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August 13, 2010 – Lot Boundaries
One of the very first elements added to any landscape design is the lot boundary. In Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus, this property line
can be added using the Lot Boundary tool. Boundaries of any size and shape can be easily added, allowing for curved and oddly-shaped lots. For users
familiar with survey bearings, metes and bounds can be entered manually.
To add a boundary, click the Lot Boundary button and draw the shape of the lot. When finished, the Lot Boundary’s appearance can be altered to fit
the style and color scheme of your design. If needed, the Lot Boundary can easily be edited or hidden.
August 6, 2010 – Lake and Waterfront Landscape Design
When designing landscapes for waterfront properties, water is one of the most important influences on the value and appearance of the landscape. Bodies
of water such as lakes, rivers, and ponds can be easily added to your 3D landscape designs using the Pond tool.
The Pond tool is included with Realtime Landscaping Architect and Pro. A versatile object, the Pond tool handles both small and large bodies of water.
To create a lake, river, or pond, draw the outline of the water using the Pond tool. Or, you can use the Pond wizard to drop in a pre-built pond for use as a starting point.
Next, set the pond floor material to a dark blue in order to simulate the depth of the water. During a realtime walkthrough, Koi will
be automatically added and will swim around realistically (you can even feed them by clicking the left mouse button). However, if you don't plan to stock
your water with fish, you can easily turn them off in the Environment Settings menu.
July 30, 2010 – Creating Custom Models using the Lathe Tool
Many unique features can be added to your landscape designs through the use of the Custom Modeling tools, and one of the most useful of these tools is the Lathe. The Lathe is similar to pottery: you design the profile, and the software automatically "spins" it into a model.
Lathes are useful for quickly creating posts, columns, round planters, poles, light posts, bottles, and many other objects useful in your landscape and garden designs. The Lathe tool is included with Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus.
To create a lathe, click the Lathe button and draw the profile of the shape. The 3D model will be created instantly. You can edit the model's profile, material, size, rotation angles, and other properties.
See our Custom Modeling Tutorials for more information and examples.
July 23, 2010 – Viewing Sample Landscape Designs
Our landscaping software includes a wide variety of sample landscape designs. These are a great way to see how to design gardens, back yards, patios, decks, fencing, water features, and more.
Each sample landscape design can be edited, copied, pasted, and otherwise used for your benefit.
To open a sample landscape design, click Open Sample from the File menu. While browsing the available samples, you will notice a small preview image within the
browser to help you choose the one you want. If you would like to make changes to a sample, we recommend you save it to another directory in order to
preserve the original.
July 16, 2010 – Realtime Landscaping Output Options
Whether you are a landscaper aiming to impress a client, or a homeowner looking to win over your spouse, each Realtime Landscaping package has multiple output options to give form to your ideas. In each of our products, landscapes can be saved as a picture in a variety of formats (such as JPG and PDF) or printed on paper. In Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus, you can also create 3D video walkthroughs of your landscape designs.
To save your landscape design as a picture to e-mail, send to a print shop, or upload to a website, use the "Print to File" option. To print your landscape on a printer, simply use the "Print" option. To create a movie, add a Realtime Camera and click the "Create Movie" option.
You can also print to large output printers. This is a great way to print posters, large landscape plans, and more. See our Large Output Printing Tutorial for details.
July 9, 2010 – Use Bezier Curves to Improve your Designs
A powerful feature in our landscape software is support for Bezier curves, which help you create accurate curved shapes quickly and easily. Bezier curves are adjusted using two blue handles that extend from each control point; these handles can be moved to change the curvature without moving or adding additional points.
To change a point to a Bezier curve, select the point and click the desired curve type button. The blue handles will then appear next to the selected point(s). To adjust the curve, simply drag the handles using your mouse.
July 2, 2010 – Mirror Objects and Landscape Designs
Invert objects in any direction using the Mirror tool found in the latest versions of Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus. Virtually anything can be inverted, adding variety to your designs and convenience to the design process. Mirroring can be performed on an object, a group of objects, or an entire landscape design.
To use the Mirror tool, click the Mirror button and draw a line that represents the mirror. Your object(s) will be immediately flipped to the opposite side of the mirror line. To mirror your entire design, click "Mirror Design" from the Tools menu.
Idea Spectrum wishes you a happy 4th of July!
June 18, 2010 – Plant Hardiness Zones
Locate plants that grow in your area with ease using the Plant Hardiness Zone Map that is included in each of the Realtime Landscaping software packages. Knowing your zone will allow you to add plants quicker and more effectively by narrowing your selection to plants that can survive the conditions in your area.
Hardiness zones are determined by the annual minimum temperature of the region. You can locate your zone by opening your Realtime Landscaping software package, clicking Tools, and selecting Plant Hardiness Zones. The Plant Hardiness Zone map covers the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Mexico.
June 11, 2010 – Adding 2D and 3D Dimensions
Whether you are using Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, or Plus, you can add a professional touch to your designs by showing the dimensions of important objects or areas. Dimensions are shown by using the 3D Dimension tool just like measuring tape, and drawing lines that automatically display the correct distance. 3D Dimensions will appear in both the 2D and 3D views.
To add a dimension, simply click the 3D Dimension tool and draw your dimension line. Once a dimension is added, the color of the dimension line and the text can be adjusted. Dimensions can also be easily hidden by clicking "Dimensions" under the Settings menu.
May 28, 2010 – Precision Landscape Design using the Keyboard Entry Feature
While creating and editing objects, you can press the Enter key and enter relative coordinates directly. This makes it easier to create house walls, fencing, decking, and other objects your specifications. You can also
choose to enter survey bearings for creation of your property line.
To use the Keyboard Entry feature, press the Enter key while creating an object, or while editing the points of an object. A small dialog with appear with two options: "Angle" and "Survey Bearing". Choose Angle to enter the
desired coordinates as an angle and distance relative to the last point, or "Survey Bearing" to enter a survey bearing. Click here for more information about the Keyboard Entry feature.
May 21, 2010 – New Customer Support Hours
To better serve you, we have changed our customer support hours from 9am–5pm to 8am–4pm (still Monday–Friday). Our new hours will be much more convenient for our many customers living in the Eastern USA
and Canada.
Idea Spectrum provides free telephone and email support to all of our customers. Have a question? Please email support@ideaspectrum.com or call toll free 1-866-894-4332.
Outside the USA call 253-862-2678.
May 14, 2010 – Landscape Planters
Use planters of your choice to hold annuals, perennials, cacti, and even small shrubs and trees. A wide variety of 3D planters of many shapes and sizes
are available in all of our landscape design software. The planters are easy to add to your landscape, after which any number of plants can
be placed in them. 3D planters are added using the Accessory object, while 2D planters are added using the Picture object.
For even more variety, you can also add your own 2D planters by taking a photograph and importing it. If you are using the latest version of Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, or Plus, you can also create your own 3D
planters using the new modeling tools. This 3D Planter Tutorial shows you how.
May 7, 2010 – Instant Video Previews
See how your videos will appear instantly while you design your landscape using the new Video Preview option. Added in version 2 of Realtime Landscaping Architect, and version 5 of Realtime Landscaping Pro and Plus, the Video Preview option allows you to visualize your videos before they are created, saving time and helping to perfect your results.
To use the Video Preview option, simply select the Realtime Camera that is being used for your video and drag the Preview slider. Dragging the slider will show a realtime preview to the right of the screen, and will make it easy to set up the perfect video for your clients.
April 23, 2010 - Large Output Printing Tutorial
We have added a new tutorial for something every professional landscape designer wants to know: How do you create large format printouts? You don't need to own a large format printer to create beautiful landscape plans, posters of 3D renderings, and other printouts from our landscape design software. The tutorial includes instructions and tips for working with companies that will print your landscape designs for you.
Large Output Printing Tutorial
Note: You can access this and other tutorials by clicking "Help > Tutorials" directly from your landscape design software.
Please contact us if you have any questions about large format printing, or would like to suggest additional tutorials.
April 16, 2010 - Creating Custom Pergolas
While Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus include a wide variety of pre-built pergolas, you can also create your own custom pergolas of practically any shape and size. Our latest landscape design software includes a complete suite of modeling tools, including 3D boards which can be used to assemble virtually any wooden or vinyl structure. You can use an existing pergola as a starting point, or create a new one from scratch. When you're finished, you can save your creation to your library of custom models and use it in any of your landscaping projects.
To build a pergola, use the Part tool and select the desired boards. You can also create custom boards and other shapes using the Extrusion tool. These can be easily moved, rotated, and lifted into place, much as if you were designing with actual physical objects. You can choose from a wide variety of colors and materials including wood, vinyl, and more.
New to creating custom models? Don't worry, it's easy and fun! No prior CAD experience is required. Here are some tutorials to help you get started.
Introduction to Custom Modeling
Creating a Custom Patio Table
Creating a Custom Planter
Creating a Custom Pond Bridge
April 9, 2010 - New Updates Available
New updates are now available for each of our Realtime Landscaping software products. These updates contain minor fixes, tweaks, and performance improvements, such as faster rendering when moving Plant Fill and Plant Row objects. A complete list of changes will be shown as the update is being installed.
If you use Realtime Landscaping Architect 2, or Realtime Landscaping Pro/Plus/Photo 5, then your update can be downloaded by clicking "Help > Check for Updates" from within your landscape design software. The update will download and install quickly, usually taking just a couple of minutes.
You can also view the updates using the following links:
Realtime Landscaping Architect 2 Updates
Realtime Landscaping Pro 5 Updates
Realtime Landscaping Plus 5 Updates
Realtime Landscaping Photo 5 Updates
April 2, 2010 - Swimming Pool Design
If you have a swimming pool in your landscape design, or plan to add one, Realtime Landscaping Architect or Pro will help you quickly design and visualize your pool with ease. Use the wizard to add a complete swimming pool in a few mouse clicks, or draw your own using the many advanced, yet easy to use tools. When walking through your landscape using the “Walkthrough" feature, realistic water will ripple in your pool and will flow from any waterfalls or spillways that you been added.
No prior CAD experience is needed to design high-quality 3D swimming pools, because our software uses an “object-based drawing system" that features intuitive tools that anybody can use. To create a swimming pool, just click on the Swimming Pool button and begin drawing the outline of your pool. Swimming pools can be any shape or size. When you are finished, colors and styles for the pool can be selected, and various objects such as pool stairs and ladders can be added. You can create both above and below ground pools, spas, pool decking, and much more.
March 26, 2010 - Stunning Video Presentations Made Easy
Impress your clients with a 3D video of your project using the movie creation tools included with Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus. Movies can travel through your landscape design in any fashion, even including pause points for areas of interest. Movies will exhibit the same level of detail found in a Realtime Walkthrough, including rippling water, birds and butterflies, realistic shadows, and more. Once a movie is created, you can burned it to a CD or DVD for playback on your client's computer (CD/DVD burning software not included).
To create a movie, first add a Realtime Camera to your design. The Realtime Camera is a tool that allows you to draw the path that the movie will take as it plays. Once the camera path is set up the way you like, just click the “Create Movie" option under the “View" menu.
March 19, 2010 - Design Efficiently by Saving and Loading Shapes
Save time and work with precision by saving and loading shapes. Objects like garden beds, swimming pools, and decking all support shape saving, which allows you to store your designs in a special file for later use. For example, if you create a deck design that you think you may need to use later, just save it to the shape library. When the time comes to use your deck design, a couple of clicks will load your deck into your landscape. Additionally, the shape library already includes many common shapes that can aid you in your designs.
To save a shape, simply click the button with the drop-down arrow next to the Edit Points button; shapes can also be loaded in the same way. Your shape will be saved in a special library, along with a detailed preview that will allow you to quickly identify the shape you are looking for.
March 12, 2010 - Import your Pictures and Materials
Integrate your digital work into any of the Realtime Landscaping packages using the Picture Import Wizard. Import photos to include in your designs, such as trees, houses, and even pets. Alternately, materials can be imported and used on the included objects. For example, take a picture of your unique brick patterns and use them when designing your landscape.
The Picture Import Wizard is located under the Tools menu, and provides an easy method to placing your imported picture in the correct part of the software. The Wizard is very intuitive and takes only a few seconds to complete, leaving you with more time to design your landscape.
March 05, 2010 - Navigate 3D Designs like a ProView and edit your landscape designs with ease using the 3D NavWheel. Located at the bottom left of the screen whenever you are working in 3D, the NavWheel supports each of the movement controls that are used to maneuver through a 3D design. The NavWheel makes Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus practical and intuitive for beginners and veterans alike.
To use the NavWheel, just click and drag the mouse on the part of the wheel you wish to use. The NavWheel sections are Zoom, Pan, Orbit, and Change Height. These options will allow you to move your viewpoint to any position in your landscape without any prior 3D experience.
February 26, 2010 - Adding Round Corners and Bevels
Fine-tune your landscape designs with ease by adding bevels or rounded corners to your objects. In addition to powerful “Bezier" curve editing, two tools are available to quickly convert sharp corners to perfect curves or accurate bevels. The “Round Corner" tool and the “Bevel" tool make it easy to achieve beautiful results with CAD precision.
To use the Round Corner or Bevel tools, click Edit Points to enter point editing mode. Then click the Round Corner or Bevel tool and drag the mouse over the corner that you wish to modify. Or, you can first select multiple points if you want to change more than one at a time. These tools are great for editing grass or mulch regions, retaining walls, edging, patios, decks, and more. The Round Corner and Bevel tools are found in the latest versions of Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus.
February 19, 2010 - Using the Offset Tool
When designing complex shapes (such as swimming pools, curved decking, and rounded patios), a tool called “Offset" can make the design process quick and accurate. The Offset tool expands or contracts the outline of complex shapes in a few easy steps, substantially speeding up the design process. The Offset tool is available in the latest versions of Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus.
To offset an object, click the Offset button and click and drag on the object you wish to offset. As you drag the mouse, you will see the object's outline expand or contract in the direction you move the mouse. Here's an example.
February 12, 2010 - Editing your Pictures
Make quick modifications to your imported plant and other pictures using the Realtime Picture Editor. The Picture Editor is included with all Realtime Landscaping software packages, and handles photo-editing tasks like masking, cropping, and color correcting. The Realtime Picture Editor can be used to edit pictures before or after they are imported into your landscaping package, and can also be used to edit existing plants.
To use the Realtime Picture Editor, click the options button that appears next to the picture thumbnail when using any of our landscape design software. You can also open it from the Windows Start menu. The Picture Editor uses the same intuitive layout as each of our landscaping programs, and is designed to be used by beginners and experts alike. The Picture Editor includes a full help guide, accessible by pressing F1 while using it.
February 5, 2010 - Adding Pets to your Landscape Designs
Include pets and other animals in your landscape designs using any of our Realtime Landscaping software packages. Dog houses of several different styles can be added to your designs, in addition to food bowls, bird feeders, and bird baths. Add further detail to your landscape by adding life-like pictures of dogs and cats.
To add a pet accessory to your design, click the Add Accessory tool and choose the desired item from the library. Dog houses are listed in the Structures category, chain link fencing is in the Fencing category, and other miscellaneous items such as food bowls, bird feeders, and bird baths are found in the Other category. You can also add photos of animals using the Add Picture tool.
Have a specific pet you would like to add to your landscape? Simply take a picture using a digital camera, upload it to your computer, and then use the Picture Import Wizard to import it into your landscape design. Using the Realtime Picture Editor, you can remove the background and help make your pet appear to be a natural part of the landscape.
January 29, 2010 - Easily Rotate and Scale your Landscaping Objects
In all of our Realtime Landscaping software packages, there are many intuitive and helpful shortcuts to help you create the perfect landscape design. Rotation and scaling are two of the most common actions used when placing or editing an object in your design. Rotation will change the angle of your object, while scaling will change its size. Instead of editing these functions through the property panel, it's much faster to simply click and drag with your mouse.
To quickly rotate an object, simply select it and then click and drag the green dot that appears above it. As you drag the mouse, your object will rotate in place. Similarly, you can adjust the size of the object simply by dragging the green rectangle that appears above and to the right of the selected object. As you scale, the object will become larger or smaller, depending on whether you move the mouse up or down.
January 22, 2010 - Landscaping with Hedges
Adding hedges is easy and fast with Realtime Landscaping Architect, Pro, and Plus. Hedges add privacy, decoration, and sometimes even security to a landscape. An attractive alternative to fencing, hedges are often cheaper and provide better insulation from traffic noise. When designing your next landscape, take the time to explore the possibilities of hedges.
To add a hedge in Architect, Pro, or Plus, click on the Hedge button and draw a path for your new hedge. Hedges can run in straight or curved lines, and can be square-shaped or round. There are several different types of hedges to choose from, all with easily adjustable widths and heights.
See how to quickly add a new hedge to your 3D landscape design.
January 15, 2010 - Using the Mask Tool with your Photo Landscape Designs
When using Realtime Landscaping Photo to design your landscape, you can increase the realism by using the Mask tool. When designing over a photo, there are often times when you want to add a plant, furniture, or other object that should appear to be behind something already in the picture. For example, suppose you are landscaping over a photo of your backyard, and you want to spruce up the trees behind the fence. You can use the Mask tool to ensure their trunks and lower foliage do not overlap the fence, making it appear as if they were part of the picture all along.
To add a Mask, click on the Mask button and draw around the part of the object that should not show. For example, if a tree has branches that poke out around the corner of a house, then just “mask" away the part of the tree that you want to hide.
Click here for more information and some examples.
January 8, 2010 - Removing Existing Objects in a Picture
A frequent question among designers is how to remove unwanted objects from a photograph, and the answer is simple: the Clone tool. The Clone tool uses advanced image processing techniques which allow you to “paint" over objects in the photograph and remove undesirable elements. The Clone tool is found in the Realtime Picture Editor, which is included with all recent versions of our landscape design software.
To use the Clone tool, open the Realtime Picture Editor and load the image you wish to modify. Click the Clone tool button and proceed to remove unwanted objects from the picture. For help using the Clone tool, just press the F1 key while it is selected.
December 18, 2009 - The Plant Creation Wizard
At Idea Spectrum, we are always working on adding new plants for our Realtime Landscaping Software. This summer we traveled to the east coast, and next spring we plan to travel to Toyko and focus on Japanese Gardens. However, there are several hundred thousand species of plants, so even with the thousands that are already included with our software, we still have a lot of work to do.
You don't have to wait for us, though. Using the Plant Creation Wizard, you can easily create your own plant varieties using the plants included with your software as a starting point. Your custom variety can have a unique name, size, and even color. This exciting feature is supported in the most recent version of all of our landscape design software.
To create a custom plant, first select the one you want to use as a starting point, and then edit the color and brightness if desired. For example, you could start with a maple tree and use the Picture Editor to change the leaves to a fall color. Next, select the Plant Creation Wizard from the Tools menu. Follow the step-by-step instructions and enter the common name, botanical name, planting zones, and other information. When the wizard is complete, your new plant will be added to the plant library under the Custom category.
Idea Spectrum wishes you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
November 27, 2009 - Adding your Company Logo
"How do I stand out?" is always at the front of the business owner's mind. With Realtime Landscaping Architect, your business can stand out by adding your company name or logo as a watermark to your landscape designs, 3D images, and movies. Adding your company logo will help to personalize your designs and lends legitimacy to your company in the minds of your clients.
To set up your company logo in Realtime Landscaping Architect, click Settings and Company Logo Settings. Once the image for your logo is selected, you can control when and where the logo appears, as well as the size and transparency. Once your settings have been entered, the logo will appear automatically when appropriate.
Idea Spectrum wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving.
November 20, 2009 - The Project Material List
The Project Material List is a powerful feature that makes estimating your landscape design projects quick and easy. While adding and changing parts of your design in each of the Realtime Landscaping programs, the Project Material List keeps track of the objects you have added. Within the Project Material List, objects (such as plants, mulch regions, etc.) can be renamed as needed and given prices. A total price for the design is calculated based on the prices you set.
To view the Project Material List from any Realtime Landscaping product, click Tools and Project Material List, after which you will see a complete and organized listing of every object you have added to your landscape design. To rename an object, simply click it and type a new name. To set the object's price, click the Unit Price field and type the desired price.
Output options include printing and saving to disk. You can also export the Project Material List to Excel, which is a great way to add additional costs such as labor, excavation, and other costs.
November 13, 2009 - Add Greenhouses to your Landscapes
Greenhouses are a great way to take gardening to a new level. By having more control over your plants' environment, you can grow healthier and wider varieties of plants. In each of the Realtime Landscaping programs, a variety of 3D greenhouses can be added to your designs. Pots and planters can then be added inside the greenhouse to accommodate your selection of plants.
To add a greenhouse, click the Add Accessory button on the Landscape tab. Then click the Structures button on the left, scroll down to the greenhouses, and click the one you want. Once you have added your greenhouse, you can resize it as needed. Next, pots and planters can also be found in the Accessories library and placed inside the greenhouse. Finally, your selection of plants can be added to complete the design.
November 6, 2009 - Creating and Using Templates
Using Realtime Landscaping Architect, a useful trick is to save your own customized Plan View templates, including borders, scales, and title block. While simple to do, saving and reusing templates helps to keep your plans looking consistent and saves valuable time when starting a new landscape design.
To create a template, start a new design and switch to Plan view. Then add a title block, page border, measurement scale, compass, and other details that are common to your designs. Place these objects into their own layer to help keep them separate from the rest of your work. Then save the design using a unique file name, such as “Template1". You can use any objects you want, including shapes, text, symbols, and more. For an example of a pre-made template, open “Landscape Template A4" using the File > Open Sample command.
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Idea
Spectrum, Inc.
P.O. Box 7920
Bonney Lake, WA 98391
Telephone (Orders & Technical Support):
Inside the U.S. 1-866-894-4332
Outside the U.S. 253-862-2678
Frequently Asked Questions: FAQ
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Technical Support: support@ideaspectrum.com
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