Product Description
For a hundred years, pencil, pen, markers, and watercolor have been the principal tools of representation for landscape architects and urban planners. Today, those hand-powered aids have been replaced by computers and Computer-aided design (CAD). Digital Drawing for Landscape Architects bridges the gap between the traditional analog and the new digital tools and shows you how to apply timeless concepts of representation to enhance your design work in digital… More >>
#1 by Naomi (Storm) on May 16, 2010 - 1:36 am
Unfortunately “Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture” is nothing more than just another “How to use Adobe Photoshop” book using pictures of landscapes to differentiate itself from the hundreds of other books in this category. It is a pretty high level Photoshop book – covering topics ranging from masking, layers, dithering, up/down sampling and more (as well as some items on Illustrator and Acrobat), but if you were looking for a book specifically on landscape architecture, you’re probably going to be let down as the focus is more on the digital drawing half of the title. In other words, you could change the book title to Digital Drawing for Graphic Designers and republish it without changing any of the contents.
Rating: 2 / 5
#2 by L. Burnett on May 16, 2010 - 4:35 am
I gave this book to my son who just completed his Masters in Landscape Architecture. He says the book is AWESOME!
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by V. Hutson on May 16, 2010 - 7:18 am
I have mixed feelings about this book.
Part One introduces the reader to some basic concepts such as computer hardware, software, workspace, the difference and similarities between analog and digital rendering, and the difference between raster and vector images. All of this is appropriate for a beginning student.
However, the next parts really assume a familiarity with the different programs the authors use. For example, in the chapter on “Linework in Illustrator,” the authors write “the following sections assume some familiarity with Illustrator. Techniques for naviating the workspace, creating new layers, moving objects between layers, selecting multiple objects, and other basic skills are beyond the scope of this book.” I was hoping this book would provide me with the basic skills I would need–which it doesn’t.
So what do I think? If you are new to site design this book is valuable in that it shows many concepts and techniques that can be employed–just don’t expect to be able to actually do them.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Corey Scott on May 16, 2010 - 7:56 am
Considering that this book is about a topic so complex as merging raster and vector concepts to create complex digital renderings, I was shocked that the book starts out with a VERY basic (and fairly lengthy) introduction to computers, describing that computers are made from a motherboard, hard disk, etc, and use an operating system such as Windows and software such as AutoCAD. I would assume that anyone in the market to learn this subject matter is already familiar with computer basics.
The book then moves on to discuss the differences between analog media (paintings, sketches, etc), raster (bitmap) images, and vector (mathematical) designs, and how you can merge some or all of those image types. For example, many people use a satellite image from Google Earth as the background image for their vector site plans, thus eliminating the need to measure your site manually.
The book discusses how to migrate information between programs such as AutoCAD, Illustrator, and Photoshop, while minimizing data loss and image degradation.
The book is largely instructions on how to do basic tasks using various programs (such as creating colored shapes in autocad, working with layers illustrator, creating seamless tiles in photoshop, etc.) with a focus on landscape achitecture. If you are already familiar with the functionality of those programs, then this book is not really all that useful.
I was disappointed that this book leaves many important topics untouched, such as creating a 3d model of a contoured landscape. If you are simply working with a flat landscape, then the book probably covers what you need, but if you throw in a hill or two, you’ll need to look elsewhere for information.
If you already have a basic understanding of AutoCAD and Adobe Products, then you will end up learning very little from this book.
Rating: 3 / 5
#5 by Daniel A. Tal on May 16, 2010 - 10:17 am
Bradley Cantrell and Wes Michaels have authored a concise and beautifully illustrated book. They know their stuff and it shows. The book presents a detailed overview of digital methods, graphics and tools used in landscape architecture and related design professions. The clearly written content encompasses varying software and graphic. The images are excellent representatives of the graphics and methods the book’s content advocates.
The book focuses on the creation of graphics type and not just on specific graphic programs. The authors took into account the flexibility in which many designers create representative graphics. This smart approach allows the book to center on the creation of rich representations of the landscape, but still delve in to the specifics of the programs used by design students and professionals.
Each chapter and section demonstrates varying techniques. From using Photoshop to create sections and plan graphics, to scaling and working with aerials. The authors demonstrate how to integrate CAD with Adobe Illustrator in an easy but important workflow. The book reviews a variety of 3D modeling programs including 3D Max and SketchUp and the type of graphics these programs can generate. One favorite chapter includes a step-by-step tutorial on creating Photoshop Perspective Collage. And this is just a sampling of what the book contains. The comprehensive nature of the book is phenomenal.
The authors move the discussion beyond just `how to’ and discuss digital theory. Of particular note is a dialogue on how current digital methods are directly informed by the tradition of ink, pen and paper which was the backbone of graphic representation for decades. Framing the book’s methods in the long tradition of hand-drawn illustrations emphasizes why design practitioners must read and use this book; it’s a milestone in bringing the design community up to date to the level that design should be represented and practiced.
The book’s approach and theories on digital presentation will elevate professionals and students practicing landscape architecture and related fields.
Daniel Tal, author of Google SketchUp for Site Design: A guide to Modeling Site Plans, Terrain and Architecture
Rating: 5 / 5