Plants

In the Vectorworks Landmark product, plant objects are inserted from a plant style and can be customized individually per instance. The Plant tool both defines and places plant objects.

• A plant style prescribes the 2D and 3D appearance, parameters, and botanical data for a specific type of plant. Use one of the many plant styles that come with Vectorworks, or create your own. The plant style is specified from the Plant Style dialog box with parameters appropriate for the plant type, or by loading botanical data from either plant catalogs or a plant database. When plant styles are defined, the parameters apply by default to all plants of that style inserted in the drawing.

• A plant object or plant instance refers to a specific plant that is inserted in a drawing with the Plant tool. The plant object is based on a plant style, but like many objects in Vectorworks, the parameters of individual plant instances can be changed by editing plant preferences to allow for realistic variation among individual plants based on the same plant style. Each individual plant object can be edited to customize its parameters, either before placement by Setting Object Properties or after placement for selected plant objects from the The Object Info Palette.

Adding Plants to the Design

Every plant object in the drawing is based on a plant style selected from the Resource Selector. Plant parameters are set by the style, but if necessary, the default settings for certain parameters can be changed in the Plant Preferences or Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box before placement. Selected plants can be edited from the Object Info palette after placement.

Tool	Tool set
Plant	Site Planning

In addition to the appearance and parameters defined for plants, the Plant tool can place plants in several configurations, from single plants to arrays of plants. When setting parameters after placement, an array of plants is considered to be a single “plant” in the Object Info palette. Plants can also created by drawing a polyline and then selecting the Create Objects from Shapes command (see Creating Objects from Shapes).

See Conceito: Visão Geral sobre Plantas for a discussion of the relationship between plant styles and the preferences for an individual plant instance.

Mode	Description
Insertion	Inserts a plant according to the selected placement mode
Pickup	Sets the default plant preferences to match those of a selected existing plant
Massing Creation	Uses the current plant preferences to convert a polyline, polygon, rectangle, circle, or arc into a plant object
Plant Style	Opens the Resource Selector to select a plant style for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Single Plant Placement	Places a single specified plant at each mouse click
Poly-Vertex Placement	Places plants at each clicked polygon vertex
Poly-Edge Spaced	Places plants along the drawn polygon at the Spacing distance specified in the style or preferences
Rectangular Array	Fills the drawn polygon with plants in a rectangular array at the Spacing distance specified in the style or preferences
Triangular Array	Fills the drawn polygon with plants in a triangular array at the Spacing distance specified in the style or preferences
Hedge	Enables hedge creation for the Poly-Edge Spaced, Rectangular Array, and Triangular Array placement modes. When toggled on, creates rows of hedges along the drawn polyline; the number of hedge rows is set in the Preferences.
Preferences	Opens the Plant Preferences or Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box, for specifying the plant style and its parameters

2 Click Plant Style on the Tool bar. From the Resource Selector, double-click a resource to activate it.

Alternatively, click Preferences to open the Plant Preferences dialog box. Click Plant Style to open the Resource Selector, and double-click a plant style to activate it. Then specify any plant preferences that are different from the style, if needed.

The Plant tool retains these preferences until they are changed by selecting a different plant style, editing the default plant preferences, or until Pickup mode is selected, which changes the default preferences to those of a selected existing plant.

The Plant Preferences dialog box opens automatically if you click in the drawing area before selecting a Plant Style from the Tool bar. To open the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box by default instead of Plant Preferences, see Advanced Plant Preferences: Options Pane.

Alternatively, double-click a plant symbol from the Resource Manager to activate the Plant tool, and then click in the drawing to place the selected plant.

4 In Insertion mode, depending on the placement method selected, either click in the drawing to place a single plant, click to set vertices, or draw a polygon. As the Plant tool is clicked in the drawing, a preview of the plant spread is displayed to help with plant placement.

In Massing Creation mode, valid objects are highlighted as the cursor moves over them. Click on a valid object to place the plant. According to the placement settings, the plant follows the path of, or fills, the object.

Plant Preferences

By default, Vectorworks displays the basic Plant Preferences dialog box when first inserting a plant. The properties can be edited from the Object Info palette. See the Advanced Plant Preferences: Options Pane to display the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box by default.

Parameter	Description
Plant Style	Opens the Resource Selector to select a plant style for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Edit Plant Style	Opens the Plant Style dialog box, to edit the plant style parameters; changes to the plant style affect every instance of the style in the drawing (see Creating Plant Styles)
Duplicate	Creates a duplicate plant based on the selected plant’s style; see Creating Plant Styles
Plant Style
Plant/Latin/Common	Displays the name of the plant for the selected plant style
Spread/Height	Use the displayed plant style values, or enter custom values
Previews	Previews the plant appearance
Tag
Display	Select whether to display a plant tag to the right or left of the leader line, in the center of the plant or group of plants, or to display no tag. A Center tag has no shoulder or leader.
Class	To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class
Approach Angle	Specifies the angle of the leader line, from 0 to 360°. Setting the same angle for several selected plants aligns their leader lines, for an attractive planting plan (see Aligning and Distributing Leader Lines).
Shoulder Angle	When a tag shoulder line is enabled, sets the angle of the shoulder line and, if selected, tag display, from 0 to 360°. To display the plant tag to the left, specify an angle greater than 90 or less than 270 degrees. To display the plant tag to the right, specify an angle less than 90 or greater than 270 degrees. Setting the same angle for several selected plants aligns their shoulder lines, for an attractive planting plan.
Bubble	Specifies the bubble style, if any, for displaying quantity or optionally, Plant ID, with the plant tag
Top / Center / Bottom	The custom tags present in the drawing and the predefined plant record field combinations for tags are listed. Specify the information to display on each level of the plant tag. For the center level, select Continuation Line to continue the shoulder as a dividing line between the top and bottom tag information. Alternatively, select Set Custom Tag to define a custom plant tag (see Creating a Custom Plant Tag).
Enable Tag Shoulder Line	Adds a shoulder line to the leader line; adjust the shoulder angle with the shoulder control point, or by entering a tag Shoulder Angle
Snap Tag to Plant Centers	Snaps the end of the leader line to the center of the plant; deselect to adjust the endpoint location manually
Display Tag Line Marker	Displays a marker at the end of the leader line; specify the marker to use by editing the plant tag class (see Setting Class Properties)
Annotation
Mode	Click the plant placement mode
Polygon Display	For multiple plant placements, changes the display of the boundary or center polygon defining the plant cluster shape.
Tick Style	Select a tick mark (plant center mark) style
Tick Size	Specifies the tick mark size
Tick Class	To control appearance and visibility, select a class for the tick mark from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. Select <Plant Class> to place the tick mark in the same class as the plant object.
Plant Rotation	For multi-plant placements, orients the plants in the horizontal direction, rotates the plants along the line created by the drawn polygon, or rotates the plants randomly, creating a more natural appearance
Plant Diameter Variation	Keeps the plants at a fixed size, or randomly varies the plant diameter according to the specified percentage of variation
Plant Height Variation	Keeps the plants at a fixed height, or randomly varies the plant heights according to the specified percentage of variation
Image Size	Sets the size of any images included in a custom plant tag
On Plant List	Select the option to include the plant in plant report worksheets
Advanced Settings	Opens the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box to set additional parameters

Advanced Plant Preferences

By default, when Adding Plants to the Design, Vectorworks opens the basic Plant Preferences dialog box, where the plant style is selected, and basic preferences for a plant instance can be set. However, there are times when more detailed preferences are needed, including custom sizing, schedule information, and visualization details.

To access the Advanced Plant Settings dialog box, click Advanced Settings on the Plant Preferences dialog box or click Advanced Plant Settings on the Object Info palette. To change the software default to open the advanced dialog box when inserting a plant or clicking Preferences from the Tool bar, see Advanced Plant Preferences: Options Pane.

Throughout plant documentation, any reference to the Plant Preferences dialog box also includes an implied reference to the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box. Any features that require use of the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box specify it.

Parameter	Description
Previews	The selected plant’s top/plan and 3D graphics display in the Preview
Edit Plant Style	Click to edit the current plant style, as described in Creating Plant Styles; all instances that use the style will be changed

Advanced Plant Preferences: Plant Style Pane

The Plant Style pane is used to select the plant style for placement by the Plant tool. Clique para exibir/ocultar parâmetros.

Parameter	Description
Plant Style	Displays the name of the current plant style
Plant selector	Opens the Resource Selector to select a plant style for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Latin/Common	Displays the name of the plant style for the selected plant
Duplicate	Creates a duplicate plant based on the selected plant’s style

Advanced Plant Preferences: Size Pane

Parameter	Description
Spread/Height	Use the displayed plant style values, or enter custom values
Spacing	For the multiple plant insertion modes, use the displayed plant style spacing settings, or specify custom or distribution spacing
Hedge Rows	Specifies the number of hedge rows to create when Hedge mode is enabled
On Plant List	Select the option to include the plant in plant report worksheets

Advanced Plant Preferences: Schedule Pane

The Schedule pane displays the default schedule settings from the plant style; see Plant Style: Schedule Pane. For each parameter, select Use Plant Style, or select Custom and enter a value.

Advanced Plant Preferences: Visualization Pane

The Visualization pane displays the plant massing and shadow visualization settings from the plant style; see Plant Style: Visualization Pane. For outline and massing, select Use Plant Style, or select the Custom outline and massing option. For the shadow in plan view, select the No Shadow, Use Plant Style, Use Document Preference Settings, or Custom shadow setting (for custom options, see Plant Shadow Settings).

Advanced Plant Preferences: Annotation Pane

Advanced Plant Preferences: Tag Pane

Set the display of the plant ID tags; see Plant Preferences. To create a custom plant tag, see Creating a Custom Plant Tag. After creation, the plant tag’s appearance can also be modified via the Object Info palette, tag class settings, and the control point locations on the drawing (see Plant Tag Appearance).

Advanced Plant Preferences: Options Pane

Select Show Advanced Plant Settings to automatically display the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box instead of the Plant Preferences dialog box when placing and editing plants and when Preferences is clicked from the Tool bar. When this option is selected, Advanced Plant Settings is available on the Object Info palette.

Creating a Custom Plant Tag

In addition to providing several predefined plant tags, designers can create custom plant tags.

1 From the Tag section of the Plant Preferences dialog box, select Set Custom Tag from one of the Top/Center/Bottom fields.

The Set Custom Tag dialog box opens.The current plant tag’s settings populate the selections; if editing an existing tag through the Object Info palette, the selected tag’s data displays.

2 Select values from predefined plant record fields in the order they should be listed, and type the delimiter text to place between the fields. Select <New Line> to start the next tag item on a new line. Up to six different combinations of fields, delimiters, and new line separators can be used. Entering a custom tag in the Top field of the Plant Preferences dialog box will insert the custom tag above the reference line, a custom tag in the Center field will replace the reference line, entering a custom tag in the Bottom field will appear below the reference line.

The Tag Appearance field displays a static text preview of the custom tag. To preview a tag in its entirety, click-drag the bottom right corner of the dialog box to resize it.

When using images in the plant tag, edit each plant style and specify the image to use from the Plant Data pane (see Setting Plant Data Images.) Set the size of the image with the Image Size parameter in the Annotation pane.

4 Repeat for the other Top / Center / Bottom fields on the Plant Preferences dialog box, as appropriate, to complete creation of the custom tag.

Creating Plant Styles

Command	Workspace: Path
Create Plant Style from Selection	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark • Context menu

Every plant instance inserted into a drawing is based on a plant style, which includes the 2D and 3D plant appearance and the parameters and botanical data for a specific type of plant. Botanical data for the plant styles come from either plant catalogs or the plant database. When the Vectorworks Landmark product is installed, a generic plant style library is included, and more plant content including 2D and 3D plant symbols is available for download. A selected plant is automatically imported into the current file and displays in the Resource Manager. Although Vectorworks libraries provide hundreds of plant styles ready for use in a drawing, you can also create your own custom plant styles, either by entering parameters and graphics or by loading and editing data from an existing plant style.

See Conceito: Visão Geral sobre Plantas for a discussion of the relationship between plant styles and the preferences for an individual plant instance.

• To create a new plant style based on an existing plant instance in the drawing, select the plant instance, and then select the command.

Alternatively, right-click on the plant instance and select the context command, or click Duplicate from the Plant Preferences dialog box (in the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box, Duplicate is on the Plant Style pane).

• To create a new plant style based on 2D and 3D geometry in the drawing, select the geometry and then select the command.

Plant objects follow this special plant style procedure, rather than the general workflow for adding 2D components to other kinds of hybrid objects.

• To create a new plant style based on an existing plant style, from the Resource Manager, right-click on a plant style, and select Duplicate and then Edit Style from the context menu.

2 The Plant Style dialog box opens, displaying the parameters and graphics of the currently selected plant/style. Provide a name for the new style, and then specify the plant parameters on each pane to define the plant. As the parameters are defined, the preview dynamically displays the plant appearance.

Plant styles that have a corresponding plant catalog entry or plant database record automatically update the associated plant catalog/database to match any edits to the plant style, if Update the Plant catalog with Vectorworks Plant style changes or Update Plant Database with Vectorworks Plant style changes is selected (see Concept: Plant Style and Plant Data Integration). If there is no corresponding entry, an alert opens so that you can add the plant to the catalog or database if desired.

Plant resources can be exported from the Resource Manager or by selecting Export Plant from the plant context menu; see Exporting Resources.

If you want to set plant Z values to the site model surface, the plant styles and site model must be in the same file (they cannot be referenced).

Plant Style: General Parameters

Every pane of the plant style displays the Plant Style Name and dynamic previews.

Parameter	Description
Plant Style Name	Displays the plant style’s name as specified in the Name Formula; this name also displays in the Resource Manager and Object Info palette.
Name Formula	Enter a name for the plant style and select a prefix and suffix to be appended to the name, if desired. To create a new plant style, enter a new name. To edit the current plant style, leave the name unchanged.
Preview	Dynamically previews the plant appearance, showing how it will appear when added to the drawing with the Plant tool
Top/Plan Preview	Displays the 2D component of the plant symbol
3D OpenGL Preview	Displays the 3D component of the plant symbol, if one has been added to the symbol definition (image props, such as those provided by xFrog, can be used as 3D plant geometry)

Plant Style: Schedule Pane

Click the Schedule pane to specify default plant values for display and reporting; values and settings entered on this pane become the default for the plant style.

Parameter	Description
Latin Name	Specifies the plant genus and species (also known as the botanical name)
Get Plant Data	Depending on the selection made in Selecting the Plant Data Source, plant data can be either associated with plants from plant catalogs or from the plant database. • If plant catalogs are the source, the Select Plant Data dialog box opens. Select the plant to associate from the list. The plant data from the catalog is imported. • If the plant database is the source, the plant database opens, if it is not already open (this may take several seconds). A dialog box in Vectorworks indicates that Vectorworks is waiting for you to select data from the plant database for the plant style. If you change your mind about obtaining the plant style data from the plant database, click Cancel Data Acquisition. Select a plant record from the plant database as described in Searching for Plants. Once the correct plant has been located, from the plant database, select Vectorworks > Use Currently Selected Record. This associates the plant database record with the plant style. From either source, once the plant data has been associated with the plant style, the catalog or database information updates the appropriate plant style parameters, if specified when the plant data source was selected.
Common Name	Specifies the plant common name or names
Plant/TagID	Identifies the plant with a unique code; this code appears in the plant list and on ID tags, if selected (see Plant ID Codes for the definition of common code categories)
Scheduled Size	Indicates the plant caliper or container size; displays in the Plant List worksheet
Quantity Type	Determines the Quantity value for the attached Plant record, primarily for the purpose of calculating plant worksheets with the plant cost per count or the cost per area. The Quantity Type can be defined by unit count, dripline area, or border area: • Count: Counts the number of plants within an array of plants • Dripline area: Considers the area, in current document units, of the drip line polygon (the tight bounding polygon around the plants) • Boundary area: Considers the area, in current document units, of the plant array polygon as drawn.
Price Code (SKU)	Specifies the price code entry in Stock Keeping Units (SKU)
Price	Indicate the plant cost per unit of quantity; the plant cost and quantity are reflected in the Extended Price calculation in the Plant List worksheet
Schedule comments	Specifies default comments about the plant that display in the Plant List worksheet

Plant Style: Visualization Pane

A document preference makes it easy to give plans a uniform appearance by applying a document-wide shadow style to all plants and massing models in a drawing (see Document Preferences: Plan Shadows Tab). Even when a document preference is set, plant styles can be edited on the Visualization pane to customize the drawing’s appearance. The outline, massing, and shadow parameters can be toggled on or off for all plants in a document by selecting View > Show > Show or Hide Plant Details.

The massing, outline, and shadow effects display in Top/Plan view only; plant shadows do not display in worksheet images.

Values and settings entered on this pane become the default for the plant style. Certain default values can be changed for individual plants after placement.

Parameter	Description
Plant Massing
Mass Outline	Select a plant outline style The outline’s pen attributes can be changed for selected plant objects in the Attributes palette.
Mass Plants	Hides the details of plants that overlap to easily create a plant mass. A continuous outline is created around overlapping plants, and internal details are hidden. The 2D appearance of the massed group is controlled by the back polygon in the plant symbol group, so massing could cause the plant to display without a fill color. (An alternative way of hiding plant details is to use the Plant-Components classes to control the visibility of elements within the plant symbol.) Plants that contain bitmap images cannot be massed.
Plant Shadow in Plan View	Specifies special shadow effects that display in Top/Plan view only
No Shadow	Select to omit shadows from the Top/Plan view
Use Document Preference Settings	Select to use the settings from the Plan Shadows pane on the Document Preferences dialog box; click Settings to review or edit these document-wide shadow settings (see Document Preferences: Plan Shadows Tab)
Custom	Select to create a custom shadow setting for this plant style; click Settings to open the Plant Shadow Settings dialog box (see Plant Shadow Settings)
Graphics	The plant graphics in a plant style can easily be created from a symbol, from an existing plant, from automatically generated 3D geometry, or from an image. Plant graphics can also be created from 2D and optionally 3D drawing objects, including xFrog plant images and image props. Once the plant has been created, edit the symbol components as necessary; see Editando Definições de Símbolo.
Edit Current Graphics	Closes the Plant Style dialog to set all parameters, and opens Object Editing Mode to edit the 2D or 3D graphics for the plant symbol
Copy from Symbol	Obtains the 2D or 3D plant geometry from a symbol in the file or from a library. The Copy From Symbol 2D or Copy From Symbol 3D dialog box opens. Click the plant selector. From the Resource Selector, double-click a plant resource to activate it, and then specify whether to resize the diameter and/or height of the symbol geometry.
Generate	Generates 3D plant geometry when the 3D representation of the symbol used to create the plant is not suitable; see Generating 3D Plant Geometry from a Shape
Create from Image	Generates 3D plant geometry when the 3D representation of the image used to create the plant is not suitable. The Create From Image dialog box opens. Click the image selector. From the Resource Selector, double-click an image resource to activate it, and then specify whether the diameter and/or height of the plant geometry image.

Generating 3D Plant Geometry from a Shape

When generating plant geometry from another symbol, the 3D representation may not be available, or not suitable for the new plant. 3D geometry can be automatically generated, creating a suitable representation of the plant style in 3D views.

Parameter	Description
Preview	Displays a preview of the 3D geometry to be generated. Select a View for the preview.
Parameters
Canopy Shape	Select a general shape for the tree canopy; the preview dynamically displays the shape
Canopy Spread	Sets the diameter of the canopy shape at its widest point
First Branch Height	Sets the height where the trunk ends and the canopy starts
Canopy Height	Specifies the height of the canopy, not including the trunk
Item Height	Specifies the total height of the canopy including the trunk

Plant Style: Insertion Options Pane

Specify the default insertion options for the plant style on the Insertion Options pane.

If plant data were obtained from the plant database, the plant database values are displayed. Values and settings entered on this pane become the default for the plant style.

Parameter	Description
Spread	Specifies the default plant spread diameter (the maximum width of the mature plant, as drawn) for both single and multiple plant placement
Height	Sets the default height of the typical mature plant at insertion
Spacing	Sets the default spacing between plants at insertion, for the Poly-Vertex Placement, Poly-Edge Spaced, Rectangular Array, and Triangular Array insertion modes
By Distance	Sets the horizontal distance between plants (Spacing) and between vertical rows of plant arrays (Row Spacing). • Fixed Spacing: Places plants at the specified distance • Best Fit: Places plants at the start and end of the line or array, and then distributes the plants evenly at the specified distance • Count: Distributes the specified number of plants evenly along the line or within the array • Same as Spacing: Sets the Row Spacing to be the same as the Spacing selection
By Distribution Rate (rectangular and triangular array)	Calculates the plant spacing, for arrays only, based on the plant area. Specify the rate: • Plants per square unit: Spaces the plants according to the set density, with the square unit specified in the document settings • Unit on center: Spaces the plants from center to center, according to the length units specified in the document settings
By Distribution Coverage	Calculates the plant spacing based on the actual plant area and Spread values, and places them according to the set percentage. A value of 100%, for example, indicates full coverage, with plants spaced according to the Spread.

Plant Style: Plant Data Pane

The plant data parameters are listed; each one can be clicked and its Value displays below the list. Click Edit to change the value.

As described in Concept: Plant Style and Plant Data Integration, if either Update the Plant catalog with Vectorworks Plant style changes or Update the Plant Database with Vectorworks Plant style changes is selected in the Choose Plant Data Source dialog box, the associated plant catalog (or plant database) automatically updates with any changes made on the Plant Data pane.

If you are using a plant database file from a version of Vectorworks prior to 2018, the synchronization of images between the plant style and the plant database cannot occur even when using the Migration Manager during the version update, because the older plant database file does not include the new functionality. To fix this issue, export the records in the plant database with the File > Export Records plant database command. Then import the records back into the plant database with the File > Import Records plant database command.

Setting Plant Data Images

Up to four plant images can be selected from the Data pane. The images can be synchronized with the images in the plant catalog or plant database; see Accessing the Plant Catalogs or Editing Plant Records. The fourth option, Custom Image, is not populated by default in the plant database, so it is useful for including an additional graphic in the plant style.

Other image sources, besides those from the plant catalog or database, can be specified from the Plant Data pane. If not using plant images from the plant style or the plant catalog/database, prepare image files or create/locate a suitable image resource.

1 In the Plant Style: Plant Data pane, scroll to the Image Plant Form, Image Detail, Image Misc, and Custom Image parameters.

2 Click on each one to set its image source. Set Image becomes available; click to specify the image for tag display.

The Set Plant Data Image dialog box opens. Specify the location of the plant image.

Parameter	Description
Plant Top/Plan Preview	Uses the plant style image specified for the Top/Plan view. This method of displaying plant images is useful with a plant key.
Plant 3D OpenGL Preview	Uses the plant style image specified for 3D views
Import an External File	Uses an imported image file; click Browse to select the file to import
Image Resource	Uses an image resource. From the Resource Selector, select an image resource; double-click a resource to activate it.
Plant Image	Uses the image that was specified for the plant within the plant catalog or database
Remove Image	If an image source had previously been specified, removes the image. <not set> displays in the Value column of the Plant Data pane for the item, and no image displays in any associated custom plant tag. The image is also removed from the associated plant catalog or database, when updating is enabled.

When an image source has been specified, <image> displays in the Value column of the Plant Data pane. The plant images are synchronized with the plant catalog or database. For this reason, the selection may change to Plant Image regardless of the original selection. For example, if you import an external file for the Image Detail, the plant catalog or database is updated with this image for the Detail Image. In the Set Plant Data Image dialog box, the setting switches to Plant Image since the image now originates from the catalog or database.

To prevent image and plant data synchronization between the associated plant catalog/database and the plant style, deselect either Update the Plant catalog with Vectorworks Plant style changes or Update the Plant Database with Vectorworks Plant style changes (see Selecting the Plant Data Source).

Plant Shadow Settings

Click Settings from the Visualization pane of either the Plant Style dialog box or the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box, depending on whether the custom settings are part of a plant style or for individual plant instances. The Plant Shadow Settings dialog box opens. Set the shadow settings.

Parameter	Description
Offset	Enter a value for the shadow offset and select the offset unit. Factor of plant height calculates the offset based on the object’s height and the offset value.
Angle	Set the shadow angle by entering a value between -180° to 180° or by using the slider. 0° is straight up.
Fill Style	Select a fill style for the shadow
Color/Resource/Class	Depending on the fill style selected, select a fill color, resource (hatch, image, gradient, tile), or class for the shadow
Opacity	Set the shadow opacity by entering a value between 0 and 100% or by using the slider
Use Class Opacity	Select to use the class’s opacity setting (see Setting Class Properties)
Show Shadow Under Canopy	Displays the plant shadows under the plant canopy, when the canopy is transparent (the fill opacity of the 2D plant symbol is set to less than 100%)
Preview	Dynamically previews the plant shadow appearance

Editing Plant Styles

• Right-click on a plant instance (in the drawing); select Edit from the context menu, and then click Style.

• From the Resource Manager, right-click on the plant style, and select Edit Style from the context menu.

The Plant Style dialog box opens. Set the plant style parameters and graphics as described in Creating Plant Styles.

Deleting Plant Styles

When a plant style resource is deleted, all instances of the style in the current document can be deleted completely, replaced with loci to preserve the plant locations, or replaced with a different plant style.

1 From the Resource Manager, right-click on the resource, and select Delete from the context menu. Alternatively, select the resource and press the Delete key.

2 If there are any instances of the plant style currently in the drawing, the Delete Plant dialog box opens.

Parameter	Description
Delete Plant completely	Deletes all instances of the plant style in the drawing
Delete and replace Plant Instances with Loci	Deletes all instances of the plant style in the drawing and replaces them with loci
Delete and replace Plant Instances with	Deletes all instances of the plant style in the drawing and replaces them with the plant style selected from the plant list.
Plant list	Select the replacement plant style. The files and folders available in the current document and in the libraries are listed on the left. Select a file to display thumbnails of the plant styles available in that location, and select the desired plant style.
Always delete Plant Instances completely/delete and replace Plant Instances with Loci	When Delete Plant completely or Delete and replace Plant Instances with Loci is selected, select whether to always perform that action when deleting a plant style

The plant style resource is deleted and each plant instance is either deleted or replaced with a locus or the selected plant style.

Plant ID Codes

Plant ID Code	Meaning
A-#	Annual #
CTD	Conifer Tree Display
CTG	Conifer Tree Generic
ETD	Evergreen Tree Display
ETG	Evergreen Tree Generic
G-#	Grasses #
OT-M	Ornamental Tree Massed
OTD	Ornamental Tree Display
OTF	Ornamental Tree Flowering
OTG	Ornamental Tree Generic
OTM	Ornamental Tree Multi-Stem
OTP	Ornamental Tree Patio
P-1–P-9	Perennials
P1–P4	Palms
SD-#	Shrub Display #
SD#	Shrub Deciduous #
SDM	Shrub Display Massed
SG#	Shrub Evergreen #
SG	Shrub Generic
SN#	Shrub Needle #
STG	Shade Tree Generic
STL	Shade Tree Large
STM	Shade Tree Massed
STP	Shade Tree Patio
STS	Shade Tree Street

Editing Plant Instances

Plant Properties

As plants are placed, they take on the properties of the associated plant style and/or the properties in the Plant Preferences dialog box.

For multi-plant placement options, edit the polygon defining the plant with the Reshape tool if necessary; the plant placement automatically adjusts to fit the new shape.

Triangular and rectangular plant arrays include a special plant alignment control point, which indicates the center of a representative plant in the array. If moved, the array shifts to reposition the array about the new plant center.

Plant object parameters that are not defined by the plant style can be edited from the Object Info palette and from the Advanced Plant Preferences dialog box when it is accessed from the Object Info palette. Changes made for the selected plants apply only to those plant instances; changes are not reflected in the plant style or preferences. Plant parameters are described in Plant Preferences and Advanced Plant Preferences. Only the parameters that are different are described here.

Parameter	Description
Replace Plant	Opens the Replace Plant dialog box; select the plant to replace the currently selected plant or all plant instances; see Replacing Plants. (Alternatively, select Replace Plant from the plant context menu.)
Vertex parameters	Edits the plant vertices for multi-plant placements; see Editing Vertex-Based Objects

See Conceito: Visão Geral sobre Plantas for a discussion of the relationship between plant styles and the preferences for an individual plant instance.

Plant Tag Appearance

Plant tag appearance and placement is flexible, and can be adjusted in several ways, including through the plant preferences, Object Info palette, tag class settings, and the control point locations on the drawing.

• Individual plant tags can be changed for selected plants by adjusting the plant tag parameters from the Object Info palette. For example, selected plants in one area of a planting plan look more uniform when they all use the same tag approach and tag shoulder angle.

• The plant tag class controls the appearance of the leader/shoulder lines, as well as the marker style.

• Plant images can be added to a custom plant tag. The Image Size parameter, from the Annotation pane of the plant preferences, controls the size of the images.

• To move the plant tags of several selected plants at once, click the Unrestricted Interactive Scaling mode of the Selection tool.

• If an individual tag needs to be repositioned, plant tags also have several control points for adjusting the tag text and leader line and shoulder position and angle. Centered tags have X and Y offset parameters in the Object Info palette for positioning the tag.

Editing Plant Attributes

Plants are hybrid symbols, containing a 2D symbol, and optionally, a 3D symbol. As plant styles are created, the plant symbol is automatically imported into the current file and displays in the Resource Manager. Plants are “red” plug-in object symbols (see Conceito: Vectorworks Símbolos for information on symbol types). The 2D and 3D plant graphics are scaled by the plant style height and spread parameters.

Because plants are red symbols, plant attributes cannot be directly set or modified from the Attributes palette. Instead, edit the plant symbol components.

1 From the Resource Manager, right-click on the resource, and select Edit from the context menu.

Alternatively, select a plant in the drawing window, and double-click or select Edit from the context menu.

Parameter	Description
2D/3D Graphics	Edits the 2D or 3D symbol components (geometry, or shape, and attributes like color and line weight) as described in Editando Definições de Símbolo
Style	Edits the style of the plant symbol as described in Creating Plant Styles)
Path	For multiple plant placements, selects the boundary or center polygon defining the plant cluster shape, and automatically activates the Reshape tool for editing the path

2 Edits to the 2D or 3D components immediately affect all instances of the symbol. Changes to the plant style affect all future instances of the plant.

Replacing Plants

When replacing plants, select whether to replace the current plant only, or all instances of the selected plant.

1 Select the plants to replace, or select a plant that is a representative of the plant instances to replace.

Alternatively, right-click on the plant and select Replace Plant from the context menu.

Parameter	Description
Plant style list	Opens the Resource Selector to select a plant for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Selected Plants Only	Replaces the selected plants with the new plant
All Instances	Replaces all instances of the plant with the new plant. This does not affect the plant style of the replaced plant, but simply replaces all plants of one type with another.

Modifying Plant Clusters

Command	Workspace: Path
Change Plant Grouping	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark • Context menu

Plants placed in a multiple placement mode of the Plant tool are associated as a cluster. The cluster moves together, and parameter changes affect all plants in the cluster. However, it is possible to disassociate the cluster to make individual plant changes. In addition, new clusters can be created with different combinations of plants. Clustering identical plants which are in close proximity can be desirable for labeling and identification purposes.

Converting Plant Clusters

One or more plant clusters can be disassociated to change individual plant parameters or location.

3 If one plant cluster is selected, the plants in the cluster are automatically converted to individual plants.

The plants are converted, retaining their original plant type; they can be moved and changed individually.

Combining Plants

Individual plants and plant clusters can be combined into a single plant cluster. The converted cluster will be a multi-plant placement at polygon corners.

1 Select the individual plants, plant clusters, or combination of individual plants and clusters to convert.

3 If the selection consists of individual plants of the same type, they are automatically converted to a single plant cluster.

4 If individual and clustered plants are selected, the Choose Mode dialog box opens.

6 Individual and clustered plants of the same type are automatically converted to a single plant cluster.

If the selection consists of more than one plant type, the Please Choose Plant dialog box opens.

7 All the plants in the selection will be converted to one of the plant types. Select the plant type from the list and its Plant Spread value is displayed.

Plants are clustered based on their drawing order. If the joining polygon of the resulting plant is not as expected, change the drawing order of the plants prior to joining them.

Concept: Plant Style and Plant Data Integration

Specific plant style parameters, including several parameters from the Insertion Options and Schedule panes, and all of the data from the Plant Data pane, can be associated with botanical data. The botanical data comes from one of two sources.

• Plant catalogs (recommended method): easily edited files containing plant data, separated by category

• Plant database: a separate, standalone application (based on FileMaker) that manages plant data in a database

If desired, changes to the plant style data can also update the information in the plant catalog or database. For data to be exchanged, the plant styles must be associated with a corresponding plant from the catalog or database. This association is based on the Latin name of the plant.

The data exchange between the plant style and the catalog or database can flow both ways or not at all, depending on the following settings and actions.

• Update the plant style parameters from the plant catalog or database by clicking Get Plant Data from the Plant Style dialog box. Depending on the selected type of plant data source, either select a plant from a plant catalog or from the database (see Plant Style: Schedule Pane).

• When Update the Plant catalog with Vectorworks Plant style changes or Update Plant Database with Vectorworks Plant style changes is selected in the Choose Plant Data Source dialog box, any changes made to the plant style are automatically updated in the associated plant catalog or database for matching plants.

Only the plant catalog/database where the plant originally came from is updated. Other catalogs/databases that might contain the same plant and data are not updated.

Deselect the option to keep the data in the plant catalog or database separate from plant style data changes.

• When Update the Plant catalog with Vectorworks Plant style changes or Update Plant Database with Vectorworks Plant style changes is deselected, the plant catalog or database can still be updated with plant style information by selecting the Landmark > Update Plant Data command. This command updates all matching plant catalog or database records from the corresponding plant styles in the file (see Updating Plant Data from Vectorworks). Online plant catalogs cannot be updated.

• You can update all plant styles at once with current plant catalog or database information by selecting the Update Vectorworks Plant Styles command (see Updating Plant Styles with Plant Data).

If you are using a plant database file from a version of Vectorworks prior to 2018, the synchronization of images between the plant style and the plant database cannot occur even when using the Migration Manager during the version update, because the older plant database file does not include the new functionality. To fix this issue, export the records in the plant database with the File > Export Records plant database command. Then import the records into the plant database with the File > Import Records plant database command.

Selecting the Plant Data Source

Command	Workspace: Path
Choose Plant Data Source	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark • Context menu

Plant names, botanical information, and other plant data that is used for the plants in the drawing can come from one of two locations, as described in Concept: Plant Style and Plant Data Integration. The Choose Plant Data Source command selects the preferred source of plant data when working with plants in Landmark and specifies whether the data source is updated when the plant style changes.

Parameter	Description
Plant data source	Select either Plant Catalog or Vectorworks Plant Database
Plant Catalog
Explore	By default, the user folder location is used for plant catalogs, but this location can be changed by clicking Explore
Update the Plant catalog with Vectorworks Plant style changes	Any changes made to the plant style are automatically updated in the associated plant catalog, except for online catalogs, which cannot be updated. When this option is deselected, plant style changes do not affect the catalog data.
Vectorworks Plant Database
User Folder	Indicates where the plant database information is to be located. By default, the plant database is stored locally, in the user folder.
Workgroup Folders	Larger offices that wish to share the plant database among several computers can store and access the plant database from a workgroup folder located on a central computer or server. Alternatively, select Browse for database folder and then click Browse to specify the desired location.
Update the Plant Database with Vectorworks Plant Style Changes	Any changes made to the plant style are automatically updated in the associated plant database. When this option is deselected, plant style changes do not affect the plant database.

Updating Plant Data from Vectorworks

Command	Workspace: Path
Update Plant Data	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark

The plant catalog or plant database records can be updated from associated plant style data. Normally, this occurs automatically (unless the Update the Plant catalog with Vectorworks Plant style changes / Update Plant Database with Vectorworks Plant style changes option is deselected in the Choose Plant Data Source dialog box). This command manually updates the catalog or database records, which is useful when the option is deselected.

2 All plant styles in the current file are compared to plant names in the plant catalogs or plant records in the plant database, and matches are updated automatically. The plant’s Latin name is used to determine the match.

If no match is found, the Update Plant Catalog and Database dialog box opens, listing plant styles that don’t have a match.

3 Mark the plant styles to add by placing a check mark in the Insert column. Select the plant catalog to update with the marked plant styles by choosing it from the Insert in Plant catalog list.

Updating Plant Styles with Plant Data

All plant styles in the current document can be updated automatically from the plant catalog or plant database.

Command	Workspace: Path
Update Vectorworks Plant Styles	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark

2 All plant styles in the current file are compared to the plant catalogs or plant database, and matching records are updated. The plant’s Latin name is used to determine the match.

If no match is found for a plant style, the Update Vectorworks Plant Styles dialog box opens, listing the plant styles that were not updated for your information.

Using Plant Catalogs

As described in Concept: Plant Style and Plant Data Integration, the botanical data incorporated into plant styles can either be associated with plant catalogs or with the plant database. Using plant catalogs is recommended; the process is simple, and online catalogs are available from commonly-available plant manufacturers.

Plant catalogs are tab-delimited text files, which can be easily edited outside of Vectorworks if needed.

Accessing the Plant Catalogs

Command	Workspace: Path
Open Plant Data	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark • Context menu

Plant catalogs are accessed when editing a plant style or from the Open Plant Data command.

If you have plant database selected as the data source, the Open Plant Data command opens the selected plant database instead; see Accessing the Plant Database.

Alternatively, create or edit a plant style as described in Creating Plant Styles. From the Schedule pane of the Plant Style dialog box, click Get Plant Data.

Parameter	Description
Plant Catalog	Select the plant catalog that contains the desired plant information; the list includes plant catalogs from the default content, plant catalogs that you have created, and plant catalogs you have created from the plant database and saved in the database location. A progress bar indicates the status of the plant catalog import when it is used for the first time.
New Plant Catalog	Clears the current plant catalog selection, creating a new blank catalog; provide a name in the New Plant Catalog dialog box. The new catalog is added to the list of plant catalogs.
Explore	Opens Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) to the folder containing the plant catalogs
Plants	Lists the plants contained in the selected plant catalog
Use filter	Displays the list of plants using the specified filter
Filter	Opens the Plant Filter dialog box. Specify how to filter the list of plants to see only the ones of interest. Select the available filter parameters for each row of choices, and then select the comparison operator and the value. The operators support ranges, using the \|_\| delimiter; if a plant data value is defined as a range, and a value entered with the = operator is within the range, the plant is found. Using < with a value finds the lower range value, and > finds the upper range value. Select existing to choose from a list that is derived from the plants in the catalog, or select custom to enter a value. The “like” operator, for text, can use the * symbol to represent any set of characters, and the ? to represent any single character. Specify additional options, adding a new row of filter choices by clicking More Choices. To remove the most recently added row, click Fewer Choices.
Display plants by	Toggles plant display by Latin name or common name
Name List	Lists the plants included in the currently selected plant catalog. Select a plant to view its botanical information on the right, and to use that data in the plant style (if you clicked Get Plant Data to open the dialog box).
Plant Data	Displays the botanical information for the plant selected in the name list. The number of available plant data fields varies, depending on global region.
Edit	Opens the Edit Plant Data Field dialog box, to edit the value of the currently selected data row; several rows can be selected and edited at one time
Plant Images	Displays images that have been selected or downloaded for the current plant (see Setting Plant Data Images)
Edit Image	Opens the Edit Image dialog box. An image for the plant can be imported from an external file by clicking Browse and selecting the image; to delete an existing image, select Remove image.
Add	Opens the Add Plant dialog box, for Adding Plants to the Plant Catalog
Delete	Deletes the currently selected plant from the plant catalog

3 If you clicked Get Plant Data to obtain botanical information for a plant style, select a single plant and click OK.

The data from the plant catalog updates the plant style, as seen on the Schedule and Plant Data panes.

Adding Plants to the Plant Catalog

From the Select Plant Data dialog box, opened when Accessing the Plant Catalogs, plants can be added to the currently selected plant catalog. The plant data can be obtained online (internet connection required) or from another local plant catalog. Once online data has been downloaded, it is available offline; however, images require an internet connection to display. Local catalogs are always accessible; if an internet connection is not available, previously accessed online catalogs display the most recently synced data.

1 From the Select Plant Data dialog box, select the plant catalog for the new plant.

Parameter	Description
Select the plants to use	Specify a local plant catalog or online source of plant data
Use filter	Displays the list of plants using the specified filter
Filter	Opens the Plant Filter dialog box. Specify how to filter the list of plants to see only the ones of interest. Select the available filter parameters for each row of choices, and then select the comparison operator and the value. The operators support ranges, using the \|_\| delimiter; if a plant data value is defined as a range, and a value entered with the = operator is within the range, the plant is found. Using < with a value finds the lower range value, and > finds the upper range value. Select existing to choose from a list that is derived from the plants in the catalog, or select custom to enter a value. The “like” operator, for text, can use the * symbol to represent any set of characters, and the ? to represent any single character. Specify additional options, adding a new row of filter choices by clicking More Choices. To remove the most recently added row, click Fewer Choices.
Plants	Lists the plants contained in the selected plant catalog; click < and > to navigate through the entire catalog
Plant Images	Displays images, if any, that are associated with the current plant. When the plant is added, the images are also added to the plant catalog.
Image credits	Displays any image credits and website location for the images
Date	For online plant catalogs, displays the most recent date that the plant data was accessed online; if an internet connection is not available, this is indicated

3 Choose the plant’s source from the Select the plants to use list. Both local and online lists are available, depending on internet connectivity.

4 Select the plant to add. If images are available, they may take a moment to download temporarily for display.

5 Click OK to add the selected plant or plants to the plant catalog, and return to the Select Plant Data dialog box.

Creating Plant Styles from the Plant Catalog

Command	Workspace: Path
Create Plant Style from Catalog	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark

Individual plant styles can use data from plant catalogs as described in Accessing the Plant Catalogs. It would be tedious to create many plant styles based on data one by one; therefore, plant catalog data can be used to automatically create plant styles.

Parameter	Description
Plant Catalog	Select the plant catalog that contains the desired plants
Edit	Opens the Select Plant Data dialog box, to edit the selected plant catalog as described in Accessing the Plant Catalogs; when finished, click OK to return to the Create Plant Style from Catalog dialog box
Use filter	Displays the list of plants using the specified filter
Filter	Opens the Plant Filter dialog box. Specify how to filter the list of plants to see only the ones of interest. Select the available filter parameters for each row of choices, and then select the comparison operator and the value. The operators support ranges, using the \|_\| delimiter; if a plant data value is defined as a range, and a value entered with the = operator is within the range, the plant is found. Using < with a value finds the lower range value, and > finds the upper range value. Select existing to choose from a list that is derived from the plants in the catalog, or select custom to enter a value. The “like” operator, for text, can use the * symbol to represent any set of characters, and the ? to represent any single character. Specify additional options, adding a new row of filter choices by clicking More Choices. To remove the most recently added row, click Fewer Choices.
Mark the Plants to create Plant Styles from	Lists the plants contained in the selected plant catalog; click in the Use column to create a plant style based on the plant
Selected Plant Style Options	Specifies the basic plant style options to be set for the currently selected plant; these can be changed after the styles have been created, but is a convenient way of establishing most of the settings
More Plant Style Settings	Opens the New Plant Style Settings dialog box, to set additional advanced plant style options for the selected plant

2 Select the plant or plants to be used as the basis of the new plant styles by clicking in the Use column. A check mark indicates that the plant will be used to create a plant style.

3 Select each plant and set any plant style options that will apply to the style that is created. Basic options are available from the dialog box; click More Plant Style Settings to set less common plant style options. All of the plant data from the selected plants are, of course, added to the plant style automatically.

4 Click OK to create a plant style based on each selected plant. The plant styles are added to the file and can be selected from the Resource Manager.

The Plant Database

[Note - this section is also created as a stand-alone pdf for use with the FileMaker help. AD]

The plant database provided with the Vectorworks Landmark product manages an extensive list of plant names and botanical information which can be used to associate specific plant data with plant styles. The database is a stand-alone FileMaker application that opens in a separate window.

The database commands and user interface are not localized. For your convenience, the commands are translated in the localized version of the online help.

Using plant catalogs is the recommended source of plant data in Vectorworks Landmark, because the data is organized into catalog files and no external application is required; however, the benefits of using the FileMaker database for plant data management include navigation, editing, searching, and filtering, as well as the ability to utilize data from industry-standard sources. At installation, a large set of plant records is provided.

Because the plant database runs on an external application, it may take several seconds to open. Once the database is open, leave it running in the background while you work in the Vectorworks program, for faster communication between Vectorworks and the database.

FileMaker is a comprehensive data-management program. The details of every menu command and option are beyond the scope of this manual. However, all relevant information for using FileMaker in conjunction with the Vectorworks Landmark product is presented. Familiarity with FileMaker is not required to use the database or to manage botanical data, and to use that data in the Vectorworks program. The full version of FileMaker can also be used when working with the plant database. For in-depth information about FileMaker, including product documentation, visit filemaker.com and navigate to the Support area. (The plant database may not contain all the functionality documented for the full version of FileMaker.)

The general workflow consists of managing the botanical information in the plant database application and selecting plant records to populate plant styles. You can optionally create plant catalogs that can be used in the Vectorworks Landmark product.

Accessing the Plant Database

Command	Workspace: Path
Open Plant Data	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark • Context menu

1 Follow the steps described in Selecting the Plant Data Source, and choose Vectorworks Plant Database as the source of data.

If you have plant catalog selected as the data source, the Open Plant Data command opens the Select Plant Data dialog box instead; see Accessing the Plant Catalogs.

If this is the first time the plant database is being accessed and it does not yet exist in the specified location, the database is automatically created in that location. Whenever the plant database is opened in the future, it will use the data from that location. The plant database location can be changed at any point by Selecting the Plant Data Source and specifying a different location.

It is possible to maintain several plant databases and switch among them with this command.

3 The Vectorworks Plants dialog box may open. Specify a user name for the FileMaker application.

4 The Vectorworks plant database opens, in a separate window. Leave it running in the background while you work in the Vectorworks program, for faster communication between Vectorworks and the database.

5 If you clicked Get Plant Data, a dialog box indicates that Vectorworks is waiting for you to select data from the plant database for the plant style. If you change your mind about obtaining the plant style data from the plant database, click Cancel Data Acquisition.

Importing Plant Database Information

A default set of plant database records is provided at installation. The plant database supports several data formats for import, including tab-delimited files, Excel spreadsheets, .xml files, and many others. The import folder feature allows movies and images to be imported. In addition, plant lists from previous versions of the Vectorworks program can be imported.

2 Select the File > Import Records database command. Files, folders, or .xml files can be imported. Select this command to import plant lists from Vectorworks program versions prior to 12.

To import plant data from Vectorworks versions 2008 through 2012, first select the File > Convert VW Plants database command to convert the plant data to the most recent FileMaker format. Then, import the data with Import Records.

To import plant lists from Vectorworks 12.x, select the File > Import Vectorworks 12 Plant List database command.

3 After specifying the location of the files to import, field mapping is required to import the data correctly into the current database. (For Vectorworks 12.x plant lists, field mapping is automatically performed.)

The important mapping fields for proper use in the Vectorworks Landmark product are described in Plant Database Field Mapping. If more information is required, consult the Support area of filemaker.com.

Adding Additional Plant Data

Additional plant datasets may be located in the Plant Database\Vectorworks Plants\Additional Datasets folder. These files typically contain regional plant sets provided by a distributor or other plant sets installed with the Vectorworks Landmark software. The field matching has already been performed for these data sets, and they are easy to add to the plant database.

Select the file to import. Field mapping is automatic, and the plant information is added to the plant database.

Viewing Plant Database Records

Each plant entry and its associated botanical information is considered a “record” in FileMaker. Several view modes display the records in ways designed to facilitate performing related tasks. When the plant database first opens, the records operate in Browse mode, with Forms displayed.

To familiarize yourself with the different display modes, and view the plant records in a variety of ways:

2 Select the View > Status Toolbar database command to enable viewing controls and status at the top of the record form. Many of these items can also be found on the View and Records menu.

3 From the Status toolbar and the View menu, select the view mode and layout options depending on the task to accomplish.

Mode or View Option	Description
View Mode
Browse	Displays plant record information and allows editing
Find	Displays a blank form for specifying search criteria
Preview	Displays plant record information as it will be printed
View as Form	Displays each record as an individual form or “page”
View as List	Displays records consecutively in a scrollable list
View as Table	Displays each record as an item in a table, for sorting and reordering
Layout
Data View	Displays plant record information
List View	Displays limited plant data for each plant, for sorting and reordering
Web View	Displays a special browser (using the default system browser) for locating plant images and information
Records Found toggle and status	After a search, the green toggle button displays an approximate pie chart and the number of records found; click the green pie chart button to toggle the display to records that are not in the found set. The sort status is also indicated.
Show All	Clears the results from a search, displaying all records
New Record	Adds a plant record to the database
Delete Record	Deletes the currently selected record from the database
Find	Switches to Find mode layout, for searching
Find menu	Allows searches to be saved, modified, recalled, and cleared
Sort	Opens the Sort Records dialog box, for determining the sort order for the plant records, or for unsorting the records
Quick Find	Searches for the text entered or recent searches, without switching to Find mode
Preview	Displays the records in a Print Preview mode

Searching for Plants

The plant database can be searched from Quick Find in the Status toolbar or by switching the view to Find mode. Quickly search by entering text or repeating a recent search, or conduct flexible, sophisticated searches by combining search criteria. Search criteria can be saved and managed, making it easy to re-create plant lists.

Quick Find Search

1 Type one or more search terms into the Quick Find field in the Status toolbar.

To quickly repeat a previous search, click the Quick Find menu and select the search term used previously.

Find Mode

Find mode performs a more advanced search based on specific criteria. Searches can be saved and managed.

2 Select the View > Find Mode database command or click Find from the Status toolbar. Alternatively, select Find > Create New Find.

A blank form opens and the display switches to Find mode. Find mode functions are available from the Status toolbar.

Examples include searching for the Latin name “Liatris,” Light Range “Sun,” with a Height > 3–5 ft.

Click the Omit button in the Status toolbar (or select the Omit options from the Records menu) to exclude, rather than search for, the criteria. Use the Operators list for even more specific searches.

5 The view mode automatically switches to Browse, and the records that meet the search criteria are displayed.

Other search criteria set maintenance can be performed from the Find menu, to modify, edit, clear, and select saved searches. A previously saved search is executed by selecting its name from the Find menu.

To return to viewing all the plant records, select the Records > Show All Records database command or click Show All from the Status toolbar.

Managing Plant Database Records

Editing Plant Records

Plant database records can be edited in Browse mode, whether in form, list, or table view (see Viewing Plant Database Records).

• Placing an image, video, audio, pasted text, or link to an embedded object into one of three containers; right-click an image container to access the options. The images selected here can be synchronized with images selected on the Plant Style: Plant Data Pane.

• Adding extra plant or project information that is useful in the Vectorworks program

Switch between metric and imperial units for the Height and Spread fields with the Edit > Options > Use Imperial Value Lists or Use Metric Value Lists database commands.

Project ID numbers and favorites can easily be added to all plants found by a search, with the Records > Add Project ID and Records > Mark As Favorite database commands. These fields export to the Vectorworks program and are useful for tracking and finding plants. If the Project ID is no longer needed at the completion of a project, search for all plants with that ID and then select the Records > Delete Project ID database command to remove it.

Adding Plant Records

3 Select the Records > New Record database command or click New Record from the Status toolbar.

Deleting Plant Records

3 Select the Records > Delete Record database command or click Delete Record from the Status toolbar to delete an individual record, or Records > Delete Found Records to delete a found set of records.

Accessing Plant Information from the Internet

If access to the internet is available, plant images and information are easily obtained from within the plant database window. Images can be copied directly into the database (image credits can also be specified).

3 Select the View > Swap Data View/Web View database command to toggle to web view, or select the Web Data layout from the Status toolbar.

In web view, a search is automatically conducted for the current plant based on its Latin name. Information about it, including images, are displayed from different sources.

4 Click the web view tabs to find plant information from the various sources. The available sources may depend on regional settings provided by a distributor.

5 Click the buttons to navigate through the web pages of each tab or to reset the view to the initial search (based on the Latin name).

6 To easily copy an image from the internet to the plant database, select Copy (Windows) or Copy Image (Mac) from the image context menu. Then select Paste from the image container context menu. Image credits can be added in the Image Credits area under the images, to avoid copyright issues.

Image files can also be saved and inserted into the database later, as described in Editing Plant Records.

7 Select the View > Swap Data View/Web View database command, or change the layout from the Status toolbar, to return to the database view.

Creating Plant Catalogs from the Database

As described in Concept: Plant Style and Plant Data Integration, the source of plant data for plant styles can either be plant catalogs or the plant database. There are several ways of creating and editing plant catalogs, but one way of creating them is from the plant database.

Creating plant catalogs from the entire set, or from found sets, in the plant database allows you to create a plant catalog with a smaller subset of plants to choose from. Create as many plant catalogs as necessary.

2 Search for the plants to include in the plant catalog (see Searching for Plants). The plant catalog is created from a found set of records, or from all the plant records. Larger plant catalogs take longer to load into the Vectorworks program.

4 The Create Plant Catalog dialog box opens. Provide a name for the plant catalog.

The plant catalog file is a tab-delimited file saved in the location of the plant database.

Another way of creating a plant catalog from the plant database is to save a found set from the plant database with the Find > Save Current Find database command.

Plant Catalogs from Categories

A plant catalog is created for each category. If there are no plants found for a category, no catalog is created for that category. Plants without a category assigned, or with a custom category, are not included. In addition, an “All” plant catalog contains all plants regardless of category.

The plant catalogs are tab-delimited files saved in the location of the plant database.

Plant Catalogs for Existing Tree Species

By default, all plants in the tree Category of the database are already included (as a plant catalog file) in the Species Data dialog box for access by the Existing Tree tool. If desired, search the plant database for the trees you require, and then add only these trees to the existing tree species catalog.

2 Search for the trees to include in the existing tree species catalog (see Searching for Plants).

3 Select the File > Create ‘Existing Tree’ Catalog database command. This customizes the existing tree catalog to use only the plants found in the database search.

Plant Database Field Mapping

When plant data is imported into the plant database with the File > Import Records > File database command, field mapping is required (see Importing Plant Database Information). Certain fields must be used during mapping for the plant catalog to function properly when exported for use with the Vectorworks Landmark product. All significant Vectorworks fields have a VW prefix.

Target Field Name	Notes or Example Values	Target Field Name	Notes or Example Values
VW Autumn Color		VW Height
VW Bloom Time	Also referred to as Season	VW Landscape Use	Border, Hedge, Shade Tree...
VW Category	Shrubs, Herbs, Trees...	VW Latin Name	Also known as the plant botanical name
VW Climate Zone	Arid, Semi Arid, Dry...	VW Light Range	Deep Shade, Shade, Sun, Full Sun
VW Code		VW Other Tolerance
VW Comments 1		VW Other Use
VW Comments 2		VW Persistence	Deciduous, Semi-Evergreen, Evergreen...
VW Comments 3		VW pH Range	Acidic, Adaptable
VW Common Name		VW Price
VW Favorites		VW Region
VW Flower Characteristics	Double, Erect, Fragrant, Horizontal...	VW Region Notes
VW Flower Color		VW Season Notes
VW Foliage Characteristics	Aromatic, Broad-leaf, Evergreen, Fronds, Small leaves...	VW Size Notes
VW Foliage Color		VW Soil Range	Bark, Sand, Sandy loam, Potting soil...
VW Fruit Characteristics	Acorns, Berry, Catkins, Cones	VW Spread
VW Fruit Color		VW Tolerances	Cold Frost, Drought, Heat...
VW Growth Habit	Arching, Broad-domed, Columnar, Climber...	VW Used in Project
VW Hardy Zone	1–11 (from USDA zone mapping)	VW User notes

Plant Graphics

In addition to plant placement with the Plant tool, there are additional ways of representing plant masses on a planting plan. Large, defined planting areas containing specific plants can be created with the Landscape Area tool. Undefined plant masses and groups can be added with the Plant Line and Vegetation Line commands, and the VBvisual Plant tool, which is available in Fundamentals, adds 3D plants. To further change the appearance of the planting plan, all plant styles can be displayed or hidden.

Creating Landscape Areas

Landscape areas are defined regions of plant combinations. These can be useful for conceptual landscape planning and for specifying large planting or reforestation areas, when individual plant symbols do not need to be drawn. Plant information from a landscape area is based on plant symbol data, and is included in plant list worksheets. If a site model is present, the landscape area is calculated based on the site model and displays in the Landscape Area Settings dialog box.

A landscape area can also be created without plant information specified, for use as a general ground cover or mulch area with a label showing the total area required.

Tool	Tool set
Landscape Area	Site Planning

Landscape areas are created with the Landscape Area tool, which offers several modes for defining the areas. Landscape area objects can also be created by drawing a polyline and then selecting the Create Objects from Shapes command (see Creating Objects from Shapes).

Mode	Description
Insertion	Draws a landscape area using the selected polyline creation options and the current preference settings
Pickup	Picks up the settings and attributes of an existing landscape area and makes those the default preference settings for subsequently created objects. The landscape area’s Name parameter is given a suffix with sequential numbers for new landscape areas.
Bucket	Converts an existing polyline, polygon, rectangle, circle, or arc to a landscape area and applies the current preference settings
Landscape Area	Opens the Resource Selector to select a resource for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Polyline creation options	Selects the method for drawing the polyline upon which the object is based; see Creating Polylines
Preferences	Opens the Landscape Area Settings dialog box to set the default preferences for landscape areas

• To use an existing landscape area from the resource libraries, click Landscape Area on the Tool bar. From the Resource Selector, double-click a resource to activate it.

• To create a custom landscape area, click Preferences. From the Landscape Area Settings dialog box, set the default properties. The properties can be edited from the Object Info palette.

To apply the settings from an existing landscape area in the drawing, click Pickup mode from the tool bar and then click on the landscape area from which to pick up settings. Create the new landscape area either by drawing it using the Insertion mode and appropriate polyline creation options or by clicking Bucket mode from the Tool bar and then selecting an existing polyline, polygon, rectangle, circle, or arc to convert into a landscape area. The picked up settings are automatically applied to the new landscape area.

Parameter	Description
Tag Information	Specifies the landscape area tag format
Name	Provides a landscape area name, which can be displayed in the tag
Tag Display	Select On to display a landscape area tag to the right or left of the leader line; set the left or right position with the Tag Text Angle
Tag Class	Specifies the class for the landscape area tag, or allows a new class to be created for the tag
Tag Line Angle	Specifies the angle of the leader line. Range: 0–360°.
Tag Text Angle	When a landscape area tag is set to display, sets the tag text display angle. Range: 0–360°. To display the area tag to the left, specify an angle greater than 90° and less than 270°. To display the area tag to the right, specify an angle less than 90° and greater than 270°.
Tag Header	Select the information to display in the first line of the landscape tag; select Set Custom Tag to define a custom landscape area tag (see Creating a Custom Landscape Area Tag)
Tag Body	Select the information to display in the main portion of the landscape tag; select Set Custom Tag to define a custom landscape area tag (see Creating a Custom Landscape Area Tag)
Area Units	Select the units for calculating the landscape area; this is set to the file units by default (see Units), but can be changed
Display Tag Line Marker	Displays a marker at the end of the leader line; specify the marker to use by editing the tag class properties (see Setting Class Properties)
Graphics
3D Display	Select a 3D display option for the landscape area; in 3D views, plants conform to the surface of the site model if one exists
2D Only	Does not create a 3D representation of the landscape area; the landscape area displays in top/plan view only
3D Plants	When the landscape area contains plant symbols with an image prop 3D component, switching to a 3D view displays the image props in a rectangular array, for a realistic 3D view. Plant density is determined by the distribution or percentage specified for the landscape area. 3D loci are placed when the plant styles do not have a 3D component.
3D Poly	Creates a 3D polygon at a default elevation of 0, and can display a fill color when rendered. Alternatively, assign the landscape area a texture from the Render tab of the Object Info palette
Texture Bed	Creates a texture bed for the 3D representation of the landscape area. If there is more than one site model in the file, the texture bed conforms to the site model that is in the same layer as the landscape area, if there is one. Apply a texture to the landscape area. Select the site model and click Update from the Object Info palette; the landscape area displays as a texture bed on the site model.
Randomize Plant Rotation	If the 3D Display is set to 3D Plants, select to rotate individual plants to random degrees for a more natural appearance
Plant Diameter/Height Variation	If the 3D Display is set to 3D Plants, specify whether to vary the plant diameters and/or heights randomly, and by what percentage
Border Style	Specifies the type of border for the edge of the landscape area
Standard	Sets the landscape area border to a single line
Plant Cloud	Draws the landscape area border with a convex or concave cloud shape; specify the cloud billow type and the billow parameters. In addition to selecting the billow size and height, the billow variability sets the variation between the smallest and largest billows.
Plant Line	Creates a freehand plant line border for the landscape area; for a rougher plant line border, specify a short segment length with high segment thickness
Plant Information	Specifies how to calculate the plant quantities of the combined plants in the landscape area, for tag display as well as planting plan worksheets; select Distribution Rate or Percentage
Distribution Rate (automatic coverage area %)	Calculates plant quantity based on plant distribution rate. As each plant is added to the list of plants in the landscape area, its rate per area or from the center is specified; the percentage of each plant in the landscape area is calculated automatically.
Distribution Rate (custom coverage area %)	Calculates plant quantity based on plant distribution rate. As each plant is added to the list of plants in the landscape area, its rate per area or from the center is specified, as well as the percentage of each plant in the landscape area. This option allows plants to be merged within the landscape area.
Percentage	Calculates plant quantity based on plant percentage of the total. As each plant is added to the list of plants in the landscape area, its percentage is specified. The plant distribution rate must be the same for all plants in the landscape area; specify the rate and units to use.
Landscape Area	Displays the landscape area value based on the surface area of the site model under the landscape area, if one exists, or based on the area of the landscape area polyline multiplied by the Area Increase Factor, if no site model is present. The units for the display are specified by Area Units.
Area Increase Factor	If there is no site model under the landscape area, specify the area increase factor to determine the Landscape Area. The Original Area (the flat area of the landscape area polyline) is also displayed for comparison.
Plant list	Displays the plants included in the landscape area, including each plant’s distribution rate or percentage of the plant total. The plant order can be changed by click-dragging an item in the # column to a new position; this affects the plant list order in the plant tag body.
Add	Click to open the Edit Plant Information dialog box, to add a plant to the list of plants in the landscape area, and specify its distribution rate or percentage
Edit	Click to open the Edit Plant Information dialog box, to edit the selected plant; a different plant symbol can be selected, or the plant distribution rate or percentage changed
Delete	Click to delete the selected plant from the list of plants in the landscape area

3 Click Add or select a plant from the Plant list and click Edit to open the Edit Plant Information dialog box and specify the plants included in the landscape area, as well as their frequency.

Parameter	Description
Plant selector	Opens the Resource Selector to select a plant style for placement; double-click a resource to activate it
Latin Name/Common Name/Plant/Tag ID	Displays the selected plant’s style information
Rate	If Distribution Rate is selected in the Landscape Area Preferences dialog box, indicate the plant distribution value and units. This distribution value is used to calculate the plant quantity for each plant type in the landscape area.
Percentage	If Percentage is selected in the Landscape Area Preferences dialog box, indicate the percentage of this plant in the landscape area. Using a fixed distribution rate for all plants, the percentage is used to calculate the plant quantity for each plant type in the landscape area. The total value of all plants must add up to 100%.

4 Click OK, and then click OK again to close the Landscape Area Settings dialog box.

5 Click the appropriate mode in the Tool bar to select the boundary creation method of the landscape area.

7 Click to set the end of the segment and the beginning of the next. Continue drawing segments in this manner until the landscape area object is complete.

To save the landscape area settings as a resource for future landscape areas, click Save Landscape Area on the Object Info palette and enter a name for the landscape area resource.

Controlling the Appearance of Landscape Areas

• Change the landscape area parameters from the Object Info palette, including specifying a general unit price (for indicating the price per square unit in worksheets), price code (such as a SKU number) and vertex parameters; click Landscape Area Settings from the Object Info palette to change landscape area information and other preference parameters

• Change the landscape area tag appearance by editing its parameters from the Object Info palette, editing the tag class properties, and/or moving tag control points (similar to a plant tag; see Plant Tag Appearance)

• Reshape the landscape area by double-clicking on it; the Reshape tool is automatically activated, to reshape the object directly in the drawing

• Right-click on the landscape area object and select Edit from the context menu. The Edit Landscape Area dialog box opens. Either edit the settings of the selected landscape area, or edit the shape of the object path with the Reshape tool.

Creating a Custom Landscape Area Tag

In addition to providing several predefined landscape area tags, Vectorworks Landmark allows designers to create custom landscape area tags.

1 From the Tag Information pane of the Landscape Area Settings dialog box, select Set Custom Tag from either the Tag Header or Tag Body fields. Settings for the landscape area tag currently displaying in this field are displayed in the Set Custom Tag dialog box.

If editing an existing tag through the Object Info palette, the selected tag’s data displays.

2 Select values from predefined landscape area values and plant record fields in the order they should be listed, and type the delimiter text to place between the fields. Select <New Line> to start the next tag item on a new line. A combination of up to six landscape area values, plant record fields, and line breaks can be used.

The Tag Appearance field displays a static text preview of the custom tag. To preview a long tag in its entirety, click-drag the bottom right corner of the dialog box to resize it.

Creating Landscape Area Schedules

Preformatted schedules are available to report landscape area information for your file.

Command	Path
Create Report	Tools > Reports

2 Select a schedule, and click the drawing area to place it. If you select the hydrozone or water budget schedule, the Hydrozone record format is also added.

• Landscape Area-Mass Planting (with or without images) lists the area names and sizes, and the names, percentages, and spacing of each type of plant in the area

• Landscape Area-Hydrozone Information lists general hydrozone information about each area

• Landscape Area-Water Budget lists plant type, plant factor, maximum water allowance, and estimated water use for each area

3 If you selected the hydrozone or water budget schedule, attach hydrozone data to each landscape area.

• Select a landscape area, and then from the Object Info palette, click the Data tab.

• Click Attach Record. From the Resource Selector, double-click the Hydrozone record format to apply it. The fields for the record format display below the Detach Record button.

4 If you selected the hydrozone or water budget schedule, right-click the worksheet in the drawing, and select Recalculate from the context menu.

Creating a Plant Line

Command	Workspace: Path
Plant Line	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark

The Plant Line command creates a freehand plant line along a line, polyline, or polygon. It can be used to represent a single undefined plant, line of plants, or general plant mass. No specific plant symbol information is included in a plant line; use the Landscape Area tool if defined plant areas are necessary (see Creating Landscape Areas).

The Plant Line dialog box opens. Suggested values are based on the selection’s perimeter.

Parameter	Description
Segment Length	Maximum length of each plant line segment; longer segments create a rougher plant line appearance
Thickness	Maximum perpendicular distance of each segment; a higher thickness value results in a rougher plant line appearance
Corner Types	Specifies the type of corner to create between segments; each type produces a different plant line effect
Delete original	Select to remove the object that forms the basis of the plant line

3 Select the desired plant line parameters. The plant line is created. If desired, apply colors, textures, and other attributes to the plant line with the Attributes palette.

Creating a Vegetation Line

Command	Workspace: Path
Vegetation Line	• Designer: AEC > Plants • Landmark: Landmark

The Vegetation Line command creates a vegetation line around a selection of closed objects or symbols. It can be used to represent a massed collection of undefined vegetation.

1 Select the closed objects or symbols that will form the basis of the vegetation line. The items should overlap.

The Vegetation Line dialog box opens. Select the type of vegetation line to create, and whether the original objects should be deleted or retained.

Parameter	Description
Standard Vegetation Line	Creates an outline based on the outer perimeter of the selections
Cloud Vegetation Line	Creates a cloud outline based on the parameters specified
Minimum/Maximum Radius	Specifies the minimum and maximum radius of each arc in the cloud
Billow Height	Specifies the cloud billow height factor
Delete Original	Select to delete the original selection of objects when creating the vegetation line

3 If desired, apply colors, textures, images, hatches, gradients and other attributes to the vegetation line with the Attributes palette. See The Attributes Palette for more information on applying attributes.

The vegetation line can be assigned to a class (with the desired attributes). The original plant symbols can remain hidden by a vegetation line with a solid fill; however, the underlying vegetation can be revealed by hiding the vegetation line class.

Show or Hide Plant Details

Command	Path
Show or Hide Plant Details	View > Show

The Show or Hide Plant Details command controls the visibility of the outline, massing, and shadow parameters set on the Visualization pane of a plant style (see Plant Style: Visualization Pane), on the Visualization pane of the plant preferences (see Advanced Plant Preferences: Visualization Pane), as well as from the Object Info palette.

These effects display in Top/Plan view only. In a complex drawing with many plants, these settings can take a significant amount of time to display and edit, and it is useful to toggle the effects on and off.

If the plant details are currently hidden, this command displays the outline, massing, and shadows of all plant objects with those parameters set. If the plant details are currently visible, this command hides the effects. The Outline selection is saved for the plants, even when hidden.

Adding 3D Plants from VBvisual

Many designs have a need for plants that render quickly and appear more realistic than image prop objects. High-quality 3D plants from VBvisual (makers of 3D content for rendering packages) are available. These plants look authentic in all views and cast realistic shadows, without adding excessively to rendering times or file size. More plants can be purchased to add to the library of 3D plants.

Tool	Tool set
VBvisual Plant	Visualization

1 Click the tool, and then select the plant to insert from the VBvisual Plant list on the Tool bar.

When applicable, the low resolution, summer version of the plant is inserted by default. The plant includes a 3D locus so it can be easily moved; in addition, the plant can be sent to the surface of a site model (see Sending Objects to the Site Model Surface). In Top/Plan view, a 2D version of the plant displays.

The object properties can be edited from the Object Info palette. The options available depend on the selected plant type.

Parameter	Description
Name	Select the plant species from the list of included or purchased plants, or click More Plants to purchase additional plants
Height	Select the plant height from the list of available heights for the selected plant
Resolution	Certain plants include both a low- and high-resolution version. Selecting a high resolution provides the best appearance, but takes longer to render.
Season	Select the season for the plant to display

More plants are available for purchase in Vectorworks file format from VBvisual. Select More Plants from the VBvisual Plant list. Purchased plants must be placed in the default content library folder named VBvisual Plant (see Concept: Resource Libraries).

Documenting Existing Trees

The Vectorworks Landmark product includes the Existing Tree tool, for documenting the existing trees on a site. Details about each tree can be provided, including information such as species, condition, life expectancy, significance, and action to be taken. The 2D and 3D appearance of the trees can be specified, indicating the root and tree protection zones, with detailed plant ID tags and graphics for retained and removed trees, and the ability to select a 3D trunk and canopy shape.

Existing trees can be created automatically from survey file information, or from loci.

To report the tree data in a worksheet, use the “Existing Tree Schedule” (with or without images); see Using Preformatted Reports.

Workflow: Existing Tree Placement

When placing existing trees into the drawing, the following workflow is recommended:

• Click the Existing Tree tool from the Site Planning tool set, and then select Preferences to open the Object Properties dialog box for the existing tree. Set the defaults for the placement of existing trees, including automatic numbering, ID tag, 2D and 3D appearance (including the selection of 2D component symbols), and species information.

• While setting the default properties for the Existing Tree tool, specify classing wherever possible to be able to control the visibility of classed elements (easily accomplished from the Navigation palette) as well as specify appearance by class for many of the elements.

• Select Tools > Organization to open the Organization dialog box. On the Classes tab, navigate to the classes related to the existing tree, and specify their appearance. Classes should be set to Use at Creation. For canopy and trunk classes, set the texture or color to display in 3D views. Set the marker and line style of the tag class if a marker is to be displayed.

• When importing existing trees from a survey file, or creating existing trees from loci, map the fields to the records and choose the units appropriately to successfully create the trees.

• When placing existing trees, keep in mind that the selected 2D component symbols will not display until an Action has been specified. This helps you determine at a glance which trees still require an action to be set.

• The parameters of groups of selected trees, or trees on a specific layer, or all trees can be set in a single operation by using the Apply Properties in the various existing tree dialog boxes.

• Indicate the location of important and less important areas of the site by specifying the significance of each tree or group of trees.

• Existing tree data can be used to create a worksheet, which can then be exported to create a tree survey text file.

• Loci with existing tree information can be exported in shapefile format, including the existing tree information in the attached record.

Importing Existing Trees from a Survey File

Survey file tree data can be imported into Vectorworks Landmark, and then used to automatically create existing trees with the proper attached information, including location. By mapping the attached data to the existing tree parameters and to record fields, valid existing tree objects are created in the file with all the survey data incorporated. After modification, data from an existing tree schedule can then be exported as a tree survey text file.

If desired, loci with attached record data can be created instead. The loci with the tree information can then be exported in shapefile format.

The Import Tree Survey dialog box opens. Specify how to import the tree survey data and how to map the data to the existing tree parameters in the Vectorworks file. The settings can be saved for future use.

Command	Path
Import Tree Survey	Landmark > Existing Trees

Parameter	Description
Settings	Select <None> to use the properties currently specified in the dialog box; to use a saved set, select one from the list
Save	Opens the Save Settings dialog box to name and save the current properties so that they can quickly be selected as a set
Manage	Opens the Manage Settings dialog box, to rename or delete saved sets • Name: Lists currently saved sets • Rename: Renames the currently selected set; if the entered name is already assigned to another set, you are prompted to confirm that you want to replace the existing set with the set being saved. • Delete: Deletes the currently selected set; you are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the saved settings.
Survey Format Field Separator
Tab delimited	Imports the survey file as a tab-delimited file
Other character	Imports the survey file with a different delimiter; enter the delimiter that separates the fields
Import Options
Create Existing Tree Objects	Creates existing tree objects from the imported survey data
Create 2D Locus Objects	Creates 2D loci from the imported survey data (if the file is later exported as a shapefile, the loci within the shapefile are 2D loci). Only X/Y coordinates and any custom record information are imported when 2D loci are created. The remaining existing tree parameters are not included, even if they are mapped.
Create 3D Locus Objects	Creates 3D loci from the imported survey data (if the file is later exported as a shapefile, the loci within the shapefile are 3D loci). Only X/Y/Z coordinates and any custom record information are imported when 3D loci are created. The remaining existing tree parameters are not included even if they are mapped.
Survey Data
Data Starts at Row Number	Indicates the row where the survey data starts listing the existing tree information (this allows extraneous information such as author, title, and so on to be ignored)
Data Has Column Headers	If the survey data contains a header row, select this option, and then do not count the header row when entering the row number where data starts. The header rows, if they exist, are listed for each row of the Survey Column in the Survey Mapping data; if they do not exist, the Survey Column rows are numbered sequentially.
Create Custom Record with Name	In addition to mapping the data to existing tree parameters, a record format can be created and attached to the existing tree or the 2D or 3D loci that are created. When creating existing trees, this is useful for retaining all survey data with the objects. When creating loci, this allows all data to be retained for each locus.
Survey Mapping table	Each row in the table corresponds to a column in the tree survey file
Survey Column	If the data has a column header row, the headers are listed in the Survey Column rows; otherwise, the rows are numbered sequentially
Parameter	For each row, indicates the existing tree parameter that the Survey Column item is mapped to
Unit	For each row, indicates the unit that will be used at import. • If the imported row contains text or entries which do not need a unit, leave the default selection of None/Automatic. • If data can be imported with the specified document units, this will occur automatically with the selection of None/Automatic. • If the imported data requires units that are different from the document defaults, select the unit to use for importing the data.
Add to Record	If creating a custom record to be attached at import, a check mark in a row indicates that the data for that row should be included in the custom record
Selected Existing Tree Parameter	Indicates how the selected row data should be mapped to its equivalent parameter at import
Selected Unit	Indicates the units for the selected row at import

3 Select each row of the survey mapping table, and then specify how it should be mapped to the equivalent existing tree parameter by selecting it from the Selected Existing Tree Parameter. If necessary, select the specific units that should be used if they are different from the document defaults. If the row data should be added to a custom record, place a check mark in the row.

When mapping to existing tree parameters, the associated data values are mapped directly when the type is compatible. For example, when the height parameters are mapped, the height value from the survey file becomes the Height value for the existing tree; a mapped Condition parameter is set as expected if the entry matches one of the default options (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor), or to Custom if the entry does not match the defaults.

If no data are provided for mapped parameters, the default values of the Existing Tree tool are used.

There are some existing tree parameters for which there is no survey data equivalent; these parameters are also set to their defaults upon creation of the existing tree object.

Creating Existing Trees from Loci

Loci with tree survey data, which may have come from a survey file, imported DXF/DWG file, or point-based shapefile, can be converted to existing tree objects with the proper attached information, including location. By mapping the attached data to the existing tree record fields, valid existing tree objects are created in the Vectorworks Landmark file.

Parameter	Description
Settings	Select <None> to use the properties currently specified in the dialog box; to use a saved set, select one from the list [these help IDs are the same as the ones for the previous section. This is part of the whole problem with these dialogs that needs to get resolved. AD 8/17]
Save	Opens the Save Settings dialog box to name and save the current properties so that they can quickly be selected as a set
Manage	Opens the Manage Settings dialog box, to rename or delete saved sets • Name: Lists currently saved sets • Rename: Renames the currently selected set; if the entered name is already assigned to another set, you are prompted to confirm that you want to replace the existing set with the set being saved. • Delete: Deletes the currently selected set; you are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the saved settings.
Survey Data
Use Attached Record	Select a record attached to the loci to map to existing tree parameters; when deselected, the existing tree objects are created with the default values of the Existing Tree tool, and no mapping is possible
Preserve Record in new Existing Trees	Attaches the selected record to the created existing tree objects, so that all record data is preserved
Record Mapping table	Each row in the table corresponds to a row in the selected record
Field Name	Lists the record field names
Parameter	For each row, indicates the existing tree parameter that the Field Name item is mapped to
Unit	For each row, indicates the unit that will be used during mapping. • If the imported row contains text or entries which do not need a unit, leave the default selection of None/Automatic. • If data can be mapped with the specified document units, this will occur automatically with the selection of None/Automatic. • If the imported data requires units that are different from the document defaults, select the unit to use for importing the data.
Field Type	Displays the type of record field, for informational purposes
Selected Existing Tree Parameter	Indicates how the selected row data should be mapped to its equivalent parameter at import
Selected Unit	Indicates the units for the selected row at import

3 If using a record attached to loci as the basis of the existing tree parameters, select the record, and then select each row of the record mapping table. Specify how each row should be mapped to the equivalent existing tree parameter by selecting it from the Selected Existing Tree Parameter. If necessary, select the specific units that should be used if they are different from the document defaults.

When mapping to existing tree parameters, the associated data values are mapped directly when the type is compatible. For example, when the height parameters are mapped, the height value from the record becomes the Height value for the existing tree; a mapped Condition parameter is set as expected if the entry matches one of the default options (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor), or to Custom if the entry does not match the defaults.

If no data are provided for mapped parameters, the default values of the Existing Tree tool are used.

Placing Existing Trees

2 Click to place the object in the drawing, and click again to set the rotation.

The first time you use the tool in a file, a properties dialog box opens. Set the default properties. The properties can be edited from the Object Info palette.

The appearance of the existing tree may not match its 2D settings until certain parameters have been specified from the Object Info palette. For example, until the Action is specified, the tree does not display with the symbol set for Retain or Remove; the significance must be set for the significance color to display.

Parameter	Description
Get Species Data	Opens the Species Data dialog box, to select a tree species from the list; see Specifying Existing Tree Species Information
Botanical Name/ Common Name	Displays the tree’s botanical and common name, when obtained by clicking Get Species Data; alternatively, enter the botanical and common name if not using the plant database information
Tag and Number Options	Opens the Tag and Number Options dialog box, to set the plant ID tag and automatic numbering options; see Existing Tree Autonumbering and ID Tags
Tree No	Displays the tree’s autonumber, when autonumbering is enabled; alternatively, if autonumbering is not selected, enter an ID number for the tree
Origin	Specifies whether the tree is an endemic, native, or exotic species
Height	Sets the height of the tree
Irregular Canopy Size	Opens the Irregular Canopy Size dialog box, to specify the plan shape of an irregular canopy rather than use the regular canopy diameter method; see Specifying an Irregular Canopy.
North Angle (irregular canopy shape)	Rotates an irregular canopy to enable the North, East, South, and West dimensions of the canopy to be correctly aligned to the points of a compass
Canopy Max. Diam (regular canopy shape)	Sets the tree’s maximum canopy diameter
Also Use Canopy Min. Diameter (regular canopy shape)	Enables the canopy minimum diameter option, which allows an additional smaller canopy size to be specified, for tree canopy shapes that are oval rather than circular
Canopy Min. Diam	Specifies the minimum dimension of the canopy; the oval canopy shape is created within the specified maximum and minimum values. The 3D solid shape is also affected.
Canopy Rotate (regular canopy shape)	Sets the rotation angle of the tree canopy; this is useful when the canopy is an elliptical or uneven shape
First Branch Hgt	Indicates the height of the lowest (first) branch; this determines the bottom position of the 3D canopy
DBH	Specifies the diameter of the tree trunk at breast height. Adult breast height is considered to be 51–55” (1.3–1.4 m) above the ground. The DBH value also determines the initial diameter of the critical and primary root zones. A tree with multiple stems displays with the number of stems after the DBH value, which cannot be edited. Because this kind of tree does not have a single central trunk, the DBH is calculated differently, by calculating the square root of the sum of each stem’s squared diameter value.
Multiple Stems	Opens the Multiple Stem Calculator dialog box, for trees with more than one central trunk or stem. Select Use Multiple Stems, and then specify the diameter of each stem or trunk to include in the DBH calculation. The DBH is automatically calculated, but can be adjusted if necessary.
Root Display	Sets whether to display the critical and/or primary root zones, the root ball zone only, or no root zones. Specify the appearance of the zones by clicking 2D Properties (see Setting 2D Existing Tree Appearance). The root zones move with the tree trunk location.
Critical Root Diam	Specifies the diameter of the critical root zone; initially, this value is set to 2.5 times the DBH, but the value can be changed. A changed value is reset if the Root Display is turned off; set the value to 0 (zero) to re-apply the DBH factor.
Primary Root Diam	Specifies the diameter of the primary root zone; initially, this value is set to 5 times the DBH, but the value can be changed. A changed value is reset if the Root Display is turned off; set the value to 0 (zero) to re-apply the DBH factor.
Ball Diameter	When the root ball is set to display, indicates the diameter of the root ball
Tree Protection	Select how to display the area around the tree that protects the tree; see Specifying the Tree Protection Zone
TPZ Cnr Radius (irregular zones)	When the tree protection zone editing mode is enabled for irregular protection zones, specifies the corner radius of the protection zone; set to a smaller value to simulate sharp corners
TPZ Radius (circular zones)	For a circular or 12 x DBH tree protection zone, displays the radius of the zone
TPZ Area	Displays the calculated area of the tree protection zone
Condition	Indicates the condition of the tree: excellent, good, average, poor, or custom
Custom Condition	When a custom condition is selected, enter the custom tree condition
SULE	Indicates the Safe Useful Life Expectancy (SULE) rating for the tree. A custom life expectancy value can be entered.
Custom SULE	When a custom SULE is selected, enter the custom life expectancy
Significance	Specifies the significance of the existing tree. This selection causes the significance color set in the 2D Properties dialog box to display. A custom significance can be set.
Custom Significance	When a custom significance is selected, enter the custom tree significance. To preserve the ability to set and display the significance color automatically, select one of the provided significance values, and then select Custom. Keep the initial default significance word, and then enter any custom information. For example, to use the Hazardous category, but add custom comments, select Hazardous, and then Custom. The word “Hazardous” displays for Custom Significance. After the word Hazardous, add your custom comment, such as “Hazardous - remove immediately.” By retaining the word Hazardous at the start of the custom comment, the significance color selected for Hazardous still displays.
Action/Comment	Indicates the action to be taken for the tree. The category selected (Retain, Transplant, or Remove) determines the symbol to display based on the selections made in the 2D Properties dialog box. A custom action can be set. When transplanting a tree, set the original tree Action to Transplant - Original location. Copy the tree, disabling its automatic numbering properties and manually assigning it to the same Tree No. as the original tree. Move the copy to the new tree location and set the Action for the copy to Transplant - Proposed location.
Custom Action	When a custom action is selected, enter the custom action to take for the tree. To preserve the ability to automatically set the displayed symbol, select one of the provided actions, and then select Custom. Keep the initial default action category, and then enter any custom information. For example, to use the Remove category, but add custom comments, select Remove, and then Custom. The word “Remove” displays for Custom Action. After the word Remove, add your custom comment, such as “Remove - storm damaged.” By retaining the word Remove at the start of the custom comment, the symbol selected for Remove still displays.
Additional arborist fields	These specialized fields only display when enabled in the Additional Fields dialog box; each tree can be rated according to whether it meets arborist criteria
Form	This refers to the shape of the tree, from uniform (excellent) to lopsided (poor)
Structure	Trees with excellent structural integrity, growing in native habitat, rate higher than less stable trees or trees not growing in typical habitat for the tree type
Vigor	This describes the health of the tree and whether it is growing well, with no pests and with good structure and form
Diam. at Buttress	The diameter at buttress is the diameter of the trunk measured immediately above the base of the tree where the trunk mostly becomes parallel, as shown by the red line in this example:
Show Structural Root Zone	The Structural Root Zone (SRZ) refers to the circular area around the base of a tree that is required for the structural stability of the tree. The appearance of the SRZ indicator is set by the Critical Root Zone parameters (Critical Line Color/Style in the 2D Properties).
Calc’d SRZ Radius	Displays the structural root zone radius value in meters, which is calculated based on the diameter at buttress value (D) according to the following formula: If the calculated value is less than the Minimum SRZ radius specified in the Additional Fields dialog box, the minimum value is displayed instead.
Reduced Level/Age/Year Planted/Date Assessed/Location/Notes	These parameters provide additional information about the tree and can be included in reports. Notes can be selected for display in the tree tag. The field names can be edited, and additional fields can be added, by clicking Additional Fields.
2D Properties	Opens the 2D Properties dialog box, to set display options for the 2D symbol components, significance colors, and the root zone and tree protection zone attributes; see Setting 2D Existing Tree Appearance
3D Properties	Opens the 3D Properties dialog box, to set the 3D canopy and trunk display options; see Setting 3D Existing Tree Appearance
Additional Fields	Opens the Additional Fields dialog box, for customizing Object Info palette fields, adding custom fields, and including arborist parameters to worksheet reports
Custom Field Labels and Visibility	The first six default fields from the Object Info palette can be edited to use different field names, and four additional fields can be named. Regardless of the names used for the fields, the worksheet formulas for displaying them remain fixed; mouse over each field to see its associated formula in the help text. • Field 1: =(“Existing Tree”.“RL”) • Field 2: =(“Existing Tree”.“Age”) • Field 3: =(“Existing Tree”.“Year Planted”) • Field 4: =(“Existing Tree”.“DateAssessed”) • Field 5: =(“Existing Tree”.“Location”) • Field 6: =(“Existing Tree”.“Comments”) • Field 7–Field 10: =(“Existing Tree”.“Fieldx”) where x is the field number
Display	Select how many fields to display in the Object Info palette
Additional Arborist Fields	Displays specialized arborist parameters in the Object Info palette
Display Form, Structure, and Vigor	Displays these fields in the Object Info palette
Display Buttress, Structural Root Zone, etc.	Displays these fields in the Object Info palette
Minimum SRZ radius	Specifies the minimum required Structural Root Zone (SRZ) radius; if the calculated SRZ radius is less than this value, this value is used instead
Apply Properties	The custom fields can be applied to a single tree, to all trees in the drawing, and as the tool default settings. • This object only: Applies the properties to the currently selected existing tree • All objects in file: Applies the properties to all existing trees in the drawing • This object + file defaults: Applies the properties to the currently selected existing tree and sets the properties as the default properties for the Existing Tree tool. Existing trees placed by the tool after clicking OK will have these properties applied. • All objects in file + file defaults: Applies the properties to all existing trees in the drawing and sets the properties as the default properties for the Existing Tree tool. Existing trees placed by the tool after clicking OK will have these properties applied.

Specifying Existing Tree Species Information

The species information for existing trees is selected from a plant catalog. The list of trees can be edited.

The plant catalog file is the Existing Trees.txt file located in the user folder. It can be customized from the plant database; see Creating Plant Catalogs from the Database.

1 From the Object Info palette of a selected existing tree, click Get Species Data.

The Species Data dialog box opens, listing tree species information. Species can be easily added to the list.

Parameter	Description
Species list	Lists the botanical and common names of the trees contained in the existing tree catalog; click either heading to sort. Black text indicates species from the plant catalog; blue text indicates species that you have added to the list.
Botanical Name/Common Name	Displays the botanical and common name of the selected tree; to add a tree to the list, enter its botanical information and click Add Tree to Existing Tree List
Remove Tree from Existing Tree List	Removes the selected custom (blue text) tree species from the list. Black text indicates default species, which cannot be removed from the existing tree catalog.
Add Tree to Existing Tree List	Adds the current Botanical Name and Common Name to the list. Edit a default entry if needed, or add a new species to the list. Custom (added or edited) species display with blue text.

Setting 2D Existing Tree Appearance

The 2D appearance controls the symbol for the tree and trunk, and also sets the attributes of the significance status, primary and critical root zones, and tree protection zones. The settings apply to the selected tree or a variety of other selection options, and can be set as the default 2D attributes for the drawing. This is a powerful way to control the 2D appearance of all existing trees in the layer or drawing in one operation.

Using classes for the significance colors, root zone, and tree protection zone is recommended. The visibility of these elements is easy to control with classes. See Concept: Classes Overview.

Existing tree symbols are provided in libraries; a selected symbol is automatically imported into the current file and displays in the Resource Manager. The resources in the ET Symbols.vwx file are available in the 2D Properties dialog box.

From the Object Info palette of a selected existing tree, select 2D Properties. Alternatively, double-click an existing tree. The 2D Properties dialog box opens to set the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Use 2D Component Symbols	Uses 2D symbol components to display the tree. The tree symbol displayed in the drawing depends on the Action specified from the Object Info palette.
Tree Retain	Select the symbol to display for a tree that is retained (the associated Object Info palette Action is Retain)
Tree Remove	Select the symbol to display for a tree to be removed (the associated Object Info palette Action is Remove)
Tree Trunk	Select the tree trunk symbol for either retained or removed trees
Transplanted Trees	Select the symbol to display for the existing position of a tree to be transplanted (the associated Object Info palette Action is Transplant - Original location); select the symbol to display for the new position of the transplanted tree (the associated Object Info palette Action is Transplant - Proposed Location). Specify the tree trunk symbol for transplanted trees in both the original and new locations.
Use Significance Colors	Applies significance colors to the tree to indicate its relative importance on the site. The significance color used depends on the Significance selected from the Object Info palette.
Significance rating colors	For each significance rating, select the color to display. For more information on colors, see Applying Colors.
Display	Specifies where to place the significance color. Use the significance color as a tree fill for complex plans with multiple trees, to easily distinguish significance categories for densely forested areas.
Class	To control the display of the significance indicators, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing. Class attributes control all indicator attributes with the exception of the fill color (any fill colors selected here override the class settings).
Root Zone Attributes	Applies line colors and styles to the primary and critical root zone indicators. Root zones must be selected for display from the Object Info palette.
Primary Line Color/Style	Select the color and line style for the primary root zone line
Critical Line Color/Style	Select the color and line style for the critical root zone line
Class	To control the display of the root zone indicators, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing. The line attributes set here override the class settings.
Tree Protection Attributes	Applies a line color and style to the tree protection zone indicator. The tree protection zone must be selected for display from the Object Info palette.
TPZ Line Color/Style	Select the color and line style for the tree protection zone line
Class	To control the display of the tree protection zone indicator, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing. Any line attributes set here override the class settings.
Apply Properties	The various 2D properties can be applied to a single tree, all trees in the layer or drawing, and as the tool default settings
Apply list	Select the method to apply the properties. • To this object only: Applies the properties to the currently selected existing tree • To all objects on all layers: Applies the parameter categories selected in Properties to Apply to all existing trees in the drawing • To all objects on active layer only: Applies the parameter categories selected in Properties to Apply to all existing trees in the current layer • To all selected objects on all layers: Applies the parameter categories selected in Properties to Apply to selected existing trees in the drawing • To all selected objects on active layer only: Applies the parameter categories selected in Properties to Apply to selected existing trees in the current layer
Also apply as the document defaults	Sets the selected 2D properties as the default properties for the Existing Tree tool. Existing trees placed by the tool after clicking OK will have these properties applied.
Properties to Apply	When applying properties to more than just the currently selected tree, select which properties to globally apply

Certain 2D properties depend on selections made from the Object Info palette for each existing tree, and are not applied immediately. For example, the symbol specified in Tree Remove does not display unless Remove is selected as the Action for the tree.

The symbols for retained and removed trees are scaled by the canopy height and diameter specified from the Object Info palette. The original and proposed symbols for a transplanted tree are scaled by the DBH parameter.

Specifying the Tree Protection Zone

The tree protection zone is the area around the tree that should be fenced off, or preserved, to protect the tree. The tree protection zone moves with the tree trunk location. The zone can be irregular or circular; irregular zones can be reshaped. The TPZ Area displays the calculated area for the entire tree protection zone.

From the Object Info palette of a selected existing tree, select the type of Tree Protection.

Zone	Description
None	Does not display a tree protection zone
Display Irregular Zone	Displays the tree protection zone as an irregular shape which can be reshaped to represent the zone
Edit Irregular Zone	Allows an irregular zone to be reshaped as described below
Display Circular Zone	Displays the tree protection zone as a circle around the tree trunk; set the circle radius with TPZ Radius
Display using 12x DBH	Displays a circular tree protection zone that is calculated based on 12 times the diameter at breast height (DBH) parameter

An irregular tree protection zone may need to extend beyond the initial boundary shape. To reshape the tree protection zone:

2 Drag the handles to reshape the zone. Adjust the radius at the corners of the zone with the TPZ Cnr Radius value, which only displays during zone editing.

3 When reshaping is finished, select Display Irregular Zone from the Tree Protection parameter.

Specifying an Irregular Canopy

Since trees are not always perfectly symmetrical, the Existing Tree tool allows an irregular canopy shape to be defined by setting the measurements, in four different directions, from the center of the trunk to the edge of the canopy.

If the trunk had previously been repositioned by moving its control point, it is reset to the default position when an irregular canopy is selected. The trunk cannot be offset for irregular canopy shapes.

From the Object Info palette of a selected existing tree, select Irregular Canopy Size. The Irregular Canopy Size dialog box opens. Specify the canopy size in four directions.

Parameter	Description
Use Canopy Offsets from Center of Trunk	Select to specify an irregular canopy shape
North/East/South/West	For each direction, specify the distance from the center of the trunk to the edge of the canopy

The 2D and 3D appearance of the tree displays with an irregular canopy shape, roughly based on the selected symbol definition.

The irregular shape can be oriented differently by entering a North Angle offset from the Object Info palette.

Setting 3D Existing Tree Appearance

The 3D appearance controls the symbol for the tree and trunk in 3D views. The settings apply to the selected tree or a variety of other selection options, and can be set as the default 3D attributes for the drawing. This is a powerful way to control the 3D appearance of all existing trees in the layer or drawing in one operation. Showing trees in a 3D view is also useful for creating shadow diagrams.

Using classes for the tree canopy shape and trunk is recommended. The attributes (color or texture) of these elements are easy to control with classes. The class color or texture must be set to Use at Creation. See Concept: Classes Overview.

Image props, such as those provided by xFrog, can be used as 3D tree geometry. However, canopy height and canopy diameter changes from the Object Info palette do not affect the geometry of image props.

From the Object Info palette of a selected existing tree, select 3D Properties. The 3D Properties dialog box opens.

Parameter	Description
Create 3D Geometry	Select whether to create 3D geometry for the existing tree
Canopy Shape	Select the symbol to display for the 3D canopy
Trunk Shape	Select the symbol to display for the 3D trunk shape. Short trunks extend to the First Branch Hgt value indicated from the Object Info palette, while long trunks extend into the canopy. If using a canopy texture that is partially transparent, use a long trunk shape for a more realistic appearance. A curved shape gives the trunk a flanged appearance near the ground; random selections are slightly more free-form in shape.
Optional Class Names
3D Canopy	To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing
3D Trunk	To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing
Apply textures to classes	If the canopy and/or trunk appearance is defined by classes, determines whether to apply the texture set for the class. In drawings with many external trees, performance may be improved by turning off the class texture. As the project becomes complete, apply the classes for optimal presentation.
Apply Properties	The various 3D properties can be applied to a single tree, all trees in the layer or drawing, and as the tool default settings
Apply list	Select the method to apply the properties. • To this object only: Applies the properties to the currently selected existing tree • To all objects on all layers: Applies the properties to all existing trees in the drawing • To all objects on active layer only: Applies the properties to all existing trees in the current layer • To all selected objects on all layers: Applies the properties to selected existing trees in the drawing • To all selected objects on active layer only: Applies the properties to selected existing trees in the current layer
Also apply as the document defaults	Sets the 3D properties as the default properties for the Existing Tree tool. Existing trees placed by the tool after clicking OK will have these properties applied.

The 3D canopy shape is affected by changes in the Object Info palette for height, diameter, irregular canopy shape, First Branch Hgt, and DBH values.

Existing Tree Autonumbering and ID Tags

Existing tree tags can contain an automatic numbering ID as well as tree information. Set up the new tree autonumbering properties first, to automatically number the trees according to the settings as they are placed on the drawing. Autonumbering can also be changed after placement on a tree-by-tree basis.

From the Object Info palette of a selected existing tree, select Tag and Number Options. The Tag and Number Options dialog box opens.

Parameter	Description
Auto Number New Trees	Sets autonumbering defaults for trees to be placed on the drawing. Deselect the option if autonumbering is not desired.
Leading Zeros	Specify the number of leading zeros to use for the autonumber. Using leading zeros allows correct sorting in worksheets.
New Tree Prefix/Suffix	Specifies a prefix and or/suffix, if any, before and after the autonumber
Auto number duplicated trees	When selected, existing trees that are copied or duplicated (with the Duplicate command, or by clicking and dragging with the Option (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) key pressed) receive their own autonumber
Separate numbering on each layer	Restarts the autonumbering series for each layer of the drawing
Auto Number This Tree	Sets autonumbering properties for the currently selected tree; deselect to manually enter a number in Full ID Number instead of using an autonumber. When displaying transplanted trees, for example, the same number is needed for the tree representation in the original and new locations. For one of the representations, deselect Auto Number This Tree and enter the identical number in the Full ID Number. If Auto number duplicated trees is not selected, Auto Number This Tree is automatically disabled when an autonumbered tree is duplicated.
Leading Zeros	Specifies the number of leading zeros to use for the autonumbering of the selected tree
This Tree Prefix/Suffix	Specifies a prefix and or/suffix, if any, before and after the autonumber for the selected tree
ID Tag Options	Specifies how to display existing tree ID tags
Snap tag to edge of trunk	Snaps the end of the leader line to the edge of the trunk; deselect to adjust the endpoint location manually
Display marker at end of tag leader	Adds a marker to the leader line endpoint. The marker style is controlled by the ID tag class.
Enable tag shoulder line	Adds a shoulder to the leader line
Shoulder Angle	Sets the angle of the ID text and shoulder
Display	Specifies the information to display in the tag; each item displays on its own line. The Notes information is set from the Object Info palette.
Class	To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing
Apply To	Select the method to apply the numbering and ID properties. • To this object only: Applies the properties to the currently selected existing tree • To all objects on all layers: Applies the properties to all existing trees in the drawing • To all objects on active layer only: Applies the properties to all existing trees in the current layer • To all selected objects on all layers: Applies the properties to selected existing trees in the drawing • To all selected objects on active layer only: Applies the properties to selected existing trees in the current layer
Also apply as the document defaults	Sets the tag and numbering properties as the default properties for the Existing Tree tool. Existing trees placed by the tool after clicking OK will have these properties applied.
Also apply position of ID tag	Also applies the position of the ID tag and leader line from the currently selected tree to the existing trees set in Apply To
Full ID Number	Displays the selected tree’s autonumber; deselect Auto Number This Tree to specify a custom ID Number

Existing tree tag appearance and placement is flexible, and can be adjusted in several ways, including through the Object Info palette, tag class settings, and the control point locations on the drawing.

• When existing tree tags are required, define their appearance in the Tag and Number Options dialog box. Apply the ID tag options to all existing trees and to the document defaults.

• Individual tags can then be changed for selected existing trees by clicking Tag and Number Options from the Object Info palette. For example, selected trees in one area of a planting plan look more uniform when they all use the same tag approach and tag shoulder angle. Set the Shoulder Angle and then select Also apply position of ID tag.

• The existing tree tag class controls the appearance of the leader/shoulder lines, as well as the marker style.

• To move the plant tags of several selected plants at once, click the Unrestricted Interactive Scaling mode of the Selection tool.

• If an individual tag needs to be repositioned, plant tags also have several control points for adjusting the tag text and leader line and shoulder position and angle.

• Align and distribute the leader lines for improved readability with the Align/Distribute Leader Lines command (see Aligning and Distributing Leader Lines)

Customizing Existing Trees

Existing trees are hybrid symbols, containing a 2D symbol component, and optionally, a 3D symbol component. The default existing tree symbols are located in the default content included with the Vectorworks Landmark product in Vectorworks\Libraries (see Concept: Resource Libraries). As 2D and 3D settings are made, the associated tree symbols are automatically imported into the current file and appear in the Resource Manager.

As with any resource, the symbols can be edited through the Resource Manager, and these edits apply to the current file. Alternatively, custom existing tree symbols can be added to the default ET Symbols.vwx file, either directly or by exporting edited tree symbols to the file (duplicate and rename the symbols from the Resource Manager first, so that the original symbols are not overwritten). For more information on symbol operations in the Resource Manager, see Resource Manager. See Exporting Resources for information on exporting resources.

These naming conventions ensure that any custom symbols are available for selection in the 2D and 3D Properties dialog boxes:

• Symbol names for retained trees, or the new location of transplanted trees, must begin with 1. (the number 1, followed by a period)

• Symbol names for removed trees, or the original location of transplanted trees, must begin with 2.

Adding Foliage

The Vectorworks Landmark product includes the Foliage tool, for creating hedges, topiaries, vertical plantings, and ground cover, using custom geometry, and following the site model surface where applicable.

A foliage object is a collection of foliage type symbols, such as leaves or flowers. You can control the type, number, and orientation of the foliage symbols to create the best effect.

Define the shape of the foliage by drawing a polyline, which is converted into a 3D shape according to the selected configuration mode. Foliage objects can also be created by drawing a polyline and then selecting the Create Objects from Shapes command (see Creating Objects from Shapes).

1 Click the tool, and then click Symbol on the Tool bar to specify the symbol to use for the foliage object. From the Resource Selector, double-click a resource to activate it.

2 Click Preferences to open the Foliage Tool Preferences dialog box. Different parameters display depending on the Configuration type. The Foliage tool uses these preferences until they are changed.

Parameter	Description
Configuration	• Linear: Draw a polyline to define the path. The foliage object is extruded along the path to the specified Height and Depth. • Profile-Front: Draw a polyline to define the front profile. The foliage object is extruded from the front profile to the specified Depth. • Profile-Front/Side: Draw a polyline to define the front profile. The foliage object is extruded from the front profile and clipped with the side profile. By default, the side profile is a rectangle, but you can edit it. • Profile-Top/Front: Draw a polyline to define the top profile. The foliage object is extruded from the front profile and clipped with the top profile. By default, the front profile is a rectangle, but you can edit it. • Profile-Top/Front/Side: Draw a polyline to define the top profile. The foliage object is extruded from the front profile and clipped with both the top and side profiles. By default, the front and side profiles are rectangles, but you can edit them. • Area-Hedge: Draw a polyline to define the boundary of the hedge. The foliage object is extruded to the specified Height. The foliage symbols are concentrated along the outside edges of the object, leaving the inside partly hollow. • Area-Round Hedge: Same as the Area-Hedge configuration, except that the edges of the foliage object are rounded. • Area-On Ground: Draw a polyline to define the boundary of the foliage area. The foliage object is created flat on the ground, with no height. • Area-Ground Boundary: Draw a polyline to define the foliage line. The foliage object is created flat on the ground, with no height, along the line. • Area-Grid: Draw a polyline to define the boundary of the foliage area. The foliage object is created flat on the ground, with no height, with the specified Grid Spacing.
Height	For a Linear, Area-Hedge, or Area-Round Hedge configuration, specifies the height of the foliage object
Depth	For a Linear or Profile-Front configuration, specifies the depth of the foliage object
Rounded	For a Linear configuration, rounds the foliage object edges
Send to Site Model Surface	For a Linear configuration, or any of the Area configurations, sends the foliage path vertices to the site model surface under the foliage object; the first site model object on any visible layer will be used
Grid Spacing	For an Area-Grid configuration, enter the distance between symbols on the grid
Random Variation %	For an Area-Grid configuration, enter a randomization value for the grid spacing
Automatic Count of Symbols	For a Linear configuration, or any of the Area configurations, select this option to automatically calculate the number of symbols required to fill the foliage object. If desired, also select a Variation value to adjust the number of symbols. When this option is deselected, enter the Count of Symbols manually.
Count of Symbols	For a Profile-Front or Profile-Front/Side configuration, and for configurations where Automatic Count of Symbols is deselected, enter the number of symbols to fill the foliage object
Symbol Rotation	• Regular Foliage: Symbols are rotated vertically with some randomization; leaf stems point mostly upward • Random Foliage: Symbols are rotated randomly • Vertical Symbols Opt 1: Symbols are rotated randomly around the Z axis, and strictly kept vertical • Vertical Symbols Opt 2: Similar to option 1, with small variations from vertical • Lock Orientation (Front View): Symbols face the front of the object, with slight variation • No Rotation: Symbols are not rotated at all, only distributed randomly • Random Z Axis: Symbols are rotated on the Z axis randomly. This can be used with the Area-On Ground configuration to create a flat foliage effect, such as fallen leaves. If you are using true 3D symbols (such as VBvisual plants), use this option for a more natural look. For an Area-Ground Boundary configuration, this is the only symbol rotation option available.
Perpendicular to Site Model Surface	For an Area-Ground Boundary configuration, select this option to keep all symbols perpendicular to the site model

3 Click the appropriate mode on the Tool bar to draw the polyline shape for the foliage object.

5 Click to set the end of the segment and the beginning of the next. Continue drawing segments in this manner until the foliage object path or profile is complete.

Editing Foliage Objects

After the foliage object has been created, edit the foliage object from the Object Info palette, or select Properties from the object’s context menu to open the Properties dialog box. The same parameters that are available on the Foliage Tool Preferences dialog box display, along with the following additional parameters.

Parameter	Description
Configuration	The Cover 3D Generic Solid option is only available when you are editing an existing foliage object; see Covering a Solid with Foliage. With this configuration, additional options display to specify which views (front, top, bottom, back, left, and right) to generate.
Reshape Path	For a Linear configuration, or any of the Area configurations, activates the Reshape tool so that you can edit the path of the foliage object
Edit Profile	For any of the Profile configurations, opens a profile editing window. Select the profile object to edit, and use the polyline editing tools as needed. Click Exit Profile to close the editing window and update the foliage object.
Symbol 1/2	Symbol 1 is the symbol selected when the foliage object was created. If desired, specify a Symbol 2, to add flowers to a leafy hedge, for example. There are three ways to specify symbols: enter the symbol name, select the symbol from the Resource Selector, or create a new symbol.
Name of Symbol	Displays the name of the current symbol; enter the name of another existing symbol to change it. To use multiple symbols in the same foliage object, place the symbols in a folder, and enter the name of the folder here. For example, you might use various sizes and colors of the same type of leaf, to create a more vine with a more natural look.
Select Symbol	Opens the Resource Selector to select an existing symbol; double-click a resource to select it
Create Symbol	Opens the Create Foliage Symbol dialog box to create a custom symbol from an image file; see Creating a Foliage Symbol Definition
% Symbols	For Symbol 2 only, enter the percentage of this symbol to distribute throughout the foliage object

To reshape the path or profile of a foliage object, right-click and select Edit Path or Edit Profile from the object’s context menu. Alternatively, double-click the foliage object.

Creating a Foliage Symbol Definition

1 Select an existing foliage object for which you want to create a new symbol definition.

2 From the Object Info palette, click Create Symbol. The Create Foliage Symbol dialog box opens.

Parameter	Description
Select Image File	Opens the Choose Image File dialog box to select an image file to use as a basis for the symbol; the image displays in the Preview window
Symbol Name	Enter a name for the symbol definition
Image Rotation	Enter the number of degrees to rotate the image on the surface of the symbol
Symbol Width/Height	Enter the width or height of the resulting symbol; when you change one value, the other value changes automatically to maintain the same aspect ratio

3 To save the symbol definition for reuse in other files, use the Resource Manager’s Export command to export the symbol definition to a file in the Defaults\Foliage folder in your user folder.

Covering a Solid with Foliage

If you add a 3D solid object to the profile of a foliage object, the foliage takes on the shape of the solid. This can be useful for creating topiary effects.

2 Click the tool; from the Tool bar, select a foliage symbol, and then create a foliage object using any configuration type.

3 From the Object Info palette, change the Configuration setting for the foliage object to Cover 3D Generic Solid. The foliage object is converted into a sphere shape.

4 From the Object Info palette, click Edit Profile. The profile editing window opens, showing the sphere and two polygons that define the foliage object.

5 Paste the solid object from your clipboard into the editing window, and then delete the sphere.

Mode	Description
Configuration	Specifies how the foliage object will be configured, as described in the following section
Symbol	Opens the Resource Selector; double-click a resource to select it. You can also specify a folder that contains a group of symbols; the foliage will be created by randomizing the symbols inside the group. After the foliage object is created, you can select an additional symbol from the Object Info palette, to add flowers to a hedge, for example.
Polyline creation options	Selects the method for drawing the polyline upon which the object is based; see Creating Polylines
Preferences	Opens the Foliage Tool Preferences dialog box to set the parameters for the foliage object