I’m re-watching your video, you mentioned that your process in creating a site plan brings the trees in…would you elaborate on how that happens please.
For a real building project a surveyor is always a must. No online topo database provides a topo model accurate enough to base your final building plans on.
Here in Finland we have a public Lidar scan of the whole country with points at something like 2 to 5 meter intervals, and it is not near enough accurate. The National Survey has started a new Lidar project that will produce something like 3 points per square meter. That might be usable.
You cannot get topo data out of Google Earth, and using it would be forbidden. Sketchup has topo data that comes out of OpenStreetMap, but the quality is nothing to boast about.
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Trees are located by the Surveyor so they are in the ACAD file they send me. I then use the “drape” toll to place the trees directly onto the 3d mesh of the site.
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Any suggestions for the best tutorial on Site import and “easy” manipulation of contours/terrane for driveways, paths, retaining walls, sails, etc?
Great, Thank you! Easy enough! 
Thanks! I am looking for a way to do just some schematics at the moment, not technical plans, so that info helps, likewise the other replies from Nick, etc.
Definitely sign up for Daniel Tal’s presentation.
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Will do. I am signed up for the duration of Fireside chats. Always something to learn.
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Is it ok to drink 
while watching?
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With the paradigm shift to BIM globally, how do you think your workflow has some similarity or not with BIM
Ken, I use this in my classrooms, it may help you some. It’s only the PDF and not the CAD files, but you can substitute them with yours to do the same. I hope this helps you out some.10-Sandbox.pdf (2.3 MB)
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Nick, Thank you again for doing his today, have a great day, you were awesome!
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@Ldzent Thank you, I’ll download and review
By uploading information into the model you are technically creating a BIM workflow. For the custom home designs I do, programs like REVIT are just too overblown to function with any form of the speed that I can do in SU and LO.
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I see you’ve already addressed this. I deleted my question.
How do you model / organize alternate design ideas during early design? Layers / Tags turned on and off, or multiple model files?
I put the question because wherever you talk about BIM for some reason Revit pops up every time so, Im currently doing professionally in SU, what I call an assembly modeling of parts for manufacturing you can check out www.fast-tec.com, I think for the most part SU can deliver more than people think
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I typically save as another model so I can easily come back to it if necessary, unless it is something further down in design and small like a cabinet change, then I use tags for alternates.
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I’ve got to run everyone. Thanks for joining my presentation. I hope it helped with your own processes.
Nick
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Thanks for all the effort and time.
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