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Pond Properties
The properties used to modify a Pond object are located to
the right of the screen when your pond is selected. These properties can either
be adjusted right before adding the pond to your landscape or after it has been
added. Below is a description of each available property in the order that they
appear in the software.
Material |
Description |
Custom appearance in each view |
The Custom appearance in
each view option determines whether the pond will appear
differently in the Plan view than in the Perspective view. If this option
is unchecked, the pond will appear the same in both views. |
Plan |
The Plan tab contains properties that affect
the appearance of the pond in the Plan view. This tab will not be
available unless the Custom appearance in each view option is
checked. |
Perspective |
The Perspective tab contains properties that
affect the appearance of the pond in the Perspective view. This tab will
not be available unless the Custom appearance in
each view option is checked. |
Fill Material |
The Fill Material property determines
the material that lines the bottom of the pond. To change the material,
click the small image that displays the current fill material. |
Material options |
The appearance of the pond can be modified by
clicking the small button that appears to the right of the fill material
image. |
Size |
The Size property determines the scale of
the pond material. |
Angle |
The Angle property determines the rotation
angle of the pond material. To change the material angle, move the
Angle slider or type a value in the text field. |
Offset X |
The Offset X property determines the pond
material’s left and right orientation. To shift the material left or
right, move the Offset X slider or enter a value in the text
field. |
Offset Y |
The Offset Y property determines the pond
material’s forward and backward orientation. To shift the material forward
or backward, move the Offset Y slider or enter a value in the text
field. |
Shininess |
The Shininess property determines how glossy
the material will appear. To change the appearance of the material, click
the Shininess drop-down menu and select from the following options:
Default, Off, Low, Medium, or High. The shininess property only affects
the appearance of the material while in the 3D view. |
Enable enhanced surface detail |
The Enable enhanced surface detail property
determines whether or not the pond will have increased detail when viewed
up close. |
Transparency |
The Transparency property determines the
opacity of the pond in the Plan view. To change the pond opacity, move the
Transparency slider or type a value in the text field. Note that the
Transparency property is only available when the Custom appearance in
each view option is checked. |
Line style |
The Line Style property determines the
appearance of the outline of the pond in the Plan view. To change the line
style, click the Line Style button and select the style you wish to
use from the dialog that appears. Note that a line style is only available
when the Custom appearance in each view option is
checked. |
Options |
Description |
Depth |
The Depth property determines how deep the
pond is at its center. To change the pond depth, move the Depth slider or
type a value in the text box.
Important: Depending
on your local building codes, ponds deeper than a certain depth may
require a fence or have other restrictions for safety purposes. Please
check your local building codes before building a real pond. |
Depth taper |
The Depth taper property determines
how steep the pond sides are. To change the pond depth taper, move the
Depth taper slider or type a value in the text box. |
Water level |
The Water level property determines the
percentage of the pond that is filled with water. To change the pond water
level, move the Water level slider or type a value in the text
box. |
Water effect |
The Water effect property determines how the
water will appear during a Realtime Walkthrough. Water can be calm, have
small ripples, or even include foam and steam (useful for creating natural
spas and hot tubs).
For water effects to be enabled, the Improved
water quality property must be checked, and you must have a 3D video
card which is capable of these effects.
Water ripples will also occur automatically when
water flows into the pond from another source such as a stream or
waterfall. |
Add fish |
The Add fish property determines if koi are
added to the pond during a Realtime Walkthrough.
In order for fish to appear, you must also enable
wildlife in the Realtime Walkthrough tab of the Environment Settings dialog.
Caution: Koi cannot survive in spa
water. |
Brighten water at night |
The Brighten water at night property
determines if the water should be artificially lightened during Realtime
Walkthroughs when the Time of day is
set to Sunrise, Sunset, or Evening. To toggle pond lightening, click the
Brighten water at night checkbox.
The Improved water quality property must be
checked before the water can be brightened at night. |
Improved water quality |
The Improved water quality property
determines if standard or improved water should be used during Realtime
Walkthroughs. Improved water generates realistic reflections and
refractions, but can cause older computers to run slower. To toggle the
water quality, click the Improved water quality checkbox. |
Edit points |
Click the Edit points button to
enable or disable point editing mode, which will allow you to modify the
pond’s shape. See Editing Points for
details. |
Shape options |
Click the Shape Options button to save the
shape of the pond, or to load an existing shape. For more details, see Saving and Loading
Shapes. |
Rock Border |
Description |
Add Rock Border |
The Add Rock Border property determines
whether or not the pond is outlined with a string of 3D rocks. To toggle
the rock border, click the Add Rock Border checkbox. |
Rock material |
The Rock Material property determines
the material of the rock border. To change the material, click the small
image that displays the current rock material. Note that the rock material
will be disabled unless the Add Rock Border property is
enabled. |
Material Options |
The appearance of the rock border material can be
modified by clicking the small button that appears to the right of the
fill material image. |
Size |
The Size property determines the scale of
the rock material. |
Angle |
The Angle property determines the rotation
angle of the rock material. To change the material angle, move the
Angle slider or type a value in the text field. |
Offset X |
The Offset X property determines the rock
material’s left and right orientation. To shift the material left or
right, move the Offset X slider or enter a value in the text
field. |
Offset Y |
The Offset Y property determines the rock
material’s forward and backward orientation. To shift the material forward
or backward, move the Offset Y slider or enter a value in the text
field. |
Shininess |
The Shininess property determines how glossy
the material will appear. To change the appearance of the material, click
the Shininess drop-down menu and select from the following options:
Default, Off, Low, Medium, or High. The shininess property only affects
the appearance of the material while in the 3D view. |
Enable enhanced surface detail |
The Enable enhanced surface detail property
determines whether or not the rock will have increased detail when viewed
up close. |
Smoother rocks |
The Smoother Rocks property
determines whether the pond’s rock border uses smooth or rough rocks. To
toggle the rock type, click the Smoother rocks checkbox. Note that the
Smoother rocks property will be disabled unless the Add Rock Border
property is enabled. |
Rock size |
The Rock size property determines the approximate
size of each rock in the pond’s rock border. To change the rock size, move
the Rock size slider or enter a value in the text field. Note that the
Rock size property will be disabled unless the Add Rock Border
property is enabled. |
Edit border |
Click the Edit border button to
enable or disable rock border editing mode, which will allow you to modify
the pond’s rock border per edge. When rock border editing mode is enabled,
click the edges of your pond that you wish to toggle. Note that the Edit
border property will be disabled unless the Add Rock Border
property is enabled. |
Information |
Description |
Area |
The Area property displays the total size of
the pond in square feet or meters. |
Perimeter |
The Perimeter property displays the total
distance around the pond in feet or meters. |
Volume |
The Volume property displays the amount of
water in the pond in cubic feet or meters. The water volume is calculated
using the average depth, and should be used as an approximation rather
than an exact figure. |
See also:
Adding a Pond Pond Wizard Setting Object Properties Selecting Objects Selecting Points Editing Objects Realtime Walkthrough Saving and Loading Shapes
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