The Bottom Line
Pros
- The "Walkthrough" feature of this landscape design software is fun: kids will want to play with it!
- The tools of Realtime Landscaping Pro are reasonably intuitive.
- I was surprised by the plant library at the user's disposal in this landscape design software.
- You can import photos into Realtime Landscaping Pro landscape design software.
- This landscape design software allows you to "brainstorm" with water features and decks.
Cons
- As with any landscape design software, you'll have to study the "Help" contents for optimal use.
Description
- The "Walkthrough" feature of this landscape design software provides a realistic, 3D experience.
- Import photos off your computer desktop into Realtime Landscaping Pro to initiate or alter a plan.
- This landscape design software has an extensive plant library with information about each plant.
- One tab in Realtime is devoted exclusively to creating water gardens.
- You can also design your house exterior and deck with this landscape design software.
Guide Review - Realtime Landscaping Pro Landscape Design Software
I had my doubts when I first sat down with Realtime. Programs I had used before never "wowed" me. Considering their mediocre visual quality, studying up on their tools just didn't seem to be worth the effort.
Realtime changed my mind and brought me into the 21st century. Browse "Help" to learn the full scope of this landscape design software; but the tools are reasonably intuitive. You can immediately sit down and produce a drawing of good visual quality -- a major plus for those who like to just "dive" into a task.
But this landscape design software has more than drawing tools. Don't know where to start? Just open a sample plan or a wizard. Want to tinker with a plan reflecting your current yard? There's another wizard to help you import one of your own photos off your desktop.
You can also import photos of individual elements (e.g., a tree). But if you choose to stick to Realtime's plant library instead, you won't be disappointed, as it contains numerous images of sample plants. And these are not simply arbitrary, mindless representations. They're "smart" images, in the sense that info about the specific plant is programmed into the image. You can even compare views: what a plant looks like when young, versus its mature size.
But the piece de resistance is the "Walkthrough" feature. Experience your new creation in realistic 3D with rippling water, wind, shadows, etc. It's the next best thing to walking through the yard of your dreams.
