A simple program for site planning. Garden planner in Russian. The best programs for site planning. Reviews and comments

When developing a design project for a personal plot, it is very important to have a visual representation at the different stages of its preparation. Landscaping, garden accessories, paths and ponds - all this can be organically and simply arranged using landscape design programs. Let's look at free apps.

Common to all: what to look for when choosing

When developing design projects, you should be guided by the principle “the simpler, the better.” If a certain software product satisfies the requirements in the context of a specific project, there is no point in chasing advanced tools for creating high-level graphics.

Most design visualization programs have primarily a presentational purpose. This is important when doing custom work, but if the development is carried out for yourself, mastering complex CAD mechanisms will result in an ineffective waste of time.

In the practical development of landscape design, you should always leave room for imagination. It is unlikely that you will be able to fill the one-to-one scene in the foreseeable future with the same elements that will take place in the real physical world. Therefore, the primitivism of objects in the virtual environment and the low degree of detail are more of a benefit than a disadvantage. They make it possible to evaluate the general, global side of the design without being distracted by minor details.

Considering the above, we recommend paying attention to software marked “for beginners”. Also of great importance is free access to educational literature authored by the creators of the program or the developers using it.

It is worth noting that the lack of a Russified version of the software usually does not become an obstacle when developing simple gardening and landscape design projects. Also keep in mind that the concept of free for this kind of software is very conditional: even professional tools have a trial period, during which it is quite possible to develop your own project, but you will not be able to use a paid program for commercial purposes.

Working with Content Libraries

The basis for working with most landscape design programs is the use of ready-made elements from a standard set. You simply create a scene of the required dimensions, and then place the necessary content on it: lawns, paths, buildings, trees and decorative paraphernalia.

One of the most popular free products, Sierra Land Designer, contains several modules with the ability to freely import projects between them. The strength of this kit is its impressive library of garden plants, complemented by recommendations for climate suitability, planting, care and life cycle features. The program suffers from a weak visualization tool: the garden planner has a two-dimensional top view, but after layout the project can be viewed in a rather modest 3D visualization module.

A developed community of users plays an important role in working with landscape design. SketchUp, for example, although not designed as a program for detailing garden plots, has an extensive library of 3D models that have been previously created and used by other users. Sketchup does not have a built-in encyclopedia of plants, but it allows you to create a visual environment with a high degree of detail and variety.

The golden mean in terms of libraries and display quality is FloorPlan 3D. The program has a developed set of components and design templates, both ready-made and third-party. And this doesn't come at the expense of usability or graphics.

User Interface Differences

Almost all programs differ in their individual layout of controls. This directly determines ease of use, speed of development and completion of the project.

For example: SketchUp has a very wide range of tools for editing and moving objects. They are located on two panels in different parts of the screen and can be customized individually. The same feature distinguishes most CAD programs (Autocad, ArchiCad, etc.): everything that should be at hand is located on the main editing screen, and all additional modules, such as setting the parameters of individual models, relationships between them and tools visual display are located in additional internal windows.

A slightly different organization scheme is used in programs that are specifically aimed at garden and landscape design. In Sierra Home&Land Designer 3D and 3D Home Architect Design Suite Deluxe, working with the project and its components is divided into stages, each of which has a separate module with its own tab. Switching between them is absolutely free; at any time you can go back and, say, reconfigure the global parameters of the scene or the properties of a group of objects.

Visual environment

Most free programs do not claim to provide high-quality graphics processing with good realism. But in their segment, they still differ from each other in the method of visual presentation and the degree of image elaboration.

The simplest programs, such as Expert Landscape Design or Garden Planner 3, are designed to effectively arrange objects on a site plan. 2D overhead views, purely schematic displays and, with rare exceptions, the inability to set up and film a scene for presentation are the hallmarks of programs designed for low-level design.

There is a special class of landscape design tools that use photographs to construct scenes by collaging them or rendering pseudo-3D. This group includes Realtime Landscaping Architect and 3D Home Landscape Designer. They allow you to walk around the site in three-dimensional mode and have the opportunity to film the project scene from unique angles or simulate conditions of changing weather and time of day. The main function of such programs is to automate the manual processing of photographic materials in graphic editors.

The best detail and photorealistic rendering are used by such 3D modeling “monsters” as Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya, Punch Home Design and SketchUp. These programs do not (with the exception of special plugins) have the means to work specifically with landscape and park design, but they allow you to work with sources of natural and artificial lighting and fully support shadows. This is possible due to the rendering included in a separate program module, therefore, with some effort, you can take incredibly realistic pictures of your virtual site. Unfortunately, such opportunities are quite expensive: the programs have high system requirements and take time to master.

User level

The potential complexity of interacting with a program can be assessed by the range of its capabilities. Placing elements of a standard library on a plan using Expert Landscape Design does not require any preparation at all, while setting up a high-quality display in Sierra Home&Land Design can require several hours of attention and a number of unsuccessful attempts.

Don't forget that in the long run it's better to start with mid-level programs such as SketchUp or the more specific Complete Landscape Designer in order to master the full range of basic CAD capabilities for landscape design.

Help in this matter will be free and paid literature on developing projects in a specific program, various thematic forums and communities. For almost all of the programs described, there are series of videos with examples of work, from which you can evaluate the capabilities and control scheme of the program in a matter of hours.

Recommended sequence for developing your own project

Finally, we will suggest the optimal sequence of actions that will allow you to master most of the software’s potential in two or three evenings and quickly develop your own project. When you decide on the choice of program, study 3-5 lessons demonstrating work with both individual models and their groups and entire scenes, explaining the very concept of development.

When creating your project, start by designing and setting up your global scene. Remember that objects can be grouped and hidden once you've finished working on them, so you can focus on specific areas of the scene. When individual details have been worked out, start arranging them globally.

At the final stage, work is carried out with the special capabilities of the program: setting up materials, textures, lighting, simulating different conditions and angles. Obviously, the project will not gain physical implementation in one day, so you should return to the virtual plan of your site from time to time to look at it with fresh eyes and finalize small details.

Both guests and neighbors will always pay close attention to a well-groomed, well-equipped area of ​​country houses.

The owner will be satisfied with questions about how long it took him to create such beauty, how much money he spent on consulting a landscape designer. In fact, you can draw up a project yourself, and a site planning program will help with this.

Planning procedure

Almost every online site planning program allows you to work out even the most minor aspects in real time. The primary task is to create a place for the house, after which the parameters of the paths, the location of the flower beds and other details are entered.

All software has a user manual, it's worth reading it before you start to familiarize yourself with the features. Next comes the preparatory stage: collecting the necessary information, processing it, drawing up preliminary plans, drawings of the site.

Before drawing up a project, the territory is examined for:

Among the possibilities are:

• excellent visualization;
• rich library;
• Having previously drawn up an estimate, you can obtain data on expenses;
• drawing tools;
• option for reflection plans of fences and stairs;
• creating a video presentation of the saved project.

The second program for site and house design, as users noted, is simple and easy to understand.

When you enter data on soil parameters, a selection will be made of those plants that are best suited for planting, even garden ones (meaning humidity, acidity, side of location).

3DS Max's comprehensive planner helps draw 3D graphics for various areas, but landscape designers also use it when zoning a simple plot of land. To run correctly you will need the latest OS. It occupies a leading position in the world and can only be downloaded for a fee. Among the advantages are:

• numerous visualization and drawing modules;
• tools and special effects for modeling;
• excellent 3D animation.

Any of the applications will help simplify the online design of a plot yourself, turning it not only into a place to relax from the bustle of the city, but also into a corner for growing your favorite vegetables and fruits.

A well-executed design will delight the owners and stand out among neighboring buildings.

With the acquisition or receipt of a plot of land, a person dreams of immediately picking up a shovel and starting to use and improve the hard-earned acres. But it would be much more correct to initially evaluate and correctly plan the site in order to use it as efficiently as possible. After all, such preparatory work will allow construction to be completed faster and significantly reduce costs. The essence of the preparatory work is to evaluate according to a number of criteria and, depending on the data obtained, to draw up a plan of the territory and the main work.

The most important natural factors influencing land planning are:

Soil type

The type of soil determines the possibility of growing certain crops, and some soils even present difficulties during construction. Therefore, you need to familiarize yourself in advance with the type of soil on the site; for this you can use detailed soil maps, which should be available at the local land management and cadastre department or even the village council. If they are not there, then you can independently determine the type of soil; for this you need to take samples in several parts of the garden plot to a depth of about 10 centimeters. These piles of soil need to be moistened with water and rolled into a ball; if the lump falls apart, then the soil is sandy. Next, you need to roll the ball into a roller; if this does not work, then the soil is sandy loam. If the roller is successful, then you need to twist it into a ring, the loamy soil will crack, and the clay will keep its ideal shape. Sometimes, after determining the type of soil, you have to think about adding imported fertile soil to the soil.

It is also important to determine the acidity of the soil; for this, you can again contact the local authorities with the question or again act independently. To do this, you need to pour a handful of soil into a container, fill it with water and mix, lower litmus paper into the settled water and, based on the resulting color of the strip, draw a conclusion about the need to add lime or other substances that change the acidity level; perhaps you will need a whole program for changing the acidity of the soil.

This factor is very important not only for growing plants, especially fruit trees with a deep root system, but also for extending the service life of building foundations. In addition, when groundwater is close to the ground during periods of spring and summer floods, basements, lower floors and land areas can be flooded, which threatens dampness in buildings and loss of crops. Therefore, you need to determine in advance the groundwater level and the need.

Groundwater level at the lache

To do this, two-meter wells are drilled in the garden plot during dry summers, in which the water level is monitored using a regular tape measure. If it is less than 1 meter, then drainage of the area is simply necessary, and it is better to design and construct it before the construction of buildings.

Orientation to cardinal directions

It is recommended to orient the house according to the cardinal directions. It is also very important to determine the illumination of the garden area in order to correctly plant light-loving and shade-loving plants. To do this, you need to mark the shadows cast by fences and buildings at 9, 12 and 18 o'clock. The triple-shaded areas are deeply shaded and are suitable for planting exclusively shade-loving crops, while the unshaded areas are suitable for planting light-loving flowers, shrubs and trees.

Direction of prevailing winds

The local hydrometeorological service office can help you find out about prevailing winds. It is not good if northern winds blow most often on the site, because they reduce the growth activity of crops and contribute to their winter freezing. In this case, you will have to take care of protecting the area from the winds with the help of high, dense fences.

Relief

The site may have a different type of relief from absolutely flat to mountainous or hilly; a ravine, swamp, lake or other small forms of irregularities may fall on the land plot. This has a great impact, since all buildings, garden and vegetable corners must be placed in accordance with the individual characteristics of the uneven surface of the earth. also affects the planning style, for example, the classic symmetrical option is suitable only for flat areas, which can be divided into square and rectangular zones, decorated with smooth straight paths and green spaces. But on sloping and complex terrain, landscape style is more suitable, which is characterized by smooth lines that follow all the curves of the earth's surface.

Diagram of the summer cottage plot plan

Shape of the plot and its area

The plots can have various shapes from classic square to narrow rectangular, sector, L-shaped or triangular, examples of which can be seen in the photo. And the style and principles of site planning depend on this. The size of the plot is also important; the more acres, the wider the possibilities for design. At the same time, a huge number of acres is much more expensive to develop and more difficult to maintain, so owners of small plots should not be discouraged.

As a rule, they have 6, 9, 12, 15 and more than 20 acres. If there are 6-10 acres on the site, then every piece is worth its weight in gold, so you will have to abandon unnecessary buildings to avoid the feeling of bulkiness. And on large areas you can use options with large lawns, artificial or natural ponds, rock gardens and even garden areas.

Site layout is the key to construction success

Of course, most owners of land plots figure out the desired layout in their minds ahead of time, but for the success of the business, all thoughts need to be transferred to paper or a layout; for this, a plan diagram is better suited.

Basic principles of its compilation:

• first you need to determine the scale in which the scheme will be carried out, 1:100 is best suited, that is, with a square plot of 9 acres, the side will be equal to 30 m, which on the plan will be equal to 30 centimeters, this is very convenient for perception and further calculations;
• further, the paper can be drawn into centimeter squares, which will allow you to better imagine the site, and plan buildings and plantings with an accuracy of up to a meter;
• Then you should cut out the desired buildings and plantings from thick paper and move them until you get the ideal layout.

Program for computer land planning

You can also significantly simplify the stage by leaving all the complex and painstaking work to the computer. For this, there are special programs that allow you to quickly and easily arrange and move elements of a site and even convert the plan into a three-dimensional picture. To do this, you need to enter the shape of the plot, the number of acres, and the desired objects.

Program for computer land planning

Let's consider the main programs for computer land planning:

1. – the program uses the latest 3D technologies that allow you to design a site even in the absence of special knowledge. Even a beginner can handle it. Examples of site design in this program can be seen in the photo.
2. FloorPlan 3D Deluxe - the program allows you to visualize the design of buildings and landscapes in three-dimensional mode, has good graphics and advanced capabilities.
3. Sierra Land Designer 3D - this program allows you to plan a summer cottage in two-dimensional and three-dimensional mode and even change the camera angle to see the future garden and plot from different angles, at different times of the day and year. Examples of site design in this program can be seen in the photo.
4. PUNCH! – this program allows you to easily move buildings and plantings according to the plan, add and remove them. But it can only work with standard objects, and it is also impossible to convert the project into 3D format.

Also, some sites offer special planners that allow you to plan online, without installing a program on your computer, which saves time. To ensure that the site is comfortable, functional and beautiful, it is better to spend time and effort on preliminary planning than to later lament the mistakes made and try to correct them. In addition, with the advent of computer technology, this activity has become simple, fast and even enjoyable; you just need to load the initial data into the program and enjoy the three-dimensional layout of the future site.

When a person has a dacha or just a plot of land, he is faced with the important question of how to properly manage the territory. You shouldn’t dig up everything, build, mark out everything at once. It’s better to start by reading the relevant literature and asking experienced gardeners for advice. When designing, you will need to take into account many different nuances, for example, how to correlate the site with the cardinal points (this is necessary in order to correctly position all future buildings). Generally, The planning process is a rather complex and costly process.

You will need to delimit a space for buildings, a recreation area, and a parking lot. All this is decided before the house is built. The fact is that from the first days you will need somewhere to sleep, relax, and have lunch. You can first build a temporary shed, and later move it to the utility block.

In general, there is a lot of work to be done. It is important not to make a mistake anywhere and plan everything in advance. Landscape design programs will help you with this. On the Internet you can find a huge number of ready-made layout options, but how nice it is to create and implement your own project based on your preferences and tastes.

Today there is more than a hundred different landscape editors that offer different functionality. It can be quite difficult to figure out which program is best suited. We will help you with this.

How to choose

First you need to determine your level of preparedness. For example, if you are not particularly good with technology and have only mastered basic computer knowledge, then it is better to give preference to simple home programs.

You will be required just enter the parameters of your land plot and choose from ready-made models presented in the database (there are quite a lot of projects, there will be plenty to choose from).

But, if you are serious, you need to create a drawing or layout with your own hands, then you will need a graphic editor with extensive functionality. Unfortunately, utilities for detailed model creation are not officially distributed free of charge. To work, you will have to purchase a licensed product (download a pirated version) offered by the developer.

Five best programs for home use

The advantage of home editors is that they have a very simple and understandable interface for everyone, they are distributed free of charge, allowing almost everyone to create their own site layout and change already available projects to suit their needs. This is really convenient; sometimes it is very difficult to understand what an idea will look like when implemented in life. We'll tell you about the five most convenient and functional landscape design programs.

X-Designer – garden plot planning

This is perhaps one of the simplest programs for designing landscape design. It does not require the user to have any knowledge or skills in operation. It's very easy to understand.

The program is easy to download and install (we downloaded it), but the utility can be easily found using a search engine).

It’s not difficult to figure it out, it will take the average user no more than 10-15 minutes. First, you just need to enter the type of your plot, indicate its dimensions, set the date and other parameters. For example, let’s call our plot “my plot” and choose dimensions 60x80. Next, select the month, date and time of day.

Then all that remains is to fully plan the structure and select decorations from the library (quite a large selection of models). As an example, let’s take our site and display a house (the dimensions of each object can be changed, for example, specify the slope, dimensions, etc.).

Each plant is accompanied by a voluminous card, which describes how to care for, water and its characteristics. You can also monitor in real time the changes in the flower bed in the coming years, taking into account the characteristics of the growth and development of the selected landscaping.

The program is convenient in its simplicity. Like X-Designer, it is very easy to understand (it will take no more than 20 minutes to learn the basics and get into the process). You can download it using a search engine (we used the program).

After opening, you will need to choose - create a new design, open a plan from a computer, or edit a template design.

A new design means planning a project from scratch. For example, let's create a small area measuring 5x10.

It is much easier to change a ready-made plan than to create a completely new one. However, your own design will help take into account all the details of the site and your wishes.

As in the previous program, here is presented a huge selection of objects and tools for working with the site. All of them are divided into categories to make it easier for the user to find the right model.

Tools are needed to create a site. With their help, you can mark out the territory and create the necessary areas. A distinctive feature of the program is its simplicity, it is easy to learn and it makes it possible to schematically evaluate the layout of your site.

SketchUp

Functional utility for creating projects. It allows you to develop a full-scale landscape design and carry out preliminary preparation and territory planning.

There are two versions of the software - free and paid. The first is suitable for home use, allowing the user to take advantage of all the necessary functions. The second is needed for commercial purposes of companies and ordinary designers.

The easiest way to download the program is through a torrent client or the official website (you will be provided with a temporary free license).

One of the most significant advantages of the utility is its collaboration with third-party Google products. For example, the service allows you to automatically exchange data with Google Earth. This is truly convenient, because you don’t need to create a three-dimensional model of the site manually, but you can simply take a ready-made one from the globe, which will fully correspond to the real parameters. This material is easier to work with.

However the average user will find it difficult to cope with this program. It is complex, because it allows you to work out each element in detail. SketchUp is more suitable for experienced designers; if you need such a detailed design, then it is better to turn to a professional.

Our Garden Rubin 9.0

This program is a kind of Russian version of Sierra (an excellent design program, but it is not translated into Russian). All the possibilities are similar, and the implementation methods are similar. The program is divided into several blocks, each of which is designed to solve a specific problem. If you use the entire range of functions at once, you can get a completely finished landscape design project for the territory.

One of the main advantages of the utility is that the interface is translated into Russian. It is distributed free of charge, which means it does not offer huge functions and is designed for the average user.

Yet again, the program is good because of its simplicity. An ordinary summer resident does not need complex and detailed plans, and he is unlikely to be able to create something similar on his own (it is better to contact a designer).

The program is quite simple, so even an inexperienced user can handle it (about 10-15 minutes is enough). When launched, the main screen opens with a ready-made site template.

Let's create a new plan. The program provides a large selection of models and template options that can be changed at your discretion.

First you need to mark the territory, then install objects in place as desired. For example, let's build our house with a bench, a lantern and trees.

After creating a two-dimensional plan, you can view the result in 3D. By the way, a whole assistant is provided for caring for plants.

Our Garden 6.0 Omega

Another version from the “Our Garden” series. It allows the user to create their own projects for planning or designing areas based on a digital photo.

The main advantage is the possibility integration of the plan with regular photographs. The program provides information about 7.7 thousand plants available for work. The selection of soil, flowering time, zone, timing, etc. is also provided. With the program you can easily create your own flower garden, which will continuously please the eye.

The layout you create can be viewed in 3D at any time (saved). You can specify different times based on which the plants will change in shape and size. Large amounts of information are provided regarding the care of flower beds of various types and the fight against harmful diseases. Our Garden 6.0 Omega can be an excellent option for those who want to create a cozy place in their dacha, decorated with amazing flowers and plants.

The functionality and process of creating an object is the same as in Our Garden Rubin 9.0.

There are not only computer versions of garden design software. If you don’t want to deal with the interface of conventional utilities, then you can use online options. They are very easy to learn (simpler than all those mentioned above), but the working methods are also simplified. The bottom line is that online versions do not have even a fraction of the capabilities that full-scale programs provide. But with their help you can get a schematic sketch of the layout of the territory.

Which video lessons should I choose?

For those who don’t like to learn at random, here are training videos. The material below is the first video in a whole series of lessons. This is not to say that this is a high-quality educational material, but in general it is more detailed and lively than other lessons presented on Youtube, and can be a good help for intuitive learning.

A landscape design sketch can be drawn by hand in front of the customer or in the office, at home, but this can be done either with a regular pencil or by adding paints. If we move on to more complex stages (general plan, layout and planting drawings), then in the modern world we simply cannot do without computer technology.

Programs for site design will satisfy both a novice designer and a professional - everyone chooses a program according to their level and capabilities.

Our Garden Ruby

If you want to work with the best programs, then contact Our Garden Rubin. This is a special landscape planner that will help you design a garden plot at any level of complexity.

Our Garden Crystal

This program combines a unique plant encyclopedia with the latest landscape design capabilities. Whether you are a beginner, an amateur gardener, or have been designing a landscape for years, this software will help you in any case.

Using it you can not only learn yourself, but also teach others, which is why “Our Garden Crystal” can be found more than once as a teaching aid for teachers and students of design schools, colleges, and institutes.

Realtime Landscaping Architect

If you want not just to arrange elements around your site, but to turn your landscape into a dream, then turn your attention to this program. It uses new 3D technologies that even a beginner can master. Dream, fantasize, and make your visions come true!

FloorPlan 3D Deluxe

The program helps to visualize the design of landscapes, houses and apartments in 3D space. It is simple and reliable. Will help you simulate a landscape area.

This program is distinguished by high quality graphics, the presence of various and convenient tools, and great opportunities for creating 3D projects.

PUNCH!

This program is good because it allows you to add various landscape elements, buildings, and even work in three-dimensional mode to your site. However, it has significant drawbacks - in PUNCH you will not be able to add your own objects (only standard ones), and you will also not be able to export your work to any 3D format.

Sierra Land Designer 3D

This program is also very attractive to users due to its versatility. It allows you not only to design your future landscape (not only in 2D, but also in 3D visualization), but also change the position of the camera to see your garden from different angles. It is also possible to see how your garden will look in different seasons and at different times of the day, which is especially important when designing lighting.

Google SketchUp

There are programs for site design that were not originally intended for this. Google SketchUp is just one of them. However, it can be safely used for this task, for example, to check the effects of shadow from the sun at any time of the day.

If you do not have the time and energy to independently implement all the ideas for the design of your site, then professional agronomists and designers of our company "Lawn Zone" will help you with this, develop a landscape design for the site, and provide free consultations and advice.

What and where to place on your 6 acres, 10 acres...?

So you finally have your own piece of land. And it doesn’t matter what its area is - 6 acres or 10 acres. Do not immediately rush to dig it, build it and fence it. Read specialized literature, think, consult with experienced summer residents and gardeners. Create a plan for the future site, correlating it with the cardinal points. This will help you correctly orient all your future buildings and plantings. Planning your own plot is not an easy task, and our advice will help you with this.

You will need to determine places for a house, a utility block, a recreation area, and parking a car. But keep in mind, first of all, it is necessary to solve the housing problem before the construction of the house is completed. After all, from the first days of your stay at the dacha, you will need to somehow spend the night, rest, cook food, etc. Therefore, plan to immediately build a temporary shed, which will later turn into a utility block, a warehouse for storing building materials, work equipment, etc.

Determine the sides on which the windows of the future house will face. It is advisable that these be west and east, otherwise the rooms on the south side may be hot all the time, and the rooms on the north side may be cold all the time. On the south side you can place a veranda or terrace; it will act as a kind of thermal insulator, preventing the house from overheating in the summer and cooling in the winter.

The house is usually located 5 m from the road along the “red line”. On the shady northern side, you can plan to plant currants and other shade-tolerant ornamental shrubs and trees. On the south side of the house, it is advisable to plant apple trees and other fruit trees - then they will receive the sunlight and warmth they need, and at the same time form shade, which will save you from the heat on hot days. Currants are planted at the western border of the site, and raspberries at the southern border. The layout of a summer cottage implies immediately defining a recreation area and a children's playground. However, they should not be in the open sun. The recreation area is made, if possible, secluded, inaccessible to prying eyes.

If you plan to create a pond on your site, then you need to provide a place for it that is not exposed to constant sunlight. The remaining free space is allocated for a lawn, or... Behind the house, if desired, we have a vegetable garden and strawberries, and behind them we plant currants.

It is important to correctly place your plants, trees and shrubs so that their shadow does not disturb you or, especially, your neighbors. Currant and gooseberry bushes are planted at a distance of about 1.5 m from the border of the site. Apple trees, pears, plums, and cherries are planted even deeper in the garden. If the area is small, it is better to plant trees on a dwarf rootstock.

Programs for creating a DIY landscape design project

On the Internet you can find a large number of ready-made projects for summer cottages. But you can create a project yourself, based on your preferences and the location of your summer cottage. There are various landscape design programs for this purpose. Let's look at some of the simplest and most accessible of them. The presented programs are posted in Russian and they can download for free!

⊕ Self-instruction manual. Landscape design

For those who are trying to work with programs for designing a summer cottage for the first time and want to master and use all their convenient functions, we offer a tutorial on landscape design. Interactive video instructions, voiced and commented in Russian by a professional speaker, with the opportunity to participate in the learning process, will help you quickly master all the functionality of the programs.
This video instruction covers several of the programs listed below (Garden Planner, Garden Planner, 3D Home Architect Design Suite Delux).
Download Self-instruction manual. Landscape design (124 Mb)

1. X-Designer. Garden plot planner 3D

In this program, you can not only competently model a site using a fairly extensive library of garden plants and other landscape objects, but also see your site in all its glory at different times of the year and even at different times of the day!
After the project is formed, you can see the result from all sides and photograph the result for further reproduction of the project on the site.
Download X-Designer program (202 Mb)

2. Our garden. Ruby 9.0

This powerful program allows you to create a landscape design project using existing digital photos. This will be appreciated by both users who create landscape design with existing objects (trees, buildings, etc.), and those who are planning a site from scratch. The program also provides a huge number of different plants, garden elements and garden objects.
Download the program Our Garden Rubin (4.3 Gb)

3. Our garden 6.0 Omega

A powerful program from the Our Garden series allows you to create a landscape design project or design plans based on digital photographs. Integrate the plan you create with real photos. Detailed information about more than 7,700 plants contained in the program, with the ability to select soil, flowering time, place of growth, life span and much more. etc. will help you assemble and create the perfect flower garden - a flower bed of continuous flowering.
You can view the created plan in a 3-dimensional image at different times of the day or year. Depending on the specified year, the plants will be adjusted in growth form and growth. Contains a huge amount of information on caring for outdoor and indoor plants and controlling diseases and weeds. The program will be a real find for people who create a cozy corner on their site, decorated and decorated with beautiful flower beds.
Download the program Our Garden Omega (690 Mb)

4.

One of the simplest programs that allows you to create a garden layout by dragging all the necessary and desired elements onto the plan and arranging them as you wish. Also, for convenience and clarity, you can change the foliage color and scale.
Download Garden Planner 3 (3.5 Mb)

5. 3D Home Architect Design Suite Deluxe

This interesting program allows you to create a design project for a summer cottage or other interior from scratch. A rich selection of design elements (plants, lighting, fences, trellises and even playgrounds) with the ability to adjust their sizes will help you create an easy and effective site design in 2D format, and with the help of the built-in functionality you can view it in 3D (in all perspectives, angles and at different distances).
Download the program 3D Home Architect Design Suite Delux (222 Mb)

For professionals who are familiar with design programs first-hand, we can recommend using the following programs.

In this age of computer technology, it is much easier to perform some tasks with the help of machines rather than manually. Architectural and landscape design are not left out either. Now any non-professional user can create a simple project in a few minutes. In this article we will look at the main programs for planning the site of a country house - paid and free, with an interface in Russian and English.

Agree, with powerful support it is much easier to improve your garden plot. Then the flower beds from spring to late autumn will always be covered with flowers, and the alpine hill will be visible almost from the gate. And the hedge will look not like a wild jungle, but like a work of art.

Master landscape design programs and you will immediately see how much more convenient it has become to create masterpieces.

We offer an overview of the 20 TOP programs for visualization of landscape design - the most popular and interesting. There are also free programs among them.

The full name is X-Designer 3D garden planner. Developed by IDDK. One of the simplest, but quite functional programs.

It will also take a little time to master it - up to half an hour.

The program is shareware. After the trial period ends, the full version can be purchased on the company's official website.

Advantages: 3D mode allows you to see the area in space. You can set the size of the plot, time of year, date, time of day, and “plant” plants. And thus see how the landscape will look at night or during the day, in spring or late autumn. Like the previous product, X-Designer allows you to see changes in the site in perspective. A useful function is terrain modification.

Flaws: Quite simple functionality, which was reflected in weak graphics. However, it is possible to imagine at least approximately what a personal plot will look like.

Website: http://iddk.ru/ru/

The software is the result of the work of DiaComp. Under the name “Our Garden” the developer has released several versions of the programs. For example, Our Garden 6.0 Omega, Our Garden 9.0 Ruby, Our Garden 10.0 Crystal.

The program is accessible and understandable. Allows you to model your objects, calculate estimates, and present the site in a volumetric projection.

The program is shareware.

Advantages: an extensive catalog with plants and their detailed characteristics. The landscape can be supplemented with other objects: garages, houses, gazebos, ponds, etc. Trees and shrubs can be shaped. Change the terrain. The finished sketch can be saved, viewed at different times of the day and year, viewed in 3D mode and printed.

Flaws: For experienced landscape designers, it may seem overly simple.

The Google SketchUp utility was developed not exclusively for landscape design, but for constructing three-dimensional objects in general. However, it has proven itself well as a program for creating landscape design.

It was originally a Google product, and you can still collaborate online with other company products.

Two versions of the program: free and paid.

Advantages: 3D model of the site, you can develop a new model or use one presented on GoogleEarth. In the paid version, the program works in tandem with Google applications. You can set the terrain, shady and sunny areas of the area.

Flaws: The free version has limited functionality. But the paid version has many more features and will appeal to experienced designers. Only suitable for Mac OS versions 10.8, 10.7, 10.5 Intel and 10.6 Intel

A beautiful and powerful computer program in which the created landscape looks very realistic.

The program is shareware.

Advantages: 3D projection, the details are perfectly drawn in the sketches. The ability to see the landscape in perspective, a large library of objects and models. You can not only print the sketch, but also create a video. Drawing up an estimate.

Flaws: there is no Russian version. The paid utility is expensive.

6. Sierra Land Designer

The program is similar to the Russian utilities of the Our Garden series, but has broader functionality. Despite the rich catalog of models, it can be supplemented with individual items.

The program is shareware.

Advantages: shows the site at different times of the day and in different seasons. An extensive database that can be supplemented with your own objects. Allows you to make adjustments according to your own measurements and change the illumination. An opportunity to see how landscaping has changed in the future.

Flaws: Initially, all objects are two-dimensional. But finished projects have a three-dimensional image. Not Russified.

7. Punch Home Design

A universal utility for working with landscapes, buildings and premises with convenient graphical tools. Contains many modules, objects, textures. If necessary, you can edit them.

The program is paid. A 15-day trial period is provided. You can download the free trial version on the official website.

Advantages: There are 2D and 3D projections, you can switch between them without losing data. The program analyzes materials, tools, decor and other objects for their compatibility. The pictures are very realistic. The ability to create an estimate, set parameters, print or send by email.

Flaws: the program is paid. But during the trial period you can evaluate whether it is worth buying or not. Software and a virtual walk around the site will help with this.

The developers of the interior design program FloorPan 3D decided to occupy another niche and released version 12 Deluxe to help landscape designers. All the same simplicity and three-dimensional graphics. But now you can model a plot of land, load measurement data, terrain, vary time, illumination and climate type.

When installing it, make sure that there is enough free space on your hard drive.

The program is paid. After familiarizing yourself with the functionality, you need to buy a key from the developer.

Advantages: the project being developed can be seen from any angle. The ability to “install” fences, gates, gates, lay paths, and draw up estimates. The finished project is exported to a computer. The visual travel function remains with the ability to add or remove objects along the way. A huge catalog of everything that is needed on the site - from rolled lawns to statues and lanterns.

Flaws: In a short period of time, it is sometimes difficult to assess the usefulness of a utility. Unrealistic graphics. There is no program in Russian yet.

9. TurboFloorPlan 3D Home & Landscape Pro

TurboFloorPlan Landscape is a convenient and easy-to-use program with a wide variety of functions and objects. In it you can design the interiors of houses and create masterpiece landscapes with your own hands.

The program is shareware.

Advantages: understandable to both ordinary users and specialists in the field of landscape design. In addition to plants, shrubs, and trees, there are various objects for the garden: bridges, fences, ponds, buildings, sculptures, etc. You can create estimates. There is also a 3D projection, a visual tour of the site.

Flaws: the program is not Russified. However, its interface is intuitive.

10. Complete Landscape Designer 3

Another program for landscape design. You can work both with the main background and overlay objects on a digital photograph.

You can download the program without registration on the website.

Advantages: There are many objects in the library: buildings, plants, etc. You can search by certain parameters, select the type, degree of moisture and acidity of the soil.

Flaws: The interface is English, but it’s easy to understand. There is no three-dimensional image, so the layout of the site can only be seen in a plane.

The Landscape Design program is easy to use. You can create a completely decent site project in it.

The program is free.

Advantages: you can create a full-fledged project from scratch. Doesn't take up much space and doesn't require a lot of RAM. The functionality is clear even to a beginner. Large database of objects.

Flaws: the project is clearly visible in 2D mode. 3D projection is also available, but its quality leaves much to be desired. In the program you can create a project for yourself, and not for sale.

This complex covers interior, architectural, and landscape design. It creates luxurious three-dimensional projects with detailed graphics.

The program is paid. You can see how the program works in the demo version.

Advantages: detailing, 3D projection, a wide selection of objects in the catalog, textures, special effects, limitless design possibilities.

Flaws: energy intensive, difficult for a beginner, high price.

13. 3D Home Architect

A program with a fun and simple interface. Beginners can handle it, but it will also be interesting for professionals. You can choose plants based on their characteristics.

The program is paid.

Advantages: reports an error if objects are out of place, for example, stacked on top of each other. A rich library of various positions allows you to create various projects, change vegetation, buildings, lamps, etc. You can create an estimate. Upon completion, the finished project is sent to your computer or email. The project is created in 3D mode.

Flaws: not Russified. The graphics are a little weak, although this is enough for the project.

14. Better Homes and Gardens Landscaping & Deck Designer

A simple but functional utility for designing the landscape design of a site, including. The program was created by Chief Architect.

The program is paid. But on the website you can see her work.

Advantages: excellent graphics, a lot of plants and background information on them, and other objects with the help of which the landscape changes. Detailed drawing of the site, including its relief. 3D visualization of the project. Lighting options. An opportunity to put the garden into perspective.

Flaws: English version.

This is not just a utility. This is a series of landscape design programs released on disk. There are programs and encyclopedias, useful tips on arranging lawns, ponds, fencing, growing conifers, shrubs, etc.

1. Home Design 3D Outdoor/Garden

An application that allows you to completely create a landscape project: garden, plot, playground. You can enter measurements of the site, mark the location of the house, complete the project with furniture and various objects (there are a little more than 100 of them in the database).

There is an opportunity to see the spatial landscape.

A good application with great potential. You can not only create new landscape projects, but also edit ready-made photos of the site. There are functions for adding plants. True, prices are indicated in conventional units. But they can also be edited.

The ability to save a project and send it by email, transfer data to a computer. The project is visible in three-dimensional graphics.

The only thing is. At difficult stages, the application asks for a key. At the time of writing, the developer did not indicate how to obtain this key.

3. Landscape design

You will not be able to create or edit projects in this application. This is a collection of beautiful courtyards and their individual zones. But it will help you find a common language with the client and understand how he sees the landscape.

Agree, it’s better to show it once than to try to explain it in words a hundred times.

4. FloraMe -Landscaping made easy

An English-language application that allows you to vary the landscape. There is a choice of soils and plants. At the end, you can save or edit the project.

You can’t call it a professional program for planning a plot at a dacha or near a cottage, but you can play with textures and flora.

An application that allows you to develop a rough site plan and planting plan. Upon completion, you can export the project to clients or to yourself by email.

An important function is creating a project based on a digital photo.

Great tool for planning. Now the client will visually imagine what the site will look like. The only negative is the paid, more advanced version. And the English language creates inconvenience. So, you just need to learn the terminology - it will come in handy.

If you do not have the time and energy to independently implement all the ideas for the design of your site, then professional agronomists and designers of our company "Lawn Zone" will help you with this, develop a landscape design for the site, and provide free consultations and advice.

What, where and how to place it correctly on your site?

So you finally have your own piece of land. And it doesn’t matter what its area is - 6 acres, 10 acres or 15 acres. Do not immediately rush to dig it, build it and fence it. Read specialized literature, think, consult with experienced summer residents and gardeners. Create a plan for the future site, correlating it with the cardinal points. This will help you correctly orient all your future buildings and plantings. Planning your own plot is not an easy task, and our advice will help you with this.

You will need to determine places for a house, a utility block, a recreation area, and parking a car. But keep in mind, first of all, it is necessary to solve the housing problem before the construction of the house is completed. After all, from the first days of your stay at the dacha, you will need to somehow spend the night, rest, cook food, etc. Therefore, plan to immediately build a temporary shed, which will later turn into a utility block, a warehouse for storing building materials, work equipment, etc.

Determine the sides on which the windows of the future house will face. It is advisable that these be west and east, otherwise the rooms on the south side may be hot all the time, and the rooms on the north side may be cold all the time. On the south side you can place a veranda or terrace; it will act as a kind of thermal insulator, preventing the house from overheating in the summer and cooling in the winter.

The house is usually located 5 m from the road along the “red line”. On the shady northern side, you can plan to plant currants and other shade-tolerant ornamental shrubs and trees. On the south side of the house, it is advisable to plant apple trees and other fruit trees - then they will receive the sunlight and warmth they need, and at the same time form shade, which will save you from the heat on hot days. Currants are planted at the western border of the site, and raspberries at the southern border. The layout of a summer cottage implies immediately defining a recreation area and a children's playground. However, they should not be in the open sun. The recreation area is made, if possible, secluded, inaccessible to prying eyes.

If you plan to create a pond on your site, then you need to provide a place for it that is not exposed to constant sunlight. The remaining free space is allocated to the lawn, or. Behind the house, if desired, we have a vegetable garden and strawberries, and behind them we plant currants.

It is important to correctly place your plants, trees and shrubs so that their shadow does not disturb you or, especially, your neighbors. Currant and gooseberry bushes are planted at a distance of about 1.5 m from the border of the site. Apple trees, pears, plums, and cherries are planted even deeper in the garden. If the area is small, it is better to plant trees on a dwarf rootstock.

Programs for creating a DIY landscape design project

On the Internet you can find a large number of ready-made projects for summer cottages. But you can create a project yourself, based on your preferences and the location of your summer cottage. There are various landscape design programs for this purpose. Let's look at some of the simplest and most accessible of them. The presented programs are posted in Russian and they can download for free!

⊕ Self-instruction manual. Landscape design

For those who are trying to work with programs for designing a summer cottage for the first time and want to master and use all their convenient functions, we offer a tutorial on landscape design. Interactive video instructions, voiced and commented in Russian by a professional speaker, with the opportunity to participate in the learning process, will help you quickly master all the functionality of the programs.
This video instruction covers several of the programs listed below (Garden Planner, Garden Planner, 3D Home Architect Design Suite Delux).
Download Self-instruction manual. Landscape design (124 Mb)

1. X-Designer. Garden plot planner 3D

In this program, you can not only competently model a site using a fairly extensive library of garden plants and other landscape objects, but also see your site in all its glory at different times of the year and even at different times of the day!
After the project is formed, you can see the result from all sides and photograph the result for further reproduction of the project on the site.
Download X-Designer program (202 Mb)

2. Our garden. Ruby 9.0

This powerful program allows you to create a landscape design project using existing digital photos. This will be appreciated by both users who create landscape design with existing objects (trees, buildings, etc.), and those who are planning a site from scratch. The program also provides a huge number of different plants, garden elements and garden objects.
Download the program Our Garden Rubin (4.3 Gb)

3. Our garden 6.0 Omega

A powerful program from the Our Garden series allows you to create a landscape design project or design plans based on digital photographs. Integrate the plan you create with real photos. Detailed information about more than 7,700 plants contained in the program, with the ability to select soil, flowering time, place of growth, life span and much more. etc. will help you assemble and create the perfect flower garden - a flower bed of continuous flowering.
You can view the created plan in a 3-dimensional image at different times of the day or year. Depending on the specified year, the plants will be adjusted in growth form and growth. Contains a huge amount of information on caring for outdoor and indoor plants and controlling diseases and weeds. The program will be a real find for people who create a cozy corner on their site, decorated and decorated with beautiful flower beds.
Download the program Our Garden Omega (690 Mb)

4.

One of the simplest programs that allows you to create a garden layout by dragging all the necessary and desired elements onto the plan and arranging them as you wish. Also, for convenience and clarity, you can change the foliage color and scale.
Download Garden Planner 3 (3.5 Mb)

5. 3D Home Architect Design Suite Deluxe

This interesting program allows you to create a design project for a summer cottage or other interior from scratch. A rich selection of design elements (plants, lighting, fences, trellises and even playgrounds) with the ability to adjust their sizes will help you create an easy and effective site design in 2D format, and with the help of the built-in functionality you can view it in 3D (in all perspectives, angles and at different distances).
Download the program 3D Home Architect Design Suite Delux (222 Mb)

For professionals who are familiar with design programs first-hand, we can recommend using the following programs:

1. AutoCAD

The most famous and universal program for creating design. Professional program for designers. Makes it possible to build a relief using coordinates, contours, surface breaks, etc., create contours, visualize objects and reliefs. Using AutoCAD, various design documentation is drawn up, which is usually used in professional activities.

2. 3D Max
A complex program that provides great opportunities for designing, placing and creating objects in 3D format. It is also used mainly by architects and engineers, because there are specialized courses for mastering this program.

3. Punch! Professional Home Design

A professional program, but more accessible to the average person. A program for creating a three-dimensional plan of a plot, house, and apartment. Lots of standard objects that can be edited. Huge opportunities for creating high-quality professional projects, as well as design documentation. Ability to add digital photographs, hand-drawn (scanned) drawings and plans. Image visualization.
Download Punch! Professional Home Design (2.2 Gb)
Download the crack program Punch! Professional Home Design (16.2 Mb)