Create New Landshape Terrain
Landshape Tools Work on Landshape Terrain
Most Landshape tools work only on Landshape terrain.
Let's say that you use Sketchup's built-in Rectangle tool to draw a rectangle. Now, if you run any Landshape Brush, and try stroking your Sketchup rectangle – nothing at all will happen. Why is this? This is because your rectangle is not Landshape terrain.
However, if you create some Landshape terrain, and stroke the same brush on Landshape terrain – something will happen.
To use any Landshape terrain tool, you first need to have a Landshape terrain plot in your Sketchup model.
How do you create new terrain in Landshape? Well, Landshape offers two different ways to create new terrain:
Method 1. Create by Plot
Plot lets you draw a rectangle, and fill it with fresh new Landshape terrain. Plot is a Draw tool.
Plot's terrain footprint is always rectangular.
Per default, Plot outputs a flat terrain.
😎 Pro Tip – Hold Alt while plotting to automatically vary heights. This quickly gets you a sandbox terrain. A Sandbox terrain is useful for learning and experimenting with Landshape tools.
Learn more about Plotting.
Method 2. Create by Form
Form lets you create a new piece of Landshape terrain out any selected Sketchup group containing geometry.
For instance an Addlocation terrain, a previous non-Landshape terrain, or a rectangle. Remember – your input has to be grouped.
Form is a Picker. In Landshape, this means that you select control geometry to drive the results.
Learn more about Forming.
Two's a Crowd
Currently, Plot and Form are the only two ways to create new terrain in Landshape. – Simple is good!
What Is a Plot?
A contiguous Landshape terrain island is called a "Plot". In Landshape, the word "Plot" refers both to a command, a verb, and its effect.
Comparing Plot and Form
Let's compare the two terrain-making commands Plot and Form. Compared to Plot, Form has the added advantage that you already at creation time may give your terrain specific elevations. Form will try to apply the elevations in your input to the terrain. Draw a Rectangle, Group it, Rotate it so it tilts. Then Select it and run Form.
Also, Form supports input Mask. A Mask enables you to create new terrain with a custom-shaped terrain footprint.
Now, what if you have already created your terrain using Plot, but later wish to have it conform to a control group, say an Addlocation? As if you had created your terrain using Form?
In Landshape, this is easy. First, ensure your control group is covered by your plot. Then, Select your control group. Then, run Fit. This should shape your existing terrain much in the same way as a Form would have. If you do not get the expected results, try adjusting your Fit command values.
A Plot Is a Plot Is a Plot
Landshape terrain created via Plot and Form is the same kind of thing. All Landshape commands will work the same way, no matter by which method you created your terrain.
Landshape terrain essentially works as an elastic canvas. Whether you originally created it via Form or Plot does not matter.
The result is the same. The steps getting there differ. This is by design. In Landshape, there are many ways to create similar results.
Working with Multiplot
Landshape is optimised and battletested for working with only one contiguous plot per model.
But, if you wish, you may have two, three, or several plots in your model. This can be a handy way to compare terrain variations, try out tools, show different project states.
Most commands and workflows should work fine also in multiplot scenarios.
Advanced. Manual Plot Merge
😎 Pro Tip – If you create two or more plots so their footprints just touch in plan, but do not overlap, Landshape will try to consider them as one single plot. Remember – do not overlap the plots.
For manual Plot merge to work, you should make sure that the two adjacent plot Rims, which connect two plots, share the same vertex topology. This means that the edges from each plot connect to the Rim at the same point in plan.
If one Plot Rim has irregular mesh variations, this can be tricky. But if both share a regular mesh resolution, say 2 meters, then a manual merge should be straightforward.
Manual Plot merge can be a handy way to grow your terrain footprint. In case there initially is a vertical gap, you may close it by running e.g. the Smooth Brush.
Currently, merging Plots is a manual process. Holygon plans to facilitate automated merging of plots.