Landscape Special Interest Group November (am) 2016

In this session we continued with our Getting Started sessions for landscape. We looked at site models, site modifies, adding retaining walls, adding missing models and adding hardscape areas.

Topics Covered:

• 00:12     we started our site model by creating a massing models. We already had several rectangles created but it can be difficult to select these rectangles when there is an large image or PDF behind. The technique to select these objects without selecting the large objects behind is to hold your finger on the B key (x-ray mode). Then you can use the Add Surface command to add the rectangles into a single polygon.
• 01:53     when you have created your polygons and selected those along with any required rectangles, then they can be made into Massing Models. The easiest way to make these into massing models is to use the Create Objects from Shapes command from the Landmark menu. When you create your objects into massing models, it’s important that use classes to control the graphic style of the roof and walls. If you have existing and proposed massing models then you should use different classes for both existing and the proposed models.
• 03:27     once the objects have been created into massing models, they can be sent to the surface of the site model. The command for this is on the Landmark menu. When you use the Send to Surface command with a Massing Model, Vectorworks uses the origin of the polygon to send that point to the surface of the site model. So while this is a quick technique to get all of our massing models to approximately the right height, you also have to check each massing model if you have the actual elevation for each massing model. If you do not have the actual elevation, then Send to Surface is acceptable.
• 04:19     at this part of the session we looked at creating some perspective viewports showing the backyard of the project. This project already has a textured bed which has to be located and removed. The site model as it is currently drawn does not have any indication to show the extent of the site so it will show the entire site model in the same colour. By using the property line or a polygon we created a textured bed that had a grass texture, this makes it easy to see the extent of our site and the adjoining properties. After creating the camera view, the camera can be used to create viewports. A viewport with a camera can be copied and then the camera edited to set up the next perspective viewport. This is a much quicker way of creating several perspective viewports, rather than returning back to the design layer to set up the next camera.
• 18:45     because we have our massing models on a class, that class can be turned invisible in order to make it easier to see the site boundaries. Being able to see the site boundaries easily will make it easier for us to draw the fences along the boundary. In this part of the session we looked at the new rail/fence tool that can draw fences on the boundary and 3D. We also looked at the preferences for this tool so that we could create the type of offence that we wanted. After creating the fences, it is time to return back to the viewports and ensure that the classes are turned on so that the viewports can be updated to show the fences.
• 23:43     now that we have our project with the fences is time to return back to our plan and create our site modifies. The design for this project has a large area of retaining. There are several ways to create a retaining wall in Vectorworks, but I tend to use the surefire method of creating pads with a retaining edge or pads with a great limit. It does mean that I have to draw the wall separately, but it is a absolutely certain way of making sure that you can create your retaining areas easily. To start with we used a hardscape area as the pad then created a great limits around. Once we had the hardscape and the right location, we could then create a wall for our retaining wall. Once you have created a Vectorworks wall, there is a command that will step that wall relative to the site (Create Stepped Wall…). We also looked at modifying the wall manually to make it fit the slope of the site.

 
Landscape November 2016 am
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