Rendered landscapes create digital replicas of real landscapes.
Landscapes require a considerable amount of planning if the landscaper wants to create a landscape that is a work of art. Rendering programs have been developed that help designers quickly generate realistic-looking landscapes. Gardeners who are willing to overcome the learning curve associated with these landscape rendering programs can use these programs to give themselves a visual sense of what they can do with their landscapes.
Color
When using a landscape rendering program, colors must contrast enough to be able to create details that are noticeable, such as leaves on a tree, according to Barry & Associates Spatial Information Systems (BASIS). While planning out the backyard landscape with the landscape renderer, the real-life colors of the plants that will be put in the backyard need to be understood so that they can be correctly represented on the landscape rendering program.
Contrast
Colors and objects that are difficult to make out are often made clear through a key which identifies what various symbols mean. However, modern rendering technology can often create details that are so realistic that keys are not as necessary, according to BASIS. Details on a particular landscape object, especially with foliage, must have at least three colors: a base color, a highlight color and a shadow color, according to the University of Minnesota.
Details
Objects with different layers and a large number of details, such as trees with a very high number of leaves, can often be rendered with the leaves being created automatically, according to BASIS. This speeds up the time that it takes to render different landscape designs so that the landscaper can look at different landscaping possibilities.
Object Conditions
Computers can often take objects such as trees and calculate how these objects can look under various conditions. For instance, a computer can often determine what a tree will look like at night time and can even determine what the tree would look like when the sunlight hits the tree at a particular angle, according to BASIS. Since the homeowner will be looking at the landscape at different times of the day and during different seasons, this feature can help landscapers make decisions that they will be happy with during different times of the year.
Generation
In order to save time and speed up the rendering process, computer programs often render several repeats of a single landscape object. A computer might create stones that have particular shapes and then might render these stones several times over so that these stones do not have to be created individually, according to BASIS. For landscaping projects, objects such as stones do not always have to be perfect; all that is needed is a general idea.
