Need Accuracy & Speed? Try Site Scanning!

Time is of the essence in any design project. If you’ve ever felt deadline pressure, you’ve probably considered ways to be more efficient in your workflow.

Taking advantage of what technology has to offer is one of the best ways to find efficiencies. Joe Hanauer, a landscape architect, horticulturist, contractor, and owner of Landscape Architecture, LLC., knows this well — he and his design/build-oriented firm take on projects from initial stages all the way through to installation, meaning efficiencies are incredibly valuable.

Hanauer presented in a webinar for Vectorworks University about some of the key capabilities in Vectorworks he uses to save time and therefore money.  In this article, you’ll read about the features in Vectorworks Landmark that are fundamentally timesaving, such as 3D modeling, geopositioning, and more. Taking advantage of these features can make your workflow much more efficient, thus increasing your ROI.

Creating 3D-modeled landscapes with Vectorworks provides a significant edge. Often referred to as site models, 3D-modeled landscapes offer numerous benefits:

Time Savings: Instead of spending months observing sun and shade patterns throughout the year, you can use 3D models to simulate these conditions quickly and accurately.

Client Satisfaction: Clients often have specific requirements regarding sun and shade areas on their property. With Vectorworks, you can swiftly address these requests so that outdoor spaces are tailored to clients' needs.

Energy Efficiency: Proper shading can significantly impact a project’s energy consumption. Vectorworks’ toolset encourages you to plan for optimal shading, contributing to energy-efficient projects.

Enhanced Data Operations & File Coordination: A 3D model can be used as the source of truth for your project, allowing you to contain all relevant information in the model geometry. In Vectorworks, this allows you to pull automatic reports and generate crucial information like cut/fill calculations and detail drawings.

Read more about how you can take advantage of 3D modeling in Vectorworks Landmark here.

If you haven’t started your 3D modeling journey yet, you may be wondering how to get to the point where you have a useful 3D model of the project site in your Vectorworks file. That leads us to the next point: GPS surveying.

Using a GPS surveyor allows you to capture real-world conditions and translate them into a site model, or digital terrain model, in Vectorworks quickly and easily. In instances where a GPS surveyor isn’t possible, you can often use the Vectorworks Nomad app to scan the site and generate point clouds to bring into Vectorworks. There are several advantages to starting your 3D model with real-world data points:

Enhanced project accuracy: Setting up a precise basemap or base plan is critical for any project. GPS surveying helps ensure accuracy with real-world locations, leading to more reliable project drawings.

Informed decision-making: Integrating GPS data into a Vectorworks site model grants you a comprehensive understanding of the site. This knowledge fosters trust in design solutions and improves project outcomes.

Precision in installation: Accurate layout for installations is crucial, especially regarding feature positions and excavations. The GPS surveyor tool minimizes errors, reducing costly change orders and ensuring smooth collaboration with subcontractors.

Speed: Using a surveyor or site scan can save hours of time creating a base plan.

“Measuring with my surveyor takes an hour or less, then importing into Vectorworks and creating the full base plan takes me about another hour. That’s two hours invested,” said Hanauer. “In the past, before my surveyor, it would take me up to 15 hours.”