Spectrum is a photorealistic rendering application for KOMPAS-3D, developed by Softellion. Send an assembly from your CAD system in one click and get an image — with an interactive preview, a material library, and controllable lighting.
- Features
- System Requirements
- Installation
- Your first render
- Camera and selection controls
- Licensing
- Known limitations
- FAQ / Troubleshooting
- Uninstall
- Support
- Changelog
- License
- KOMPAS-3D integration. The plugin exports the current assembly, and the scene appears in Spectrum automatically.
- GPU rendering. Ray tracing for maximum image quality.
- Material library. Materials from AMD GPUOpen with search, category filter, and automatic download on apply.
- Custom materials. Support for
.mtlx(MaterialX) files — add your own materials through the upload dialog. - Image-based lighting. Replace the built-in environment with an HDR panorama — it changes both lighting and reflections.
- Scene editing. Object tree from KOMPAS-3D, transform gizmo (translate / rotate / scale), and a properties panel for the selected object.
- Quality presets. Render settings are grouped into tabs with presets; changes are saved automatically and applied to the active render.
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 (x64) |
| GPU | AMD or NVIDIA, up-to-date drivers |
| CAD | KOMPAS-3D v23 or newer (for model export) |
| Internet | required for downloading materials from the AMD GPUOpen library |
| Disk | an install folder with write access (materials are downloaded next to the program) |
There is no installer — the distribution ships as a portable archive.
- Unpack the archive. Download
spectrum_vX.Y.zipfrom the Releases page and extract it to a folder with write access, e.g.C:\Users\<user>\Spectrum. - Connect the plugin in KOMPAS-3D. Open the Applications menu and point it to
spectrum.kompas3d.rtwfrom the unpacked folder — the plugin ships as this single file. - Launch Spectrum. Run
spectrum.exe. Spectrum must be running before you export from KOMPAS-3D — otherwise the plugin reports that Spectrum is unavailable.
- Import a model. Use the Spectrum plugin command in KOMPAS-3D to export the current assembly — the scene appears in Spectrum automatically.
- Frame the view. Orbit and pan the camera until the model is positioned the way you want.
- Apply materials. Select objects (click in the viewport or in the scene tree) and apply a material from the library.
- Save the result. Right-click → Save rendered image.
Full documentation is available in the application itself: press F1.
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Select an object | left click |
| Add to selection | Ctrl + left click |
| Move camera | middle button + drag |
| Rotate camera | right button + drag |
| Zoom | mouse wheel |
| Context menu | right click without dragging |
The transform gizmo appears when exactly one object is selected; modes: T — translate, R — rotate, S — scale. For the full list of keyboard shortcuts, see the built-in help (F1).
The distributed package is a trial version with the following limitation:
- saving the rendered image is limited to 720p.
- application screenshots are blocked.
For a full version, contact contact@softellion.com.
- Application state is not persisted between launches. When Spectrum closes, the scene and applied changes are reset — the assembly has to be exported from KOMPAS-3D again.
Windows SmartScreen or antivirus warns about spectrum.exe. The executable is not digitally signed, so Windows may show a warning. Click "More info" → "Run anyway". Download the archive only from the official Releases page of this repository.
The plugin reports that Spectrum is unavailable.
Launch spectrum.exe before exporting from KOMPAS-3D — the plugin connects to a running Spectrum instance only.
The material library does not load.
The library is loaded from AMD GPUOpen and requires an internet connection (access to api.matlib.gpuopen.com). The panel shows a network error with a Retry button; loading also resumes automatically once the connection is back.
Render fails, a black viewport, or poor performance. Make sure you have an AMD Radeon or NVIDIA GPU with up-to-date graphics drivers.
Other questions — see the built-in help (F1) or contact us.
Spectrum accesses the internet only to download materials from AMD GPUOpen (api.matlib.gpuopen.com, images.matlib.gpuopen.com) and to open links from the built-in help in your browser. No telemetry is collected.
- Remove the plugin in KOMPAS-3D (Applications menu).
- Delete the unpacked folder — downloaded materials and cache are stored inside it, so no traces remain elsewhere.
- Website — softellion.com/en/products/spectrum
- Email — contact@softellion.com
- Bug reports and suggestions — Issues
See CHANGELOG.md.
Spectrum is proprietary software by SOFTELLION. Terms of use: EULA.md. Notices for third-party components: THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md.
Spectrum by SOFTELLION — photorealistic rendering for KOMPAS-3D