Basic Info| App Name | Realtime Landscaping |
| App URL | http://www.ideaspectrum.com/ |
| App Version Reviewed | Pro v5 (other editions are very similar) |
| Test System Specs | Specs of the test system here done in a quote block |
| Supported OSes | WinXp or Later |
| Support Methods | email, phone; no forum |
| Upgrade Policy | unknown |
| Trial Version Available? | Yes |
| Pricing Scheme | $59-$249 depending on edition |
| Relationship btwn. Reviewer and Product | Just a satisfied user |
Intro:Realtime Landscaping is a software program for helping you design and visualize landscaping ideas. It's used mainly to plan walkways, fences, flower beds, and other outdoor structures.
While it has some support for 3d building model constructions, it's not meant to do interior modeling, and cannot support the kinds of detailing building architectures that the serious building modeling tools can (like Chief Architect). However it does excel at letting you super rapidly sketch and render quite complex outdoor landscaping plans, and the 3d walkthrough rendering is quite pleasing.
Who is this app designed for:Amateur-to-mid-level landscapers and adventurous homeowners. This is not a child's toy -- it is very easy to use but it is a serious tool that will let you create some very detailed and advanced designs.
The GoodExtremely intuitive and fun to use. Serious editing features. Nice attention to details. Lots of variety in objects and structures and surfaces. I found the fence building layout too especially nicely done. Surprisingly good support for modeling ground level building architecture to help visualize landscape around building. Support for graded land. Support for various pool styles.
The needs improvement sectionThe walkthrough mode could be a bit better; a photo-realistic raytracing rendering mode would be excellent. Ironically, the features for rendering flowers and different plants looks very useful from the interface side of things, but i found it not very pleasant in terms of final rendered design -- I think that's less a software issue than just the difficult challenge of rendering so many different plants and flowers. But if you are mostly interested in seeing how different flower arrangements would look, this program may not help you too much.
Why I think you should use this productIf you are interested in doing landscaping work on your property -- or are just curious about how certain changes would look, this is a fantastic tool. Expect to put in some work into learning how to use the software -- like other similar tools and architecture tools, this is basically a simplified Computer-Aided-Drafting (cad) tool, which can involve a learning curve if you have no experience with the concept. But it makes doing simple things simple, and complex things possible.
I used it to design some alternatives for a back yard for the condominium building I live in; it was so wonderful to be able to visualize different possibilities, different layouts, different tile materials and fence layouts. Really invaluable when it came time to showing other people some potential options.
How does it compare to similar appsI'm sorry to say I don't remember the other programs I evaluated before i purchased Realtime Landscaping a year ago -- but I did try every similar app i could find, and none held a candle to Realtime Landscaping in the price range.
ConclusionsThis is one of those programs that produces valuable results, and is a pleasure to use. If you are curious about exploring landscaping ideas on your property, you owe it to yourself to try this software.
Links to other reviews of this applicationhttp://landscaping-s...ing-plus-review.html (
video review).
you have good eyes.
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