BIMx Application Settings

[Daniel Kovacs]

Location of BIMx Settings

In BIMx Web and Desktop, click the "..." more options menu in the top-left corner to open generic BIMx settings. The 3D display settings are located at the bottom right.
In BIMx Mobile, tap the "..." icon at the top-right corner while you have a model open.

 

Available Settings

Markers & Hyperlinks

You can navigate between the 2D Drawings and the relevant 3D model views using the blue hyperlink markers in both views. The User Guide of BIMx Desktop also describes markers in detail.

In 3D, the marker icons indicate the type of drawing that will open: Floor Plan, Section, Elevation, Interior Elevation, or Worksheet views. The same applies in 2D, where data detection also works in schedules of Elements, Drawings, URLs, etc. The toggle is on by default. You can hide these blue markers by turning them off. 

Zones

Display the 3D bodies of zones in the model and enable Zone Labels in Layouts. See their name and additional information when you walk inside. 

Labels

Interactive Element Labels are available on Layouts, allowing you to access element-associated information without openin the 3D model. The toggle is on by default (on mobile, it's available only in 2D). Turn off to remove blue markers from the textbox of Labels.

Shading

You can switch between various shading options to see your model with different textures and rendering styles:

	Textures	Shading	Edges	Shadows
Cast shadows	Realistic	Ambient Occlusion		+
Realistic	Realistic	Ambient Occlusion	-	-
Hidden Line	White	No shading	+	-
Simple Shading	Realistic	Simplified Shading	+	-
Monochrome	Metallic grey	Ambient Occlusion	+	-
Black and White	White	Ambient Occlusion	-	-

Camera View Cone

Use this slider to control the View Cone of the camera between 1° and 120°. This essentially controls the angle of corners in Perspective distortion. On web and desktop, find the slider in the Display Settings quick-menu.

Parallel Projection

Switch between Perspective and Parallel projection. The default projection in BIMx depends on the 3D View Settings defined in Archicad. Parallel projection works with Orbit navigation, which means you can view the building only from the outside. Walk mode and Camera View Cone settings are disabled in Parallel projection.
Hint to create easy elevation/section views in axonometry: double-tap or double-click on an element will put the building in frontal view. You can combine this with a cut plane, various sun settings by time, and save favorite views.

Units

Use this setting to pick what units you want the measurements to be displayed with, when you use the Smart Measure Tool.

Preferences

BIMx offers several customization options. Check this article for more details about 3D navigation. 

Cut plane color

Customize the 3D model’s representation by changing the color of cut surfaces. Use the Cut Plane Color Picker or enter the hex code to accurately define the hue.
You only need to pick your custom color once. It will be saved in BIMx Preferences and applied to all your models.

Adaptive rotation

To deactivate the automatic switch between orbit and rotate navigation modes, turn off the Adaptive rotation toggle. It reveals the manual Orbit button.

Invert Horizontal and Vertical Axis

These toggles control camera rotation direction in Rotate mode. By default, the invert axis toggles are on. This means that as you move your finger or cursor, the camera rotates in the opposite direction. If you turn the toggles off, the camera moves in the same direction as your input.

Flip interface

By default, the joystick is on the left side, and the function buttons (Cut model, Open 2D) are on the right. Use the Flip interface toggle to mirror the interface. This feature is mobile only.

One-Handed Walk Mode

By default off, which means two-handed Walk mode: move the camera with the joystick (forward, backward, and sideways) and rotate with your other hand anywhere on the screen. Enable the One-handed joystick toggle to also rotate the camera with the joystick – recommended on portrait smartphones. This feature is mobile only.

Anti-aliasing

Anti-aliasing further enhances the visual quality of the virtual models. It guarantees sharper 3D representation with smoother edges on all elements like walls and columns, as well as the 3D markers linked to drawings. Anti-aliasing reduces the moiré pattern on parallel elements close to each other, see the right side of the comparison below:

 

Animations

Transitions are automatically animated when switching between 2D and 3D, navigating across predefined 3D viewpoints (such as Favorites, Gallery entries, or Fit to View), and when toggling between parallel and perspective projection. Turn off Animations to speed up your workflows.