Landscape and hardscape design software has evolved in recent years from a drafting tool into a connected, data-rich design ecosystem. Artificial intelligence (AI) design software’s ongoing advancements provides ease and efficiency.
How landscaping contractors and designers leverage can make a significant difference.
New Artificial Intelligence Developments
AI design software’s ongoing advancements provides ease and efficiency. Tony Kostreski, Vectorworks lead product specialist, notes that Vectorworks Landmark enables contractors to move seamlessly from concept to construction documentation within a single environment. “Purpose-built tools for planting, grading, irrigation, and hardscape reflect real-world site conditions and installation workflows, reducing the need for disconnected tools and manual workarounds,” he says.
In PRO Landscape+, AI Eraser and AI Cutout lets users quickly remove existing elements from a photo or drop in new ones without manual editing, says David Sloan, PRO Landscape+ Design Software sales manager.
PRO Landscape
A built-in AI assistant guides users to needed tools or training. The changes solve contractors’ ongoing core challenges: time, ease of use, and communication — designs formerly taking hours are done in minutes with a lower learning curve, says Sloan. Final visuals look better and help contractors close more jobs.
AI models allow homeowners to answer a few questions, upload a picture and receive several design concepts within minutes, says Megan Pratt, Oldcastle APG vice president of product.
Belgard
Yet, homeowners typically require greater education as landscape and hardscape investments are a more personal decision. “It pays off to be knowledgeable in different products, tools and techniques,” she says. “When discussing shifting budgets, site conditions, and installation timelines, homeowners seek an expert who will be a good steward of their vision and their home’s long-term value.”
AI-powered editing and the built-in image library allows contractors to quickly create compelling before and after concepts, helping to close jobs, says Sloan. PRO Landscape+ streamlines the commercial presentation where projects tend to be larger, more technical, and often require architects, property managers, or committee collaboration.
Time & Money Savings
Vectorworks' Kostreski notes, “by working with data-driven objects, contractors can automatically generate plant schedules, material takeoffs, and grading plans updating in real time as designs evolve, eliminating manual counting and reducing the risk of costly errors.” Vectorworks Cloud Services enable teams to offload rendering, share files, and publish tasks, keeping internal resources focused on high-value design development and client communication tasks. Cloud Document Reviewer allows project managers to review documents on the go with redlines and comments syncing to the working Vectorworks file.
Vectorworks
“These efficiencies translate directly into faster turnaround times, more accurate bids, and improved margins, particularly in an industry where labor and material costs continue to fluctuate,” he says.
AI Eraser dramatically reduces photo editing time, says PRO Landscape's Sloan. The built-in content library removes the need to search for or create assets from scratch, helping to close more jobs faster, handle more opportunities without adding staff, and positively impact project profitability, he adds.
Oldcastle APG's Pratt notes design software is growing in popularity among contractors seeking a competitive edge in developing and enhancing designs. They derive significant time savings through the ability to quickly edit designs, providing a visualization to homeowners to elicit more confidence, she adds.
Teams use AI tools to brainstorm and find additional inspiration, says Pratt. Time and cost savings emerge using real pricing, availability and specs. Adding, that solutions such as Belgard Rooms helps contractors complete projects faster and smarter, with high-quality materials.
PRO Landscape
Maximizing Your Investment
Optimal value is derived using solutions like PRO Landscape+ on every opportunity, not just larger or high-end projects, says Sloan. It includes access to tutorials and guidance, leading to small workflow improvements across multiple jobs. High quality visuals ensure everyone is aligned before the project starts, leading to customer satisfaction and profitability improvements.
Establishing standardized templates, libraries, and workflows ensures consistency across projects, enabling teams to reuse proven design elements, Kostreski says. Additionally, “leveraging cloud collaboration tools allows contractors to share updates in real time with clients, subcontractors, and suppliers, reducing miscommunication and delays,” he says. “The greatest return on investment comes from aligning people, processes, and technology around a unified digital workflow.”
Belgard
“With design software, the contractor reduces development time, tweaks the design based on customer feedback, and shares it easily across multiple platforms,” says Belgard's Pratt — freeing time for more projects. Belgard’s modular system’s built-in three-inch increments includes pavers with different textures, colors, and sizes which can be paired with other modular pavers to create unique designs and patterns while reducing timelines and installation costs.
Complicated Designs
Modern design software simplifies the complicated. One driving factor is augmented reality (AR).
A more intuitive interface lowers the barrier to working in 3D and managing data, giving teams confidence to take on more complex grading, planting, and hardscape layouts without increasing risk, notes Kostreski.
“When tools like Vectorworks Landmark make it easier to visualize slopes, resolve conflicts, and coordinate with other trades, contractors can deliver sophisticated designs that are still practical to install because potential issues are identified and addressed in the model first,” he says.
Vectorworks
“Users can explore more options, make faster adjustments, and present more polished concepts without getting bogged down in the software itself, sometimes resulting in more detailed or refined designs, but not necessarily more difficult ones to build,” says Sloan.
Modern design platforms unify 2D documentation, 3D modeling, and immersive experiences within a single workflow. Designers can generate plans, sections, and renderings from one model, then leverage Vectorworks, Odyssey, Nomad, and Cloud Services to offer browser‑based walkthroughs, onsite AR previews, and full virtual reality experiences from the same file.
“For outdoor environments," says Kostreski, "this ‘virtual pre‑build’ lets owners and crews understand circulation, access, and sightlines at full scale before ground is broken, speeding approvals and reducing change orders.”
PRO Landscape
More Rapid Bid Wins
While renderings were not historically considered advantageous, as technology and quality has evolved, they are now expected, notes Belgard's Pratt of 2D and 3D modeling. Visualization tools help contractors focus on products they know best and will work together — building trust and winning bids.
Belgard
Sloan adds that photo imaging (2D in a vertical plane) is often the most impactful for residential sales, allowing contractors to show a realistic ‘after’ image using the customer’s actual property. Traditional landscape-specific 2D CAD provides accurate, to-scale plans critical for estimating, layout, and installation.
3D Editor helps clients better understand space, depth, and how different elements come together, which can be useful for larger or more complex projects where perspective matters, says Sloan.
Pratt explains that contractors have reported using 3D renders reduced time to close (five versus 25 hours), close rates above 60 percent, and higher sales price/margins.
“Projects tend to have the opportunity to grow in scale and have fewer change orders,” she says.
Vectorworks
You (the Human Factor) Are Important
AI hasn’t fundamentally changed how landscapes are designed, It’s still driven by the contractor’s expertise and creativity, Sloan notes, adding AI has made it easier to produce and present ideas quickly and clearly.
That translates to more efficient workflows, faster turnaround times, and a lower barrier to entry for new users, enhancing productivity rather than replacing the human element critical to good design, he adds.
AI makes design more accessible, but also raises expectations, says Pratt. “The differentiator is still the ability to turn a good idea into a great outcome,” she says. Adding, contractors who use technology to enhance their process, not replace it, are the ones who will prevail.
