I also want to thank everyone who posted or emailed feedback to us over the last three months. That helped us refine requirements and gave us ideas for future releases. And for anyone coming across this blog who still wants to provide us feedback, you can email us at landsketch@eaglepoint.com.

Check out www.eaglepoint.comfor information not only on LandSketch, but the other products we have recently released.

Download LandSketch Preview 3

This version has had some more fine tuning and includes some additional features we wanted to have you check out.  Some of these items were thanks to input from you!  A couple of key things to look for in this version is the cleanup of lots and some additional functionality in intersections.  Also, there is a new feature called Sketch Feature that has been added.  What this does is allows you to create areas or features for use within your design.  You can create green spaces, water areas, and feature lines. These items can be tied to when using the Cleanup Lots command.

And you might have seen our recent press release announcing the future release of LandSketch.  If you haven’t, here is a link to the press release:

LandSketch Press Release

One of the key things announced in the press release is the cost of LandSketch.  The list price for a single license is $2495, but it is currently available for sale at $1995.  There is also a network license manager version at a list price of $2995.

As usual, we look forward to your feedback!

Watch the second demonstration of LandSketch here.

Keep an eye on the blog for Preview Release 3 coming soon!

Comment:  …I have been trying to [Gerry rig] several other products to make them do what Landsketch is headed for, Sketch-up was one of them…We do a lot of Low Impact type projects that have irregular road templates and more “freeform” type lots.  A good feature on lots would let you “move” the lot and be able to reshape from the middle of the lot line.  Defining a road template would be good.

Reply:  Yes, we do have more options for Lot modification. We plan to have “Slide” working which when done will look something like this (see image below):

You will be able to slide the segment using the diamond grips and be able to free form the corner grips.  We are considering not doing this until the second release – give us your feedback on this!

You should be able to define your street template using the Manage Street Styles command in the Edit menu. 

Comment:  The display of the Original Contours does not seem ideal.  The intermediate stands out much more than the index.  It seems like it would be better if the colors could be switched and all were continuous lines…

Reply:  We currently have the Index thicker then the intermediate, and the index should be darker so if the background is off it then stands out…We have been thinking of switching the colors if the image is off…

Comment:  The architects don’t use the same labels [for all projects]…could you add a command for define the settings of default text value (prefix, suffix and decimal precision)

 Reply:  We have already implemented the Annotation labels being read from the LandSketch.ini. You will be able to easily change your labels by modifying the ini [file] until we have interface to do it. Also, when you create a new project the unit gets saved so the next time you create a new project it will default to your last used unit.

Thanks everyone for the input!  Hopefully this gives you an example of how we are using your suggestions to help shape LandSketch as we are developing it.  So keep that input coming!

To test drive the cul-de-sacs you can use the “Manage Cul-de-sac Style” command in the Edit menu to modify the parameters or simply use any of the ones we supply. Then Sketch or Draw a street and use the Place Cul-de-sac command from the Layout Tools. Simply pick near the end of the street you want the cul-de-sac to be placed at. You may notice some cul-de-sacs may not look correct when first placed (we’re still working out the kinks). Often times a simple graphic adjustment (drag) of the PI at the center will correct the geometry.

Once placed you can also Delete the Cul-de-sac by performing a right mouse-click on the street portion of the cul-de-sac. You’ll also notice the options to offset the cul-de-sac to the left or right. We are also planning on offering a “teardrop” type of cul-de-sac in addition to the circular type.

Use the following link to download the installation routine for LandSketch Preview 2. Watch your pop-up blocker as it may prevent the download.

Download Landsketch Preview 2 Here

Feel free to post comments back here or send us an email at landsketch@eaglepoint.com.

1. LandSketch’s main purpose is to quickly layout conceptual residential designs and allow the data of that design to quickly be given to the next person in line, typically an engineer to do the final engineering work.  We have found that many people are still doing the conceptual design on paper which obviously causes inefficiencies both in the initial drawing and when converting that paper drawing into a CAD drawing.  LandSketch is being built to give very easy to use tools that allow you to sketch in streets and lots quickly and then transfer that data to a full fledge design software package.  Also if mistakes happen or changes have to be made, alternatives can be created allowing you to re-use your work, rather than starting over.  Not all firms use paper and pencil for this, many use either AutoCAD or a civil design package such as Civil 3D or Eagle Point.  These packages have the necessary features to layout a conceptual design but they are overly complex for just a concept and can cause the engineer or planner to over design or over engineer the concept.  This wastes time and money especially if the concept is not accepted.  So LandSketch will fill the technological gap when it comes to conceptual layout.

2.  Let me also say thanks for all the comments and emails.  The more feedback we get the better.  I want to address some of the questions you asked in this post so that everybody will be sure to see the answers.  There were a lot of comments talking about many of the commands don’t work and bring up an error message and they wanted to know why they did that or when they were be put into the program.  The answer to that comment is pretty simple.  We wanted to get a preview copy out as soon as possible to allow you to see the application and give us feedback.  We didn’t want to wait for a completed program and then let you see it.  So we are working on LandSketch daily and plan to have several more preview releases before the final release.  Along those lines people wanted to know when the program is expected to be completed and ready for a fully functional release.  Currently our project schedule says that we will have LandSketch complete and ready for shipping by the end of November.  Another question talked about the output of LandSketch.  Currently there are two outputs, either Google Earth or LandXML.  The Google Earth export is more for presentation purposes and allows you to place your lots and streets into Google Earth.  LandXML is a very common format that any civil design package can import.  The reason we went with LandXML is to save time.  Normally when the conceptual design is complete it will be passed to an engineer to finalize the design.  By importing a LandXML file into Civil 3D, Eagle Point, or other civil packages, the data behind the design is used to construct intelligent objects into the design package so that you’ll have alignments, profiles, and lots that are usable right away (not just lines, arcs and polylines). This saves time by not needing someone to draw in all the geometry into CAD and then convert those CAD elements into engineering data.  By having the intelligence of these objects in Civil 3D for example, you can have it labeled or modified with the parcel tools.  Finally, one of the last questions was price.  We haven’t settled on a price yet and most likely when we get closer to release and you have seen more preview releases we’ll ask for your input on price.

3. Lastly, I wanted to share with you what we are working on now.  There are a lot of small items that have to be addressed and a few big items, so we decided to look at one of the big items.  We have been and are still currently working on cul-de-sacs.  The way cul-de-sacs will work is similar to streets.  You will be able to create cul-de-sac styles with specific return and bulb radius’ and also allow for offset cul-de-sacs.  Then the command will just ask which end of the street to place the cul-de-sac and it will place it and the lots on the end of the street.  Attached is a image of LandSketch with a couple cul-de-sacs.  This should be ready to release as a preview soon so keep looking at the blog so you can install the newest preview copy when it’s ready.

LandSketch Cul-de-sacs

Hopefully this post has given you some more insight in where we are going with LandSketch.  Please ask more questions if you have them and keep the feedback coming.

To download the preview copy click on the link below and select run when prompted.  Then the Install Wizard will walk you through the rest.

ftp://ftp2.eaglepoint.com/landsketch/downloads/landsketchpreview1.exe

Remember to check back next week to download the Preview version which will allow you to test drive some of these same features and tell us what you think.

Click Here for the LandSketch Overview

As I mentioned last time, the intention of LandSketch is to help create the best conceptual design and develop design alternatives quickly and electronically.  But what does that actually mean?

Well, there are a couple of key problems that we are trying to solve with LandSketch.  One of these is how conceptual designs are still typically drawn by hand.  While this is fairly simple for the person doing the first drawing, it becomes a lot of work to create alternative designs and to get the design into CAD when you want to move forward.

The other main problem is people going to the other extreme and using a tool that is too complicated for what they are trying to do.  This tends to cause over engineering of what is supposed to be a quick conceptual design.

So to solve these problems, LandSketch has a couple of main functions.  One, it has tools that can be used to sketch your conceptual design.  This includes options for importing a surface from a LandXML file or Google Earth and attaching aerial photos to help you with the visualization as you sketch.

Below is a screen shot showing the interface of LandSketch and a layout of streets with associated lots on top of a raster image and surface contours.

The other main function is how the conceptual design can be sent to design software, for example Civil 3D, Eagle Point Software, etc., to complete the actual design. 

Hopefully this gives you a good overview of the main functionality of LandSketch.  In future posts we’ll be talking more about specific features being developed in LandSketch.

And keep Sept. 15th marked on your calendar for the preview copy!