DynaSCAPE Design and DynaSCAPE Color have aided in me selling millions of dollars worth of outdoor projects over the years that I have used it. There have been so many clients of mine that have been blown away by the designs after having simple hand drawn sketches done for them before. There is a learning curve, yes, but I believe it is well worth your time and the financial investment to get this software and test it out for yourself.

I have used DynaSCAPE almost daily for over 8 years as a landscape design professional. I purchased the software - both DS Design and DS Color - for myself and they have paid for themselves numerous times over. Once you have used the software for awhile and have gotten past the steep learning curve it's a great software. There are tons of figures in the library that are already scale to your plan. I like that you can create prototypes for title blocks and save them. The plans I design always come out looking crisp and clean. There are so many great things about this software, I highly recommend it.

As I've used DynaSCAPE throughout the years, I've only come across a few things that were mildly frustrating. The subscription service to keep everything up to date is semi prohibitive and I have not utilized it. Therefore, I cannot benefit from the updates and customer support. The main challenge - as others have mentioned - is the steep learning curve when you first start using the software. If you're transferring over from a different CAD program, it is going to take you a few months to get used to it, to become proficient in it will take even longer. I am still learning new things about the functions years later.

We seriously LOVE this company, the people, and this software. They helped revolutionize our estimating process and are ALWAYS open to improvement ideas we have for the software.

The only con is that sometimes it takes a little bit to get our updates approved but they're still WAY faster and more responsive than any other software we have!

The estimating part of DS isn't bad. Job tracking is dreadful. Not at all flexible and very confusing. by DynaSCAPE Software on 17/05/2017 Hi Nicole,I'm sorry that you had this experience with the Job tracking aspect of Manage360. You mentioned that it was not flexible and confusing. The DynaSCAPE team would like to connect with you and we can review your processes and the way job tracking is handled through Manage360. DynaSCAPE can review some of the flexible functionality with you and help to reduce confusion.Please reach out directly to us in the office at DynaSCAPE: [email protected], and provide additional information on how to connect with you.

Yes, I'll agree with many comments, the output is really good, however, the software has a HUGE learning curve. Way to many gadgets do not follow software standards (delete for example). It is also very pricy, with payable updates every year, and to say the least, it does need more Q&A as any bug fix, they will charge you for it! by DynaSCAPE Software on 17/05/2017 Hi Kishka,Thank you for taking the time to comment and provide your feedback. I'm sorry the learning curve was not what you had expected. I'm looking through our records for your account so that I can reach out to you directly and we can discuss this further. If you could provide some additional details, I can reach out directly.DynaSCAPE uses software-as-a-service as our annual subscription model. This allows you to pay a monthly, quarterly or annually for updates, unlimited tech support, and program access. This ensures that your software is current and that if you do experience any technical concerns our support team can work closely to resolve any issues or obstacles that you encounter. For more information about this subscription you can see: https://www.dynascape.com/about-our-subscriptions/

We did increase the profitability of our company, no doubt. We began using the program 10 years ago, but it seems the program has not kept up with our needs as we grow or with technology as it advances.

The design software is OK. It is only in 2d and then you have to color separately, so it's a waste of time and resources. The symbols are nice, but there are many other software options out there that are better. I felt like we were guinea pigs and helping them work out software when we had the program. There were many issues and after 9 years in the program I switched to Vectorworks (also has some issues but much easier to output 3d renderings).

Need to be able to do templates yourself and not wait on the company to do them and pay them a lot of money. The customer support team has treated us like we are idiots for 10 years, which is why I switched on the design software. They do the same thing when we have Manage issues. They will tell you to change your internet browser, and that is always the solution, even though it is not a solution. There have also been a few glitches, but we got those worked out, but you must pay attention. Just because a program automates some processes, if you aren't paying attention, it could get you in trouble if you don't realize a glitch in the system. Thankfully I was able to pinpoint the glitches before we submitted bids to customers.

I currently use dynascape design only, but also have experience with dynascape color. It creates hands down the cleanest designs. This is a very in depth CAD software, more options/capabilities than any other that i know of. You can create really any 2d design you can think of. The customization is endless. For anyone that does hand designs, any CAD software will be an upgrade. For anyone who uses a current cad/design software, this is THE upgrade.

Learning curve and cost are the 2 big ones. First off, if you are looking for an inexpensive software, this is not for you as the initial cost is substantial, but well worth it for the best. As far as learning curve goes...This is not just something you can pick up and learn overnight. You need to learn its ins and outs. Once you do, it makes creating landscapes quick and easy. If you can afford this software, DO NOT use the steep learning curve as reason as not to purchase.

I've used Dynascape DS for 15 years now and I find it to be a great tool for landscape design. The drawing tend to look much better than many other CAD drawings. They look more hand-drawn. Sketchup can look even better with the right filter but I don't like their plant symbol selection as much. The only this that Dynascape is missing is a 3D function similar to Sketchup

drawing style

lack of 3D capabiilty by DynaSCAPE Software on 17/05/2017 Hi Bjorn,Thank you for taking the time to provide a review on DynaSCAPE Design. We're extremely proud of the quality of the CAD plans that DynaSCAPE produces and it's nice to have this reaffirmed.As for the use of SketchUp with DynaSCAPE, I noticed your company does have a subscription to our Sketch3D program. This allows you to utilize SketchUp as your 3D program with DynaSCAPE design and use our Sketch3D plant and landscape material database. We chose to work directly with SketchUp because of its power as a 3D modeling application and reputation in the 3D industry.I just sent you an email so we can ensure that you have full access to your 3D SketchUp integration at Landscape East & West.