Off the Drawing Board

Landscape designs encompass a variety of information that needs to be clearly conveyed for clients and installers to fully understand. I find the most effective way to present the overall concept for my landscape designs is twofold: a plan view (or top view) and perspective views.

A 2D plan is an essential tool for showing the horizontal arrangement of a space and its elements such as a patio or walkway, furniture and plants and their relationship to a building, driveway, or wall. But vertical scale, massing, and elevation changes are not evident in plan view, and a 3D perspective image can make the design substantially easier to understand.

Traditionally, elevation views have been used to show the vertical elements of a design, such as a wall facade, but this flat view is not what you see in real life, and is even less helpful for describing a landscape design. Hand-built models are another way to convey proposed changes to a site, but are very time consuming to do well. Hand-drawn perspective images can be stunning and evocative, but also require significant time to execute.

Computer-aided design, on the other hand, allows a landscape designer to efficiently create a series of perspective images from different vantage points, that accurately reflect the location, elevation, and scale of elements of a plan. Changes to the design can be quickly and easily reflected in computer-generated perspective images.

The ability to create a landscape design simultaneously in 2D and 3D is a very powerful way to be able to understand a site and what design changes will improve the look and function of a landscape. Presenting the design in plan view with accurate perspective images allows my clients to more fully visualize the landscape design I have proposed. With this information in hand, my clients are able to make better-informed decisions about their landscape project. Contractors also can understand the nuances of the design more clearly, resulting in more accurate cost estimating and installation that reflects the design intent.

Rue Sherwood Landscape Design creates custom gardens and landscapes throughout the North Shore, from design through installation.

Learn more about our services and explore our gallery of projects to see some of our recent work.

Contact us to help you create comfortable outdoor spaces for you to enjoy with friends and family.