Surface Presets
Classify any drawn shape as Lawn, Gravel, Water, or Wood in one pick — the semantic class, editor fill color, and photoreal material are applied together.
A surface preset assigns three things at once: a semantic class (what the surface is), a default editor fill color (how it looks in 2D plan view), and a default photoreal material (how it renders in photo mode). You pick one from the surface class picker — a dropdown menu that groups classes into nested submenus by family (vegetation, ground materials, water and glass, wood). Picking a class is the fastest way to go from a blank drawn shape to a fully classified, styled surface. Many families offer finer choices in their submenu, such as Pea Gravel within Gravel, or different meadow types within Meadow.
Open the surface class picker
Select one or more shapes on the canvas, then open the picker from either entry point: the Surface Class button in the top bar — the leftmost of the three style buttons (Surface Class, Outline, Fill) — or the chevron button on the Surface row inside the Inspector's Style section. Both open the same dropdown menu of surface classes.
Open the Semantic Class picker
Click the Semantic Class button (leftmost of the three style buttons in the top bar) to open the picker. It is also accessible from the Surface row inside the Inspector's Style accordion.
The picker is organized into family groups: Surfaces, Plants, Structures, Furniture, Water features, Lighting, and Infrastructure. Click a group heading to expand it.
You do not have to drill into a submenu — clicking a family heading always applies a sensible default for that family. Open the submenu only when you want a specific variant.
Available preset families
Ground surfaces:
- Lawn — standard turf; variant: Artificial turf
- Meadow — wildflower mix; variants: Cottage, Prairie, Nordic, Mediterranean
- Groundcover — low creeping plants (thyme, ivy, sedum)
- Moss — garden moss or shade moss
- Gravel — variants: Mixed, Pea, Decomposed Granite
- Mulch — bark mulch
- Wood Chips — shredded wood
- Sand — beach or play sand
- Soil — bare soil or dirt path
- Paving — stone, concrete, or brick; many variants
- Decking — timber or composite; variants: Standard, Weathered, Aged with moss, Charred
- Water — variants: Pond (open water body), Pool, Reflecting pool
Planting: Tree, Shrub, Perennial, Hedge — applied automatically by the plant catalog.
Structures: Fence, Wall, Pond, Pool, Deck, Structure — set automatically by the parametric wizard. You don't apply these manually.
Apply a preset
Select one or more entities on the canvas, then click a preset chip. All three style axes reset to 'Semantic class' mode and the entity immediately renders the class defaults:
- Contour → class outline color and weight
- Fill → class editor fill color (e.g. sage green for Lawn)
- Photoreal material → admin-configured PBR for this class
Any previous explicit color or material overrides are cleared.
Picking a class clears any custom fill color, contour, or photoreal material you previously set on the selected shapes. Pick the class first, then add your overrides on top.
Read the source badge
The source badge in the Inspector's Surface row explains why the class was assigned:
- From preset "…" — applied via the preset picker
- Explicit override — set directly by you or a script; a Reset button appears
- From object type — parametric object (Pond, Pool, Deck, Fence…)
- From plant profile — plant entity resolved from species visual profile
- Not classified — drawn shape with no preset and no override
If something looks wrong in the renderer or cost report, the badge tells you where the class came from.
To restore all three axes to class defaults at any time, open the picker and choose the same class again. This resets any overrides you have built up.
Picking 'Undefined'
Choosing 'Undefined' in the picker removes the class from selected entities. Each style axis then falls back to its last custom value (or the style painter's stored default if no custom value was set). The entity is no longer counted in class-based reports or design rules.
Remove a class with Undefined
To remove the semantic class entirely, open the picker and choose Undefined at the top of the menu. This clears the class from the selected shapes — each style axis then falls back to its last custom value, or to the stored defaults if no custom value was ever set. Undefined shapes are excluded from class-based cost reports and design rule checks.
Parametric objects (Pond, Pool, Deck, Fence, Pergola, etc.) receive their semantic class automatically from the wizard. You do not need to pick a class manually for these objects — hovering the Surface row will show 'Auto from object type'.
Key Parameters
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Vegetation | Lawn, Meadow, Moss, and Ground Cover. The Lawn, Meadow, and Moss families open submenus with multiple variants (for example artificial turf within Lawn, and several meadow types within Meadow). |
| Ground Materials | Gravel, Mulch, Wood Chips, Sand, and Soil. Several of these open submenus with variants — for example Gravel offers options such as Pea Gravel and Decomposed Granite, and Soil offers options such as Dirt Path. |
| Water & Glass | Water (with variants such as Pond, Pool, and Reflecting Pool) plus Glass and Mirror for reflective or translucent surfaces. |
| Wood Structure | Outdoor wood for decking, boardwalks, and timber surfaces, with variants for finishes such as weathered, pressure-treated, aged-with-moss, and charred. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a variant and a different family?
Variants within a family share the same semantic class but use a different photoreal material. For example, Pea Gravel and Mixed Gravel are both gravel semantically — they produce the same cost report entry and design rule behavior, but render differently in photo mode. Picking a completely different family (for example switching from Gravel to Mulch) changes the semantic class itself, which affects cost calculations, plant suitability rules, and photoreal rendering.
Why does picking a class clear my custom fill color and material?
Picking a class resets all three style axes to 'Semantic class' mode, so each axis reads its value from the class rather than from your custom settings. This is intentional — the class becomes the authority for all three axes at once. To keep a custom override, pick the class first, then switch the individual axis (Fill, Contour, or Photoreal material) back to Custom and set your value.
Do I need to pick a class for shapes drawn by the parametric wizards?
No. Parametric objects such as Pond, Pool, Deck, Fence, and Pergola receive their semantic class automatically from the wizard. Hovering the Surface row in the Inspector will show 'Auto from object type'. You only pick a class manually for shapes you draw yourself with the drawing tools.
Can I pick a class for a locked entity?
No. Locked entities ignore all edit operations, including class changes. Unlock the entity or its layer first, pick the class, then re-lock if needed.
Why is a surface-class family dimmed with a 'Not set up' badge?
That family has no photoreal materials configured for your account yet, so it cannot be selected. Once your account administrator sets up materials for the class, it becomes available in the menu.