Quick Start

Here are some easy steps for quickly creating your first landscape.

1.   Start Realtime Landscaping Architect. At the Welcome menu, click Start a New Landscape using the Wizard. (If the Welcome menu does not appear, click File > Welcome menu.)

2.   Click Next.

3.   Select the desired size of your lot. This determines the dimensions of a fence which will be placed around your property. Then click Next.

4.   Click the picture of the house and select the desired house style from the list. Then click Next.

5.   Click the picture of the pond and select the desired pond style from the list. Or, click Do not add a pond if you do not want a pond. Then click Next.

6.   Click the picture of the fence and select the desired fence style from the list. Or, click Do not add a fence if you do not want a fence. Then click Next.

7.   Using your mouse, click the left mouse button and drag the house, pond, and fence icons to arrange them in the desired positions. (Don't worry about getting them exact because you can change them later.) Then click Next.

8.   Click Finish to build your landscape.

That's it! Your first landscape is now ready for editing. You can add water features, create a patio, plant a garden – the limit is your imagination. You can also use the Realtime Walkthrough feature to experience your landscape with accurate lighting, shadows, moving water, and other effects.

As a next step, we suggest you read the following sections to help familiarize yourself with the program:

Starting a New Landscape using a Template
Adjusting the View
Adding Objects
Editing Objects
Editing Points
Adding Plan Detail
House Wizard
Deck Wizard
Swimming Pool Wizard

Tips:

•      See Using Metric if you want to use metric measurements.

•      The wizard is limited to a maximum lot size of 500' x 500' (152 x 152 m). However, when the wizard finishes, you can increase the lot size up to 1500' x 1500' (457 x 457 m) using the Page Setup command.

•      The wizard will add a rectangular fence around the perimeter of your lot. You can change it to any shape and size after finishing the wizard.

•      The house and pond added by the wizard are grouped by default. This makes them easy to move and rotate to the desired location. If you want to change them, click Ungroup and then you can edit them like any other object.