How to create an outdoor space and landscape your garden with Architect 3D©

Architect 3D Tutorials

Architect 3D© allows you to landscape, plan, decorate or plant trees in your garden and watch it evolve over time! 

Follow this tutorial to easily draw up plans for your garden and create or renovate your outdoor space. Visualise yourself in your future garden with 3D modelling.  

Some features are simply decorative while others are more structural. Architect 3D offers different tools for landscaping your garden:  

  • tools to add structural features such as pathways, patios and fences or to change the topography of an area of land 
  • and libraries for more “decorative” features such as plants and outdoor furnishings (parasol, garden furniture, swimming pool, etc.)   

To view your plans simultaneously in 2D and 3D, click on the 3D View  icon. 

Step 1: Access dedicated landscaping tools

To view your landscaping plan in 2D, click on the Landscape tab. 

All the elements included from the Landscape tab, such as flowers or trees, will be displayed on the plan in 2D. 

Step 2: Use dedicated libraries for outdoor features

In the same way as for the interior design of your home, various libraries are available to you:  

  • a materials library containing materials such as brick, stone, wood, metal, grass, etc. 
  • a paint library offering a wide range of special outdoor colours, 
  • and a plant library containing over 4,000 plants. 

To apply a garden material or paint

  1. Select the library you want to use and then choose a category.
  2. Easily apply your chosen material or paint colour directly in your 3D view by dragging and dropping. 

    To place plants in the garden plan

    Just like in the materials and colour libraries, plants are organised in categories. 

    1. Select a category of plants to display its content. 

    Note: 

    You can hover your mouse over a plant to see its description. 

    You can also enter the name of a plant in the search field to find a specific plant in the library. 

    2. Click on your chosen plant and then drag and drop the plant into the 2D or 3D design window. 

     

    If you wish, you can use predefined templates to add clusters of plants. 

    To place a cluster of plants 

    1. Select the Templates library and then click on the category Landscape gardens to display its content.
    2. Choose the type of landscape garden you want to add to your land.
    3. Select a template and drag and drop the chosen cluster onto your design. 

        Note: 

        To modify the plants in the cluster individually, click outside the cluster in the design window to deselect the plant group. You can then select, delete or move the plants individually. 

         

        Step 3: Simulate plant growth

        To view the evolution of your landscape over time, click on the tallest tree icon in the Plant growth toolbar in the Landscape tab. 

        Step 4: Decorate your garden with a swimming pool, pergola or parasol

        You can now use the furnishings library to add a parasol, pergola, swimming pool or any other type of furnishing to your outdoor space. 

        1. Select the Furnishings library and then click on the Exterior category to display its content. 
        2. Choose the type of furnishing you want to add to your outdoor space. 
        3. Select a furnishing item and drag and drop it onto the 2D plan. 

             

            Step 5: Generate a more realistic 3D rendering to visualise your outdoor space

            To finalise your project, you can generate a final rendering to display the shadows cast on your garden: 

            1. Open the Full 3D view window to display the 2D and 3D views. 
            2. In the 3D menu, select 3D Rendering and then Final quality 3D rendering. 

              In a few moments, your 3D rendering is refined. 3D Architect progressively displays shadows to create a more realistic rendering. 

               

              Remember to save your project to confirm your landscaping plan. 

              For more information on designing and landscaping your outdoor space, see the tutorials [Topography] and [Deck] available online 

               

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