Saving and Loading Shapes

Realtime Landscaping Plus includes many objects, such as decks, retaining walls, and fences that are defined using an open or closed shape. This defining shape can be saved or loaded without regard to the type of object being used. For example, if you create a fill region that needs to be surrounded with brick edging, simply save the shape of the fill region and load the shape with the edging.

To save an object’s shape:

1.   Click the object whose shape you wish to save to select it.

2.   Click the Shape Options button that appears to the right of the screen and select Save Shape.

3.   From the dialog that appears, enter a name for your shape and click the Save button. It is recommended to use descriptive names so that shapes are easier to locate when you need them.

To load a shape into an existing object:

1.   Click the object whose shape you wish to change to select it.

2.   Click the Shape Options button that appears to the right of the screen and select Load Shape.

3.   From the shape library that appears, select the shape you wish to use and click the OK button.

To copy an object’s shape to the clipboard:

1.   Click the object whose shape you wish to save to select it.

2.   Click the Shape Options button that appears to the right of the screen and select Copy Shape.

To load a shape while creating a new object:

1.   Click the Add Patio button that is located near the top of the screen under the Building tab. The Patio object is being used as an example here, but any shape-based object can be used.

2.   Click the Shape Options button that appears to the right of the screen and select Load Shape (or Paste Shape if the shape was previously copied to the clipboard).

Example

In the picture below, imagine that it is necessary to border the mulch planting region with small rocks. The rock border could simply be drawn around the perimeter of the area, but it would be quicker and easier to use the steps shown above to save and load a shape.

The picture below shows the same garden design after the rock border was added. This was done by saving the shape of the mulch area and loading that shape using the Rock Border tool.

See also:

Editing Points
Selecting Points
Moving Points
Rotating Points
Scaling Points
Inserting & Deleting Points
Beveling Corners
Rounding Corners
Using Automatic Dimensions
Undoing and Redoing Changes