Window Layout
The picture below shows the Realtime Landscaping Architect
interface with each section of the interface labeled.

Menu Bar
The Menu Bar contains drop-down menus such as File, Edit,
and so forth. For example, click File to show commands for opening and
saving files.
Some menu commands can also be accessed by keyboard
shortcuts. If a keyboard shortcut is available, the key sequence will appear to
the right of the command. For example, the shortcut for Copy is Ctrl+C.
In this case you would hold down the Ctrl key while simultaneously
pressing C.
Object Category Tabs
Every object that can be added to your landscape design is
located under one of the Object Category Tabs. For example, click the
Landscape tab to show buttons for adding plants and other landscaping
objects. Each object category tab is summarized below.
•
Main – Common file and clipboard commands, such as Save,
Copy, and Print.
•
Building – Objects used for construction and hardscaping, such as
House, Patio, and Retaining Wall.
•
Terrain – Objects used for modifying the topology of the
landscape, such as Slope and Area Grader.
•
Road – Objects used for designing roads, sidewalks, curbing, and
street signs.
•
Landscape – Core landscaping objects, such as Plant,
Region, and Path.
•
Water Features – Objects used for adding ponds, irrigation
systems, fountains, and more.
•
Swimming Pool – Objects related to swimming pools and
swimming pool accessories.
•
Utilities – Miscellaneous objects such as Text,
Overlay, and Lot Boundary.
•
Modeling – Objects and tools for creating your own custom models
and accessories.
•
Plan Detail – 2D objects that only appear in the Plan view,
such as Symbol, Arc, and Plant Legend.
Object Creation Tools
To add an object to your landscape design, first click the
Object Category Tab that contains the object you are interested in, and then
click the button of the object you wish to add. Then follow the instructions
that appear at the very bottom of the screen.
If you are uncertain about what a particular object is,
just hold your mouse over the object’s button and a quick description will
appear. For more details, click the object's button and then press the F1
key.
See Adding Objects for
more information.
Editing Tools
The Editing Tools are primarily used to select, move,
rotate, and scale objects. When editing shapes (such as edging and fill
regions), you can also use these tools to edit the points that make up the
shapes.
View Tools
The View Tools allow you to adjust your view in both the
Plan and Perspective views. For example, the Orbit tool allows you to
rotate your view around the landscape, and the Zoom tool allows you to
move your view closer to or farther from your landscape.
For more information, see Adjusting the View.
Grid On/Off
The Grid toggle turns grid lines on and off. The grid
lines are strictly for your reference and you can turn them on and off as
desired. See Snap Settings for more
information.
Note: Grid lines are independent of the snap
settings. That is, grid lines can be turned on while snapping is disabled, and
vice-versa.
Snap Tools
The top button, Snap Toggle, turns all snapping on and off
at once. The bottom button, Snap Settings, lets you control which snap options
are enabled. See Snap Settings for more
information.
View Tabs
Plan view is a top-down, 2D
view of your landscape design. Many objects can be set to appear differently in
the Plan view, allowing you to achieve a stylized appearance. Plan Detail
objects only appear in this view.
Perspective view is a 3D
view that is useful for sculpting the terrain, setting elevations, and adding
doors and windows. In the Perspective view, your landscape design can be seen
from any angle.
Realtime Walkthrough
is a special viewing mode that allows you to walk through your landscape in 3D.
During the walkthrough, special animations and sound effects are available. You
cannot edit your design in this view.
Layer Tools
Layers help you organize your landscape design and make it
easy to work with groups of related objects. For example, you could put an
irrigation design into one layer, planting details into another, and so forth.
Another useful technique is to place alternate design ideas into different
layers that you can quickly show and hide when presenting to your client. For
more information, see Using Layers.
Object Properties
Object Properties appear to the right of the screen when
an object is selected. Object properties are used to make important adjustments
and modifications to the objects in your landscape designs, such as changing
plant types or adjusting the spray angle of a sprinkler head. For more
information, see Setting Object
Properties.
Dynamic Help
As you design your landscape, help specific to what you
are doing appears at the bottom of the screen. This is very useful and can help
you work much faster. For example, when adding a plant, the help shows how you
can hold down the Ctrl key to add as many plants as you'd like.
Print Margins (not shown)
The dashed lines that appears on the border of the Plan
view indicate the printable area based on the currently selected printer.
Artwork which extends outside this border may not appear in the printed drawing.
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