Projects, geometry and file paths

Projects, geometry and file paths#

Open and save a project#

Choose Open to load a workflow JSON file. ArtGUI reads Setup, numbered WorkFlow steps and PostProcess into the interface. New starts an empty workflow. New and Open ask before discarding unsaved changes.

Save writes the current project. A new project opens a file dialog; an opened project saves back to its existing path.

Choose Save as, immediately beside Save in the top bar, to choose another JSON filename or folder. After a successful save, the project name changes and subsequent Save actions write to the chosen file. Cancelling the dialog keeps the current path and unsaved changes. Use Ctrl+S for Save and Ctrl+Shift+S for Save as (Cmd on keyboards that use it).

Save as copies the project JSON; it does not copy attached inputs or rename exported meshes and fields. When saving into another folder with JSON working directory enabled, check relative paths again. Set a distinct Export output filename when an existing result should be preserved.

Project attachments are saved as file references in an additional ArtGUI section. ArtGUI excludes that section from the workflow sent to the backend. Geometry and supporting files are not embedded in the JSON; keep them with the project when sharing or moving it.

Choose the right way to add a file#

File actions#

Action

Effect

Load source

Selects the workflow geometry, sets Type to Geometry and updates Setup.Geomfile. Use this when changing the shape used for generation.

Geometry → + Add

Adds reference geometry without replacing the workflow source.

Load result

Loads an output as a result layer and records it in Geometry. It does not change Setup.Geomfile.

Point clouds → + Add

Imports a CSV/TSV point file with X/Y/Z column mapping and an optional scalar column for colouring. This creates a viewer reference.

Fields → Add or View field…

Opens an exported Artisan HDF5 field for slice inspection.

Supporting files → + Add

Attaches other inputs for organisation. CSV/TSV files open the point-cloud import dialog. Set the consuming operation’s file parameter separately.

Preview mesh

Loads or reloads the selected supported mesh in the viewer.

Remove from project

Removes an attachment and its preview. The file remains on disk.

Click a geometry entry to inspect it. Properties show its path and, after loading, mesh counts and original-coordinate bounds. A loaded mesh also has a visibility checkbox. Select Display → Display colour for its colour and Display → Opacity for its transparency. Each source, reference and result mesh keeps its own settings, including through preview/full-detail reloads. Opacity can also be set before the preview loads. Supported meshes attached as supporting files can be previewed and given their own opacity too.

On reopening a project, the source loads automatically when available. Select other attached geometries to load them as needed. A reference mesh does not participate in generation simply because it is visible in the scene.

Understand the working directory#

An absolute path, such as C:/Models/bracket.stl, identifies a file directly. A relative path, such as sample-obj/EngineBracket.STL, is interpreted from a starting folder. Choose that starting folder deliberately.

JSON working directory (Setup.JsonWorkDir)#

Value

Starting folder for Artisan relative paths

Use when

false / Disabled

The selected backend’s working directory.

Using a package example arranged around ArtisanMain.exe.

true / Enabled

The folder containing the saved project JSON.

Keeping each project and its inputs in a self-contained folder.

Directory string

A custom working directory interpreted by Artisan.

Maintaining an advanced workflow that already specifies a directory.

For example, keep the supplied engine-bracket JSON in Test_json with false and select the backend in the parent Artisan_Dist folder. To switch that same JSON to true, update its relative paths accordingly:

Geomfile: ../sample-obj/EngineBracket.STL
outfile:  ../Test_results/EngineBracket_trial.stl

These two lines illustrate path values; they are not a complete JSON object. Alternatively, browse to absolute input and output paths. Absolute paths are easy to check locally but usually need updating on another computer.

Important

A successful viewer preview is not proof that every engine path is correct. Check the working-directory setting and all inputs, including files inside imported definitions and operation presets. The viewer can locate files using additional search locations.

Set up a new design#

  1. Choose New, then Load source to select your geometry.

  2. Select Project settings and set the resolution and compute options.

  3. Save the project in its intended folder and decide whether relative paths should start there.

  4. Add your operations, keeping inputs and definitions before their uses.

  5. Add an Export model operation with a distinct output filename.

  6. Save, generate and load the output to inspect it.

For a design defined by a box domain rather than an input file, choose Type = Sample. Set lower and upper X, Y and Z bounds; every upper value must be greater than its corresponding lower value. Sample mode uses the workflow’s Sample settings. Additional settings not shown by the form can be edited through JSON.

Resolution and post-processing#

Resolution controls the spacing used to sample the implicit model, not the lattice unit-cell size. Smaller spacing can resolve finer details but increases calculation and memory demands. Keep an established example’s settings until you have a successful baseline.

Use GPU requests engine GPU use; it does not install or configure GPU support. Memory limit (bytes) is passed to Artisan as its computation setting, not a cap on the whole ArtGUI application’s memory.

The Post process section exposes the workflow’s post-processing options. In the engine-bracket example, Combine Meshes and Remove Isolated Parts are enabled. Removing isolated parts can remove disconnected components, so review the result if the design intentionally contains separate pieces.

Field references#

Use Fields → Add to open an exported Artisan HDF5 field. Saving the project keeps its file path, selected field and block under ArtGUI.fields. Each field ID retains its own opacity for that file. Slice position, palette and probe results remain session settings; field data stays in the external file. Select its project entry to reopen it.

Point-cloud references keep the file path, column mapping, display limit and display style, including point opacity. Select the entry to reopen the points without repeating the mapping dialog. Geometry display colours and opacity are also project settings. Choose Save or Save as to retain these changes on disk.

See Inspect models in the 3D Workspace for the viewing controls.

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