#Best landscaping software online update
#Best landscaping software online software

#Best landscaping software online software

Russ Prophit, owner of Precise Irrigation Design and Consulting, prefers to use the irrigation-specific software RainCAD, but many designers use a more general landscape design program. Software Republic offers other software packages that can be layered into RainCAD for complete landscape design. His company offers a training course, and he says someone with a knack for software could design a simple residential irrigation system after a two-and-a-half-day course. вЂњIt can be a little intimidating,вЂќ Prophit says of the software.

#Best landscaping software online update

Alternately, a materials list can be e-mailed or faxed to a parts house for an estimate, eliminating the need to update prices in the database every year. The user inputs material and labor costs for a precise tabulation, or the program can calculate cost as a percentage of the job. These features allow irrigation costs to be reported to the client, but RainCAD also has an estimating and budgeting function that allows the user to bid accurately on jobs. Irricalc has a water usage and scheduling feature that allows controller run times and the cost of water to be projected, as well as evapotranspiration rates for different regions. It can be integrated into RainCAD, but he says according to the company, the two programs will be merged this year and available from one platform.

Prophit uses another program from Software Republic, called Irricalc, to make his calculations for estimating and budgeting. He is also a beta tester of the program for Software Republic. It follows irrigation standards set by the Irrigation Association, says Prophit, who is certified by that organization as a designer, contractor and auditor. Software like this allows the irrigation designer to customize everything from icons to functions, and it can make automatic calculations of factors such as friction loss or pipe velocity, or be set to allow the user to do them manually and individually. It is customizable for any equipment manufacturer, he notes, as he uses some oddball equipment from small manufacturers, which he can import himself or from those companiesвЂ™ databases. The program comes with complete CAD design functions and a large database of irrigation equipment and parts from major manufacturers. вЂњThe speed is tremendous, especially when you do your material takeoffs,вЂќ says Prophit. The program by Software Republic ( claims to be a вЂњcomplete stand-alone design systemвЂќ that will handle any irrigation job, and it requires a prior knowledge of both irrigation systems and computers for a quick and friendly interface with a new user.

вЂњThereвЂ™s software out there that makes your life a lot easier,вЂќ Prophit says, and for him this is it. He started using the program in the early вЂ90s when it was being developed. Icons in the software are assigned to all irrigation parts, such as sprinkler heads.ДЄn irrigation design on RainCAD can be utilized alone or layered into a landscape plan.ДЇor a company designing complex and extensive irrigation systems, specialized CAD software, such as RainCAD, is the only way to go, says Russ Prophit, owner of Precise Irrigation Design and Consulting in Winter Haven, Fla. In general, there are two types of upmarket software used to design irrigation systems that are accepted by landscape architects, engineers and construction managers working on a variety of projects.ДЇor a general landscape company that designs irrigation as part of a larger job, a good choice would be landscaping software that also has irrigation design capabilities. Fortunately, there is a lot of design software available to choose from. The first designer can put pencil on paper if he wants, but that is not good enough for the second designer. In the landscape world, irrigation designers range from those installing a drip system in a garden planter box to those planning a multimillion-dollar combination system for a large commercial complex. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRECISE IRRIGATION DESIGN & CONSULTING.