With the weather starting to warm up in Michigan, many property owners are beginning to think about landscaping projects. You'll want to invest in a landscape design rendering – but with both 2D and 3D options available, which should you go with? 2D design renderings will create an eagle-eye view of your property that illustrates spacing on your property. 3D design renderings will take that to the next level, creating an immersive visual of your landscape in 3D so you can explore your project from every angle! So, which is better? 2D is better for simple, small projects, but 3D is well worth it for larger products with a lot of moving parts. Choose the one that suits your project best – whichever way you go, there's huge value in having a rendering to use as a reference throughout the installation process!


2D design renderings will illustrate the size and overall flow of landscape elements.

2D rendering design in  Cascade, MI.

The key elements in a 2D design all revolve around sizing and spacing. These landscape design renderings will provide you with an eagle-eye view of your landscape with your new project in place! They'll map out the size of all the old and new elements on the property, including shrubs, trees, patios, and more. With the layout illustrated, you can get a good feel for how much space your project will take up and how it affects the overall flow and symmetry of your landscape. Since 2D designs are simpler than their 3D counterparts, they're typically able to be turned around much quicker too!


3D design renderings give an immersive and interactive visualization of your landscape.

A 3D landscape design custom created for our clients in Holland, MI.

As the name suggests, 3D landscape design renderings add a whole new dimension to your visuals. They create an immersive and interactive space where you can view your property with the new project in place, and since it's 3D, you can explore every angle. Many software programs will allow a photo to be uploaded so that the coloring of your home or building is perfectly matched in the rendering, giving you a better feel overall for how your elements are going to interact and allowing for more specific tweaks. With the extra detail and precision, 3D renderings will give you a more comprehensive view of how your new project interacts with your property!

Many 3D landscape designs will allow you to see how your landscape will look at night and will let you view your selected plants in any season.


Which one is better, a 2D or 3D design rendering?

The answer to which one of these design rendering styles is better depends on the type of project you're working with.

  • For a simple, small project: A 2D rendering will give you the best bang for your buck, displaying primary spacing information in a quick, easily digestible format.
  • For a larger project: A 3D rendering is optimal for large projects with many elements and moving parts and gives a better feel of how a large change will affect the landscape as a whole.

No matter which you choose, investing in a design rendering at all is going to bring you leaps and bounds closer to getting the perfect result in your landscaping project.


Our team can help you get the perfect 2D or 3D rendering! Call us today to schedule our landscape design service.

At Rose Landscape Services, we love seeing our customers' visions come to life – and being the ones who breathe life into them! We're experts in all aspects of landscape design, including symmetry, color balance, depth, proportion, and focal points. This means not only are we able to provide you with a 2D or 3D design rendering that articulates your vision, but we're also able to offer key insights into design principles to elevate your vision to the next level. Our services are available in Grand Rapids, MI and surrounding cities like Ada and Cascade. If you're in the area and ready to get started, call our team at (616) 293-0361 today to schedule our landscape design service!