By Ashley Calabria, MLA, assistant professor, University of Georgia School of Environmental Design, LASN associate editor of technology. Images by Zhen Feng

1. After you?EUR??,,????'???ve scanned the tree in Photoshop, uncheck contiguous in the Options Bar with the magic wand, then delete the white background.

SketchUp?EUR??,,????'???s adoption and popularity in the field of computer graphics for landscape architecture has been unrivaled in recent years. Back in 2004, I started research with UGA School of Environmental Design interns to track shifts in computer programs used in the profession. In 2004, SketchUp was not listed or even mentioned as a program used by over 60 students working throughout the United States. But in 2006, half our interns had been required to use it during their professional internship.

In lieu of its accessibility, popularity and ease of use, most landscape firms seem to use it in one of two ways?EUR??,,????'??+as a video clip for a fly through, or to print out a wire frame and hand draw over it. Below are the steps for using a hand drawn symbol as a component instead of the default components available through SketchUp, allowing for a more hand drawn final look for print and as a way to customize your graphic style.

2. Use the Measuring Tape to resize the tree to be 25-feet tall, for instance.

Scanning and Photoshop

Hand draw a tree in elevation and scan it in color with 300 resolution as a JPEG. You can also use a photograph for creating a photo-realistic project.

Open the scan or photo in Photoshop and resave the image with the .PNG (Portable Network Graphic) extension. Leave the interlace option set to none.

Unlock the background layer with the tree on it by double clicking on the layer and then hitting ok.

Use the magic wand and uncheck contiguous in the Options Bar at the top. This allows the selection to be read inside the gaps of the trunk. Hit the delete key to delete the white background and just keep the tree image. The background changes to a checkerboard pattern which represents transparent. Save this again as a .PNG file.

3. Use the Pencil to draw around the tree and make sure the inference tag reads ?EUR??,,????'??on face,?EUR??,,????'??then select the tree and go to Edit and Make Component.

SketchUp

Open a new SketchUp document. The easiest way to place the tree vertically is to first go to Camera and select Parallel Projection, then select the front view from the views toolbar. Bryce, the default guy who shows up at the origin point should be standing on the ground or red axis and he is facing you.

Go to File and Import. Set Files of Type to read .PNG and browse to where you saved the tree image.

Hit open and set the image on the red axis. Drag the cursor up to the right to locate another point to size the tree.

4. Save the new tree component in the components folder for use in other documents.

Use the Measuring Tape to resize the tree accurately by selecting the Measuring Tape tool and selecting the bottom of the tree trunk. Drag the measuring tape up to the top and select the top of the canopy. Type in whatever height you want the tree to be. This example set the tree at 25-feet tall. You do not need to be in the VCB or Value Control Box to enter numbers.

Use the Selection Tool and right click on the image. Select Explode. Use the Pencil to quickly draw around the edges of the tree. Make sure that as you draw your outline, the inference tag reads ?EUR??,,????'??on face?EUR??,,????'??.

Use the Pink Eraser to scrub out the original square frame around the tree.

Use the Selection Tool to select the tree and go to Edit and Make Component.

Give the component a name and make sure to check ?EUR??,,????'??Always face camera?EUR??,,????'?? and ?EUR??,,????'??Shadows face sun.?EUR??,,????'?? Select ?EUR??,,????'??Create.?EUR??,,????'??

5. Here, both a hand-rendered tree and a photograph of a tree were added as components.

Using the Selection Tool, double click the tree component and select the outline of the tree. Hold down the shift key to keep adding to the selection. Once it is all selected, right click while hovering over one of the lines and select Entity Info. Check the Hidden box and you will see the outline disappear.

As it is now, the component will be inserted by its lower corner point. Using the Selection Tool, right click on the component and select Change Axes. Place the origin at the center base of the trunk. The next two clicks define the red and green axis. It is easier to select these in plan view from the views in the tool bar. Keep them at the same orientation as the original axis. Resetting the origin will also set the location of where the shadow will be cast from.

6. The new tree component used in an existing project.

Saving the Component

Open the Components by going to Window and Components. Select the house icon which represents the components that are used in this model.

Select the tree and right click on it. Select Save As. Locate your SketchUp program folder, then select: Components ?EUR??,,????'??? Landscape ?EUR??,,????'??? Plant Materials ?EUR??,,????'??? Trees 2D. Give your tree a name and hit Save.

The example above shows both a hand drawn tree from above and a photo of a tree which was created using the same steps above. Shadows were cast on them after they were turned into components.

Now your component can be accessed by opening an existing drawing and selecting the tree from the components ?EUR??,,????'??? Landscape ?EUR??,,????'??? Plant Materials ?EUR??,,????'??? Trees 2D list.

Good luck and please feel free to contact me with questions, comments or suggestions. I am also looking for article suggestions or others interesting in writing or submitting articles. (Ashley Calabria calabria@uga.edu)