Creating Plant Definitions

Plants can be defined by entering parameters or by loading (and editing) botanical data from the plant database. The parameters specified apply by default when the selected plant is inserted on the drawing; after placement, certain plant parameters can be edited on an individual basis.

 

To create new plant definitions:

1.	Click the Place Plant tool from the Site Planning tool set.

2.	The Place Plant Preferences dialog box opens automatically if plants have not yet been placed in the drawing. Otherwise, click Settings from the Tool bar.

The Place Plant Preferences dialog box opens.

3.	Select a plant symbol that is close in appearance to the new plant.

Plants can be placed with just this basic information; see Adding Plants to the Design. The plant definition can be edited later.

4.	Click Duplicate to create a new plant definition based on the selected plant.

To edit a plant definition rather than create a new one, click Edit Definition. Alternatively, select a plant from the drawing, click Edit from the Resource menu or the plant context menu, and select Definition.

Whether creating a new plant from a duplicate, or editing a current plant definition, the Edit Plant Definition dialog box opens, displaying the selected 2D plant symbol. Provide a name for the plant symbol, and then specify the plant parameters on each tab to define the plant. As the parameters are defined, the preview dynamically displays the plant appearance.

The plant attributes are set from the Attributes palette while editing the symbol components as described in Editing Plant Attributes.

To automatically add plant information from the plant database, click Get Plant Data (see Using Plant List Data in VectorWorks Landmark).

Parameter	Description
Plant Symbol Name	Enter a name for the plant symbol; this name displays in the Resource Browser
Preview	Dynamically previews the plant appearance, showing how it will appear when added to the drawing with the Place Plant tool
Top/Plan Preview	Displays the 2D component of the plant symbol
3D OpenGL Preview	Displays the 3D component of the plant symbol, if one has been added to the symbol definition
Get Plant Data	Opens the Get Plant Data dialog box; select a plant to add its data to the current plant definition (see Using Plant List Data in VectorWorks Landmark)
Plant Graphics	The 2D and 3D components of the plant symbol are scaled based on these values
Spread	Specifies the plant spread diameter (the maximum width of the mature plant, as drawn) for both single and multiple plant placement.
Height	Indicates the typical mature plant height
Plant List Information	If plant information was obtained from the plant database, this information is automatically entered if available
Latin Name	Specifies the plant genus and species
Common Name	Specifies the plant common name or names
Plant/TagID	Identifies the plant with a unique code; this code appears in the plant list and on ID tags, if selected (see Plant ID Codes for the definition of common code categories)
Scheduled Size	Indicates the plant caliper or container size; displays in the Plant List worksheet
Quantity Type	Select the quantity unit for the plant; quantity can be defined as unit count, dripline area, or border area
Price Code (SKU)	Specifies the price code entry in Stock Keeping Units (SKU)
Price	Indicate the plant cost per unit of quantity; the plant cost and quantity are reflected in the Extended Price calculation in the Plant List worksheet
Schedule comments	Specifies default comments about the plant that display in the Plant List worksheet

5.

Click the Render tab to specify the 2D plant styles. These effects display in Top/Plan view only. In a complex drawing with many plants, these settings can take a significant amount of time to display and edit, so they are not on by default at plant placement. They can be turned on after placement for selected plants by choosing Enable 2D Plant Rendering from the Object Info palette, or for all plants by selecting View > Show > Show or Hide Plant Styles.

 

Parameter	Description
Turn on Rendering at Creation	Enables plant style display at plant placement; in a complex drawing, this may require a significant amount of time
Outline	Select up to three offset plant outlines
Mass Overlapping Plants	Joins the outlines, and removes the interior lines, of plants that overlap to easily create a plant mass. Plants that contain bitmap images cannot be massed.
Plant Shadows in Plan View	Specifies special shadow effects that display in Top/Plan view only
Offset	Specifies the offset distance of the shadow from the plant
Angle	Controls the plant shadow location; select an angle for the shadow
Fill Style	Select the type of shadow to display
Solid Color	Click the color box to select a solid shadow color
Hatch	Select a hatch for the plant shadow from the either the default resources or the current file’s resources; see VectorWorks Design Series Default Resources
Image	Select an image for the plant shadow from either the default resources or the current file’s resources; see VectorWorks Design Series Default Resources

6.	Click the Plant Data tab to view the plant database information for the plant.

To add botanical data from a plant list to the plant definition, click Get Plant Data and select a plant name (see Using Plant List Data in VectorWorks Landmark).

To change the plant data for the current plant definition only (without changing the plant list data), click on the parameter and click Edit. Enter the new value in the Edit Field dialog box and click OK.

7.	Click the Default Prefs tab to specify default plant values and options.

Values and settings entered on this tab become the default for the plant definition; however, they can be changed for individual plant instances on the Object Info palette.

 

Parameter	Description
Placement Spacing	Indicates the plant spacing distance for the Poly-Edge Spaced, Rectangular Array, and Triangular Array cluster placement methods
Tag Display	Select whether to display the plant tag to the right or left of the leader line, or not at all
Tag Type	Determine the method of displaying ID tags for the plant; select Custom to define a custom ID text string formula
Tag Class	Specifies the default class for the plant ID tag, or allows a new class to be created for the plant ID tag
Polygon Display	For multiple plant placements, changes the display of the boundary or center polygon defining the plant cluster shape. The polygon uses the class attributes (line weight, color, and visibility) of the tag class.
Tick Style	Select a tick mark (plant center mark) style
Tick Size	Specifies the tick mark size
Random Rotation	Randomly rotates the plants within a selected cluster for a more natural appearance
On Plant List	Includes the plant object in the Plant List worksheet

8.	When the default plant parameters have been defined, click OK to return to the Place Plant Preferences dialog box. From there, additional plants can be defined or edited, and a plant can be selected for placement.

When using workgroup referencing, the plant definitions should exist in the same file as the site model they reference, so that their Z values can be set to the DTM surface.

Plant resources can be exported from the Resource Browser or by clicking Export Plant from the plant context menu; see Exporting Resources.