Adding a Plant

Realtime Landscaping Pro includes thousands of plants commonly used in landscape designs around the world.

To add a plant:

1.   Click Add Plant.

2.   Select the desired plant by clicking the picture in the property window. (See below for a description of how to find the plant you're looking for.)

3.   Click to add the plant. Hold Ctrl while you click to add more than one.

Plant Types: Models and Pictures

Plants come in one of two forms, models or pictures. Models are three-dimensional objects that look realistic from any viewpoint. Plant models have the option of swaying in the wind during a realtime walkthrough.

Pictures are photographs of real plants. The background has been removed so they can be seamlessly placed in your landscape designs. Pictures are usually more realistic looking than models, and the selection is much better. Of course, since they are pictures, they don't react to wind during a realtime walkthrough. Plant pictures are always upright. By default they will automatically rotate to face you as you adjust the viewpoint in the perspective view, but you can set them to a specific angle if desired.

Using the Choose Artwork dialog

The Choose Artwork dialog helps you find the plant you're looking for. In addition, the botanical name, category (annual, perennial, tree, shrub, cactus), planting zones, and mature height are also displayed for the currently selected plant.

If you're looking for a specific plant, click Search. See Searching for Plants for details.

Setting a Plant's Starting Age

Realtime Landscaping Pro sets the starting age for each plant to a default value. You can change the starting age as needed to reflect a plant's actual age. For example, if your landscape includes an existing oak tree that is 10 years old, you would set the starting age to 10.

The following example shows an American Arborvitae with a starting age of 3, 5, and 7 years.

The age of a plant is the sum of the plant growth and the plant's starting age. For example, suppose your landscape has an existing American Arborvitae that is already 5 years old. You would set the Starting Age property to 5, and the tree size will be automatically recalculated as shown above.

You can also see how your plants would look over time using the Plant Growth feature. See Setting Plant Growth for more information.

Note: Plant growth will vary based on soil conditions, hardiness zones, species, and other factors. Please consult your local nursery for more detailed information about specific plants you're planning to use in your landscape design.

Creating Custom Plants

You can expand the library of available plants using the wizards. There are several methods you can use. To import a 3D model of a plant, use the Model Import Wizard. To import a picture of a plant, use the Picture Import Wizard. To create a custom plant using the currently selected plant, use the Plant Creation Wizard.

See also:

Plant Properties
Searching for Plants
Picture Import Wizard
Model Import Wizard
Plant Creation Wizard
Model Creation Wizard
Editing Materials
Setting Object Properties
Selecting Objects
Editing Objects
Setting Plant Growth