These components are all created with tools in the Landscape tab.
Plants are objects which display a simple picture in 3D, but one that automatically rotates so that it always faces the direction of the viewpoint on the horizontal plane. They tend to look a bit ridiculous from above, where it is obvious what is happening, and perhaps that is why LiveView doesn't allow a view from above a 25 degree angle above the horizontal. The plant properties dialog is displayed below on the left.
Plant ID sets the plant IDs in all the selected plants to a single plant. The plant may be a standard plant or, if the Punch! version is 7.5 or later, any custom plant. The plant is selected through the Advanced Finish Picker, because plants and textures are very closely related from a software point of view. When a selection is made (or all the selected plants already agree on a single ID) that plant's thumbnail is displayed in the dialog, along with the common and biological "Latin" name.
Age sets the individual ages of all the selected plants. Any plant's age is the sum of the individual age plus the common scene age set on the Landscape tab's age slider, and the plant's size is set to reflect that age. See more detail on this in the User Guide for the TKE PowerTool "PlantTracks".
Elevation/Float on Terrain sets a combination of controls that manages the point-to-point elevation of the plant. If the Float on Terrain checkbox is checked, the elevation of the plant is set to the terrain elevation at each point or handle in the object. If it is unclicked, an elevation number may be entered which will set all the points to that elevation. The float option is set one time, when the objects are returned to Punch!; if the terrain changes thereafter, the plant will not adjust unless explicitly again set to float.
Fill areas are shapes drawn on the terrain. These shapes in 3D are surfaces that are designed to float about three inches above terrain (at least where the fill's handles are) and can be used for any number of surface coloring features. They work best when the topology is fairly flat. There are straight and curved fill areas, but functionally they are the same thing. The dialog for setting selected fill properties is displayed above on the right.
Top finish sets the fill areas' finish.
Elevation/Float on terrain sets the fill areas' elevations; see the same control in the plants section above.
Excavations were designed to provide a manual way to cut the grass in an area, just as the exterior walls of a building do. In addition, a finishable floor surface is also provided at a "height" from the terrain where the excavation was started. This is about as close as Punch! can be to showing a hole in the ground; the brown earth cube sides and bottom show through the terrain hole, simulating earth around the sides of the hole. The excavation properties dialog is displayed below on the left.
Ground finish sets the finish on the ground surface at the "bottom" of the hole.
Ground surface height sets the vertical distance from the hole bottom to the terrain at the point where the excavation started.
A path is a sheet of texture that is built from a centerline rather than outlined. They have traditionally been curved, though straight paths may be created using the shape conversion technique. In LiveView and on Punch! plans the curved path width is nominal, as the method used to create the path from it's centerline can vary in distance from the line, especially in highly curved areas. The dialog for setting selected path properties is displayed above on the right.
Path finish sets the path's finish.
Width sets the nominal width of the path along it's length.
Elevation/Float on Terrain sets the path's elevation along its length, as noted above for fills. Note that the path's elevation when floating is set from point to point along its centerline, not its edges as for a fill area.
Fences are open straight structures that extend from point-to-point on the plan. Any section of a fence (between two points) can be designated a gate area. Posts are placed at the points and fence spans extend between the posts. In Punch! version 8 custom fences are available in addition to the standard fence types. The dialog for setting selected path properties is displayed below on the left.
Fence style sets the style of the selected fences; the choices are "Privacy", "Rail", "Picket", and "Ranch". The privacy and picket fences are recognizable, but the ranch and rail fences are simply variations on the picket fence and do not resemble their namesakes. In Punch! version 8 and after a fifth choice, "Custom", is available.
Elevation/Float on Terrain As with fills and paths above, this controls the elevation of the fence at its points, where fence posts occur.
Segment is Gate? sets the gate indicator on all segments of the fences. It is not advisable to use this option usually; it is here for completeness.
The remainder of the parameters are applicable to custom fences, and are therefore only available in Punch! version 8 and after:
Fence span finish sets the finish of the fence spans (the areas between posts. The Punch! Custom Fence Designer allows for creating images to paste on the fence spans, creating realistic looking chain link and wrought iron fencing, as well as the more usual kinds.
Post finish sets the post finish. In Punch! custom fencing, the posts are rectangular structures of the given sizes placed at each point along the fence's path. They can serve, with the appropriate finishes, as wood, steel or wrought iron poles, brick or stone bastions or even New England rock piles.
Gate finish sets the span finish for sections that are designated gate spans. Again, the intent is to use images created with the custom fence designer.
Span height sets the height of the fence spans, assuming the images projected on the spans extend the full image height.
Post height sets the post heights separately from other fencing elements.
Gate height sets the gate span heights.
Span width sets the span width. In addition to establishing posts at the fence's points, custom fencing allows for more posts established by maintaining the span and post widths along unbroken lengths of fence. This feature can cause fencing to look as if the posts were placed at random where the automatic posting and the points posts are not coordinated.
Post width sets he width of the faces on the four sides of each fence post.
Edging is a open, curved structure tool which provides for traditional edging which separates areas on a yard surface; for example between grass and a flower bed. Punch! provides for only one style of edging, using what looks to be small 2"x2" pickets of random heights between 2" and 8", perhaps, in a row of about two pickets per foot. Oddly for such a restrictive style of edging, the texture applied to the pickets can be set so they can resemble wood or steel/plastic pins as desired. The dialog for setting selected path properties is displayed above on the right.
Edging finish sets the finish on the edging "pegs".
Elevation/Float on terrain sets the elevation and float options described above at each point in the edging's path.
InSync and the contents of this help file are
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