Adding an Accessory

Realtime Landscaping Photo includes many types of
accessories that you can use when designing your landscape, including arbors,
greenhouses, planters, outdoor kitchens, and much more.
Accessories are 3D models, not pictures. While pictures of
real objects are very realistic, they are somewhat limited because they don’t
always match the viewpoint or perspective of your background picture. With the
extensive library of 3D models in Realtime Landscaping Photo, you can rotate,
scale, and change their perspective as needed to seamlessly blend into your
landscape design.
To add an accessory:
1.
Click Add Accessory. The Choose artwork dialog will appear (shown
below).
2.
Select the desired accessory by clicking the picture in the property window.
3.
Click to add the accessory.
4.
Using the property controls, adjust the accessory’s size, rotation angles, and
perspective to match your landscape design.

Changing the Size and Angle
You can change the size and angle of accessories to help
them match your background picture. For example, suppose you want to add a pond
bridge to your design. When you first add the bridge, it will appear with the
side facing you. Using the Rotate about X and Rotate about Y
properties, you can rotate the bridge into the desired position.
To adjust the size
1.
Select the accessory (or accessories) you want to change.
2.
Set the size as desired using the Width, Depth, and Height
properties. If you want to change the size in only one or two dimensions,
uncheck the Scale evenly option before making your change.
To adjust the angle
1.
Select the accessory (or accessories) you want to change.
2.
Use the Rotate about X property to rotate the accessory toward or away
from you. Use the Rotate about Y property to rotate the accessory about
its vertical axis. (You can also drag the green dot above the accessory to
rotate about the vertical axis.)
Changing the Perspective
In most cases, changing the size and angle are all that are
required to match the accessory to your landscape design. However, depending on
the size of the accessory and its placement in the landscape design, you may
also want to adjust the perspective for a closer match.
To adjust the perspective
1.
Select the accessory (or accessories) you want to change.
2.
Use the Perspective property to adjust the simulated vanishing point. Use the
Offset X property to make the accessory appear as if it was viewed from the left
or right. Use the Offset Y property to make the accessory appear as if it was
viewed from above or below.
Importing SketchUp and Other Models
You can import SketchUp models from Google’s 3D Warehouse
and use them in your landscape designs. You can also import models in AutoDesk’s
3DS file format. See Model Import Wizard for
details.
Editing Materials
You can edit the materials of accessories for more variety.
For example, suppose you like one of the planters that we have provided, but
want to use a different color of wood. This is easily done using the Edit
Materials command.
To edit materials:
1.
Select the accessory you want to modify.
2.
Click the options button to the right of the accessory’s picture. When the
drop-down menu appears, select Edit materials. The Edit Materials dialog
will appear, allowing you to change the color, brightness, and texture of each
of the accessory’s materials. See Editing
Materials for details.
In the following landscape design, the brick columns,
fencing, and bridge were all added using the Accessory object.
Controlling the Render Order
When working with overlapping objects, you can control
which ones are rendered first. For example, you can use this to ensure your
accessories appear on top of the lawn. See Controlling the Render Order for
details.
Tips:
• When
you want multiple copies of the same accessory, set the size and angle of the
first one and then use the Copy and Paste commands for the copies.
This is much easier than setting the size and rotation angle of each one
individually. See Cut, Copy, & Paste for
details.
• You
can customize the materials in the accessory. See Editing Materials for details.
• See
Model Import Wizard for details on how to
import SketchUp and other models for use in your landscape designs.
See also:
Accessory
Properties Editing Materials Setting Object Properties Selecting Objects Editing Objects
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