best organic shape method

[td88]

May I get some suggestions of the best way to draw organic shapes (like amoebic type shapes)?

 

I'm drawing landscape plans and laying out beds, which many times will be those shapes. The plugin software I'm using wants a bed drawn with polyline, in order to create the symbolic hatches for groundcovers.

 

I'd love to use spline, because it lends itself to those shapes but,I'm not sure a closed shape spline will be recognized as a polyline and I don't know if polylines can be used to draw shapes like I'm describing.

 

Any ideas?

[lpseifert]

If LT has Wmfout/Wmfin you could use those commands; Wmfin will bring the spline in as a block, once exploded will be a polyline, albeit with lots of vertices.

Or you could accomplish the same thing saving as an R12 dxf (use the 'Select objects' option or you'll export the whole drawing).

or... draw the basic shape using a polyline, then use Pedit > Spline; it will still be an editable pline.

[td88]

or... draw the basic shape using a polyline, then use Pedit > Spline; it will still be an editable pline.

 

lp,

 

I think you might be getting at something I was thinking. Is there a way to draw the shape with a bunch of short continuous plines and, when finished, change it into a smooth shape.

 

td88

[Cad64]

Yes, it's exactly what you quoted. Just draw the shape, then PEDIT and choose Spline from the command line options.

[td88]

Yes, it's exactly what you quoted. Just draw the shape, then PEDIT and choose Spline from the command line options.

 

Cad64,

 

I don't know how much experience you have with landscape plans. I have next to none, I'm an architedture guy, but, I have a lot of experience with hand drawing and sketching. An important thing in landscape is creating these beautiful organic shapes in plan view, which when built, the plan view beauty directly translates to 3d beauty, as you would expect. Proportion tends to equal proportion.

 

What I would like to do is hand sketch the plans, where I have some control of the forms (drawing, at least for me, is clumsy with a mouse), and bring them into Acad and trace them. This makes great sense to me but, I don't know how to do it. Can I bring a hand drawing in and trace it?

 

td88

[Cad64]

I don't know how much experience you have with landscape plans.

 

I'm a landscape architect. I do landscape plans every day.

 

Can I bring a hand drawing in and trace it?

 

In full Autocad you can easily insert scanned drawings, but in Autocad LT, it's not so easy.

Here is one way to do it: http://ltisacad.blogspot.com/2007/08/insert-raster-image-file-in-lt.html

[td88]

I'm a landscape architect. I do landscape plans every day.

 

 

 

In full Autocad you can easily insert scanned drawings, but in Autocad LT, it's not so easy.

Here is one way to do it: http://ltisacad.blogspot.com/2007/08/insert-raster-image-file-in-lt.html

 

Cad64,

 

I hope you're not, somehow, interpreting elitism in the remark you quote above. I would think that's covered by the unquoted portion of my original statement, "I have next to none".

 

Thanks for the link, it is very useful. I would be interested in the method for full Autocad, since I, also, have access to full Acad 2006. Is it as simple as using the command mentioned in the link "imageattach" or not so obvious, when the command is invoked?

 

td88

[Cad64]

Thanks for the link, it is very useful. I would be interested in the method for full Autocad, since I, also, have access to full Acad 2006. Is it as simple as using the command mentioned in the link "imageattach" or not so obvious, when the command is invoked?

 

Yes, in full Autocad you just use the IMAGEATTACH command to insert raster images into your CAD drawing to trace over. Once the command is invoked, a dialog will open which will allow you to browse for the file you want to insert. It's very simple and self explanatory.

[td88]

Thank you, Cad64, tried it yesterday and it's exactly what I wanted. You have far more experience than me, drawing the shapes of beds, exactly as you want them. Is this method of hand sketching and scanning in the sketch something you use frequently? I find I couldn't possibly get the control of hand sketching with a mouse.

 

It's a little surprising that CAD doesn't readily lend itself to disciplines, like tile design, bed design, metal scrollwork, which require the drawing of florid or organic shapes or, is it something I don't yet know how to do. It was funny, when I realized I was only approximating something I had hand drawn. Usually the other way around.

[Cad64]

Yes, we always define the planting areas by hand, on paper. Then once we have it exactly the way we want it, we scan the drawing and insert it into our CAD file. We do the same thing with our grading plans. We generally sketch our entire plan, including hardscape, before ever starting on the CAD file. It's much easier to create the CAD drawing when you have your design fully envisioned.

 

Another command you might want to try playing with is the SKETCH command. I don't use it because it creates line segments which you then have to PEDIT to join them into a Polyline so that you can then Spline it. Plus, as you said, it's very difficult to draw with a mouse. But you might want to try it out anyway, and see what it does.

[lpseifert]

Skpoly-=1 will create polylines with the Sketch command.

[td88]

Cad64,

 

I'd be very interested in your comments on the software/plugin, which motivated all of these questions, Landfx. My beginner assessment is, it's very useful and powerful with it's project management capabilities and it's connecting of Acad and Sketchup. However, my search for landscape softwares was brief and there may be far better stuff out there.

 

It interests me, because I have moderate Acad skills and recently devoted a lot of time teaching myself to use SU so, it seems a good fit. My only minor criticism is the 3D trees/plants offered have a science fiction look but, are little problem to replace with your own or others. Your suggestions welcomed. My employer has asked me for my purchase recommendations.

 

td88

[td88]

Skpoly-=1 will create polylines with the Sketch command.

 

lp,

 

It astounds me the infinite encyclopedia of commands, which come out of the woodwork, when I ask a question about Acad. Who knew?

Thanks.

 

td88

[Cad64]

Skpoly-=1 will create polylines with the Sketch command.

 

Good to know, but I still don't think I will be using this command. I like to be precise in regards to where, and how many, grips I have in my polyline.

 

And don't you think polyline should be the default, not line?

[Cad64]

Whether you should use LandFx or not, all depends on what you plan on doing and what kind of realism you require. I've never used it, so I can't give you any feedback on the program. My only thought, after visiting their website, is that everything looked really cartoonish, which is something I don't really like.

 

I use Corel Painter to create colored plan view graphics and I use 3DS Max and Vue to create photorealistic 3D renderings.

 

LandFx may work fine for your purposes though. I would suggest downloading their trial version and test it out for yourself.

 

I have done a lot of research and tested out various plugins and programs for rendering out realistic landscape environments in 3DS Max, but not for Autocad or Sketchup. So I don't know how much help I can really offer.

[td88]

Cad64,

 

Yes, I've downloaded the trial Landfx and that's why I've been posting these questions, regarding polylines and splines. They want a closed polyline around each bed to invoke some of their hatches. I take your cartoonish comment to be similar to my sci-fi comment. Some of the images are weird but, I'm projecting the project management stuff is powerful and very useful. Images can be adjusted.

 

Simply the ability to draw a job in plan view in Acad and have those 2D plant choices correspond to Sketchup 3D plant images with no other action required is powerful in my experience but, I'm new to this 2D/3D world. Do most other programs offer that capability?

 

My employer would like a means to create attractive colored plan views (as his competitors do) of his projects and, the ability to provide a colored 3D view to a client, who, as many do, has difficulty understanding plan views, would be a plus. He is very impressed with CAD, which can use it's graphic choices to create bills of materials, etc., as Revit does, I believe BIM is the term, and Landfx promises to do that, however, because it uses my existing Acad/SU skills, not requiring the intense re-education of Revit.

 

The projects are modest with modest budgets residential and some medium size commercial. Currently he has no CAD capability and he hopes I can bring those skills into the office. I lived in LA many years and these projects are vastly smaller than those common in LA. I'm trying to get him the most he can get for a modest budget.

 

I hope that fills you in,

 

td88

[Cad64]

I've been watching the LandFx videos and it's pretty cool how it allows you work in either Autocad or Sketchup and automatically updates each file accordingly. It's similar to the way I work in 3DS Max and Vue.

 

It looks like this program would probably work well for you, but I think it just depends on the level of realism you want to achieve. Does your boss like the graphics that you produce with this program? If so, then I think your decision is a simple one. And I noticed that LandFx is being offered at a 25% discount right now, so there's another reason to grab it.

[td88]

Cad64,

 

I'd be interested to know, on 3DS Max and Vue:

Can you track costs with your selections?

Do your 2D choices make automatic 3D choices?

Are they in the Landfx price range?

Are both or either Autodesk?

Do I need to learn a new and complicated software to use them?

 

I've already stated my agreement with your cartoonish comment but, just as with Sketchup, I can replace any models with those of my aesthetic choice.

 

I'm not after photorealism, in the same sense we used to do a quick, stylized perspective sketch, with markers or colored pencils to express a concept, I believe, Sketchup serves the same purpose. I can create or select acceptable plant models from 3D Warehouse but, it's intent is not realism. BTW, I have seen some expamples, as I'm sure you have, of beautiful realism where the creator used SU as the base drawing software, because of it's user friendliness.

 

Thanks,

 

td88

[td88]

Cad64,

 

Is this the Vue you're speaking of?

 

http://www.vue7.com/ple/

 

td88

[Cad64]

To answer your questions:

Can you track costs with your selections? No

Do your 2D choices make automatic 3D choices? No

Are they in the Landfx price range? No. If you were to buy Max and Vue it would cost about $5,000.

Are both or either Autodesk? 3DS Max is Autodesk, Vue is not.

Do I need to learn a new and complicated software to use them? Yes, Max and Vue are both pretty complicated programs. I'm still learning Vue.

 

I'm not after photorealism, in the same sense we used to do a quick, stylized perspective sketch, with markers or colored pencils to express a concept, I believe, Sketchup serves the same purpose. I can create or select acceptable plant models from 3D Warehouse but, it's intent is not realism.

 

If realism is not your intent, then I think this LandFx program is probably a good choice for you. And since you are already familiar with Autocad and Sketchup, there shouldn't be much of a learning curve. You should be able to jump right in and start using it.

 

This is purely speculation though, as I have no first-hand knowledge of the program.