In our age computer technology It is much easier to perform some tasks using machines rather than manually. Architectural and landscape design were 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 language.

  • Simple programs for site planning and design

    Let's look at the list first simple programs, which are often free. Even a beginner without experience will be able to make a plot plan in them.

    Garden Planner

    Garden Planner is an easy-to-learn program from Artifact Interactive for designing a site in 2D format. Its advantages are that you can plan your site in literally 5 minutes. The only downside is that the interface is in English. But it is simple and intuitive.

    Design Interface

    In the program you can specify the dimensions and create a plan in just 5 minutes! The base of objects will be sufficient for the average summer cottage.

    Example plan created in 5 minutes

    There is also an online version of this application. It is practically no different from the desktop one.

    FloorPlan 3D

    FloorPlan 3D (TurboFloorPlan Home and Landscape Deluxe 2017) is a multifunctional complex for designing buildings, houses, offices and plots. Suitable for both professionals and beginners.

    Interface screenshot

    The interface is quite simple, so you'll get the hang of the program pretty quickly.

    2D plan view

    In FloorPlan 3D you can customize the sizes, colors and materials of objects. There is also a Vedomosti service where you can calculate estimates and costs of materials. Thus, the program is perfect for creating a plan of objects on the site, as well as a plan of your house with the arrangement of furniture and an estimate for construction.

    X-designer

    X-designer - planner garden plot in 3D format. This product of the Russian developer “IDDK” allows you to design your site without special skills. In the program, you can choose a plan view from above or 3D display. The interface is entirely in Russian.

    Also in X-designer you can control the terrain of the site, seasons and days. The library contains more than 500 objects.

    Professional Design Products

    The following product line is designed for professional processing graphics and drawing up quality plans by specialists.

    Our Garden Crystal

    Our Garden Crystal version 10 ( previous version Our Garden Rubin 9.0) is a program of the domestic developer JSC DiComp. It is not only a design tool, but also a real encyclopedia of gardening. The database contains information about more than 17,000 plant species, including about 2,000 roses. It is possible to select plants according to more than 20 parameters: soil, life span, growth rate, etc...

    It is noteworthy that there is a built-in photo editor into which you can insert real photographs of objects, then process them and insert them into your summer cottage project.

    The program designer has a 2D and 3D view and allows you to design the terrain, paths, ponds on the site, decorative elements and construction objects.

    Sierra LandDesigner 3D

    Sierra LandDesigner 3D is a design application for landscape design in 2D and 3D format. The developer of the program is Sierra, a company known to many video game fans. Unfortunately, the program is old (2000) and cannot be found on the developer’s official website. However, you can download it on the Internet. There is a Russified version of the program.

    Punch Home Design

    Punch Home Design is a package of products for visualizing the interiors and appearance of a house and a summer cottage.

    The simplest product “Punch! Landscape, Deck & Patio v19" allows you to design a landscape using a library, the import and export of which is possible from other AutoCad programs and Sketchup!

    It is as well suited for professional design as Realtime Landscaping Architect, and its integration with other 3D objects makes it indispensable.

    SketchUp

    SketchUp is a free software package for 3D modeling not only of summer cottages, but of any object or object in general. Suitable for beginners who want to plan their garden in three-dimensional form. For corporate clients you will need to purchase a license.

    The program has its own database of objects, which is updated by users. You can add them to your plan.

    Example of searching for a 3D object “spruce”

    Despite the fact that SketchUp allows you to create a site plan, its main purpose is 3D modeling. Therefore, it is most likely suitable for landscape design.


    One more example

    Realtime Landscaping Architect

    Realtime Landscaping Architect - a program for site planning in 2D and 3D format for operating system Windows. This product is distinguished by a more professional approach to design and is suitable for advanced users, as well as landscape designers.

    Interface screenshot

    The program is also distinguished by more detailed drawing of objects. The Plus package database contains 10,400 models, of which 5,100 are plants; the Architect package contains 16,400 objects, of which 7,200 are plants.

    Detailed drawing of plants

    This software package allows you to create presentations, view the dynamics of plant growth, how they will receive shade during the day, and much more. In general, a complete product for professional design.

    Other professional products:

    In this material we do not consider such professional products as Autodesk 3DS Max and ArchiCad. They are universal of their kind and are recognized as the best in the world for constructing any three-dimensional objects. Including for site planning.

    Instead of a resume

    The choice of program largely depends on what you want:

      For easy creation The Garden Planner program is suitable for a two-dimensional plan.

      For more detailed development and viewing of your plan in 3D format, beginners will benefit from: FloorPlan 3D or X-Designer.

      If you are thinking about higher quality products and want to work out your plan in more detail, we advise you to take a closer look at the Russian program Our Garden Crystal or the English-language Punch Home Design and Sierra LandDesigner 3D.

      Among commercial products for professional landscape design and beyond, we recommend Realtime Landscaping Architect, SketchUp, as well as the Autodesk 3DS Max and ArchiCad product lines.

    5 (100%) 1 vote
    Name Price Language Complexity
    Garden Planner $34 English Simple
    FloorPlan 3D 12 $49,99 Russian Simple
    X-Designer 229 RUR
  • Each person can create their own, individual design for their garden plot. Online landscape design software is a computer program for landscape design, garden design and landscaping with the possibility of three-dimensional viewing of the created project.

    The landscape creation program makes it possible to implement personal project“from scratch” or change the design of your garden by first loading all its parameters into the program. Computer program for landscape design has a huge library of objects and plants: small architectural forms, garden paths, buildings, fences and much more. For each plant, the landscape program has a detailed description with detailed information about its morphological and biological properties. In addition, if necessary, you can independently scan the necessary elements and plants of the layout and add them to the program library.

    The landscape design program provides for working with ready-made projects and has navigation through the project being created or edited. Using the program's simple interface, you can view a three-dimensional image of the plan, configure cameras, select a viewing angle, and also view the project in 3D mode. When mastering a landscape design program, you will learn how to work with video cameras and set sun settings, set site boundaries using measuring tools such as a tape measure, a square, and also process scanned images of ready-made drawings.

    When working with a plan, you can create a three-dimensional image of a house, receive photographs from all directions, demonstrate a separate area of ​​the project site in the working window of the plan, add your own objects to the project obtained from scanned illustrations or photographs, and view the created garden in a spatial view.

    When designing individual areas of a garden plot (ponds, lawns, rockeries, plant borders, vertical gardening), the landscape design program is able to plan everything in detail. You can also design complex paths, streams, squares, ponds, places for sports and recreation. You can use fountains, small decorative forms cut out from digital photos or scanned illustrations in your garden project. It is possible to work with the editor of fences and enclosures, small architectural forms.

    The program's plant library is very large, it makes it possible to select plants for a project according to given parameters: plant type, climatic zones of growth, flowering time and color, plant height, watering, frost resistance. Tables on monthly plant care, types of diseases and methods of treatment, various types and methods of cutting plants are provided. If you do your own landscape design, the program provides for adding new plants you need to the library with detailed description and characteristics.

    Dream of own home usually starts with a simple drawing on paper and a lot of questions. Already at the planning stage, it is important to correctly place all the buildings on the site, to clearly imagine where the gazebo or garage, paths, flower beds, garden, and pool will be located.

    For visualization of construction and landscape design projects, there are special programs, some of them can be mastered independently . Programs for site planning allow you not only to draw up a plan with all significant objects marked on it, but also to see a three-dimensional 3D image and walk along the marked paths live. With their help, you can “plant” trees and plants in a flower garden, taking into account their adult habit, “build” a house, a gazebo, and even design an irrigation system.

    Landscape design programs there are:

    1. Paid and free
    2. For professional landscape designers and amateurs
    3. Designed for working with drawings or for 3D visualization.

    Paid professional program for landscape design and design in 2D and 3D.

    The developer is the American company Idea Spectrum. All the company’s activities are devoted to the creation and improvement of the program, the first version of which appeared in 2006.

    On the Internet on various file hosting services you can find links to the free program Our Garden Rubin 9, which is no longer supported by the manufacturer.

    X-Designer

    Punch! Home & Landscape Design

    Landscape design software Punch! is part of the product line of Encore Software (USA).

    Punch! series programs declared by the developer as a powerful tool for creativity, which contains all materials, tools, textures, furniture, accessories, plants with a description of them life cycle for creating and designing highly realistic landscape designs.

    The program contains many standard modules that can be edited to your liking and even added to digital photos or scanned plans of your site. At the end of the work, the user will receive drawings, photographs and 3D visualization of their project. One of the advantages of the software is its compatibility with Sketchup.

    Several versions of the program are offered for sale, the cost of which varies depending on the functionality and content of object libraries (from 39.99 to 199.99 dollars). Punch! Home & Landscape Design Architectural Series v19 – full version for professional landscape designers and architects, with which you can design both houses and plots. Its cost is $399.99.

    An intuitive interface, the presence of a huge number of freely distributed lessons and books on working in SketchUp (including on the developer’s website) allows almost anyone to master the art of 3D modeling. All created models have exact dimensions. The result of the work is immediately reflected on the screen - from the sketch to the finished project. You can view the project from different points of view “from the first person”, as in computer games. A huge number of ready-made objects are offered both by the developer himself and by many forums dedicated to the program.

    IN paid version SketchUp integration available with Google Earth, which allows you to download a satellite photo of the area and design directly on it. It is also possible to set exact geographic coordinates for an object and thus obtain information about the insolation of the site at different times of the year.

    The paid version of SketchUp Pro has greater capabilities in the field of animation, presentation of projects and export of files to other formats.

    comparison table


    ProgramPriceFree version
    Realtime Landscaping Architectfrom $79.99Yes

    Competent landscape design allows you to improve a certain area. To achieve best effect, it is recommended to create a design layout of the area you are going to work with in advance. Specially for this purpose, programs have been developed that allow you to make sketches and professional design layouts of developed areas.

    About existing programs

    You can find several programs and services that offer the opportunity to work on your landscaping project. Some of them are paid, others are free. There are also those that allow you to work online and do not require downloads. However, such services are not capable of providing very much functionality and are unlikely to be suitable for professional designers.

    Regarding the programs, among them there are also small and easy-to-learn options that are suitable for beginners, but not for professionals. Professional software is mostly paid and is not easy to learn, but it allows you to create serious design projects and produce beautiful renderings of the project. Professional software also requires more computer processing power.

    Realtime Landscaping Architect

    This program is suitable for intermediate level users. It contains many elements that can be placed on a hypothetical site. Plus, the program has a simple and pleasant interface, has a clear logic of actions, which will allow you to quickly make some kind of sketch.

    In this program you can expand existing libraries of 3D models, work with a site plan, and even animate some objects. Additionally, you can make notes and captions to elements (groups of elements on the work area). To make your project more realistic, you can change the relief using brushes (you can add them from the Internet).

    The software is distributed free of charge, but has an English-language interface. Finished projects can be beautifully visualized and even animated to be shown to a particular audience.

    As a result: the program is great for amateur projects and even for professional sketches.


    Archicad was originally developed for the design of buildings and surrounding areas, taking into account the terrain. However, its functionality also includes built-in capabilities for working with landscape design projects. It also has built-in libraries of elements that can be expanded, plus there are greater possibilities for creating drawings and estimates compared to Realtime Landscaping Architect.

    It is more difficult to model the terrain here, since it uses a grid with points, rather than brushes, as in many other landscape design programs. However, here you can quickly create a realistic relief model using topographic and geodetic surveying of the area. However, there is one significant limitation - it is impossible in the program standard means create parametric landscape elements, for example, garden paths. To somehow get around these restrictions, you will have to resort to tricks or download special extensions from the Internet.

    The program is entirely in Russian. Another advantage is that drawings created in this software will fully comply with GOST requirements. As in Realtime Landscaping Architect, here you can set marks for one or another element. However, Archicad is more suitable for simple landscapes that are created for the main building project.

    As a result: Archicad is designed more for designing buildings than landscapes, but the program has almost all the necessary functionality.


    Our Garden Ruby

    Our Garden Rubin is a program from a domestic developer, which does not have very beautiful visualization of projects, but it is completely free, has a simple Russified interface, as well as a very large library of plants. The software will primarily appeal to farmers and gardeners, for whom the visualization of the project is not so important, but rather the location of certain elements on the site. Among other things, you can get all the basic information on plants that are in the program library.

    On the one hand, the program does not give the user any interesting features or beautiful graphics, but any user can master it very quickly, and it takes up virtually no space on the computer and consumes very few system resources.


    X-Designer

    This program has a lot in common with Our Garden Rubin - a very simple interface in Russian, the ability to create simple projects, free download and use, low requirements for computer configurations. However, there are also differences, for example, the visualization in X-Designer is slightly better, but the plant library is much smaller (and it cannot be expanded).

    Also distinctive feature X-Designer is able to reflect when working with a project certain time of the year. You can adjust the presence of snow cover, foliage on trees and its color. This program also implements a terrain modeling system, which is very poorly developed in Our Garden Rubin.

    X-Designer is a simple program for completing amateur design projects, but it is somewhat outdated, so more complex projects are out of the question.


    Autodesk 3ds Max

    This is very multifunctional program for professionals. In it you can do not only landscape design, but also modeling various 3D objects. This software does not limit creative freedom in any way, since you can create the necessary 3D models yourself, or download ready-made models from the Internet. Also, the functionality can be significantly expanded using numerous plugins, both paid and free.

    However, the program will require a lot of time to master, since it was created exclusively for professionals. In addition, it is not a fact that you will be able to understand its huge functionality on your own, so you may have to turn to special courses. It is also worth considering that 3ds Max is not free program, it is very expensive, and the demo period is only 30 days.

    Here you can create a very detailed and beautiful project of a house and plot, working out each object in as much detail as possible. In addition, you will be able to present your project to the general public in a beautiful visualization. But you should understand that this may take a lot of time.

    In addition to its price and difficulty in mastering, 3ds Max has another significant disadvantage: it is very demanding on computer hardware. You cannot do some complex projects in this program because your computer is too weak.


    Punch Home Design

    Compared to 3ds Max, this program is significantly inferior to it, especially in the quality of project visualization. In terms of its characteristics, Punch Home Design stands somewhere between Our Garden Rubin and Realtime Landscaping Architect. There is no need to talk about high-quality visualization or a complex interface here, but the software is completely free and has wide functionality for building a model of a house and surrounding area.

    One of the advantages of Punch Home Design is the presence of templates that you can use and change in your projects. You can also add your own templates, or those taken from the Internet. You can also work with drawings and diagrams, but the capabilities are greatly reduced compared to Archicad.

    However, the program is significantly inferior in terms of terrain elaboration not only to 3ds Max, but also to Realtime Landscaping Architect. Also, the program still does not have normal Russification. Despite all the shortcomings, Punch Home Design is used not only by amateurs, but also by professionals.


    Envisioneer Express

    Another simple software for working with drawings, projects of buildings and local areas. This program is more like a simplified version of Archicad. True, the visualization here is not the best, plus the fact that the program was originally developed for designing buildings makes itself felt.

    Envisioneer Express boasts an extensive and expanding library of various objects: interior elements, exterior building decorations, landscape design elements, plants, etc. Also, using the program, you can compare your design project with existing drawings and estimates, or create them yourself.

    The program also has the ability to visualize various scenes, although the visualization is much inferior to products such as 3ds Max.


    FloorPlane 3D

    This software was also developed to work with sketches of buildings, but at the same time there is also the opportunity to work out the landscape design of a house area, however, this functionality is very formal. The program's interface is also not the most friendly and pleasant - there is no translation into Russian, and the interface itself is crammed with incomprehensible controls.

    Visually, this program is little better than Our Garden Rubin or X-Designer. But despite all its shortcomings, FloorPlane 3D can sometimes be effectively used for atypical projects, but this is the exception rather than the rule.


    SketchUp

    SketchUp is a program designed for fast 3D modeling, inferior to 3ds Max in functionality and visuals, but at the same time has a significantly simplified interface and lower requirements for computer hardware. It is also suitable for landscape design, but it will be more difficult for you to find designer functions or a large library of elements there.

    Professionals use it software solution in the case when the speed of project development comes to the fore, rather than its presentation and/or detailed elaboration. This program will also be convenient for ordinary users.

    Additionally, this program can be used as an educational program for novice designers who will have to work with 3D objects.


    About online services

    In addition to programs that need to be downloaded and installed on your computer, there are also online services that allow you to plan your home space; however, such services do not have much functionality and high-quality visualization, but they will allow you to make a quick sketch of the project.

    There are not many free online services on the Internet that allow you to develop your own landscape design project.

    Online garden planner

    This is a Flash application that can be integrated into individual sites using a plugin or code. Today it can be found on several portals dedicated to dachas, children and/or landscape design.

    You can go to work with the online planner using this link.


    This extension will require an updated version of the Flash player to work. Here you can make a very quick and primitive garden sketch using elements from the library, although there are very few of them there. You can save the finished project on your computer or print it immediately.
    Within the framework of this article, popular solutions for designing landscape design of the local area were considered. Many of the programs presented can be mastered even by a user who is no stranger to computers.

    I think everyone understands why 3D modeling of landscape design is needed. This way, it will be much easier for you to explain to the customer what you should get as a result of the work at his dacha. Today, a huge number of programs for 3-dimensional modeling are known, among which programs like CorelDraw and so on have always been in particular demand. They are the simplest and at the same time allow you to create 3-dimensional landscape scenes and get high-quality results.

    Landscape design modeling programs are professional options that are very labor-intensive to learn, difficult to use and require PC computing resources. These programs allow you to select any type of plants for the garden, organize the space and add some new details to it so that the result is pleasing to the eye.

    Thus, a product review can be carried out based on the following features:

    1. Quality of the 3D result.
    2. Quality of sketches.
    3. Availability and big choice various elements such as trees, bushes and buildings.
    4. Combination with different data formats.
    5. PC resource requirements.
    6. Easy to use.

    Let's consider several of the most popular programs for 3-dimensional modeling of a site.

    The easiest way to have a beautiful front lawn

    You've certainly seen the perfect lawn in a movie, on an alley, or perhaps on your neighbor's lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area on their site will no doubt say that it is a huge amount of work. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, and watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think this way; professionals have long known about the innovative product - liquid lawn AquaGrazz.

    This program is one of the highest quality to date. It has a huge number of ways to design, distances and much more. A large database of plantings, with the need to add your own methods and filter by area, type of planting. Very easy to learn. This perfect solution for ordinary landscape design compositions.


    Construction model

    As a result, you will have good quality 3 dimensional appearance, although any elements on it will be 2-dimensional, however, this does not affect the quality of the result. In addition, the program has a huge number of elements for creating a landscape: pergolas, trellises, fences and much more. You can build a house yourself, in order to make the picture more realistic, the program includes windows with doors and stairs. In addition, you can separately create a lighting project for the entire area in the garden.

    Let's look at the main features of this program:

    1. Pros: high-quality 3-dimensional appearance, ease of use and learning.
    2. Cons: Our objects are 3-dimensional, it is impossible to make any individual object.
    3. Result: this program is by far the best in terms of ease of learning and High Quality works
    4. Price: it is not officially supplied to our country.

    COMPLETE LANDSCAPE DESIGNER 3

    This program is one of the most enjoyable to use, and its interface is in Russian. There is a database of plantings, different houses and much more. However, descriptions of such objects are only available in English. Excellent search by plantings and houses, with the ability to specify various parameters. For example, searching for bushes, light-loving plant varieties and much more.

    In order to create a site plan, you must first load into the program an image of the site on which the design will be carried out in the future. First you need to photograph the required area, then you will need to put various elements on it like flowers and much more, and the final result will come out. This option is very original and at the same time very in a simple way presentation of the type of future projects. However, the use of such an approach is justified only when it is necessary to demonstrate not the entire type of the project, but some part of it, for example, the entrance to a building with future decor. The program does not allow you to recreate the entire picture of the territory.


    Buildings in the garden

    Let's look at the main features of this program:

    1. Pros: High-quality 2-dimensional appearance.
    2. Cons: this program was created for decorating photographs, and this is its disadvantages and advantages, that is, viewing is possible from any angle.
    3. Result: worth using for a specific display of some elements of the site.
    4. Price: not officially supplied to our country.

    EXPERT LANDSCAPE DESIGNER 3

    An amazing program that takes up about 4.5 megabytes on disk. She has a library of plantings and various structures. As a result, you can get a high-quality 2-dimensional view of the site using this program. What is especially nice is the comfort and ease of operation. And now we will talk about the 3-dimensional view of the territory. Of course, with such a small amount of memory there is nothing to count on a high-quality 3D view. But in general, the program only pleases with its interface. It is clear that the developers have thought about everything very well. And if you have not previously had a desire to learn something serious, then this program can satisfy any type of request.