By John Kmitta
For insight into landscape design software, including industry trends, software implementation, and software onboarding and training, OPE + recently spoke with Tony Kostreski, lead product specialist at Vectorworks, a leading provider of purpose-built landscape design software.
OPE+: Can you begin by providing an overview of Vectorworks landscape design software, especially any recent updates?
Kostreski: Vectorworks Landmark takes you from first sketch to build-ready plans in one seamless workflow, without juggling disconnected tools. You can sketch concepts, build an accurate 3D site model, lay out planting and hardscape, and turn that same file into clear construction drawings, takeoffs and visuals for client communication.
In the latest release, Vectorworks Landmark 2026 focuses on helping landscape professionals spend more time designing. Purpose-built tools manage plants, trees, grading and hardscapes the way you approach a site in the field, so you can preserve existing vegetation, design patios and circulation, model complex terrain and generate schedules without constant re-drawing or re-counting.
The 2026 release also sharpens this with new updates, including enhancements to the Existing Tree tool, a new Hedgerow Mode within the Landscape Area tool, more flexible Grade objects and the new Sustainability Dashboard for tracking embodied carbon, urban greening, biomass and Biodiversity Net Gain in real time.
OPE+: What trends are you seeing in landscape architecture and landscape design, and how is software helping to address those trends and/or any challenges industry pros face?
Kostreski: Landscape businesses are being squeezed by tighter timelines, labor shortages and rising sustainability expectations, especially around water use, carbon and biodiversity. At the same time, owners are demanding highly visual proposals and accurate, material-based estimates earlier in the process, which is why sustainability, AI and immersive experiences are now defining trends for landscape professionals.
Across the industry, sustainability has shifted from a marketing term to a measurable performance target, with clients and emerging landscape-architecture guidelines pushing firms to track embodied carbon, biodiversity, water and long-term ecological resilience.
Landmark’s new Sustainability Dashboard responds by automatically aggregating embodied carbon, urban greening, biomass and Biodiversity Net Gain from the design model to give teams real-time feedback so every planting, material or grading decision can be checked against climate and compliance goals instead of relying on after-the-fact calculations.
AI is also reshaping workflows, even as many landscape professionals remain understandably cautious and want tools that enhance human judgment rather than replace it. The AI Visualizer fits that role as a creative accelerator, turning models and simple prompts into quick study images or presentation-ready views so teams can explore design options and communicate ideas without heavy rendering overhead.
Immersive design rounds out the trend picture and is especially powerful for landscape professionals, as it speeds decision-making and reduces on-site surprises. By using VR, AR and interactive 3D, Vectorworks lets stakeholders virtually experience circulation, grades and sightlines at full scale before any installation or major purchase, turning abstract plans into something clients can immediately understand.
With tools like Vectorworks Odyssey, Nomad and Cloud Services, teams can publish a model once and then offer virtual tours in a browser, on-site AR previews on a phone or tablet, or full VR walkthroughs on a Meta Quest headset — all from the same design file.
In landscape and outdoor environments, that means stakeholders can stand virtually in a plaza or garden, test sightlines, and understand grading and circulation in real time, rather than trying to interpret everything from flat plans. This “virtual pre-build” helps catch issues early, speeds up approvals and builds client confidence, because everyone sees and experiences the same design rather than guessing from static images.
OPE+: What should landscape design/ build firms know when it comes to selecting /implementing new software?
Kostreski: The focus should be on how effectively it supports end-to-end workflows, not just pretty pictures. Powerful yet user-friendly tools are what let teams truly design without limits. Unified site, planting, and hardscape tools reduce rework between teams. Our tools address that by combining site modeling, planting, hardscape and irrigation into a single model and drawing set. Accurate quantities and reports directly influence bids, margins, and purchasing. As you design, data-rich objects – combined with Data Tags and Worksheets – automatically generate live plant lists, hardscape schedules and grading, keeping your drawings and reports in sync with the model.
Open collaboration is also critical because dealers, consultants and clients often use different platforms, so Landmark supports robust import and export for DWG, Revit, IFC, SketchUp, Rhino and more to keep everyone connected. Scalability and performance matter as projects range from small residential sites to complex campuses. Vectorworks Cloud Services steps in to handle heavy processing and storage. Teams can offload renderings and publishing tasks, review and markup documents from a browser or mobile device and keep shared files in sync — helping offices stay responsive while supporting flexible, hybrid workflows.
OPE+: For those landscape industry professionals who don’t have a background in landscape design or landscape architecture, how challenging is it for them to learn the software, or is it imperative that companies have a landscape designer or architect on staff to handle these tasks? Also, what kind of training is available to help you learn how to use Vectorworks software?
Kostreski: Vectorworks Landmark is comprehensive enough for landscape architects and designers, but approachable for contractors, estimators and project managers who may not come from a design school background. Most field-experienced staff who understand grading, plants and construction details can become productive in core Landmark workflows with focused training and a structured onboarding period rather than a full design degree.
To close the learning gap, Vectorworks offers courses, learning paths, webinars and an extensive library of landscape-specific training materials through its learning platform, Vectorworks University, that walk through everything from basic drafting to advanced site modeling.
Autonomous solutions are one of the fastest-growing OPE segments, especially when it comes to mowing and mower technology. We have covered autonomous mowers at length, but behind the latest mowers is software that enables the autonomous features.
For example, Greenzie – a software platform that enables commercial mowers to operate autonomously – features a current partner lineup that includes Wright Manufacturing, Bobcat, Mean Green Mowers and Greenworks Commercial.
According to Greenzie, this allows OEMs and their dealers to “bring autonomy to market through the equipment and channel relationships contractors already trust, without the added cost and complexity of building autonomy infrastructure themselves.”
The software allows the operator to define the mowing area by mowing the job boundary and identifying any keep-out zones. It then enables one or more autonomous mowers to handle the repetitive mowing while the operator focuses on edging, trimming, blowing and other detail work. The Greenzie system allows operators to move between manual and autonomous operation as needed.
“The result is a workflow that fits into how commercial landscape work already gets done, rather than forcing crews to adopt an entirely new process,” said Greenzie CEO Charles Brian Quinn.
According to Quinn, software updates deploy automatically with no planned downtime or interruption to availability. As a result, contractors continue to benefit from the latest software improvements without needing to take machines out of service for a manual update.
The landscape industry is still in the early-adopter phase when it comes to autonomous solutions, but it is clearly moving toward broader market acceptance, Quinn stated.
“Autonomy is no longer theoretical to most people,” said Quinn. “Consumers now see autonomous systems in everyday life, whether it's Waymos in cities, self-driving features in Teslas or robot food delivery systems. That familiarity is helping reduce skepticism and making commercial autonomy easier to understand. In landscaping specifically, the growth driver is practical, not noveltybased: Contractors are looking for ways to do more with the crews they have in a market where labor remains constrained.”
According to Quinn, dealers should understand that autonomy is fast becoming a legitimate commercial equipment category, and there will be a significant advantage for those who learn how to position it clearly and confidently.
“The sales conversation is not about replacing crews,” he said. “But rather about improving output, consistency, and labor efficiency by reducing labor needs and helping contractors continue to serve and grow their business without relying on additional hard-to-find staff. This is more than a technology conversation; it is a productivity conversation.”
On the service side, the OEMs and dealers continue to support the machines and own customer relationships. The software provider offers training, support and resources to help manufacturers and dealers sell, demo and support the autonomous machines.
ASI aquires Scythe Robotics
Autonomous Solutions Inc. (ASI) aquires Scythe Robotics, a Colorado-based developer of autonomous solutions for the landscape industry.
The acquisition brings Scythe’s onboard intelligence and proprietary computer vision system, Scythe Sight, into ASI’s existing portfolio, which includes the Mobius autonomous fleet management system. The companies said the integration is expected to support further development of autonomous equipment across industries such as construction, agriculture and landscaping, while supporting continued deployment of Scythe’s M.52 autonomous mower.
“With complementary values and missions, both Scythe and ASI build autonomy that shows up every day, in the real world, and delivers labor leverage for customers who can’t afford downtime,” said Jack Morrison, Scythe’s co-founder and CEO. “This newly established partnership will multiply our state-of-the-art autonomy’s impact across the industries ASI serves. Further, customers mowing with Scythe M.52 today will benefit from ASI’s scale, operational maturity and decades of success in offroad robotics.”
Said ASI CEO Mel Torrie, “ASI has over 25 years of deploying autonomy where reliability and safety aren’t just features but requirements. Scythe’s AI technology will play a critical role in helping us develop the next generation of autonomous equipment across diverse industrial sectors. Scythe’s experience fielding nationwide deployments and its best-in-class account management program will help ASI’s growth and great customer service in our other verticals.”
Scythe will continue to operate as an equipment brand within ASI Landscaping.