1. What is the best software to diagram pond design?
2. What is the best software to "draw" the actual pond as opposed to representative elements of the pond?
1. What is the best software to diagram pond design?
2. What is the best software to "draw" the actual pond as opposed to representative elements of the pond?
-- Carl --
are you talking CAD as in 3d designs
or you talking 2D top view, side views, arial views?
or you talking about 2D basic repersentation of different peices of equipment and filters and ponds?
----------------------
frankly any of the above i have not found anything close to the above that fits any of it. exception would be a CAD program. were you draw out and enter all the exact measurements like any other type of CAD drawing.
as for simply drawings that you see by me, i use PAINT program that comes with windows. it may be extermely basic. but seems to get idea across to others of what me thinking.
the archtectual software that you can pick up at local stores for say building a house, or designing a plant garden or the like. is complete garbage. i will say, a couple of the software does have ponds in them. but the info is geared towards aquascape design or the very simplist watergarden. and not for a koi pond or goldfish pond or any pond to that matter with fish.
if your goal is simply to get looks. the archeticare cheap software you can pick up from some local computer store like best buy / circuit city. may just be the key.
but for actual designing and laying things out, and figuring out all the math. haven't found anything of the sorts as of yet.
Carl if your talking CAD, here is an old thread, if link inside still works, to some freebies. https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34312
Since I only use software to design water gardens and not the mechanicals of it, I use Total 3D Landscape. It's the best one that I have found for designing the actual water garden and surrounding landscape. I bought it at CompUSA.
Scott
Thanks for the responses. I'm too tired to discuss tonight. I'll try tomorrow.
-- Carl --
Mike, I promise that I'll have you an example tomorrow night. I have a big ongoing design but hadn't made any pics of it yet. If my puter wasn't having some memory problems, I'd do it tonight.
Scott
How about any freeware landscape design? I have thoughts for surrounding the pond but have trouble visioning it..maybe I need to get into Paint and see what I can do
For the love of Koi
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Lifetime Charter Diamond Member #4 WWKC
JOIN THE WorldWide Koi Club NOW
Certified Koi Keeper (CKK)
Sellis had the best it was over the top.
The will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. .....
"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." -Winston Churchill Zone 7a
I believe it can happen... Koi World Peace
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - Margaret Thatcher
KPOTY 2024
For the past couple of months I have been learning how to work with Google SketchUp. It is free 3d software that is not CAD software. SketchUp was made by an independent company that Google bought a year or two ago; it used to cost a fair amount and the user group supposedly was architects more than anyone else. After Google bought it, they made a basic version of it free, and integrated it with Google Earth. The selling point of SketchUp is that it is supposedly easier and faster to use than CAD. However, I found that it was still fairly time-consuming and lengthy to learn how to use...if there hadn't been a new 'SketchUp for Dummies' book that just came out, I would have given up on it. So absolutely buy the book and put time into learning it if you want to use it, otherwise you'll end up yelling at the screen (like I was ).
Here are some examples of what can be done with it (haven't finished yet, or decided on these layouts; they're just intermediate drawings.)
I use Eaglepoint LandCADD software...it is professional and costs and arm and a leg...and I pay almost $900 a year for service/help/crashes, etc. Which I think more than pays for itself cuz quite often 40-50 megabyte files will go corrupt, I'm talking 20-40 hours of work down the drain.
It's awesome software and I am only skimming the surface of it's capabilities the way I use it.
Here's a link to the website:
http://www.eaglepoint.com/solutions/...ice/landscape/
...Joyce
www.peacefulponds.org
“Guilt is always jealous.”
John Ray
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.
It will never fail you.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
“There is only one good; knowledge, and one evil; ignorance” ...Socrates
'When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.' ...Sinclair Lewis
No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy ... USMC
Koiphen's Pagan Social Group:
https://www.koiphen.com/forums/group.php?groupid=23
Sellis uses cadd at his place of employment, as do Joyce and I, that gives us the training and access to high end software.
Any freebies or cheapo softwares out there might work well, BUT keep in mind that it is always going to take a huge learning curve to be effecient with it. That can be very frustrating..heck even us pros have a learning curve when we go to another software.
So if you're going to dive into it, plan on that learning curve and stick with it.
Anne (the 'e' is silent) the Armchair Ponder
Judge no one by their outward appearance or where they work or live or worship........but by the content of their character displayed in the integrity of their actions.
*druels*
Pond and Construction Forum 101 good place for any first timers to the forum. for finding resources and general info.
Ryan
I like to use Visio. it is only 2D but it is cheaper then a full blown CAD program. I think it comes now as part of Microsoft Office or something.
you can set it up to mesure stuff for you and such.