Are you having a lot of trouble getting started with the Course Architect Tool? If so, this might help:
To make a new outline (water, greens,
fairways, etc.):
1. Click the OUTLINE tab
2. Click the NEW OUTLINE tool (if you leave the mouse cursor over the tools for
an extended period of time, some text will appear. If you leave the mouse cursor
over the correct tool, it will say: "New Outline").
3. Making outlines takes time to get used to, but to start with, it might be best
trying to make a green. Click on the map, and a box with a line should appear. Click
again on the map away from the initial box and another box will appear, with a line
in between the boxes, with the line extending past the new box to where the mouse
cursor is. Keep on clicking until the general shape is achieved, then for the final
box, double-click.
4. To modify the shape, click-and-hold the desired box, and move it to its desired
location. You can also change the tangent of the box, which is a little more complicated
to explain, but tinker with it until you get the shape you want.
5. To change to the kind of outline you have, right-click the outline, and change
the outline type from GREEN to whatever you want (water, green, fairway...whatever
you want).
Adding trees to an outline:
6. Click the OBJECT tab.
7. Click the TEXTURE SELECT tool.
8. Click inside an outline you've made.
9. Click the POPULATE tool.
10. Choose a tree type and the number of that kind of tree you want to populate
that outline, and click OK.
This is the easiest way to make an outline and trees. Obviously there are many other
ways to do this, maybe better ways to do this, but this is the way I normally do
it.
Changing Elevation:
11. Click TERRAIN tab.
12. Click TEXTURE SELECT tool.
13. Click inside an outline you've made.
14. There are many tools to modify the terrain, but lets say you want to bump the
terrain. Click the BUMP tool. Click inside the outline you've selected with the
TEXTURE SELECT tool, and hold the mouse button. Move the mouse up and release the
mouse button. The texture should now be like a hill (the more you move the mouse
up, the more severe the slope of the hill).
I know there are a lot of things to learn about the Course Architect Tool; I'm still
learning every time I use it! The best thing to do (or at least what I did) is to
let the Course Architect Tool make a hole for you, based on the initial parameters
you give it, and to modify the fairway, green, etc. it gives you. Then when you
feel comfortable, try making a hole from scratch. Then try putting a whole course
together. Once you get 18 holes together, it only gets easier -- its getting past
the first 18 holes that is the biggest obstacle. I hope this helps, and good luck!