Structure Studios

Update 1.790 – A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

Click Here if the video does not appear.

3D Image Import
Want to create a scenic backdrop in your project or duplicate your customer's view? Just import a picture of it! You can now insert photographs into your 3D Presentations. Under Guides, click on the 3D Image button, and select your image file. You can insert the image in 2D or 3D. Once the image is inserted, you can trim the picture using the blue slider bars along the side, and scale it to the correct measurements.

Walk Mode in Presentation
Walk Mode in Presentation now allows you to walk on your custom shapes. Build staircases, balconies or other platforms and easily walk on them during presentations. Or use Fly Mode to simply fly through these custom shapes.

New Features in Construction
Features Include:

Updated Materials
Make a big splash in improving the looks of your designs, with updated materials. Many of our older materials received a facelift. Now your projects will be even more realistic and stunning.

New Animated Items
New animated items have been added to the library. Now families will lounge on the deck while the dog runs in the yard. Animated objects move in both the 3D view and the Presentation. Animations can be turned on and off by using the Play/Pause button located under Parameters.

Animated Items Include:

New Light Sets
3 new complete light sets are now in the library. These new lights can be found in the Lights Category as well as under the New Items Tab. You will find the Classic Grey Set, Mission Set and Rustic Set.

2 New Furniture Sets and New Groups in All Furniture Sets
Two new furniture sets are now available, Modern Aluminum Set and Teak Dining Set. Now every furniture set contains a variety of already grouped combinations ready to be placed in your designs.

New Plants and Trees
VizTerra adds 157 new plants and trees, including updates to many older favorites such as the Bird of Paradise, Cattail and New Zealand Flax. All this fresh new foliage is ready to be quickly inserted into your designs with just a click. Your projects have never been greener!

New Vendor: Lightstreams
Lightstreams Glass Tile is an American manufacturer passionate to create the highest quality and most beautifully complex glass tile for fine architectural and residential properties. They use only the finest, first quality raw materials to create glass tile with exceptional clarity, depth and visual interest. Now you can add Lightstreams glass tile to your designs for a truly mesmerizing effect. This update includes twenty of their stunning glass tiles found in the material library under Lightstreams.

More Choices from Vendor: Grand Effects
3 new torches that combine function and design are now available from Grand Effects: Column Mount, Deck Mount and Wall Mount. These new torches can be found in the library under Grand Effects.

More Options from Vendor: SR Smith
SR Smith has added a variety of state-of-the-art items to complete your projects. New items include: Vortex Slides, Big Ride Slides, Flyte Deck II Diving Boards, FreeStyle Boards, HipHop Boards, Salt Pool Jump Systems and Accessibility Equipment. These new items can be found in the library under SR Smith.

What's Coming Next?
Keep an eye for these exciting new features coming in the near future:

Update 1.785: Pavers and Bricks and Trees Oh My!

Click Here if the video does not appear.

New Materials
Enhance your landscapes with the new extensive collection of pavers, wall bricks, tile, stone and pebble materials. 111 new materials have been added to the library, making it even easier to find the materials you need while designing. Pavers have been moved from the Stone Category to their own category called Pavers. This new Paver Category includes 145 paver patterns in every size, shape and color to complete every aspect of your design.

New Site Amenities
Many new yard accessories are now available, including, building accessories, a picnic table, park benches, tiki torches and many more. When designing the house, you can now choose from new window sizes with thin frame options and new shutters available in white, blue, green and cranberry.

New Plants and Trees
VizTerra receives 149 new plants and trees, including updates to many older choices

New Vendor: RokQuest
Give your projects a unique, truly natural look and feel that can yield stunning results. VizTerra members can now add RokQuest's RokEmboss to their custom projects, ponds, decks, water features and much more. RokQuest fully backs their product by offering design and bid assistance, installation, consulting and onsite management. Find RokEmboss in the material library under RokQuest.

New Vendor: StoneMakers
StoneMakers provides an attractive yet cost effective alternative to natural stone, block and veneer. Create durable and affordable hardscapes from solid monolithic concrete with no forms, no molds or special tools required. VizTerra designers can choose from eight of their distinct applications to give projects the look and feel of actual stonework. These creative solutions are available in the material library under StoneMakers.

2012 Structure Studios VIP Design Challenge: Deadline Oct 29, 2011
The contest is happening now and the entries are pouring in. Have you entered yet? This is your chance to have your design featured in the 2012 Structure Studios calendar and win an Apple iPad 2. Email your .SAV files to contest@structurestudios.com. Your design could be the 2012 Structure Studios VIP Design of the Year.

What's Coming Next?
Keep an eye for these exciting new features coming in the near future:

Update 1.777: Just Over the Horizon

Click Here if the video does not appear.

All New Enhanced Background Options
It's true the world isn't flat. Your VizTerra 3D presentations became even more dramatic with the new background system. Designs come to life with panoramic views on every project. New background options are available in Finalize Stage 1: Create Presentation. Choose Grass and show rolling green hills, Desert for a desert mountain landscape, or Beach to have water along the horizon. If none of these will do, simply have rolling clouds in the distance.

Reorganized Furniture Groups
The furniture category has been reorganized, making it even easier to find the furniture pieces you need while designing. Quickly place the matching set of aluminum, wicker, teak, wrought iron, or wood furniture. Look under My Groups for a variety of already grouped combinations in a number of different styles and materials.

New Vendor: Wet Edge
Wet Edge manufacturers pebble and plaster surfaces for installers across the United States and around the world. Now VizTerra designers can quickly add products from their Pearl Matrix, Satin Matrix, Primera Stone, Altima Mediterranean and Luna Quartz series to any design.

New Additions to Pebble Tec
New materials and tile are now available from Pebble Tec, including Pebble Fina, Shoreline Tile and Finishing Touches.

New Additions to Rico Rock
New rockwork from Rico Rock, including boulders, a jump rock and waterfall are ready to be added to your project.

What's Coming Next?
Keep an eye for these exciting new features coming in the near future:

Update 1.771: Bring the Whole Family!

Click Here if the video does not appear.

After all the “wow, this video recording and YouTube feature is incredible!” talk was passed along to our programmers, the Structure Studios art team was feeling a little under appreciated. To show them how much we love them, we have an update full of new items created by all of our talented artists!

New Animated Families
3 new families make their debut in VizTerra. The families are complete with father, mother, son and daughter. Find them under Characters, turn on animation and watch them move! These new characters add realism and scale to every design.

New Furniture and Umbrellas
New furniture sets and extra pieces added to existing sets are now in the library. These new furniture items can be found in the Furniture Category in the Chairs, Tables and Umbrella groups as well as under the New Items Tab.

More Material Choices
New materials include 40 new paver patterns and materials, a new grass choice, and new metal roofs.

Don’t Take O-Fence
Add a fence to your project for privacy and safety. New fence styles include pvc, wood, and aluminum. These new styles can be found under the fence category in the material library.

Yard Accessories
Many new yard accessories are now available, including, banisters, fountains, and mailboxes. When designing custom doors for the house, add one of the new door knobs found in the House Décor stage.

New Plants and Trees
Nearly 150 new plants and trees are available in VizTerra, including new fresh updates to many older choices and a new Topiary category.

What’s Coming Next?
We are currently working on:

 

Update 1.766: Lights, Camera, Action!

A small update that packs a lot of big features!

Click Here if the video does not appear.

Record Video Presentations
You can now record video directly in the software. While in the Presentation Mode, click on the Video button in the menu, or press the letter V on your keyboard to start recording. After a countdown, your video recording will begin. Press V again to stop the recording. When you exit the Presentation, the video will be compressed and ready to be uploaded directly to YouTube or to burn to disk. You can adjust your video settings by going to View, Configuration, and the Video tab.

Ultra 3D Settings
Computers with high end video cards can now select the Ultra level of 3D quality. When Ultra quality is selected, the Ambient Occlusion function will work in 3D. Ambient Occlusion casts shadows in areas where no light shines, giving a rich definition to your design. You can adjust your Ultra settings with the More 3D Options button in Configuration.

Zone Map
A Zone Map for plants and trees is now available. When in the Landscaping tab in the Library, the Zones button will appear at the bottom, next to the Contain Class slider. Click on the Zones button to pull up the Zone Map, and set your zones by either clicking on the check boxes, or directly on the Zone Map regions.

What’s Coming Next?
We are currently working on these new features:

 

Update 1.755: The Sky’s the Limit

Click Here if the video does not appear.

New More Brilliant Sunsets and Enhance Sky
VizTerra’s dramatic 3D presentations become even more brilliant with a new sky rendering system. This seamless upgrade will give VizTerra an even more realistic and stunning sky for 3D presentations. Sunsets will be even more dramatic and realistic. As with all 3D graphics updates, the performance you experience in presentation mode will depend completely on your computer’s video hardware.

Material Color Strip
Get your paintbrush ready and use a whole new palette of colors in your design. The new Color Strip feature allows you to adjust the color of materials in the Material Library. This will allow you to set the perfect stucco color for your house and the perfect color shade for your decking making it even easier to match the colors of your project.

New Categories in the Library
The library now has two new categories to make it even easier to find the items you need while designing. These new categories are located in the library under the Item Tab. The new categories are:

We have also relocated some other items in the library to make them easier to find. Remember that using search is the fastest way to find anything in the library.

New Help System
The VizTerra Assistant has been completely updated. The new help system includes a new easy to use interface to allow you to find the information you need even faster. The help system is also available online so that the information can be kept up to date between updates. Visit the online help system here

New Items and Accessories for the VizTerra Library
You will find several new items in this update. New palapas have been added and the existing palapas have been reorganized. You can now easily find palapas in four different styles. This update also includes four new styles of dynamic rock.

Over 100 New Plants and Trees
The latest update includes 100 additional plants and trees for VizTerra. This latest set of plants includes many aquatic species perfect for creating ponds.

New Vendors
Structure Studios welcomes a new VizTerra Vendor

Student Version
Structure Studios is pleased to announce that a Student Version of VizTerra will soon be released. Anyone interested in the student version of the software should contact us for more information.

What Coming Next?
We are currently working on these exciting new features:

 

Beta Testers Wanted!
Structure Studios is looking for Beta Testers to help test future releases! Structure Studios releases new versions of Pool Studio and VizTerra several times each year, and we want your help to test new features before they become available to all of our Members. Click Here for full details.


 

Click Here if the video does not appear.

 

Update 1.737: Now Things are Really Moving!


Advanced New Features for the Library
The library has been improved so that it is faster and easier to find the items you need for your project.

New Animated Items
New animated items have been added to the library. Now fish will swim in your pond while the breeze blows through a nearby tree. Animated objects move in both the 3D view and the Presentation. Animations can be turned on and off by using the Play/Pause button located under Parameters.

Animated Items Include:

Over 100 New Plants and Trees
The latest update adds over 100 new plants and trees to VizTerra.

New Dynamic Rock
This update includes a brand new way to use rockwork in your projects. Dynamic Rock works very similar to the variation system currently used by Plants and Trees. Once you have inserted a piece of dynamic rock, you can use the New Variation button located under parameters to create a new variation of the rock. With this update we have one new dynamic rock with more to come in future updates. The dynamic rock is located in the RockWork category under the Dynamic Rockwork group as well as under the New Items Tab.

New Vehicles
You can really take your designs for a test drive with a fleet of new vehicles in a full range of colors. Park the red sports car at the beach house, cruise the resort in the golf cart, or take the motorhome to the national park. These new vehicles add realism and scale to every design. The new vehicles can be found in the Vehicles category as well as under the New Items Tab.

New Playset Pieces
New playset pieces have been added to the library. The playset pieces allow you to build modern playsets with a large selection of interactive play items and structures. The playset pieces are located in the Structure category under Playsets and My Groups as well as under the New Items Tab.

New Furniture
New furniture pieces in dark wicker are now in the library. These new furniture items can be found in the Furniture Category in the Chairs and Tables groups as well as under the New Items Tab.

New Graphics Options
These new graphic features allow high end computers to create even more dramatic presentations. These new features are turned off by default and can be manually turned on in the Configuration menu.

What's Coming Next?

Keep an eye for these exciting new features coming in the near future:

Beta Testers Wanted!
Structure Studios is looking for Beta Testers to help test future releases! Structure Studios releases new versions of Pool Studio and VizTerra several times each year, and we want your help to test new features before they become available to all of our Members. Click Here for full details.

 

Click Here for the YouTube video of Update 1.726.

Update 1.726: Set Your Own Theme Music!


New Ambient Sounds Enhance VizTerra’s Realistic 3D Presentations
With this update, 3D presentations can be further enhanced with ambient sounds. This new feature will place your presentation in its proper setting with realistic city, suburb, coast, and forest sounds playing in the background. Your presentation has never been more realistic.

New House Templates and House Décor Items
Choose from a new selection of House Templates and new House Décor items including French Style doors, windows with binds, curtains, and plantation shutters, and bay windows. The new house décor items also include new window pieces so you can build your own windows and glass block pieces for kitchen and bathroom decorations.

New Glass Railings and Glass Blocks
Experience a whole new level of transparency with new glass railing and glass block items in the library. The glass railing is located in the Structures Category while the glass block is located in the House Décor Category. These new items allow a wide range of glass elements to be created in projects.

New Sports Equipment Group
The new Sports Equipment group is located in the library in the Accessories category. New items including basketball, football, tennis, and golf equipment join existing sports equipment to compliment any recreation focused project.

New Park Accessories
New items for public parks and landscaped areas include trash cans, bicycle racks, and drinking fountains. These features enhance public work projects created with VizTerra.

Over 50 New Plants and Trees
The latest update includes new landscaping options with new maple trees, cacti, and ornamental grasses.

New Additions to Vendors
New items are now available in the program from SR Smith, including splash pads and security systems

What's Coming Next?

We have lots of new features planned, including:

Beta Testers Wanted!
Structure Studios is looking for Beta Testers to help test future releases! Structure Studios releases new versions of Pool Studio and VizTerra several times each year, and we want your help to test new features before they become available to all of our Members. Click Here for full details.


Update 1.720: I’ll Have Mine with a dash of AutoCAD®, Please


Update 1.720 Video
Watch the Video
Import from AutoCAD to VizTerra
Yes, the feature many of you have been excitedly waiting for is now here! Believe us when we tell you, it was worth the wait. Information from AutoCAD files in the DWG format, the native file format for Autodesk’s AutoCAD®, can now be imported directly into VizTerra. This means that templates, landscape symbols, and whole projects saved in AutoCAD files can now be converted into fully interactive VizTerra 3D quickly and easily. See all the new features in update 1.720 yourself in our big budget video and get trained on the new AutoCAD feature in the new Online Video available now.
(AutoCAD® is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc.)

Draw Incomplete Shapes, We Dare You!
The latest update adds enhanced new features to the drawing system, allowing you for the first time to work with incomplete shapes. How does it all work? You can now draw separate segments and through the power of technology, weld them together into a complete shape. This allows you to use a whole new set of drawing techniques in your projects. Draw half of hardscape, mirror it and then weld the two pieces together. For more information please see the update video.

New Library Items with over 120 New Plants and Trees
This update includes new items for the library including 120 new plants and trees, many from desert regions. You will find some new canister and court lights, new throw pillows for furniture, palapa covers, shutters, swimming goggles, and gardening hoses.

What's Coming Next?

We have lots of new features planned, including:

2010 Structure Studios VIP Design Challenge: Deadline Oct 30, 2009
The contest is happening now and the entries are pouring in. Have you entered yet? This is your chance to have your best design featured in the 2010 Structure Studios calendar and win a Canon Powershot A480 digital camera and Canon Pixma MX330 Printer. Email your .SAV files to contest@structurestudios.com. Your design could be the 2010 Structure Studios VIP Design of the Year.

On Wednesday, November 4th at 6:00pm Pacific (9:00pm Eastern, 8:00pm Central) Structure Studios will be moving to new offices. Part of the move includes physically relocating some of our servers, which means our our websites, order forms, phones and product registration will not be available.

Starting at 6:00pm, Members will not be able to register Pool Studio or VizTerra, transfer license, or create new CD Keys. Our plan is to have everything back up and running in just a few short hours so by Thursday morning, November 5th, everything is 100% back up and running before our phone lines open.

We will keep everyone notified both here, on Twitter and Facebook, and via email as well about this event and any possible changes. Structure Studios will now be located in the Cashman CAT Complex, on the third floor, at:

3300 St. Rose Parkway
Suite 310
Henderson, NV 89052


Update 1.700: You’re going to Love the Plot of this Story!
Latest update makes it easy to print your design on your plot plan


Update 1.700 Video
Watch the Video
Plot Plans in Construction
With the latest update, any background image that you insert in Design will automatically appear in Construction. This makes it simple to create construction plans complete with plot plans or surveys to meet the requirements for construction permits.

New Plants and Trees
Over 30 new plants and trees were added to the library with this update. Many are rare plant species from Asia.

Have Some Fun with New Recreation Items
Two new volley ball nets and a basketball are available with this update. The basketball hoop will never be lonely again.

New Aerators, Now with Water!
We added a selection of aerators in different shapes and colors. This will allow you to incorporate this new water feature as a design element in your projects. We also included some premade templates of the aerators with water features ready to be inserted into your design.

New Wrought Iron Stairs and Platforms
This update adds a common house design element to the program, a wrought iron spiral staircase. Along with the new wrought iron platform, you can now enhance your house designs. We have also included some premade templates using the new items under My Groups in the Structures category of the Library.

What's Coming Next?

AutoCAD!
We are very excited to announce that our next update will include a feature to import .dwg files from AutoCAD directly into VizTerra.

More Library Items
In future updates we will be adding even more library items including new characters, new landscaping, and more.

Update 1.700 Video
Watch the Video


On Wednesday, September 30th at 6:00pm Pacific (9:00pm Eastern, 8:00pm Central) Structure Studios will be moving to new offices. Part of the move includes physically relocating some of our servers, which means our our websites, order forms, phones and product registration will not be available.

Starting at 6:00pm, Members will not be able to register Pool Studio or VizTerra, transfer license, or create new CD Keys. Our plan is to have everything back up and running in just a few short hours so by Thursday morning, October 1st, everything is 100% back up and running before our phone lines open.

We will keep everyone notified both here, on Twitter and Facebook, and via email as well about this event and any possible changes. Structure Studios will now be located in the Cashman CAT Complex, on the third floor, at:

3300 St. Rose Parkway
Suite 310
Henderson, NV 89052



Come Up to the VIP Suite: Update 1.693


Watch the Action
For those who prefer the movie over the book, watch all the features of the update here.

The All New VIP Suite
The latest update allows you to combine the power of VizTerra, the state of the art in professional 3D landscaping design software with Pool Studio, the industry leader in professional 3D swimming pool design software. In VizTerra, you will find a new feature in the File menu called “Edit in Pool Studio.” This feature allows you to move your project seamlessly from VizTerra to Pool Studio in order to take full advantage of Pool Studio’s powerful swimming pool design tools. In order to use this new feature, you will need to upgrade to a VIP Suite Membership. Please click here for more details.

Greatly Improved Load Time
The most notable improvement with this version is the speed at which files open and load. Opening new and existing designs should take much less time than before, and areas like the Library should load faster as well. With it flying by so fast now, you might start missing seeing the loading screen.

New Features for Planter Beds
You can now use the planter bed stage to create even more design features. Planter beds can now be drawn inside of planter beds making it even easier to mark property boundaries for measurement and define the different areas of the site.

New Features for the Legend in Construction
The plant and tree legend in the Construction Stage now has new features allowing you to customize the legend to meet the needs of your plan. You can now edit each the text of each item on the listed on the legend to change the quantity and name. This allows you to change the legend to match actual build needs.
New Plant and Trees
VizTerra expands its massive landscaping library with new plants and trees, representing the top requests from our Members. Like the hundreds of plant and tree species already available in VizTerra, theses new additions are fully rendered in realistic 3D complete with 77,000 natural variations.

Enhanced Automatic Roofing
The Automatic Roofing tool available in the House Stage of VizTerra has been enhanced to be even more responsive. The automatic roofing system will now cover even the most complex houses all in a single click.

New Vendors
Structure Structures is pleased to announce new VizTerra Vendor Partners and new products from our existing Vendor Partners.

New Vendors Any more questions, check out the live action feature film here.

Update 1.682

Its spring cleaning time here at Structure Studios (that desert sand gets everywhere!) and we have a laundry list of improvements and a few new features that we dusted off and made all shiny and clean for you!

Different Coping for Different Shapes
First on the list is the new stage specific coping feature. Stage 12: Coping and Tile is gone. Now you can simply select your shape with the Move tool in 2d, and under Stage Options, check the box for Add Coping. You can then adjust the coping width and even change the lip style. Every shape you draw in Decks, Pools and Spas can each have a different value set for all of these options.

Construction Update
Improvements to the Construction stage include the ability to reorder your pages under Stage Options, have different paper sizes for each, the ability to TAB through text fields, line and arrow styles for callout text boxes, and incomplete shapes drawn in Stage 3: Walls and Fences will now appear properly in Construction.

Common Names for Plants and Trees
Plants and Trees can now be found under their common names in the Library. For example, the Pseudotsuga Menziesii is now called a Douglas Fir, but it still looks as cool as it’s name sounds. You may switch between the Common and Botanical names under Configuration located in the View Menu. In Construction, the legend block will display landscaping with both the common and botanical names.

Material Choices
New Material choices include 10 new Roof materials, 5 new siding choices and 18 new Stone Paver choices.

Outline Tool
An issue with the Outline tool that some Members were seeing should now be resolved. If you continue to experience this problem, please contact us directly at 800.778.8996 or email support@structurestudios.com with Outline Bug in the subject line so we can work with you directly to resolve this issue.

1.682 Update Additional Features

Welcome to VizTerra!

We know you can’t wait to experience every advantage VizTerra brings to your designs and your sales. Only VizTerra allows you to draw your projects in 2D and instantly present them in fully interactive 3D. No other design software leaves your customers with the same impression.

More than just software, VizTerra is fully backed by Free Training, Free Support, and Free Software Updates. This newsletter will keep you up to date on the latest VizTerra advancements and what’s coming next.

Click on the tabs at the top of this page for more information on VizTerra and our complete system of support.

Welcome to the Future of Landscape Design!

The Power of VizTerra:

  1. Design fully interactive 3D landscapes complete with:
    1. Plants, trees, and full landscaping
    2. Detailed terrain with realistic elevation and natural coloring
    3. Decks, patios, raised areas, and more
    4. Furniture, yard accessories, outdoor structures, and more
    5. Water features, fountains, ponds, and more
    6. Houses, covered patios, walls, and other structures
    7. Products from the top manufacturers and vendors
  2. Insert one of the over 2,500 items from our extensive library system or create and save your own custom templates
  3. Apply materials and patterns to surfaces, structures and objects
  4. Import plot plans and scanned images to start your design
  5. Fully control your presentation, even setting time of day to display the perfect scene to your customer.
  6. Export full color screenshots of your presentation as sale materials
  7. Export information from your design to other programs including AutoCAD and Excel
  8. Create multi-page construction plans and layouts customized to the specifications of your company and region
  9. Regular software updates automatically downloaded into the program
  10. Perfect for laptops, you can make presentations even without an internet connection.
  11. Share information and learn techniques from experienced users through our active online community of Members.