Landscape Architecture through Software

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Scale in CAD

Once data is downloaded from GIS/Digimaps, and loaded into CAD (e.g. Rhino), you can draw a rectangle representing your printed page frame

e.g. if you create a frame at 841x594 metres (in your CAD model) in size your drawing when printed will be 1:1000.

If the frame is double that size, the printed drawing will be 1:2000

It helps if the rectangle layer in the drawing is labelled with the scale

You can also duplicate the frame and scale - so if it's at 1:1000 and you scale by 0.5 that will give you the part contained within 1:500.

Trim the drawing.

To reduce the drawing size, use the TRIM command - select the largest scale rectangle and then select all elements _outside_ the rectangle and trim. This can be labourious, but will reduce the file size.

Aside - Blocks

Blocks help you reduce your filesize by creating reusable objects.

Trimming:

You only need to trim those lines that intersect your frame. Once that is done you can goup select lines outside the fraome and delete them.

For importing into Illustrator:

Select all

Export

Save as DWG - this gives more reliable outcomes than .ai files from Rhino.

When importing choose 'scale fit to artboard' this will show you if you have any outlying data or untrimmed lines as it should fit 1:1 (given you've set your frame at a fixed scale and size).

IMPORTANT:

Choose the correct Document Colour Mode for your document. If printing it must be CMYK (to get true black). For export for screens RGB.

Flatten the line weight - select all and set it to the lightest line weight and work up from there.

Adding new layers.

It should now be straightforward to do further design work within Rhino (precise construction drawing) and then export from your drawing and then past in place will ensure it has the correct location in your drawing.

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Assets for Illustrator

Assets for Illustrator 

When storing assets, such as trees, people, 

Store them in separate files and import them. 

Stock images 

Make use of SVG and PNG assets with transparency 

i.e. chequered background in Illustrator and Photoshop 

e.g. AdobeStock, Meye (meye.dk) 

Page set up 

CMYK, 300dpi 

841 x 594 mm for A1 

Don’t forget CTRL+R to show rulers 

Adding images (Trees, people) 

You can drag and drop from file explorer  

This will add the file as a Linked image 

Or copy from an opened PNG file  

This will add the file as an Image 

To add the image to your file 

Manipulation 

As with Rhino 3D, you can ALT + Drag will effectively copy and paste the item 

Image Tracing 

This will allow you to effectively ‘flatten’ the image in terms of colour 

It will trace the image in either 

Black 

Colour 

Click on ‘Expand’ top of the page 

It will convert it into individual vectors (like EXPLODE in Autocad/Rhino) 

You can then select the background (which may now be a solid colour) 

Same > by fill colour 

This will now remove the ‘background’ (the spaces between the leaves too) 

Creating outlines 

After image tracing 

Expand 

Then select the lightest colour (same by fill colour 

Set it white 

Set the darkest colour same by fill 

Then set it dark grey 

Duplicate this – it will become the outline  

Then with all dark grey still selected  

Use the Pathfinder > Unite tool 

Then set the fill empty 

And the stroke black 

Move it back over the original 

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Adobe Illustrator: Introduction for Landscape Architects

Examples: Urban satellite :: Behance 

Kulper Drawings Published in New Collection - Taubman College 

Simple things 

CTRL + / - to zoom 

ALT + mousewheel to zoom 

Change workspace 

Use the option top right to set up ‘Essentials classic’. This will show all the micro palettes. 

Left hand side will be create and modify. Right hand side windows show modify 

Illustrator does not come preloaded with swatches – you’ll need to open new swatches and load basic RGB. 

You can then drag and drop those colours into the main colour palette. 

Creating a new layer 

New layers is at the bottom right of the window -  a square with a plus icon 

Importing from a PDF 

You can just open PDFs in Illustrator. 

You can click on the opened PDF content then ensure to right click > Release clipping mask: this will allow you to edit the layers 

Selecting e.g. all buildings in a digimap import 

You can select one building then 

Select > Same > Fill color 

Them move them to one layer 

Select a layer 

Right click on anywhere where you have the same fill colour selected 

Arrange > Send to Current Layer 

Alternatively, within Autocad, you can isolate each of the layers and export them individually 

LAYISO 

Go to Settings 

And turn OFF lock and fade 

You can then export the individual layer as a PDF and import that into Illustrator. 

Ensuring that map data is combined into things. 

Select same stroke color 

Delete the strokes so you are left with fills 

Then use Pathfinder 

Combine shapes 

You will now have all shapes as single ‘blobs’ 

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More with Rhino 3D - Clipping Planes

To create a clipping plane in Rhino 3D 

Create three new layers and activate the clipping plane layer 

Type ‘Clipping plane’ 

Drag the clipping plane out 

Go to the properties tab and activate the clipping plane in perspective 

We can control the angle of the clipping plane to show where there is a lot of height change 

Go back to the layers tab and activate the Guide plan layer added earlier 

View from plan view 

Create a polyline to cut through the section you want to view 

Move the clipping plane to align with your polyline 

Duplicate the polyline and move it so you have two in parallel 

Extrude the curve up to the second point.  (ctrl move using the gumball), creating a plane 

Ensure you don’t have ‘project’ selected and do have ‘vertex’, ‘perp’ and ‘near’ selected, run a polyline along the section with the plane you’ve just created 

Change the view so it’s perpendicular to the plane we’ve created 

Type Cplane 

Choose 3Point 

Select bottom left then bottom right to set the X-axis 

Then the top right point of the plain for the z-axis 

Turn off the guide plane and clipping plane layers 

To get ready for Illustrator 

Unlock all layers 

Select all 

Make2D 

You’ll be presented with an options window. Click ok and  

The computer will take a while to process these and a new layer will be selected 

This will be a polyline version of your plan and  

Visible in Top view. 

Hide the ‘hidden’ layer and it will hide the items that are ‘behind’ the section line 

Create a new layout 

Click the plus button bottom left and create a new layout 

Double click the new layer to activate it 

Open the properties tab in the sidebar (pinwheel) 

Set the correct scale – Model (1) Layout (200) for 1:200 

Lock the view 

CTRL+P and print to ‘Rhino PDF’, which is just a normal PDF 

This can then be ‘Open’ed in Illustrator. 

CTRL-0  will show the extents of the section 

Illustrator: setting the view 

Top right choose ‘Essentials classic’ to get the toolbar back 

CTRL+R gets the ruler up, then right click to show mm. 

Tools panels on the left hand side are for editing, those on the right are for properties and parameters 

Swatches 

These are blank by default unfortunately 

Dive through the menus and get basic RGB 

Select all colours 

Click and drag into swatches 

Sort out the layers – this removes the framed object and shows all lines (even if beyond the bounds of the drawing) 

Select all 

Right click 

‘Release clipping mask’ 

Flatten everything 

Remove the fill 

We can set the stroke to black 

And then set the stroke width to e.g. 0.25pt  

We can also remove the frame 

Draw the ground line 

Select the pen tool 

Click lines along the ground line for the drawing

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Beginning ArcGIS

Geopackage or file geodatabase format information is required from Digimap.  

That includes roads, national tree map, paths, building heights. 

This data is database, rather than plan format (as you get with Autocad data) 

Ensure downloaded data has a correct folder structure 

00 Resources 

01 Working Data 

02 Outputs 

This ensures that data when used by ArcGIS remains organised and avoids confusion. 

Start ArcGIS with Map, if you’re working with 2D data. 

Create a new project and select the data you’ve downloaded. 

This will generate new arcgis files and databases. You can then drag and drop the component parts of the database into your map. 

You can group or ungroup layers. 

Loading data: 

You can import any geodatabases not just from digimap. ArcGIS is a utility to show this mapping data. 

Analysis: 

Click on Tools > Toolboxes. This will give you various tools for data analysis. 

Export to CAD 

Search for export to cad 

Choose the layers to export 

Choose the 02 Output location 

Click ‘Run’ 

The data will now be exported and you are free to import it into design software such as AutoCAD

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Rhino - moving on from getting started

Importing from Autocad into Rhino

Firstly we need to ensure the two software apps are using the compatible versions of DWG files. In the case of Autocad 2026 and Rhino 8, we need to export from Autocad in 2013 version

When we open in Rhino, we accept default options for the DWG file:

File > Import and accept defaults

Then choose Plan/top view and ZOOM > EXTENTS

Create a new layer called Autocad (for convenience) and drop all layers into it.

Let's start projecting up the land

Create a new layer called Land and select it.

Using the Two-point plane tool:

and create a surface across your drawing.

Now start extruding elements to create fences and walls:

Useful commands

ArrayCrv - duplicate items along a line

Pipe - turns lines into rods or pipes

You can use https://www.fhbrundle.co.uk/ for getting dimensions of e.g. fencing, pallisades, hoarding sheeting etc

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Introduction to Rhino 3D

Rhino

Can import easily

Autocad DWG files

Digimap

terrain data

Building data

Helps you visualise a flat plan from 2D to 3D

Add further assets such as signs, bollards etc to your plan

Can convert into illustrative view (‘Make 2D’)

Getting started:

Double click on tab (e.g. ‘Perspective’) and again to switch back

Operations

Right click – orbit

Shift right click – pan

CTRL right click – zoom

As with autocad you can type commands to the command line

Snapping

Choosing snap points is bottom left, unlike the bottom right toolbar in Autocad

Also ‘Ortho’ snap will snap to the grid

After adding e.g. a long polyline, as with Autocad, Zoom Extents will show the whole thing

As with autocad you can create a rectangle by POLYLINE and then the distance you require for each side. Enter or Space to close.

We can then extrude these lines (‘Curves’) using ExtrudeCrv.

This is good for fence boundaries or hollow shapes.

To make solid objects:

After clicking ExtrudeCrv

Type solid / space

Then the distance/height you want to extrude

Moving objects by dimension and arc

At the bottom toolbar, enable ‘Gumball’

This creates a mode that allows you to tilt/pan/yaw and move along the x, y and z dimensions

Clicking the window object will

To duplicate items by dimension

Just hold ALT then click and drag or perform any other operation

The object will be duplicated

To duplicate by dimension and distance,

ALT + ARROW

Enter dimension then SPACE

To copy a set of items and align to a reference

Select all the items

Click  copy

Then click the first reference point to copy to

You can then move and ENTER (not space) to complete the duplication

Layers

You can make use of layers as with other software

Add new layers and change the colour notation for the layer

Change layers by selecting items and moving layers

Polyline differences from Autocad

Note that right click will end the line

Adding curves

Each line is called a curve. Don’t let this confuse you

If you want to add a radius

Type FILLET

Type RADIUS and then enter the radius

Click the first then second line

Done

Mirroring

MIRROR command then

Click to select the plane of reflection

Left click to complete

Downloading contour data for Rhino from digimap

Ensure you choose

Topography

Building height attributes

OS terrain 5 Contours

Import the topography

Set EXTRACTPT (points)

Create a new layer ‘Patch’ set it active

If you need to reselect the points use SELPT

Add command PATCH

You’ll get a new window

We’ll great a surface layer based on the point cloud

Choose an area of your map and set it on the contours

Draw a rectangle

Go to the layer and Right click select object

PROJECT and then select

the rectangle

the patch

The rectangle will now sit on the contours

Importing building height data

Import the file

Select the PATCH frame and click F10

This will show the patch’s grid points

You ca select these as a set and then set the gumball on and move down

Deleting river patch/contour

Draw a polyline the length of the bank (ignore jetties)

Ensure this intersects with the boundary of the patch

On both banks

PROJECT and select the new polylines.

These will be aligned with the patch contour

Now SPLIT and select the patch frame

Then the two poly lines

You can now delete the river (as it of course does not have contours )

Adding a flat river

Add a new layer

Select rectangular plane corner to corner

This is now a square, set it blue

PROJECT and select the bank polylines.

These will be aligned with the river rectangle

Now SPLIT and select the river rectangle

Then the two poly lines

You can now delete the river (as it of course does not have contours )

Adding a river wall

Select the river polylines

EXTRUDECRV and set at 5 meters

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Autocad: making a section elevation

Understanding a site through section drawing 

Using hatches line-weights and dimensions 

Hatches are patterns e.g. showing geology 

Elevation is the detail behind the section drawing 

Elevation could even be in perspective 

Sections could be analytical e.g. in order to present a narrative. 

Scaling a drawing from metres to millimetres 

OS maps come in metres 

Select all  

SCALE then click bottom left of drawing 

Then type 1000 SPACE 

This will scale your drawing to millimetres 

You might want to now get rid of the geo marker – type GEOMARKERVISIBILITY SPACE 0 SPACE 

Creating a Section 

You’ll want to organise your layers: create a new Group Layer called ‘Section’ and create a new layer within and rename it ‘Section Line’. Let’s get going... 

Don’t forget to double click to make the layer active. It’s now our current active layer. 

You can (and should) change the colour and lineweight  

Ensure the colour is applied (and not picking up the source colours from the map data by clicking MO then within the menu General > Colour > By layer  

In order to see the line at the right width on the map get lineweight display engaged: 

Ensure the three meat cleavers are selected blue 

Changing the direction of the drawing 

UCS space 

Will allow you to select the start and end points of your section in order to create a new coordinate system.  

We now want to move the plan to that UCS.  

Type PLAN space, then C for current. 

Create a new red line – we want to use OF offset to do this. Start by zooming out from the drawing then OF space then the line. Move off the drawing to the space want, click again to make the offset appear and space to close. 

We’ll now create a new contstruction line layer make it thinner and orange and set it active: 

And along the whole of the section line click 

RAY 

To set the ray line active 

Click on the intersection of any line and the section line move the mouse to 90 degrees then click when the green dashed line shows 

SPACE to complete 

SPACE to reenact the last command 

Click SPACE SPACE 

Do the whole set of construction lines 

You’ll end up with something of this format: 

Split the view 

Now you can work on the section and the map together. 

Cross reference with heights from google earth 

Take the height difference between a ‘ground level’ and the height of any building. 

Now add POLYLINEs on your baseline and offset them to the height of buildings: 

Continue until you have a complete cross section: 

Adding hatches 

H for hatch, then ensure you have a bounded area. You can use the hatch options to fill an area. 

Adding in trees from CAD blocks 

You can add in trees downloaded from the internet.  

These should be opened and then copied – with baseline – otherwise they’ll float anywhere in the autoCAD space. Ensure you’ve clicked on the tree’s bottom to show where the baseline is (‘Specify base point’). 

This can now be pasted as usual into AutoCAD. You can then scale the tree. 

Click ALIGN then: 

Click the bottom of the tree 

And then the bottom of the tree again (it stays where it is) 

Top of the tree 

How high you want it to go. 

The finished section: 

Adding section detail 

First set up a new group and layers 

This will be a pin kerb, such as you find at the back of an asphalted path, away from the road. 

Add in PL polylines at 50 x 150 mm. Then redraw the side polylines and offset. 

You can set the polar tracking to 45 degrees in order to draw the haunching on the pin kerb. 

Use HATCH to add a hatch to a shape. Use AR-CONC for concrete and ANSI32 for the pin kerb itself

MOT Type 1 is represented by 60 degree lines. You can set the polar tracking to 30, 60 etc and then draw the MOT. 

Select all and GROUP. 

This can be duplicated by again selecting all and COPY – click the top left hand corner of the group and then click the point you want the copy to be. 

We’ve added some offsets for the asphalt, sub-base, binding layer etc 

We’ve filled in the MOT by using a poly line and then we’ve added concrete for the layer above by HATCH SPACE T SPACE to get the menu up the I SPACE to select inherit. 

You’ll get a brush cursor. You can select another hatch then paste the formatting. 

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Getting started with AutoCAD and Digimap

Firstly, getting the data ready for import into AutoCAD from Digimap

Digimap: 

Always choose DWG for autocad – ensure it's available 

And the same in the basket – choose standard 

Building heights can be imported into Rhino in order to pre-populate a city  

Autocad 

I found this a very complex piece of software when I first encountered it more than thirty years ago. Decades later it still is, for simple tasks. The User Interface is extremely unintuitive and comprises a wide variety of arcane incantations via the command line. It's very much neither fish nor fowl, and all-things-to-all-people and other scalable vector graphics software applications have come and gone since its inception in 1982. Several User Experience paradigms have equally come and gone in what comprises aeons in computer history.

That it still exists is much like Word and Photoshop - just these piece of software happening to be first in the juggernaut of history, all users locked in like employees in a toxic work environment.

You can see the accretion of UI paradigms (first command line, then WIMP, then app-inspired contextual hover menus), none of which represent what you might be aiming to achieve.

That aside:

Some really basic commands:  

Always add space to end a command 

Esc to cancel 

PL – polyline – use protractor to lock 

REC for Rectangle 

POL polygon – you can set the number of sides 

Then 'Inscribe in circle' (will put within an imaginary circle I.e. nodes rather than vertices) 

Voila! It's a hexagon! 

You can modify the object by click the snap point and move it – choose the snappoints from the menu 

TR Trim will delete a vertex  

EX will extend any line into another:

OF offset 

Choose the line 

 choose through 

Choose the distance (e.g. 500) 

Then enter. It will duplicate the item at an offset 

If you want to draw multiple items like fence panels or sleepers 

OF, then  

Type or accept the distance then  

M space 

Then click as many times as you want the item duplicated 

ALWAYS: keep your eye on the command line – this is the thing you're accepting and agreeing to 

HOW TO: 

convert items into separate line 

Autocad calls this EXPLODE and JOIN 

You type EX then click on the item you want to move them into single things 

You type JO and then click on all the items you want to join as a single item 

Lasso selection – not liked, but click + drag to allow you to select elements in a arbitrary area 

Help! I've lost my drawing. Get back to it by 

Z (zoom) space, E (Extents) space 

Organise your drawings 

Create layers 

e.g. one for roads 

One for planting 

You can colour your layers 

Adding text 

T for text 

Better than polylines and arcs 

If you want to add a defined curve, but don't want a fixed radius arc (or multiple fixed radius arcs), you can add a SPLINE – this allows you to click through a series of curves then complete the line (C ). 

These can be joined to POLYLINES using JOIN – select the two items then (JO space) 

Working with existing Digimaps data 

Extract 

Go to Start > Open within Autocad 

This will open the map 

MO will open the properties tab. 

LAYOFF/LAYON will 'turn off' and turn on layers.  

They're not deleted, they're hidden 

LAYFRZ/LAYTHW will freeze or thaw elements, that you want to hide for all the time you are working on the drawing. 

You can still LAYOFF/LAYON while this is enabled 

LAYISO/LAYON 

Will turn off all _except_ the layer you click 

You can create completely new groups of layers

You can copy and paste 

Paste with coordinates  

All countour data 

These layers show grey 

To print 

Go to layer 1 tab, right click and open modify 

Choose the paper size and choose scale 1:1 

This is the equivalent of 'fit to page' 

Save and close 

The page will be there, but your drawing will be absurdly small. 

You'll need to drag it to full size then 

Double click within to activate 

The tab will say model 

Then Z space E space and the drawing is zoomed to extents

You're in 'paper space' - annotations here will not touch the model, 

Which is on a different tab 

Measuring 

DI  will give you a point to point measure 

The command area up arrow will show you the measured distance 

It's likely in metres. For mm then remove the decimal point 

You can scale your drawing with a custom scale 

This is bottom right, in the paper layout ensure you lock it to avoid losing your zoom 

How to choose a scale 

You'll likely need to add a custom scale (e.g. 1:200, 1:1000)  

Ensure you add the ratio between the drawings units and the paper units 

This is _not_ the standard ratio, it's odd. 

e.g. 1:1500 is not 1/1500 (0.66) it's 1 drawing and 1.5 paper