CS Artisan

Intelligent, Data-Centric CAD Software for Landscape Professionals

For more than three decades, CS Artisan has been empowering landscape professionals to design, manage and deliver accurate, data-rich landscape projects. First introduced in the 1990s, when many landscape architects and designers still relied on traditional drawing boards and CAD technology was in its infancy, CS Artisan was built around a vision that remains unchanged today: landscape design should be driven by intelligent data, not just graphics.

Unlike conventional CAD workflows that focus primarily on drawing production, CS Artisan places information at the centre of the design process. Every component can be enriched with intelligent data that flows seamlessly from cloud-based resources to palettes, labels and reports, providing a robust and auditable workflow from concept design through to project delivery. This powerful data-centric approach helps landscape professionals improve consistency, accuracy and efficiency across projects of all scales.

A Proven Data Workflow

At the heart of CS Artisan is a proven workflow built around three core elements:

Palettes

Cloud-connected palettes provide instant access to intelligent landscape content, including planting, hard landscape and bespoke project resources. Centrally managed content ensures teams work from a consistent and up-to-date library of approved specifications.

Labels

Intelligent labels connect graphical objects to underlying project information. Whether applied to individual items, linear elements or area-based components, labels maintain a direct relationship with design data and can be edited, updated or substituted throughout the project lifecycle.

Reports

Dynamic reports and schedules transform project data into meaningful deliverables. Flexible reporting tools enable users to define custom records, apply data filters and generate schedules that accurately reflect project requirements and changes.

Together, the Palette → Label → Report workflow creates a seamless connection between design intent, specification data and project documentation, reducing duplication while improving project quality and accuracy.

Powered by the Cloud

CS Artisan combines the performance of desktop CAD with the flexibility of cloud-based content management. Through searchable online libraries and the integrated CS Web App, users can access and manage landscape resources from a central location, ensuring consistency across teams, offices and projects. Centrally created and managed palettes provide a single source of truth for project standards and manufacturer information.

A key advantage of the platform is the centralised Palette Builder, which is shared with CS ArtisanRV, the BIM solution for Autodesk Revit. This common resource environment enables organisations to maintain a unified approach to landscape content creation and management across both CAD and BIM workflows.

Designed for Industry-Leading CAD Platforms

CS Artisan is available on two leading CAD platforms:

CS ArtisanAC for Autodesk AutoCAD
CS ArtisanBC for BricsCAD

For organisations using Autodesk Civil 3D, CS ArtisanAC provides additional capabilities designed specifically for civil engineering and site design workflows. Tools such as Boundary to Solid have been developed to work directly with Civil 3D TIN surfaces, enabling landscape professionals to create accurate three-dimensional landscape models that integrate seamlessly with wider site and infrastructure projects.

Comprehensive Landscape Design Tools

CS Artisan provides a wide range of specialist tools designed specifically for landscape design and documentation, including:

Intelligent planting and non-planting design tools
Dynamic labels and data management
Customisable schedules and reports
Cloud-based landscape resource libraries
Plant Browser and planting content management
Custom hatches, linetypes and graphic symbols
Landscape detail libraries
Terrain modelling, contours, levels and surface tools
2D and 3D landscape workflows

Delivering Landscape Projects Worldwide

Today, CS Artisan continues to help landscape architects, designers and multidisciplinary project teams deliver landscape projects around the world. By combining intelligent data management, cloud-connected resources and powerful CAD integration, CS Artisan provides a mature, proven platform that bridges the gap between design, specification and project delivery.

Whether working in AutoCAD, BricsCAD or Civil 3D, landscape professionals can rely on CS Artisan to transform CAD drawings into intelligent, data-rich project information, ensuring greater accuracy, consistency and efficiency across every stage of the landscape design process.

CS Artisan... web integrated landscape for AutoCAD© and BricsCAD©

Artisan is a cloud-based professional landscape solution, allowing landscape professionals to create, manage and deliver a diverse range of projects - automating project workflows and providing a seamless flow of data – from Cloud-based resources to downloadable palettes, labels and schedules.

Key features include:

A cloud-based landscape CAD software solution, perfectly integrated with AutoCAD® or BricsCAD®
Centrally created and managed palettes via the integrated CS Web App
Ability to attach intelligent information to single, linear and area components via labels
Ability to modify existing label information using the Artisan Edit and Substitute tools
Create dynamic schedules with customisable records in order to define report templates
Define or modify data and format text via the Report Designer, while accessing bespoke Data Filters to define which records are included excluded in the schedule
Manage planting model content via the Plant Browser
Access custom linetypes, hatches and graphic symbols within plan, elevation and 3D
Insert metric or imperial details from the Details Library and customise to include your own standard content
Terrain Tools including levels, contours and 3D surfaces.

CS Artisan empowers landscape professionals to automate project workflows in an intelligent data-rich computer-aided-design (CAD) system. The web-integrated system provides the seemless flow of data from Cloud-based resources to downloaded palettes, to labels and schedules in the model. CS Artisanfeatures fully collaborate with AutoCAD© and BricsCAD© .

Note that any references to 'Artisan' in this help system, refer to both CS ArtisanAC (AutoCAD) and CS ArtisanBC (BricsCAD).

All CS Artisan tools are available via the Artisan Ribbon...