Creating landscape areas
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Tool |
Workspace: Tool set |
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Landscape Area
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Design Suite: Site Planning Landmark: Softscape |
Landscape areas are defined regions of plant combinations. These can be useful for conceptual landscape planning and for specifying large planting or reforestation areas with plant symbols drawn in a representative way according to spacing or percentage values. Plant information from a landscape area is based on plant symbol data, and can be included in plant list worksheets. A landscape area style always consists of at least one component, but you can add as many as required to represent the build-up of the object. These components display in section views and can be cut into the site model. You can also decide not to show them and instead show the bed area as a texture bed on the site model. Components can be created using material resources for an efficient BIM for landscape workflow. Landscape areas can interact with the curb object, for example a curb that provides edging, either by being aligned with a curb that acts as a site modifier, or by having a curb associated with the landscape area.
A landscape area can also be created without plant information specified, for use as a general ground cover or mulch area with a label showing the total area required.
Landscape areas are created with the Landscape Area tool. Landscape area objects can also be created by drawing a closed 2D shape and then selecting the Create Objects from Shapes command (see Creating objects from shapes). You can also pick up the attributes and settings of an existing landscape area object, and apply them to geometry or use them to create a new landscape area.
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Mode |
Description |
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Vertex
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Draws a landscape area using the selected polyline creation options and the current preference settings |
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Pick Up
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Picks up the settings and attributes of an existing landscape area and makes those the default preference settings for subsequently created objects. The landscape area’s Name parameter is given a suffix with sequential numbering for new landscape areas. |
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Convert
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Converts an existing polyline, polygon, rectangle, circle, or arc to a landscape area and applies the current preference settings |
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Landscape Area Style |
Opens the Resource Selector to select a landscape area style for placement; double-click a resource to activate it |
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Polyline creation options |
For Vertex mode, selects the method for drawing the polyline upon which the object is based; see Creating polylines |
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Preferences
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Opens the Landscape Area Preferences dialog box to set the default preferences for landscape areas |
To create a landscape area:
Click the tool.
Do one of the following to establish the landscape area's parameters:
Click Landscape Area Style on the Tool bar to select a resource from the Resource Selector.
Click Preferences to open the Landscape Area Preferences dialog box and specify the tool’s default parameters. See Landscape area preferences.
It is helpful to begin with a style resource and customize it. Alternatively, leave the default selection of an unstyled landscape area to set all of the parameters from scratch; see Concept: Plug-in object styles. If you do not select a landscape area style, the Landscape Area Preferences dialog box opens automatically to set the parameters.
To obtain the settings from an existing landscape area, click Pick Up mode from the Tool bar and then click on the landscape area that is the source of the settings.
Do one of the following to create the landscape area:
Click Convert mode from the Tool bar and then select an existing polyline, polygon, rectangle, circle, or arc to convert into a landscape area. The settings are automatically applied to create the new landscape area.
Click Vertex mode and click the appropriate polyline creation mode in the Tool bar to select the boundary creation method of the landscape area; see Creating polylines.
For Vertex mode, click to set the landscape area's start point.
Click to set the end of the segment and the beginning of the next. Continue drawing segments in this manner until the landscape area object is complete.
Optionally, to save the landscape area preferences as a style, select New Plug-in Style from Unstyled Plug-in from the Style list on the Object Info palette, or right-click on the landscape area and select New Plug-in Style from Unstyled Plug-in from the context menu. The landscape area style is saved as a resource in the file, and displays in the Resource Manager and in the Landscape Area Style Resource Selector on the Tool bar.
Connecting a landscape area with a site model
When connected with a site model, a landscape area can conform to and drape realistically over the site model's terrain. A landscape area's components can also cut into the site model. Conforming with a site model may change the landscape area's area and plant quantities, as compared with the results for a flat polyline.
A few rules dictate how a landscape area is connected with a site model by default, but a different site model layer can be selected from the landscape area's Object Info palette. In general, when setting up design layers, the landscape area layer needs to be located above the site model layer, for automatic connection to work. Layer visibilities are also important for automatic connections.
The landscape area must be completely inside the boundary of a connected site model. If any part of the landscape area falls outside the site model boundary, the landscape area is not properly connected and will not drape over or modify the site model. If this is the case, the Object Info palette displays an alert prompting you to adjust the landscape area.
When a landscape area is drawn, and there is only one visible site model on a layer under the landscape area's layer, the landscape area is automatically connected with that site model. If there is more than one site model visible in the drawing and under the landscape area's layer, the landscape area is set to the top site model layer, in stacking order.
If you want the landscape area to connect among different site models for a phased project, without needing to manually reconnect it every time, place the landscape area on a layer above the site model layers, and select Auto for the Site Model Layer parameter on the Object Info palette. As long as there is only one visible site model layer located under the landscape area layer (which must also be visible) at a time, the landscape area is automatically connected with the visible site model. Changing the site model design layer changes the connection automatically.
