topic Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced in BIMx

Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 09 May 2023 11:18:01 GMT

http://www.graphisoft.com/community/press_zone/graphisoftbimx.html

See it in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kBNgokxrOc

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Erwin Edel — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:54:41 GMT

I don't suppose an Android version will be coming soon?

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Laszlo Nagy — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:20:46 GMT

No, I don't know about any Android version.

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:48:49 GMT

Very nice!

But if I understand it correctly, BimX will only work
on AC 15? I also did not see a price beyond the free introduction period.

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:04:04 GMT

Very good news!!!

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:39:09 GMT

i wish i can find it 4 android......
its very nice.

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Laszlo Nagy — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:03:19 GMT

Don wrote:
Very nice!

But if I understand it correctly, BimX will only work
on AC 15? I also did not see a price beyond the free introduction period.

I guess your local reseller can inform you about prices after the free period.

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Karl Ottenstein — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:18:15 GMT

laszlonagy wrote:
Don wrote:
Very nice!

But if I understand it correctly, BimX will only work
on AC 15? I also did not see a price beyond the free introduction period.
I guess your local reseller can inform you about prices after the free period.

Agree (reseller = pricing).

But, just to be sure everyone is understanding the changing terminology / licensing...

BimX is a free viewer for IOS devices. As far as we know, it will always be free, making it painless for any client to obtain the viewer. Well, as long as they have an IOS device. 😉

BIM Explorer is the software that runs on your computer and can generate either (1) an executable program for either Mac (app) or Windows (exe) that you can send to a client to run on their own computer, or (2) a specially encoded model file that is read by BIMx on an iPad/iPhone. (There is a corresponding add-on that shows up in the File menu that lets you send the contents of the 3D window to BIM Explorer.)

BIM Explorer is free for the 6 week introductory period of BIMx - although I cannot tell from the press release if this is free only to produce (2) above - the BIMx model files. Not clear if folks can produce computer-based exe/app files during this special period.

BIM Explorer otherwise requires that you own a license - see your reseller. One US reseller has it priced at $645 for ArchiPlus subscribers and $1,295 for non-subscribers. Without a license, and outside of the trial period, BIM Explorer can produce a viewer app/exe - but that viewer can only run on the same computer that generated it, just as a demonstration of what a client would get had one purchased a license.

BIM Explorer is essentially identical to what used to be called Virtual Building Explorer (VBE). If you get a BIM Explorer license, you can run the appropriate version of VBE with earlier versions of AC. But, note that VBE (14 and earlier) has not been modified to produce BIMx model files - only BIM Explorer for 15 will have this feature, as far as we know.

Last clarification (!) - it does not matter if your own computer is Windows or Mac, BIM Explorer (or VBE) can produce an executable model viewer for either or both of Windows or Mac - so no matter what kind of computer your client uses, you can produce a computer-based viewer for them.

Ideally, only your model is spinning at this point, and not your head. 😉

Cheers,
Karl

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Tom Krowka — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:09:31 GMT

I have a copy of VBE I purchased for AC 14; it works fine on AC15. Are you saying I will have to purchase a new copy, which is now called BIM Explorer, to get the upgrade features. I am assuming only the new BIM Explorer will allow export to BIMx file type.....which allows clients to look at the model on their Ipad.

You'r not kidding about your head spinning.

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Karl Ottenstein — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:47:18 GMT

Tom wrote:
I have a copy of VBE I purchased for AC 14; it works fine on AC15. Are you saying I will have to purchase a new copy, which is now called BIM Explorer, to get the upgrade features. I am assuming only the new BIM Explorer will allow export to BIMx file type.....which allows clients to look at the model on their Ipad.

You'r not kidding about your head spinning.

AFAIK (and I'm neither a reseller or associated with GS) - anyone with an existing VBE license, gets a free upgrade to the next version of VBE or in this case BIM Explorer when they upgrade their version of AC. So, if you have upgraded to 15, then AFAIK, your keyplug will also upgrade your VBE license to a BIM Explorer (15) license.

AFAIK, the export of models to the IOS BIMx app is only a feature of the AC 15 BIM Explorer.

To add to the head spinning, I think some more re-naming is coming soon.

Cheers,
Karl

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:51:11 GMT

BIMx goes live in one hour.

Check out this related video.
It is about a contest related to BIMx:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTd52dPnzh0

Rod Jurich

Rod Jurich — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:17:54 GMT

.............
Really!!

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:52:17 GMT

it would be cool to be able to use VBE, now BIMx, files as a way to engage clients in the design process by adding bits of information to be found by exploration in the model.

the shoot-em up imagery is a bit OTT though; surely to stay in context it should incorporate something like razor sharp T-squares or technical pen darts for dispatching zombies

seriously though, i think the violent imagery is in questionable taste.

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Laszlo Nagy — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:23:31 GMT

Here is an Architosh interview with GS guys for some more info about its background, technology and future plans:

http://architosh.com/2011/09/in-depth-graphisoft-bimx-for-ipad-iphone/

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:56:18 GMT

BIM Explorer otherwise requires that you own a license - see your reseller. One US reseller has it priced at $645 for ArchiPlus subscribers and $1,295 for non-subscribers.

I think that is really expensive.

I hope GS reconsiders.

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:02:20 GMT

Further reasons for my annoyance at the price.

Clearly, this is an app that is still in its early development. From GS website:

Today you cannot turn on and off layers with BIMx for iOS. Data extraction from model elements is not yet supported. Some features on BIMx for iOS are unique to that platform.

It would be nice to export a model like this to a client, but they can't select an object to see if it is what they wanted! (No data access, nevermind extraction)

Selective model display seems basic: In archicad, the 3d window content is what should show up in your BIMx model. If I design a view, with cut planes, marquee, and Renovation filters, etc THAT should show up in BIMx. (Dwight, you remember WYSIWYG? I don't see how that has changed). Currently, AFAIK, Archicad exports anything on the floorplan: studies, junk, legends and all. Either clean up a saved version, or tell the client, "never go home!" on their iPad.

So like i said. Anything less than $100 for this effort would be fine. But I feel ripped off at $645, given its functionality. (my rant might have something to do with the $500 Options Manager from AC9 or 10(i don't remember) which vanished after one version.)

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Karl Ottenstein — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:17:25 GMT

Hi Nathan,

Nathan wrote:
Further reasons for my annoyance at the price.

Clearly, this is an app that is still in its early development. From GS website:

Today you cannot turn on and off layers with BIMx for iOS. Data extraction from model elements is not yet supported. Some features on BIMx for iOS are unique to that platform.
It would be nice to export a model like this to a client, but they can't select an object to see if it is what they wanted! (No data access, nevermind extraction)

That limitation is to the FREE iPhone/iPad app. It is not a limitation of the FREE desktop viewer. Sure, the IOS app is in its first release, but its free - so has nothing to do with the price of BIM Explorer, right? If you NEED layer control, etc., send your client a free desktop model.

Selective model display seems basic: In archicad, the 3d window content is what should show up in your BIMx model. If I design a view, with cut planes, marquee, and Renovation filters, etc THAT should show up in BIMx. (Dwight, you remember WYSIWYG? I don't see how that has changed). Currently, AFAIK, Archicad exports anything on the floorplan: studies, junk, legends and all. Either clean up a saved version, or tell the client, "never go home!" on their iPad.

No, ONLY what you see in 3D is exported. It's free to use all month - just try it out. If you find that something NOT in the 3D window gets exported, report it as a bug and start a topic here for others to confirm the issue.

So like i said. Anything less than $100 for this effort would be fine. But I feel ripped off at $645, given its functionality. (my rant might have something to do with the $500 Options Manager from AC9 or 10(i don't remember) which vanished after one version.)

The only thing that is NEW in 2011 / AC 15 is the free IOS app. Well, and the BIMx desktop viewer app that can view the same bimx files. (Until now, you only had the option to export an executable app/exe and send THAT to your client - basically sending them the program each time, and having to deal with antivirus issues.) Otherwise, this is the same as Virtual Building Explorer that has been around for several years. Just a new name.

Anyone who had a license for VBE, still has a license for BIM Explorer - unlike what happened with Options Manager.

It does do what you want (see above) - just not perhaps on the free IOS viewer. Still, I won't argue with you that the price seems a bit high. In spite of its peculiarities, I do think it's worth at least $300 myself.

Cheers,
Karl

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:14:37 GMT

As you have still one month free use of the exporter, the smart move would be to export ALL (or a significant sample of) your models in this time, and send them to your former clients, asking them if this would have been a good thing to have.

Then, depending on the response, calculating how many clients will be pleased in the next couple of years with a model delivered to their mac/pc/iPhone/iPad, dividing that number of clients by the price of the add-on.

If this math gives you at least 6 clients that in the near future would be pleased with the model, that means an investment of $100 per client, which is about the same as taking him/her to a (cheap) dinner.

Of course, you could argue that you will not have any clients in the near future, but them $600 is as expensive as $100...

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

JaredBanks — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:18:44 GMT

Miguel,

Great advice!

Re: Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

Katalin Takacs — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:01:18 GMT

The BIMx app is released for Android devices, too!
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=40182