Why grow a real garden when a Sims yard is less backbreaking?

May 12, 2009 10:56 AM

I'm fantasizing about landscape modeling software for laypeople.

This software would allow you to create a moderately realistic view of your yard. Then you could create a 3-D model which would take plant growth patterns, your planting zone, etc into effect and show you what the yard would most likely look like over time.

Oh and it would be free! And have a wide variety of plants to choose from! And be easy to learn! And allow versioning!

No problem, right? Anybody know of anything that sounds at all like this?

posted by pomegranate to home & garden (5 comments total)

The closest thing I know is sketchup. Doesn't fulfill all of your requirements but might be pretty close.
posted by aeighty at 11:32 AM on May 12 [1 favorite]

yes
posted by caddis at 11:49 AM on May 12

Somewhat tangential to what you're describing is terrain modeling software. (That list contains a really wide variety of different programs.)
posted by XMLicious at 11:50 AM on May 12

There was a whole shelf full of software titles at Fry's that covered backyard gardening and landscaping modeling when I was there yesterday. It wasn't free, though. $24-$99 was the approximate price range, if I recall.
posted by Burhanistan at 12:30 PM on May 12

Free is tricky, because of all the work necessary to make the program really good take a lot of time, and landscape design doesn't fall under the areas where group-made opensource/ freeware typically excels (common programs, or technical programs with wide usage).
posted by filthy light thief at 1:40 PM on May 12