Keeping mesh up to date w/ 2D revisions from landscape architect is challenging

[Robert Nichols]

The landscape architect we work with most of the time only produces 2D documentation. Generally, when they first provide us with contours (polylines) of existing terrain, we magic-wand them to create ridges in our mesh. It's a bit tedious, but gets the job done - especially now that we have trained them NOT to break a contour line with intermediate text (contour elevation value) or similar.

But when design work begins and they start sending over new grading, still in the form of 2D contours, the work on our end gets brutal. Often we end up clicking and dragging our existing ridges around to match the new grading. When we know a lot of work will be done within a fixed area, we create an isolated mesh "insert" for that area and use the magic wand to create all new meshes for that bit. That is probably the best we will be able to do given that the other office doesn't produce their own 3D terrains that we can use (we really like working with them, so abandonment not an option!).

Does anyone else face this problem, and have developed a workflow that isn't horrible?

[Gerry Leonor]

i know they're different disciplines, but when it comes to just the site level coordination, civil & landscape levels aren't too far apart.

from my experience, i've stopped magic-wanding every single contour line to create a site mesh. we're only ever taking spot levels at corners around (such as footpath & carparking) as well as the top / bottom of stairs & ramps and external doors.

sure, it'd be nice to have a fully coordinated mesh, but with the projects we work with (large warehouses in large sites) it doesn't really help us in the long run & it just adds so much polygons which can contribute to a sluggish project in the documentation stage.

unless a group of contours is critical for compliance or design or any other reason of utmost importance, we tend to ignore it & ask for spot levels to be included in their drawings which we coordinate at our end.

when it comes to coordinating site level updates, we ask for an updated IFC file, combine it in Solibri & visually check to see if any of the differences require addressing at our end. if there isn't much of a difference & if it doesn't even show up in any of our sections / elevation drawings, we'll ignore it -- unless there is a big enough change.

[jl_lt]

Best workflow i can possibly imagine: make them learn archicad or vectorworks landscape (although i dont know if its compatible with archicad).  

[Laszlo Nagy]

At least, from Vectorworks Landscape, they could export a 3D IFC file which Archicad could import.