A Quick-Start Guide for Landscape Designers
Why Create Your Own Symbols?
Custom symbols give your drawings personality and precision. Whether you’re representing specific plant species or generic design elements, gCADPlus makes it easy to build and reuse your own blocks.
Step-by-Step Symbol Creation
1. Start a new drawing
- Select no template for a clean workspace.
2. Create standard layers
L-PLNT-CONSTRUCTION– for guides and base geometryL-PLNT-SYMBOL– for final artwork- Set colors to BYLAYER, override as needed while drawing.
3. Draw construction geometry
- Place a circle (1000 units diameter) on
L-PLNT-CONSTRUCTION. - Add a point at (0,0) to mark the symbol’s center.
- Use a plus sign for point style (not a cross).
4. Create the symbol artwork
- Switch to
L-PLNT-SYMBOL. - Use closed polylines with fill for canopy and foliage.
- Use
PLINEandPEDITto smooth shapes. - Avoid exploding polylines — this creates excess vertices.
5. Define the symbol
- Select all elements.
- Right-click → Create Block.
- Set the base point at the symbol’s center.
- Name the symbol meaningfully (e.g., Hydrangea_macrophylla).
6. Test the symbol
- Insert into a test drawing.
- Check rotation, scaling, and print appearance.
7. Save the symbol
- Save to:
My Documents > gCADPlus > Blocks - Organize into folders like Plants, Furniture, or MySymbols.
Tips for Performance
- Keep symbol file size under 50 KB
- Avoid gradients and excessive detail
- Use simple geometry and closed polylines
- Name symbols clearly and avoid Windows-reserved characters
Symbol Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Species-specific | Unique look for a plant (e.g., Hydrangea) |
| Generic | Reusable across species (e.g., GenericYellow) |
Quick Checklist
✅ Base point at center ✅ Layers named and used correctly ✅ Geometry clean and minimal ✅ Symbol inserts and rotates properly ✅ File saved to correct folder ✅ Symbol appears in library
Want to Share Your Symbols?
Email your symbols to to be featured on the gCADPlus downloads page.