Privacy Screen
The Privacy Screen Wizard creates a decorative screen panel along a drawn path. Steps: panel configuration → style → wood style.
The Privacy Screen wizard places one or more freestanding decorative panels at a point you click on the canvas. You configure panel dimensions, choose a fill pattern (slats, lattice, solid, or louver), and apply a wood finish with weathering controls. Privacy screens are ideal for screening seating areas, dividing garden rooms, or framing views — wherever you need a defined visual barrier that is shorter or more decorative than a full fence.
Step 3 — Wood Style
Choose a wood finish from 8 preset cards: Fresh Pine, Pressure Treated, Oiled, Aged Grey, Aged Mossy, Painted White, Painted Dark, Charred. Weathering and Moss Coverage sliders fine-tune the selected preset.
Set panel dimensions and count
On the Panel step, enter the Width and Height of a single panel in your current unit system. If you want a run of panels side by side, increase Panel Count — each panel is placed flush against the next with the Gap Between Panels spacing you specify. Use Rotation to angle the screen relative to the plan.
A typical garden privacy screen panel is 1.2–1.8 m wide and 1.5–1.8 m tall. Setting Panel Count to 3–4 creates a continuous screen run without needing to place multiple separate objects.
Choose a panel fill style
On the Style step, pick one of five fill patterns: Horizontal Slat, Vertical Slat, Lattice, Solid, or Louver. For slat and louver styles, adjust Slat Spacing to control how open or closed the screen appears. For the Louver style, the Louver Angle field sets the tilt of the blades from horizontal — higher angles increase privacy, lower angles improve airflow.
Configure structural posts
Toggle Show Posts on or off to include or hide the vertical structural posts between panels. When enabled, set the Post Width and choose between a Square or Round post cross-section. Posts are placed automatically at the ends and between panels based on the panel count and gap settings.
Apply a wood finish
On the Wood Style step, choose one of eight preset finish cards: Fresh Pine, Pressure Treated, Oiled, Aged / Greyed, Aged with Moss, Painted White, Painted Dark, or Charred. Use the Weathering slider to add grey tone and grain wear, and the Moss Coverage slider to add natural surface growth. These controls affect the panel surface and posts independently.
The Aged / Greyed and Aged with Moss presets work well for naturalistic planting-forward designs. Use Painted Dark or Charred for contemporary schemes where you want the screen to recede visually behind planting.
Review and place
On the Apply step the canvas shows a live preview of the screen at its placement point. Confirm the dimensions and style look correct, then click Apply to commit the parametric object to the drawing. The screen appears on the 2D plan and is immediately visible in the 3D view. You can re-open the wizard at any time by selecting the screen and clicking Parameters.
After placing a privacy screen, use the Rotate handle in the 2D editor to fine-tune its orientation without re-opening the wizard. For bigger layout changes — panel count, dimensions, or style — use Parameters to re-enter the wizard.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fill styles are available for the panels?
Five styles are available: Horizontal Slat (horizontal boards with gaps), Vertical Slat (vertical boards with gaps), Lattice (diagonal criss-cross pattern), Solid (no gaps, full panel), and Louver (angled blades). Each balances privacy, airflow, and light differently — Louver lets air through while blocking sightlines, Solid gives maximum screening.
How is a privacy screen different from a fence?
A privacy screen is a freestanding decorative panel or panel run placed at a single point — suited for screening a seating area, framing a view, or creating a garden room divider. A fence runs along a continuous boundary path with posts, panels, and optional gates — use the Fence wizard for boundary or perimeter structures. Privacy screens are generally shorter runs and more decorative in character.
Can I place multiple screens and adjust each one independently?
Yes. Each placed privacy screen is an independent parametric object. Select any screen on the canvas and click Edit to re-open the wizard for that object without affecting others. You can have several screens with different styles, heights, or finishes in the same drawing.
Why do I see posts between every panel section?
Posts are placed automatically at panel junctions when Show Posts is enabled. If you want a clean continuous run without visible posts, either turn off Show Posts or reduce Panel Count and place the screen as a single wide panel. The panel width and gap fields give full control over the visible gaps.
Can I change the panel material to something other than wood?
The Wood Style step controls the procedural wood finish. For a non-wood appearance, choose Solid style and assign a different photoreal material via the inspector Material section after placing the screen. The panel surface and post surface each have their own material slot, so you can apply metal or composite materials independently.