout. Pool Studio and VizTerra automatically detect changes and recalculate accordingly. Impressive, fast, easy.
Dramatically transform your workflow with the most accurate aerial images available. Design with high-resolution GIS surveyed terrain data, and detailed information about your client’s property. Image detail down to 3” per pixel means you can calculate square footage, measure the perimeter, and assess the outdoor living space — instantly. Simply type in your client’s address to access the GIS data, plus five ultra-high-resolution images. The surrounding terrain is modeled for you so it’s easy to spot any potential limitations to the project before visiting the client — or even complete a design remotely without ever stepping foot onto the site.
Source : https://www.structurestudios.com/3d-pool-and-landscaping-design-software-features