meexie wrote:

I'm interested in finding some software that'll help me decide how to
landscape my yard. No CAD experience here. I would like something
that'll help me visualize and compare some different ideas I am kicking
around. It seems that every package I have found has mixed user
reviews.

I suspect that each package will have plusses and minuses
depending on who is reviewing..

I've done two major "home renovation" type of projects involving
outdoor landscaping and have used two different software
packages. First one was some work on the outside of my parent's
new home. I used Broderbund's Home Architect 3.0 for this one,
packaged in a suite which included some landscaping stuff. I
found it clunky and rather difficult to model anything accurately
outside and I think I gave up on it.

Second project was my own deck and screen porch addition, for
which I wanted to accurately model my own actual backyard and
topography. Since my disappointing experience with HA3, I bought
the Punch! Master Landscape software; while I first bought a
small inexpensive suite, I soon upgraded to the Punch!
Professional Platinum Home Design 4.5.1 suite (I think it was
about $100). This allows defining multiple slopes running
different directions and at many different angles to each other,
which greatly helped model the terrain: the basic package I
originally bought had a simple "one angle" thing, so all you
could see was an even, smooth "wedge" of downhill.

With 4.5.1, I was able to get the terrain right (mostly), fit in
some plants and planters to see the effects of time and growth on
where I wanted to locate new trees, and see a nice 3-D version of
the whole house on my lot - I did go through the trouble to
correctly locate most of the exiting large trees and plant
features and felt that I could really tell it was my lot and land
surrounding the house.

Don't get me wrong - this took a *heck* of a lot of work to model
correctly (and definitely wasn't ever 100% accurate - 3 steps
became 5 to reach the ground, etc, etc) but it was a vast
improvement over the HA3 software I used to see how my parent's
deck and waterfront would/should look. It was probably overkill
and I really just did it because I wanted to see what could be done.

I never did upgrade either software past the levels mentioned, so
both may be much better than they once were several years ago.
Or perhaps worse - one never knows! Punch! did have quite a
helpful user forum set up and I would start with them again if I
ever have another project to compute on...



I am in the process of sketching out some ideas, but a 3D visual would
be more helpful. Is anybody out there using something they would
recommend?



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