How to Create Outdoor Surfaces on the 3D Floor Planner
You can create outdoor surfaces in the 3D Floor Planner with our Draw Outdoors tool. Decking, patios, lawns and driveways are all easily added to your 3D plans with our expanded library of materials including paving, ground cover, lawn, gravel, decking, and pavement.
Learn how to take your 3D plans to the next level by following these steps:
Define the Outdoor Space
First, you'll need to define your outdoor surfaces by creating enclosed spaces. Select the Draw Outdoors tool from the draw menu in the top toolbar and use it just as you would to create walls.
You can draw an enclosed shape by making:Â
- A rectangle enclosed by an exterior wall (shown below)
- A rectangle closed by creating four sides with the outdoor drawing tool
- Any closed shape
Outdoor surfaces can also be divided by placing additional line segments that form closed shapes, enabling an easy-to-use way to place multiple materials in one area. See "Creating pathways" below for more details.
Select Your Surface
Once your areas are defined, it's time to choose your surface material. To see an accurate representation of the materials, do this step while in dollhouse mode.
Click on the surface you wish to update – a new menu on the right side of your screen will appear with the outdoor surface properties. Click the material selector under Surface Style to pull up your material options.
Pro tip: Apply a material to multiple surfaces by holding down the Shift key and selecting each surface, then choosing the desired material.
You will then be able to browse our Materials Library in the right menu. Use the dropdown at the top to narrow down your options. Under Outdoor Landscaping you'll find everything from paving to ground cover, decking, pavement and more. You can also use the search bar to search by keyword. Click the material you want to use and, just like interior flooring, the selected material will fill the whole enclosed area.
Adjust Surface Settings
Once you've found the right surface material, you can adjust the settings (if applicable), such as rotation, grade and plank size, to achieve the look closest to what you want to show to your client. Click the X in the top right of the Material Library to bring up the surface properties, then click the gear icon under the Surface Style section to view and adjust the settings.
Don't forget to add a label to the surface so it's clearly defined when viewed in the floor plan mode!
Create Pathways
Looking to create a brick pathway leading to a decking area, or maybe a driveway surrounded by a lawn? Outdoor surfaces can be divided by adding line segments that form additional shapes – select the Draw Outdoors tool again to add new lines. Once you create a new section within an existing outdoor surface, simply fill said section with your desired material to show the distinction between the two. Update the label(s) on new and existing sections to reflect the new surfaces.
Add Garden Products
Once you complete your new outdoor surface, you can further customise your design by adding garden products and exterior finishes. Pergolas, pools, hot tubs, outdoor lighting, planters, fencing and outdoor furniture are just some of the many options to choose from.
To add products in floor plan mode, select Generic Products from the right-hand menu, and scroll down to the Garden Products section. You can either just click on the product or click and drag to add to your 3D floor plan. You can adjust product size, colour and/or finish in the right-hand menu.
We regularly add new products, so be sure to check back frequently to see what else is new!