Import Your House from OpenPlan3D into OpenLandscape3D
Bring an OpenPlan3D house into OpenLandscape3D, set north and frost dates, design the yard around it, then export it back to OpenPlan3D with Import JSON.
· 7 min read · OpenLandscape3D editorial
A landscape plan is easier to get right when the house is in it at the correct size and position. Window locations tell you where views and privacy matter. Doors set the routes for paths. The walls decide where shade falls and where trees will crowd the building as they grow. OpenPlan3D and OpenLandscape3D are designed to share one file, so you can model the house in one and the yard in the other without redrawing either.
This guide walks through the round trip. You capture or draw the house in OpenPlan3D, open it in OpenLandscape3D, design the site around it, check clearances, and export a file that OpenPlan3D can import again. It also explains exactly what survives the trip and what does not yet.
What you need
- An OpenPlan3D project for the house, drawn in the browser or captured with its iPhone RoomPlan app on a LiDAR-equipped device
- A desktop or laptop browser for the OpenLandscape3D web planner at app.openlandscape3d.com
- A few site measurements: distances from the house to the property lines, and the positions of trees, paving and other features you want to keep
- Your approximate last spring and first fall frost dates (local extension services and weather services publish them)
Step 1: Draw or scan the house in OpenPlan3D
Build the house in OpenPlan3D first. The building data that carries across includes walls, doors, windows, rooms and stories. A few things make the landscape stage easier:
- Get the exterior right. For landscape work, exterior wall positions and the locations and sizes of doors and windows matter most. Interior detail comes across too, but it rarely affects the yard.
- Check scans with a tape. A RoomPlan scan is a fast starting point, but check overall exterior dimensions and key openings by hand, especially if you'll plant close to the walls.
- Include all stories. Second-floor windows matter when you're planning privacy screens or tree placement.
Save the project when the house looks right.
Step 2: Export the house and open it in OpenLandscape3D
Export the house from OpenPlan3D as JSON. OpenPlan3D uses a prepared RoomPlan JSON structure, with lengths in metres. Then open that file in the OpenLandscape3D web planner.
When OpenLandscape3D reads an OpenPlan3D file, it keeps the building geometry (walls, doors, windows, rooms and stories) verbatim. It displays the building and uses its walls for checks, but it doesn't edit those arrays. When you export later, it writes them back out unchanged. Any edits to the house itself, such as moving a window, belong in OpenPlan3D.
Non-landscape objects in the OpenPlan3D file, such as furniture, pass through unchanged as well.
Step 3: Set north, region and frost dates
Before drawing anything outside, set up the site so that sun, seasons and plant checks are meaningful.
- North. An indoor floor plan has no real compass orientation, so set the north direction relative to the house. Use a compass app, a map or a site survey. Getting north wrong flips your sunny and shady sides. Our sun and shade mapping guide explains why this matters so much.
- Region. Choose the pilot region that matches the site (Northeast, Southeast or Southwest). This selects the regional plant catalog and the invasive-species flags.
- Frost dates. Enter your local last spring and first fall frost dates. They set the frost-free season the planner uses for leaf-off previews of deciduous plants, and they generate the seasonal task schedule.
Your USDA hardiness zone, which you can look up with the zone lookup, is used for the OL-HARDY check. Zone tells you about winter cold only. Soil, drainage, sun and local microclimate still decide what grows well.
Step 4: Draw the site around the house
Now build the landscape around the building:
- Property boundary. Draw it from a survey or plat if you have one. Until you mark the boundary as verified, the OL-UNVERIFIED check reminds you it may not be accurate. Don't use an unverified boundary to place fences or walls on the line.
- Existing features. Add existing trees, patios, driveways and paths you're keeping.
- Terrain. Leave the site flat, or add spot elevations where the ground changes noticeably. Spot elevations record grade, but the planner does not calculate cut and fill.
- Surfaces and structures. Draw beds, lawn, mulch, gravel, patios, paths, decks, driveways and water areas. Add fences, retaining walls, edging, gates and site objects such as pergolas, sheds, benches and raised beds.
- Micro-sites. Give areas such as a shady strip along the north wall or a wet low spot their own sun and moisture overrides.
- Plants. Place plants individually or as rows, hedges, masses and grids, with spacing and mixes.
Our guide on how to plan a backyard landscape covers the design thinking behind these steps.
Step 5: Check clearances and other design checks
With the house in the plan, the OL-CLEARANCE check flags trees whose mature canopy will sit too close to a building wall. This is one of the most common planting mistakes. A small tree planted 1 m (3 ft) from a wall looks fine for a few years, then rubs the siding, blocks a window and drops debris into gutters.
- Use the season and growth preview to see the plan 5, 10 or more years after planting.
- Review OL-OVERLAP for plants whose mature canopies collide with one another.
- Resolve or override each check. Overrides take a note, so you and anyone you share the plan with can see why an exception was accepted.
Typical setbacks depend on the mature size of the plant. Small shrubs may be fine within 1 m (3 ft) of a wall. Large trees generally belong much farther away. Use the catalog's mature spread as your guide.
Step 6: Export back to OpenPlan3D
When the plan is ready, export the OpenPlan3D-compatible file. It is named after your site, in the form <Site>-openplan3d.json. In OpenPlan3D, use Import JSON to open it.
What round-trips
| Item | In the exported file |
|---|---|
| Walls, doors, windows, rooms, stories | Re-emitted verbatim from the original OpenPlan3D file |
| Non-landscape OpenPlan3D objects (e.g., furniture) | Passed through unchanged |
| Plants | Converted to OpenPlan3D catalog objects (e.g., tree_oak, bush), sized at the chosen scenario year |
| Fences | Converted to catalog objects (e.g., fence_planks) |
| Patios and decks | Converted to catalog objects (e.g., deck_patio) |
| Site objects | Converted to catalog objects (e.g., pergola) |
Plants are sized by the scenario year you choose. A tree exported at year 10 appears in OpenPlan3D at its estimated year-10 size, not its mature size, so pick the year you want to look at before exporting.
The known gap
Some landscape data has no equivalent in OpenPlan3D yet. Lawn, bed, mulch, gravel, path and driveway surfaces, terrain, and the property boundary are not shown in OpenPlan3D. They are not lost. They stay in the file's openlandscape3d block, so when you reopen the file in OpenLandscape3D the full site comes back. The format is documented in the export format reference.
Tips for a smooth round trip
- Keep one source of truth for each part. Edit the house in OpenPlan3D and the landscape in OpenLandscape3D. If you change the house, export it from OpenPlan3D again and reopen it in OpenLandscape3D.
- Name sites clearly. The site name becomes part of the exported filename.
- Keep the JSON file. It holds the complete landscape data, including the parts OpenPlan3D doesn't display yet.
- Location stays with you. Transfer links between the web planner and the upcoming iOS app carry no precise location.
How OpenLandscape3D helps
OpenLandscape3D opens OpenPlan3D house files directly, keeps the building geometry exactly as it was, and adds a plant-aware site around it. Design checks like OL-CLEARANCE use the real wall positions. Growth previews show how plantings will relate to windows and walls over time. The export writes everything back to a single OpenPlan3D-compatible JSON file. Surfaces, terrain and boundary aren't yet displayed in OpenPlan3D, but they are preserved in the file.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need OpenPlan3D to use OpenLandscape3D?
No. You can design a site without a house model. Bringing in the house from OpenPlan3D adds accurate walls, doors and windows, which makes clearance checks and sightline planning more useful.
Will OpenLandscape3D change my house model?
No. Walls, doors, windows, rooms and stories are kept verbatim and written back unchanged on export. Make building edits in OpenPlan3D.
Why don't my lawn and beds show up in OpenPlan3D?
OpenPlan3D doesn't yet have objects for landscape surfaces, terrain or property boundaries. That data is kept in the file's openlandscape3d block and comes back when you reopen the file in OpenLandscape3D.
What size will trees be in OpenPlan3D?
They are sized at the scenario year you choose before exporting, using the planner's growth estimate. Export again with a different year to compare.
Does the file include my address or GPS location?
Transfer links between the web planner and the iOS app carry no precise location. Treat the JSON file itself like any project file and share it only with people you choose.