Choosing CAD-software for landscape architecture business

[Anders Blomberg]

Hi friends! I'm about to start up my own landscape architecture business and am considering what CAD software to use. I come from a big firm in Sweden where I've worked for 8 years and have mainly been using 2D AutoCAD (with great frustration, as almost every other discipline sees to move rapidly to more modern BIM/3d-modelling approaches), often with Novapoint as a plugin for grading. I have also completed a complex project in Revit which I found amazing but not very well prepared for landscape work. I use SketchUp for design iteration and sometimes early design renderings but obviously never for production drawings and detailed design. Also hade some university training in some CAD-software more focused on parts engineering.

 

I rarely work in planning and mainly in site specific design, where I need a program for sketching, rendering, detailed design and drawing production. I tend to be broad in my work and do both early stage design as well as detailed design bordering the civil engineers work. I do not produce drainage piping and such things.

 

Easy collaboration and interaction with DWG and Revit is an absolute must as I am not aware of anyone else here in Sweden using Vectorworks.

 

For years I've been glancing towards VW Landmark as it's actually developed for my profession but never got around to actually use it. I am now testing out a trial and the checking out tutorials to see if it suits me. What is your take on choice of CAD software, would you recommend a move to VW Landmark or some other software?

[unearthed]

Like you I work broadly in planning, science, landscape and garden design, as well as make most of my promotion graphics. I do all assembly and layout/pages in VW. 

 

I may be an outlier as I use a mix of software (mainly VW + BricsCAD, Sketchup, QGIS , VSCode and Rebelle). My main package is VW Landmark (but am still using 2012 as it does what I need) (altho' I seldom use any Landmark-specific features). I do any modelling in sketchup (and some planning ), larger scale planning, GIS and drone footage I do in QGIS (a Gb of images loads almost instantly in QGIS).

 

Some jobs e.g. a large farm I'll do entirely in VW, it all depends on what aesthetic I think the client will best respond to.

 

VW's (very basic) built in spreadsheet is something that no other CADs have AFAIK - with Rhino you need VisARQ which is another $500. AFAIK VW spreadsheet even now lacks drag and drop so I build all my formulas in VSCode and drop maybe 20 lines in at once - that saves hours.

 

VW is not a very automated CAD, although newer versions sound a bit more so - there still seem to be a lot of discussions on page numbering, XREF equivalents, and irregular objects (varying wall widths, varying steps). Text linking is ... fraught.

 

VW lacks a number of landscape/survey specific tools such as topological editing, and I'm unsure if it handles vertical curves even yet (essential when doing curbs). 

 

 

[Jeff Prince]

@Anders Blomberg It's a great program for your intended purpose.  I replaced AutoCAD and Sketchup with Vectorworks and successfully avoided Revit after evaluating it 🙂  I"m a landscape architect and work on a huge variety of sizes and complexities of projects anything from a residential backyard to planning subdivisions to interior & rooftop landscapes found on large projects.  I import Revit models from my Architect clients and it works pretty good.  I also import survey data regularly and develop detailed grading plans with terraces, retaining walls, and other landscape structures.  I popped for Designer instead of Landmark because I needed access to some of the architectural tools not found in Landmark.  Every program has some nuanced problems, but overall Vectorworks is pretty much the only freestanding platform that I can do everything I need without using other softwares for grading, modeling, and illustrative plans.

[Anders Blomberg]

@unearthed Thanks for the info! Would you say that you're happy with the software or are you looking towards other solutions? I understand you see some shortcomings (with curbs for example), is VW still the best option for you? I understand there's no perfect solution.

 

@jeff prince Very much hoping to exclude AutoCAD from my life 🙂 I'm heavily dependant on being able integrate without problem with dwg:s as it's the absolute standard here in Sweden. Anything else is unfortunately a deal breaker. Have you been able to collab easily with AutoCAD environments?

Edited March 9, 2021 by Anders Blomberg

[zoomer]

I think the DWG Import into VW is pretty good and nearly lossless.

But unfortunately the DWG Export is far below.

No Material exchange, Geometry from plugin objects like Walls

and Slabs is pity - so no realistic collaboration. 

[Anders Blomberg]

Uh oh, sound horrific. But in terms of collaboration I do not mean to work on the same design between platforms. But I do need to be able to export files for Architects to link into Revit so they can see geometry, and to Civil Engineers for them to work on piping and possibly construction parts. So it's a matter of getting the geometry across.

[zoomer]

Could work by IFC exports ?

[Anders Blomberg]

In reality I guess it's a possibility, although I've never really worked with IFC. I know the building architects/engineers use it extensively. More bothersome might be that in larger projects with multiple disciplines (working in a multi disciplinary railway project currently, for example) the standard for exchanging files is dwg. But again, the requirement is for geometry to be exported, smart info need not to follow.

[Jeff Prince]

@Anders Blomberg 

51 minutes ago, Anders Blomberg said:

@jeff prince Very much hoping to exclude AutoCAD from my life 🙂 I'm heavily dependant on being able integrate without problem with dwg:s as it's the absolute standard here in Sweden. Anything else is unfortunately a deal breaker. Have you been able to collab easily with AutoCAD environments?

 

Yes, easy.  Import/export of DWG works fine, you just have to spend some time configuring Vectorworks export dialogue box to produce the desired results.  I collaborate with architects, civil, and other landscape professionals constantly.  I import Revit files, Civil 3d dwgs, sketchup, etc without difficulty... if the sender is reasonably competent in their software. Typically, each new client requires a little testing period to get a mutually beneficial 3D workflow.  Once it's setup, fairly painless.  IFC export from Vectorworks is fairly useful.  I think the shortcomings I have experienced with IFC have been my own doing due to not assigning IFC information correctly, if at all in some cases 🙂   Testing these things with your outside collaborators remedies most things.  This forum helps sort out the really tough issues.  You can test your vwx to dwg exports using Autodesk's online viewer if you don't have a copy of autocad.  Alternatively, if you have other software that imports DWG, those can make a good test platform too.

[zoomer]

As long it is 2D only (not much experience) I think DWG is OK.

But for 3D - No - in my opinion.

 

As I can't look at even my customized Template File exported in DWG

in any Shaded mode when all Slabs have no top and bottom faces but

strange helper lines and you can look through them.

 

I also want to edit them after export and that is ridiculously not realisticly

possible when all Walls are just lose 3D Faces and Stairs have holes

in geometry and unrepairable geometries.