Landscape Rendering Services

What is a landscape rendering?

A landscape rendering is a computer-generated image of an outdoor space made from its design drawings. It shows the planting, paving, walls, water, lighting and furniture in three dimensions, in the light of a chosen time of day. Landscape architects and designers use it to win approval for a scheme, and developers use it to sell the outdoor spaces of a project.

How much does a 3D landscape rendering cost?

A 3D landscape rendering costs from $449 a view at this studio. The garden is modelled once, so each further view of it costs 40% less. A garden with many species, level changes and built features takes longer to model than a lawn and a terrace, and the quote is fixed after the plan is seen.

Can you render from a 2D planting plan?

Yes. A 2D planting plan is the usual starting point for a landscape rendering. The plan gives the position and species of every plant, and the hardscape drawings give the paving, walls and levels.

• The landscape or planting plan, as DWG or PDF, with the plant schedule.
• Hardscape materials: paving, decking, walls, edging, by name or photograph.
• Levels or a grading plan, if the ground is not flat.
• The building elevations, if a building is in the view.
• Photographs of the site as it is.
• The views you want, and the season and time of day.

Do you show plants at planting size or at maturity?

Either, and the brief should say which. Plants at planting size show the garden on the day it is handed over. Plants at maturity show the garden the design is aiming for, several years on. Both can be made from the same model, and the second version is quoted with the first.

Do you use plants that grow in the region?

The plants in the rendering are the species named in the planting plan. Where there is no plant schedule, name the species or the region in the brief, so the planting in the picture is planting that can grow on the site.

Can a backyard, patio or outdoor kitchen be rendered for a homeowner?

Yes. A backyard, a patio, a deck, an outdoor kitchen, a fire pit or a pergola is rendered from the designer's plan or a dimensioned sketch, with photographs of the yard as it is. Landscape contractors use one or two views to show a homeowner the finished job before the contract is signed.

Can a swimming pool be rendered in 3D?

Yes. A 3D pool rendering shows the pool, the coping, the deck, the water features and the planting around it, by day or lit at night. It is made from the pool plan and sections, and priced as a landscape view.

Should a landscape firm learn the software or outsource the rendering?

A landscape firm should learn the software when it renders every week, because the time spent learning is repaid. A firm that needs a few presentation images a month usually spends less by outsourcing them, since a view costs $449 and the first draft arrives from 48 hours. 3D rendering software compared sets out what each program costs and what computer it needs.