frequently asked questions

we have put together a list of the questions we are most often asked:

  • If you are new to Vectorworks we suggest you start with our Introduction to Vectorworks course. It covers the foundations of Vectorworks Landmark and will show you how to draw a simple site survey taken by hand. By the end of the day you will be able to publish a sheet layout with the site survey and a simple title block, north arrow and scale bar.

    Our Intermediate Vectorworks course will show you how to create the more complex objects you might want for your garden designs, along with importing DWG, PDF and image files. In the afternoon you will learn how to use the Plant tool and pre-formatted reports.

    If you are unsure whether or not Vectorworks is for you, from January 2025 we will offer a What is Vectorworks? self-study course. This course is perfect for garden and landscape designers that don’t currently use Vectorworks but are considering it for their business.

  • We use the latest version of Vectorworks: Vectorworks 2025. We will ask at the beginning of the course whether anyone is using an older version and will do our best to highlight where older versions differ from the latest. Please note, the Hardscape and Landscape Area tools in Vectorworks Landmark have changed significantly at version 2025 and we recommend upgrading if possible.

    It is essential you have Vectorworks installed and running prior to the course. We cannot help you with software installation, if you have any difficulties with this please contact Vectorworks directly.

  • If you are new to SketchUp we suggest you start with our Introduction to SketchUp course. It is suitable for people who are totally new to SketchUp, or those looking for a refresher and who want to learn best practises and ensure they’re using the optimal workflow.

    If you are unsure whether or not SketchUp is for you, from January 2025 we will offer a What is SketchUp? self-study course. This course is perfect for garden and landscape designers that don’t currently use SketchUp but are considering it for their business.

  • We use the Pro version of SketchUp, not the free online browser-based version. If you only have this we recommend upgrading to the Pro package as the two are very different.

    It is essential you have SketchUp installed and running prior to the course. We cannot help you with software installation and if you have any difficulties with this please contact SketchUp directly.

  • No, the functionality of Vectorworks and SketchUp is the same, whether you are using a Mac or PC.

    We have Macs and will be using these on our courses, but we will highlight the different keyboard shortcuts for both Macs and PCs during demonstrations and in the course notes.

  • We run our online courses via Zoom. You do not need to install Zoom or have an account, you can join the meeting as a guest via your internet browser.

    You will need a stable, reliable internet connection.

  • Our courses are divided into a series of demonstrations and class exercises. As tempting as it is to follow the tutor - selecting tools and drawing as they draw - you are more likely to miss details this way (even if you have two screens), as you will be concentrating on your own work and not the tutor. There is a lot to cover in each course and the demonstrations will run quite quickly to leave as much time as possible for class exercises.

    We provide a comprehensive course manual and recommend you concentrate on the demonstrations and make any additional notes by hand.

  • Our scheduled courses are currently held online using Zoom. They start at 9.30 and finish at 16.45.

  • From 1st November 2024 until 30th March 2025 our one-day courses start and end as follows:

    Pacific Standard Time: 01.30-08.45

    Eastern Standard Time: 04.30-11.45

    UK (GMT): 09.30-16.45

    Central European Time: 10.30-17.45

    Eastern European Time: 11.30-18.45

    Gulf Standard Time: 12.30-20.45

  • When you book a course we will send you a confirmation email acknowledging your booking.

    One week before your course is due to start we will send you a link to a Zoom meeting and will send course materials 24 hours before the course starts.

  • As per our Term of Service: for online courses, cancellation requests made more than 2 weeks before a course starts will be accepted and you will be able to transfer your booking to another course of the same value at no extra cost. If a cancellation request is made less than 2 weeks before a course starts, you will be unable to transfer your booking and the full course fee will remain chargeable.

    As an alternative to cancellation, another person may attend a course in your place. We require 72 hour notification of the change along with the name, contact number and email of the new attendee.

  • As per our Terms of Service: cancellation requests made more than 2 weeks before bespoke training commences will be accepted. If a cancellation request is made less than 2 weeks before a course starts, you will be able to rearrange the training for a mutually convenient date and the full course fee will remain chargeable.

  • If you would like more information on any of our courses, please do ask. You can contact us via email, phone or via our contact form.

“The sessions were fantastic and transformative. Whist we are capable in the software, investing some time into training has allowed us to take it to the next level and improve the efficiency of our design work. A huge thank you to Emily and Fiona - would highly recommend to other established design studios.”
— HH