# Design a Garden or Terrace in 3D Outdoor spaces are essential to enhance your projects and give them a realistic, attractive setting. Whether you're modeling a garden, a terrace, a pool, or even a courtyard, Space Designer 3D offers simple tools to create, customize, and furnish your outdoor scenes. In this section, you'll learn how to: * [**Draw a terrain**](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/doc/design-a-garden-or-terrace-in-3d-5Ts1rbSyki#h-draw-a-terrain) and apply the appropriate materials, * [**Furnish an outdoor space**](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/doc/design-a-garden-or-terrace-in-3d-5Ts1rbSyki#h-furnish-an-outdoor-space) by adding trees, plants, and other decorative elements, * [**Design a swimming pool**](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/doc/design-a-garden-or-terrace-in-3d-5Ts1rbSyki#h-design-a-swimming-pool) with custom contours and realistic surface effects. These tools allow you to design your exteriors with the same level of detail and accuracy as your interiors. # Draw a Terrain To represent a garden, courtyard, or any other outdoor space, start by drawing a dedicated surface outside the building. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/c7f3c911-90d7-4d33-8983-a110326e0348/cde88d76-9323-4374-a374-2ad52f887e0d/outdoor-space-EN.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20260826%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260826T074500Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=0fc668f79b9410297a12ba6fa1534210c5df1127cb4e8134d4f298261e828076&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =1296x517.5") **Steps to follow:** 1. In the Drawing Tools menu, click on **Outdoor Space**. 2. **Draw the terrain** Just like drawing a wall, click to place each point of the outline. A blue guide line helps you ensure orthogonality. Click again on the starting point to close the shape. A grass texture is applied automatically, and you can later customize the appearance. 3. **Adjust dimensions** Dimensions appear as you draw. Once the surface is created, you can edit them at any time using the [**Adjust Dimensions**](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/doc/create-a-3d-floor-plan-draw-walls-and-rooms-YZOJvkw5rd#h-3-adjusting-dimensions) section, just like for walls. 4. **Apply a suitable ground material** Click the surface to open its Properties panel. Click on the material thumbnail to change the ground texture. In the **Exterior** library, you’ll find various ground, road, and natural surface materials. :::info You can also **add a background plan** to help guide your layout. This option is available in the **Background Plans** tab, where you can import JPG, PNG, or PDF files. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/c7f3c911-90d7-4d33-8983-a110326e0348/a7fa16c2-b890-4861-beaf-3ef83f7a7fb1/bg-plan-EN.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20260826%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260826T074500Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=c7a9c7b59e297d27eff1046be165593ad279589e9739b03b00f5e4b76c6e0d48&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject "left-50 =257x184") ::: # Furnish an Outdoor Space To enhance and bring life to your outdoor layout, you can easily add vegetation and landscaping objects from the catalog. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/c7f3c911-90d7-4d33-8983-a110326e0348/b4e264c9-705a-41f1-9100-4ddc7686d162/furnish-garden-EN.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20260826%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260826T074500Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=bb44fb4c2633644baf78996c6ca585b9c1afa88a2b9b8844fafe61da36126dbb&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =856x494") **Steps to follow:** 1. **Access the Object Library** Open the **Furniture** tab, then browse the categories **Plants and Trees** and **Outdoor Layout**. You’ll find trees, bushes, flowers, garden furniture, vehicles, playground items, and more. 2. **Add the desired items** Drag and drop objects from the catalog into your 2D or 3D scene. Position them freely based on your layout. 3. **Prefer static trees for better performance** The catalog offers two tree types: * **Trees**: These are static models, optimized for performance. Their shape is fixed, but they load faster, allowing you to place many without slowing down your project. * **Parametric Trees**: More detailed and customizable (size, density, leaf type, etc.), but more resource-intensive. :::info For smoother navigation, especially in large projects, prefer trees from the **Trees** category in the object catalog. ::: :::tip For a realistic result, **vary the size and orientation of vegetation**, and combine them with different ground materials to define distinct zones (lawn, path, terrace...). ::: # Design a Swimming Pool Swimming pools are a great addition to outdoor spaces. This guide shows you how to design a pool with custom shapes, water textures, and detailed edge finishes for a realistic and visually appealing result. ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/c7f3c911-90d7-4d33-8983-a110326e0348/9bfe2b9d-45b6-4f6e-af5a-fbffd3bf49c4/swimming-pool.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20260826%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260826T074500Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=c2d3c006057cefaa19f257f846c7af6a88440f241b431d2035af9a5b56d8d8cf&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject " =471x306") To design a pool, start by using the [**Wall Drawing Tool**](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/doc/create-a-3d-floor-plan-draw-walls-and-rooms-YZOJvkw5rd#h-1-drawing-walls) to trace its outline. Then set the height of the central area to **10 cm** (or any other desired height) so that the surrounding walls adjust automatically. If you want to give curved shapes to the walls, use the **Curved Wall** option. Once the structure is in place, apply the **Water** material at the center. To customize the color of the coping, go to the menu **Wall > Section Color**. You can also experiment with different materials for the walls to achieve the desired visual effect. :::info [View a sample project with swimming pools](https://app.spacedesigner3d.com/en/project/566b1ab139589a5c645a006442b9a9cbf6dab235) ::: --- **Documents** - [1. Getting Started with Space Designer 3D](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/s/space-designer-doc/doc/1-getting-started-with-space-designer-3d-tbTmJC7rsh) - [2. Managing Your Space Designer 3D Account](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/s/space-designer-doc/doc/2-managing-your-space-designer-3d-account-9oEJwFd2ZD) - [3. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Space Designer 3D](https://spacedesigner3d.getoutline.com/s/space-designer-doc/doc/3-faq-frequently-asked-questions-about-space-designer-3d-xeBxyRcBPk)