3d Garden designs

When we set up Creative Roots Landscaping we spent a long time researching the garden design industry and found a common response from customers who had used other landscape designers was "we love the end result but it was very different to what we expected!"

The traditional approach when designing a garden is to produce a 2 dimensional 'birds eye view' outlining the features and areas and sometimes annotating with explanations of hidden detail. This would often be presented and explained with the use of a mood board (a selection of relevant images). The client would then be expected to make a decision to go ahead (or not) on how they interpreted the new garden. Occasionally I have heard of some designers drawing out the design on the actual garden with a spray can or walking it through with the owners and whilst these methods work, to a point, it is still often up to the client to have a degree of vision.

An architect will often use the same method of planning when designing a building but will sometimes create a computer generated image (CGI) showing what the property will look like when built. This can help give the client a clear view of what the end product will potentially look like and is able to view from any angle.

We decided this would be a valuable tool when it came to gardens and whilst a little time consuming would hopefully take out some of the guesswork from the customers perspective. After researching the marketplace for CAD (computer aided design) programs we found a few options including Vectorworks Landmark, various private garden design programs, the BBC's online virtual design tool and Google Sketchup.

Prices ranged from 'free' to over £1,000 and have very different capabilities and restrictions but in the end we opted for Google's Sketchup program. Whilst the fact it is free is an instant advantage we were also recommended this by an architect student and after seeing various examples we decided this was the one for us.

The program is relatively easy to use if you are confident on the computer and tutorials are available on YouTube if you get stuck. There are also a number of companies offering ready made models to use within your designs for a subscription fee which speeds the process no end.

Although this is a bit of a learning curve and at the beginning takes a lot of time I do feel it is worth it as the end product looks great and really helps get the concept over to the client before you start building.

For examples you can check out Sketchup itself or alternatively see the Creative Roots Facebook page