This document provides an overview of the Lightworks Artisan plugin for BricsCAD, which allows users to create photorealistic renders of 3D CAD models directly within BricsCAD. It describes how to launch Artisan, apply materials and lighting, work with snapshot scenes, customize backgrounds and materials, and output final rendered images. The plugin integrates directly with BricsCAD models and allows dragging and dropping materials, lighting styles, and other elements onto a model to preview changes in real time.

1. Artisan for
BricsCAD Guide
This demonstration will give you an overview of
Lightworks Artisan for BricsCAD. Artisan provides 3D
designers with easy to use tools for the simple creation of
photorealistic images.
Artisan is integrated within BricsCAD so there is no need
to export your CAD files. The basic elements of your
model will be carried across to Artisan at the touch of a
button.
Contents
Launching Artisan
Using Artisan
SnapShots
Software Rendering
Customisation
Controlling Lighting
Whats in the SnapShots?
Finished Renders
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2. Launching Artisan
1 Open our ProductDemo.dwg file in BricsCAD and click on the Artisan logo.
2
Choose metres as the unit value
for your model. This step is important,
as it will affect how your model is
displayed in Artisan.
3 Artisan will launch and ask you to choose
a model type. In this case our demo model is an
object so we will choose Product.
The model is displayed on screen as a real time 3D render. Any changes you make
are displayed instantly.
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3. Using Artisan
There are five tabs at the top of the screen (highlighted in red); these will allow you to work
on different aspects of creating a render. The tool bar (highlighted in green) offers various
tools to move around your model manually. The categories panel (highlighted in yellow) will
provide different options depending on your current tab. You can save your own content
under the ‘Custom’ section. The content panel can be found at the bottom of the screen
(highlighted in blue).
Artisan allows you to drag and drop materials, lighting styles and backgrounds displayed in
the content panel directly onto your model.
1
Click the materials tab and choose
“Basic Materials” from the red section of the
categories panel.
2 Now scroll down to the “blue” preset
from the content panel at the bottom of the
screen, and drag it on to the model. The
change is instantly shown in the real time
render.
You can select other types of content such
as lighting styles, backgrounds and camera
settings by selecting a different tab.
Try applying some more materials to different
parts of the model.
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4. SnapShots
Artisan SnapShots store the data associated with your design at a particular point in time.
SnapShots allow you to create a range of different views, lighting styles and materials so you
can easily move back and forth between them. You can create as many SnapShots as you like:
adapt the model in BricsCAD and then view the changes in Artisan using SnapShots. You can
easily export finished renders of selected SnapShots.
This demonstration includes some pre made SnapShots
1
Click on the SnapShots tab and then select Model SnapShots in the categories panel.
2
Drag the “Start Here” SnapShot anywhere on your model.
Notice how the materials, camera position, background and lighting styles have all changed.
3
Now apply “SnapShot1”, immediately the model looks very different.
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5. Software Rendering
To switch to software rendering
click the “Render Scene”
button in the tool bar. This
will show lighting, shadows,
reflections and material
finishes, as they will appear in
the final rendered files.
1
In the categories panel, please ensure Material Quality is set to medium.
(This will ensure that materials such as glossy will display properly in software rendering.)
2
Apply Snapshot1 and press “Render Scene” Button.
3 Repeat step 2 with each of the SnapShots 1-5.
Rendering Quality Realtime Render
This is what Artisan will show you in the preview
pane. The render is created instantly and
previews you image with a good level of detail.
Material finishes and bump maps are rendered
at a lower quality to increase speed. This allows
you to quickly make design decisions without
having to spend time waiting for renders to
process.
Software Render
Pressing the ‘Render Scene’ button will create
a quick, high quality render. Any lighting blocks
used in your model will show, as well as high
quality shadow and material finish detail. You
can adjust the quality of software rendering in
the categories panel.
Final Rendered Images
When you have finished working with your
model you will output your renders. These
are photorealistic quality and show accurate
shadows, finishes and lighting. You can
customise the size and quality of these files.
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6. Customisation
Artisan provides a huge variety of preset materials, finishes, bump maps, backgrounds and
lighting studios. You can create thousands of combinations of them using Artisan. But it doesn’t
stop there: you can add unlimited custom materials and backgrounds to Artisan. In this example
we will apply a custom background to the SnapShot labeled ‘Custom Background’.
1 Ensure ‘Custom Background’ SnapShot
is selected. You will notice a red gird behind
the model. This is the default background and
we will now change this for an image.
2
From the Backgrounds tab, select
‘Custom Background’ from the Presets tab of
the Categories Panel. Apply ‘Custom Image’
preset from the Content Panel.
3
An Edit Background dialog will appear;
navigate to the ‘Custom Background’ folder
that was included in this demo.
4
Apply the included image file and click
Render Scene.
Materials can be added in a similar way by applying the preset labelled ‘texture’ from the Basic
Materials catalogue.
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7. Controlling Lighting
Lights added to models in BricsCAD will illuminate in Artisan. You can use lights in a product
model to simulate specific environments or to recreate functional lighting such as LED’s and light
bulbs. In this demonstration a small point light has been added to simulate an LED in the model.
The geometry we
have associated
with the point light is
highlighted in blue in
BricsCAD.
Artisan allows you to edit various characteristic of lights including: colour, bulb type, intensity and
cone angle.
1
Click on the “Edit Light” icon
in BricsCAD.
2
Use the checkmarks to turn
specific lights on and off. Try changing
the colour of the light to Green. You
do not need to synchronise Artisan to
change lighting settings, you will see your
changes next time you preview render
your scene.
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8. What’s in the SnapShots?
SnapShot 1
The predominant material is a basic red material
with a glossy rough 6 finish. A background from
the Artisan catalogue has been added. The
interior - apartment lighting setting has been
added. A subtle reflection has been added, with
blur and brightness set to 0.30.
SnapShot 2
A colour variation of the glossy rough 8 finish, this
time in gold. The metal fittings have a chrome
plate finish. Background is a graduated grey to
white studio background. The studio - neutral
2 lighting preset has been applied with light
shadows on and a subtle reflection with settings
at 0.30 for brightness and 0.40 for blur.
SnapShot 3
This SnapShot has a two tone design, the bare
metal has brushed steel 7, and the red metal
has clear lacquer reflect material with a molded
plastic bump map. The background is the Granite
2 preset from the 2D- small objects catalogue.
The lighting setting is Fast Light Studio 4 with the
light shadows turned on.
SnapShot 4
The main body work of this model is Clear
Lacquer Reflect -1 in a baby blue colour. For
a paint-like texture, molded plastic 2 finish has
also been applied. The metal fixtures have a
brushed aluminium 7 finish. The background is
the Granite 2 preset from the 2D- Small Objects
catalogue. The lighting setting is Fast Light
Studio 2.
SnapShot 5
For a more antique look, a green stainless steel
has been applied to the body work. The buttons
and fittings have a brushed brass finish. The
background is the tiles preset from the 2D- Small
objects catalogue. The lighting is the Fast Studio
1 preset, with the reflective intensity turned down
to have a more natural reflection.
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9. Finished Renders
When you are ready to create your
final rendered images choose “Render
Scene to File” from the tool bar if you
only want to work with your current
scene.
To render all or some of your SnapShots
choose “Render SnapShots to File”.
From here you can choose the size and
rendering quality of your model.
We have included finished renders of these SnapShots with this demonstration. Please find
them in the ‘Finished Renders’ folder.
All images in this demonstration and document have been created and rendered using Artisan for BricsCAD.
Copyright © Lightwork Design 2013
Lightworks, Lightworks Author, Lightworks Aspects, Lightworks Artisan, Lightworks SnapShot, LWA, and LWA-Enabled are trademarks,
or in some countries, registered trademarks of Lightwork Design Limited, Sheffield, UK. All other trademarks, logos and images remain
the property of their respective owners. Copyright ©Lightwork Design Ltd. 1989-2013
Lightwork Design Limited is a privately owned limited company incorporated in England (company number 02336696). Registered Office
address: Rutledge House, 78 Clarkehouse Road, Sheffield, S10 2LJ, United Kingdom
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