BIMx on Windows vs Android

[Anonymous]

I'm an Architect in Australia using AC21.

I'm about to purchase a new Windows 2-in-1 style laptop OR an Android tablet, mainly to take to presentations, view PDFs etc on site, and use with BIM models saved from AC21.

Is there a big difference between the Android BIMx app and the Windows BIMx viewer?

I'd prefer the Windows device but don't want a crappy BIMx experience.

Thanks in advance.

[Christophe Fortineau]

Hello,

Windows devices are like macOS device. They are not tablet OS.
If you want the best tablet experience you have to take an iPhone by iOS or iPad by iPadOS.
BimX birth was on iOS then on Android which could be a good device too.

But Windows OS devices are not tablets OS like Android, iOS or iPadOS

What you can get with bimX : https://bimx.archicad.com/en/#what-is-bimx

[Emre Senoglu]

Unfortunately, at the moment there are and have been (since quite a long while) inconsistencies between the mobile (3 versions: BIMx, BIMx Pro and BIMx Lab), desktop and web versions of BIMx. It almost seems as if all 3 are being developed by entirely different teams. While I haven't had the chance to test out Android version of the app, I can tell you some of the lacking features on the desktop are:
1) No 2D Documents
2) Lack for controller support
3) Lack of opacity map support (This is only available in the BIMx Lab app)
4) No VR

The desktop app does however have these functions that otherwise lack on mobile:
1) Support for turning layers on and off
2) Global illumination lighting (even though this is massively buggy on desktop)

Overall, the desktop app feels much less intuitive, as it hasn't been updated since years. The entire BIMx experience is a wasted opportunity and feels like using a band-aid to mend a broken arm. Unfortunately this has been the case since many years. BIMx or VBE as it was known before, used to be a paid application for a while. Graphisoft has then made it freemium, with an expensive tag on 2 features that only run in the mobile app. I can't even imagine how frustrated I would be, if I was paying for a massively underdeveloped app.

**Edit**
Also, I have just revisited the Web version, and it further illustrates my point. Some of the differences on the web are: inverted mouse movement, No SSAO or any other shading option, very few settings in general (only two: markers and zone switches). Haven't had the chance to use the gallery function yet, so I can't say anything about this.

[Christophe Fortineau]

I've paid for iOS and Androïd pro application and I don't understand why the experience on android device was not comparable as iOS or iPadOS. I agree with Emre Senoglu about the too slow evolution of this great application. There are so much functionalities to include into BimX !!

[Nuge]

Bimx is an absolute disgrace and needs to be totally re-written from the ground up with the same functionally across all platforms. I dont understand why graphisoft are so reluctant to see the potential this could offer.

Its only a year or so ago that Graphisoft were promoting google cardboard to view Bimx, Hello 2019!!!! VR headsets are common place and are a great tool for architecture.

Come on Graphisoft make something great not this rubbish you keep peddling.

[Emre Senoglu]

Well, you said it Nuge. It is indeed 2019, and BIMx at its core, hasn't changed a bit since it's spawn in 2009. That is 10 years. It is starting to feel like a quick cash grab at 60€, though I do wonder how many people actually pay for it. Realtime renderers are on the rise, and while they already can do 3d views & VR much better than BIMx, they still lack in the documentation aspect. I'm hoping apps like Twinmotion/Lumion will finally get in on this and will soon enough deliver something proper.

Also, I just realized another feature that is not properly implemented - no support for controllers on iOS/iPadOS.