Creating a slope within a model

Hi all,

I am working on a garden design which is intended to have a gentle slope at one end of a ‘rill’ style water feature. I have tried to follow YouTube tutorials on how to create slopes, but they all seem to focus on independent features. I have my garden more or less complete, and have tried to work out how to create a slope - unsuccessfully.

Can someone please talk me through how I do this? I seem to have created a crater in space, when really I want a gentle beach-y type slope. I’d also like the more natural side of the garden to connect with the square area to the left.

Please see attached the model with my failed attempt at sloping.

I could also do with working out how to make my slope around the tree look a little less fake. The tree sits on higher ground than I would like the garden to be, so am implying the sloping of the soil outwards from the tree, but it looks like an Jencks installation instead. I drew rings around the tree, the lowered each one in turn. Is there a more effective way I could do this?

Many thanks,

Gill
Section 3 - final - forum post.skp (2.2 MB)

You might just need to get your head around the sandbox tools.
Sandbox

Right, I’ll follow these steps and let you know how I get on! Thanks for the video, much appreciated

I’ve had a bash at it and it’s a bit shabby, but it’s getting there.

2 questions I have are:

  • It would look better I think if I made the whole back section terrain (so no join) but I need the area behind the patio to be straight at this will be some form of hard landscaping. Can I select one line and lock it, then mess about with the rest til my heart’s content?

  • How to I fill in the open sections underneath the terrain to make the land a solid object?

Thanks again for the advice, it really helps me to learn when it’s specific to what I’m doing

Gill
Section 3 - final - forum post.skp (2.2 MB)

You can make the terrain one piece then cut chunks out of it if you want, and a skirt can easily added by extending some edges down. This is all somewhat over exaggerated by I think you’ll get my meaning.
Skirt

2 Likes

Wow that’s great! I’ll need to have a practice at that, I’ve just started messing around with sandbox stuff today (thanks!) but don’t even have the Solid Tools open (didn’t know they existed). So much to learn.

Thanks again

There is also the Stamp tool in the sandbox tools that will flatten terrain.

I’ll have a play about with the stamp tool too. I’ve created a rectangle in situ so I can manipulate it, but how do I snip off the areas I don’t want (to fit within the fence). If I turn the fence back on, they’re already a group - can I use them in a similar way to you have above to cut it to size?

Another question for you; how did you create a flat rectangle in uneven terrain? You seem to have started elsewhere in the work space and a little arrow appeared - what did you do there?

When I try to create a rectangle it just doesn’t work

I used Shift to lock the rectangle tool to the blue axis, the arrow keys also work each to a specific axis.