Graphisoft BIMx for iPad/iPhone announced

[Laszlo Nagy]

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

See it in action:

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

[Erwin Edel]

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

[Laszlo Nagy]

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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Very good news!!!

[Anonymous]

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

[Laszlo Nagy]

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.

[Karl Ottenstein]

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

[Tom Krowka]

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.

[Karl Ottenstein]

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