Installation

../_images/vizid_install_wizard.png

The VIZid Suite Studio installer.

VIZid Suite is distributed for Windows as a single Studio installer: one MSI that sets up the whole workstation. The CAD VIZid Bridge plug-ins ship separately, because they install into the CAD application rather than into VIZid Suite.

The Studio Installer

The Studio MSI installs everything needed on the workstation:

  • VIZid Suite – the desktop application (the Blender 5.1 fork).

  • VIZid Mesh converter – the native vizidmesh.exe STEP-to-mesh converter and its runtime, bundled as the core add-on’s binaries.

  • VIZid backend – the mediator service used by the CMF, asset and render tools, bundled with the Gloss add-on.

  • The Gloss, Mesh and Cosmos add-ons, enabled on first run.

By default the installer places the application in C:\Program Files\VIZid Suite\5.1\. The install path can be changed in the wizard. In Add or Remove Programs the entry appears as VIZid Suite by VIZid.

Note

The Studio MSI is not code-signed. Until it is signed, Windows SmartScreen reports an unknown publisher and may show a warning when the installer is run.

What Is Not Included

The CAD VIZid Bridge plug-ins are not part of the Studio MSI. Each one has its own small installer that targets the customer’s CAD seat:

  • SOLIDWORKS VIZid Bridge add-in

  • Creo VIZid Bridge plug-in

Install these only on the machine that runs the corresponding CAD application. They connect back to VIZid Suite over the live sync; see CAD VIZid Bridge.

Version Folders

VIZid Suite follows Blender’s version-folder scheme. Each first-decimal release gets its own install folder, so several versions can be installed side by side:

  • A new minor release, such as 5.2, installs into its own 5.2 folder alongside an existing 5.1 install without overwriting it.

  • A bug-fix release on the same line, such as 5.1.3, installs in place into the existing 5.1 folder, unless a separate copy is requested in the wizard.

User preferences and add-on state are stored per version under the user’s application data, separately from the install folder, so they are kept distinct from a standard Blender installation.

First Run

On first launch, VIZid Suite enables the bundled Gloss, Mesh and Cosmos add-ons. The VIZid Mesh converter and the backend are located automatically from the install tree, so no environment variables, PATH changes or further setup are required.

To begin importing CAD data, open the 3D Viewport sidebar with N and select the VIZid Mesh tab. See VIZid Mesh for details.