How will CADD fit into your office? Obviously there will be different answers for different firms, but the basics of utilizing CADD will be similar for all.

CADD will not eliminate the need for trace paper. Development of basic concepts, the plant palette and selection of irrigation components will still be accomplished in the same way. Past this point CADD becomes a powerful design tool.

Once the site has been entered, the basic design concept should be created on the screen. The capabilities inherent in CADD will allow the rapid development of ideas and exploration of alternatives. The ability to quickly explore alternative concepts is one of CADD?EUR??,,????'???s significant features. The costs of various alternatives can be quickly and easily determined and compared at this early stage as well. Manual takeoffs and estimating are so time consuming they are rarely done at the concept stage, but CADD gives any office this increased capability because takeoffs are created simultaneously with the design. Area calculations, linear foot calculations, plant counts, sprinkler head counts, even cut and fill quantities can be called up by no more than a few key strokes. When costs are assigned to these units, an estimate of the project can be generated and printed out at a fraction of the time it takes to do it manually. With CADD, both preliminary and final estimates can be calculated with ease. All calculations will be performed by the computer with greater accuracy and enormously greater speed.

When the design development stage is reached, automated routines, such as automated parking layout, will speed up design development greatly. Hardscape can be designed by entering dimensions from the keyboard ?EUR??,,????'??? a method combining both speed and accuracy. A designer can create one side of a meandering walk or header, and then the offset command will automatically draw a parallel line, at any distance you wish.

Irrigation design is automated to a great extent as well, and all hydraulic calculations are accomplished with the speed and accuracy of a computer. CADD offers many such automated routines, and by utilizing them fully, you can get the most out of you system.

Design development proceeds very quickly with CADD. Your offices?EUR??,,????'??? next step would normally be the production of the working drawings. Not with CADD ?EUR??,,????'??? your CADD system produces the working drawings simultaneously with the design. Actual plans are drawn up by a plotter, freeing your staff to concentrate on architecture, instead of drafting.

Every Landscape Architect has to deal with the changes after the completion of the plans. With CADD, these become easy, the errors that creep in with multiple changes cannot occur. Don?EUR??,,????'???t pick up an electric eraser! Call up the plan on a screen and make the necessary changes quickly and easily, then plot a new hard copy. The time saved is significant, and the quality of your construction documents remains perfect, regardless of how many erasures occur on the screen. Your system will automatically change the dimensions and recalculate the quantity take off.

Once you are creating drawings electronically, they can be stored electronically also. All, or just current projects can be stored in your computer hard disc. This enables you to call up any desired plan very quickly. If you have multiple workstations, networking software will allow plans stored at one workstation to be called up to another. Projects not current can be copied onto a floppy disc and stored easily, freeing space on the hard disc. Flat files are obsolete!

Whatever your firms current organization, strive to utilize CADD to its maximum potential. Select a CADD dealer who can train your staff thoroughly and create a management plan that will allow you to get the most out of your system. When used properly, CADD is an investment that will give greater returns than any other your firm could make.

Tom Dellaquilla is a registered Landscape Architect with 19 years experience in landscape and irrigation system design. He has owned his own business, been the landscape manager of a large development company and before moving to a prominent Landscape Architectural firm was with Consolidated Reprographics, CADD division.