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Oxford College of Garden Design

Producing the country's top garden designers since 1992

CAD Courses for Garden Designers

The aim of this course is to introduce the features available in these two software packages and show how they can be applied to Landscape Design. They will be instructor lead and will include a high proportion of hands-on workshops to reinforce the teaching techniques and will include home-study assignments allocated between modules.

SketchUp as a 3D design tool
This module will help you create 3D graphics for architecture, construction, landscaping, interior design and more.

On day one, you'll learn how to draw two-dimensional shapes and how to bring them to life in 3D. With SketchUp's intuitive inference features and "sticky" geometry, you can create complex interconnected shapes and detailed 3D designs. You'll focus less on the mechanics and more on the drawing—it's as close to pencil and paper as you can get. In no time you'll be creating surfaces, polygons, complex 3D shapes, even an entire rendered 3D neighborhood of your designs.

On day 2, you'll build on the skills for creating 3D objects developed on day one and learn how to use groups and components, tap the potential of inferences, interconnect forms, create lathed and extruded objects, and more.

To impress your clients and colleagues, you'll learn how to add entourage elements, incorporate photos, create different model views, and even animate a ‘virtual reality’ presentation.

Vectorworks Pt1
The prime aim of this module is to teach the student how to take hand drawn sketch plans and electronic site surveys and use these as the foundation for setting out drawings and construction detailing. Key elements are:

  • Object creation and placement techniques
  • Using layers and scale manipulation
  • Creating text and labeling
  • Dimensioning
  • Printing
  • Importing CAD drawn site surveys
  • Drawing up a Site Survey
  • Advanced use of Layers to create Layout Plan

Vectorworks Pt2
The emphasis will be on defining a plant database and using this to produce planting plans and automate the production of plant schedules.

  • Recap on Introduction and Intermediate courses
  • Managing Plant Data
  • Placing Plants and creating planting plans
  • Plant Styles, Graphics & Schedules
  • Transferring schedules and quantities to spread sheets and Word Documents
  • Advanced Contour manipulation (Cut and Fill)
3D Vectorworks
Introduction to 3D modelling in Vector works.

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Chris James design
Chris James design
Chris James design

Christopher James (Student 2007/8)


Diploma Course Advantages
Free 4 Day Intro Class...Free CAD Course...Free VectorWorks Software...Free membership of the Society of Garden Designers...Free drawing equipment...Free Sketchup software...Free Office software...Free Graduate Mentoring.
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