Adding an Embedded Object

You can add Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Visio drawings, and even AutoCAD drawings to the plan view using the Embedded Object tool. This helps you use the best features of other software packages to create even the most demanding landscape designs.

To add an embedded object to the plan view:

1.   Click Plan to switch to the plan view.

2.   Click Add Embedded Object.

3.   To create a new object, click Create New and select the desired object type from the list.

- OR -

To create using an existing file, click Create from File. Then click Browse and open the desired file. Check the Link option to link to the file, or leave the option unchecked to include a copy of the object in the landscape design.

4.   Click OK.

5.   Click to add the embedded object to the landscape design.

6.   Change the object's size as desired.

The example below shows a sample spreadsheet created in Microsoft Excel:

The following is the above spreadsheet added to the plan view using the Embedded Object tool.

Edit vs. Open

There are two buttons for editing an embedded object, Edit and Open.

If supported by the source program (the program that created the embedded object), clicking Edit will enable in-place editing. In this mode, the source program will replace Realtime Landscaping Architect's toolbars with its own so you can edit the object in-place. This is useful, for example, when editing an Excel spreadsheet because it makes it easier to select which cells you want to appear.

The Open button opens the source program in a separate window.

To edit an embedded object in-place:

1.   Click the object to select it.

2.   Click the Edit button in the property window.

3.   Edit the object as desired. When editing a spreadsheet, adjust the surrounding rectangle to determine which cells you want to appear in the plan view.

4.   When done, press Esc or click anywhere outside of the surrounding rectangle.

To open an embedded object:

1.   Click the object to select it.

2.   Click the Open button in the property window.

3.   Edit the object as desired.

4.   When done, click File > Close (the actual command may vary).

Tips:

•      Embedded objects may sometimes appear blurry in the plan view. This is because a lower-resolution preview is used for the best performance. However, they will be sharp when printed to a file or a printer because at that time they are rendered at their full resolution.

•      This and other plan detail can only be added and edited in the plan view. See Adding Plan Detail for more information about plan detail objects.

•      Use Edit > Embedded Object Links to edit objects that you have added using the Link option.

See also:

Embedded Object Properties
Adding Plan Detail
Setting Object Properties
Selecting Objects
Editing Objects