Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Posts
    1

    Question Neighborhood Park & Garden Design

    I volunteer with two neighborhood associations and an elementary school who are considering collaborating on a new park / garden on some abandoned land.

    The area is a small valley with a creek, and I need to be able to lay out small bench pads or "patios" cut into the hillside. I also need to be able to show pathways with grade indication also cut into the hillsides. (If possible, I need grade indications to prove to ADA specifications since this will be a public access project.)

    The worst case hillside angle is something around 45deg. by 40 vertical feet high max, bordering a gently sloping flat valley with a rocky creek running through it. At the bottom, the hillsides end in a gently sloping flat area.

    I need for this to be walk-through 3D presentable. And as we clear the land and are able to take better measurements, I will need to be able to refine the terrain without starting from scratch.

    Can a Chief Architect product do this job, without a building in the design?

    Finally, since this is for IRS certified non-profits, is there a donation application procedure to get a version of Chief Architect for this project? We will be glad to list Chief Architect in the credits as the project progresses and completes.

    Thank you.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Austin, Texas, USA
    Posts
    6,117
    Questions to Chief Architect Inc should be directed directly to them at their Coeur d' Alene, Idaho corporate offices.

    In terms of your other questions, yes, this can be done and is being done by competent users who have learned to use Chief Premier's tools well enough to get a product. This is not done over night as there are lots of tools and much to learn.

    DJP

    David Jefferson Potter

    Chief Architect ® Trainer, Beta Tester, Draftsman, Author of "Basic Manual Roof Editing" and Problem Solver
    Win7 Ultimate x64 & XP Pro x32, 500 Gb Samsung SSD
    AMD Phenom II X6 1090T, 8Gb DDR3 RAM, PNY 760 GTX

    Chief 7-X6, Home Designer versions 7-2014
    3101 Shoreline Drive #2118, Austin, Texas 78728-4446
    Office Phone:512-518-3161
    Main E mail: david@djpdesigns.net
    Web Site:http://djpdesigns.net
    My You Tube Channel
    Help is just an e mail or call away!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    54
    Chief Architect Premier will offer all the terrain tools you need. We offer training videos and help articles to guide you through the landscaping tools. This software allows you to simply create the terrain without building a structure and you'll also have the Walk Through tool to create a video of the design. Since you are a non-profit organization you may apply for a discount through our Grants Department. Please reply with your email or send your information to sales@chiefarchitect.com Attn: Emily. I can then email you the grant application and additional information.
    __________________
    Emily Black
    Sales and Marketing Representative
    Chief Architect, Inc.
    www.chiefarchitect.com

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    468
    Frankly, Chief is great for structures, but pretty clunky for modeling terrain accurately. You should use Sketchup, which is free, can do animations (walkthrus) with shadowing, and is pretty easy to learn.

    D
    Dorothy Howard AIA
    Architect
    Coronado, CA
    dhowardaia.com

    X4 64-bit

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    San Diego California
    Posts
    9,573
    Quote Originally Posted by dhowardaia View Post
    ............. but pretty clunky for modeling terrain accurately. You should use Sketchup, which is free, can do animations (walkthrus) with shadowing, and is pretty easy to learn.

    D
    Ooooh boy, I love a challenge, and being the contrarian that I am, I may have to take exception to Dorothy's comment. Clunky is relative, so I can't argue with that. Knowing very little about sketchup, I can't comment on that. But I will say, I bet I can create any terrain in CA that anybody can dream up, and I would like to think I can do it in short order. That being said, if anybody has a tough terrain to deal with, post it, and I will try to show you how to develop the terrain.
    D. Scott Hall (The Bridge Troll)
    San Diego, Ca.
    Chief X-5 w/ Win 7
    Asus P6T X58 ATX Core i7
    Intel Core i7 920
    6GB (3X2) DDR3 1600
    NVIDIA GeForce 580 GTX

    The videos we watch are not 100% gold, but if we find a gold nugget, the time spent viewing has a value.

    We can please some of the people some of the time, but we can't please all the people all of the time..... but I will keep trying.

    If you are interested in keeping abreast of any new videos, please subscribe to my channel at YOUTUBE...... channel is ds hall

 

 

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • Login or Register to post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •