To access the tools for adding and modifying plot boundaries click the Plot Boundary Tools button button in the main design toolbar.

The plot boundary tools allow you to digitise boundary lines around garden plots and define levels at each point.

The level difference at the boundary determines if it is a fence, gravel board or retaining wall.

Example plot boundaries

This example image shows plot boundaries separating the gardens of adjacent houses.

Example plot boundaries final surface

This image shows the resultant final surface for the site.

Below is an example showing a 0.6m level difference between the inner and outer edges of the boundary line, resulting in a retaining wall being annotated:

Example retaining wall Example retaining wall final surface

For Plot Boundary Tools, the following toolbar is shown on the top left of the plan view window:

Plot Boundary Tools New plot boundary button Add point button Move point button Delete point button Delete line button Edit level button Set gradient button Plot boundary properties button Close toolbar button

Click one of the following tool links for more information:

New plot boundary button New Plot Boundary
Add point button Add Point
Move point button Move Point
Delete point button Delete Point
Delete line button Delete Line
Edit level button Edit Level
Set gradient button Set Gradient
Plot boundary properties button Properties
Close Toolbar button Click this button to close the toolbar


New Plot Boundary button New Plot Boundary

Using this tool you can define the position of the boundaries of the plots on your site.

After selecting this tool the mouse will be shown as a cross with a small dot underneath, indicating that you can click to place a new level point for a plot boundary.

Cursor after clicking new plot boundary button

After clicking once to place the start point, a dashed line will be drawn to the mouse cursor.

Example of indicated line of new plot boundary

Click to add the indicated line to the drawing. You can then continue this process to place successive boundary lines.

An initial level is assigned at each point, taken from the current survey surface.

Example showing line added to project whilst indicating next line

To stop placing new plot boundary points you can right-click and select Quit Command from the right click menu, or simply switch to a different tool.

From the right click menu you can also select the Enter Coordinate option. This will bring up a window where you can enter an exact coordinate to place a new point.


Add point button Add Point

This tool allows you to insert a new point into one of the existing plot boundary lines, breaking it into two lines.

When you select this tool the nearest plot boundary line to the cursor will be highlighted as you move the mouse.

You can click to add a new point between the two points on either end of the line. Two lines will then be drawn to the cursor, indicating how the new point connects to the existing boundary. Click to place the new point in the desired position.

Highlighting which line the point will be inserted into Example of how the new point is indicated Example plot boundary after adding new point

Move point button Move Point

This tool allows you to move a plot boundary point.

When you select this tool the nearest plot boundary point to the cursor will be highlighted as you move the mouse.

Click to select a point, move it to the desired position and click to place it.


Highlighting which point will be selected Example of how the new position is indicated Example plot boundary after moving point

Delete point button Delete Point

This tool allows you to delete a plot boundary point.

When you select this tool the nearest plot boundary point to the cursor will be highlighted as you move the mouse.

You can then click to delete the highlighted point.

After deleting a point, any other point that is left without a link to another point will also be deleted.


Delete line button Delete Line

This tool allows you to delete a plot boundary line.

When you select this tool the nearest plot boundary line to the cursor will be highlighted as you move the mouse.

You can then click to delete the highlighted line.

After deleting a line, any point that is left without a link to another point will be deleted.


Edit level button Edit Level

This tool allows you to set a level at a plot boundary point.

When you select this tool the nearest plot level to the cursor will be highlighted as you move the mouse, including the hidden levels.

Note: When you create a new plot boundary all the levels at a boundary point will initially be the same. Because of this, only one of these levels is annotated to avoid over-crowding the drawing. When selecting level texts the hidden ones will also be selectable. This is shown below:

Example level text Example of how the hidden level texts appear when highlighting for the Edit Level tool

You can then click on a level text to set the level of the annotated point. This will bring up the following window:

Edit Level window

If Set all levels at this location is ticked this will set the all levels the same at this point, resulting in a single level annotation at the point. Otherwise this will set only the selected level at the highlighted text position. This allows you to have a different level either side of the boundary line.

Gravel Boards and Retaining Walls

Setting different levels on opposite sides of a boundary line will automatically annotate the line as either a gravel board (GB) or retaining wall (RTW):

Example levels set to annotate the boundary as a gravel board Example levels set to annotate the boundary as a retaining wall

The level difference thresholds for gravel boards and retaining walls, as well as the annotation text format, can be set on the Plot Boundary Properties window

Set Gradient button Set Gradient

This tool allows you to level a plot boundary edge by setting a gradient between two points.

When this tool is active the current gradient of each plot boundary edge will be displayed and the plot level nearest to the cursor will be highlighted as you move the mouse. Selecting a plot level works the same way as the Edit Levels tool.

Click to select the first point which will be the starting point of the gradient re-levelling:

Example showing the selection of the first annotation level selection

Then click on another plot level to select the final point for the gradient levelling. The two plot levels must be along the same edge. If the two points are connected you will see a line offset from the plot boundary indicating the edges that will be levelled:

Example showing the selection of the second annotation level selection

Picking both points will bring up the Enter Gradient window where you can specify the gradient you want between the selected points:

Enter gradient window

Below shows the result:

Result of applying the gradient to the selected plot boundary edge

See Also: