new vs old bimx

[Dave Brach]

I just realized my BIMx pro on iPad pro is legacy and downloaded the new viewer app. I have about 30 projects on the old app, which I use as a portfolio with prospective clients. Do I need to download each project one-by-one onto the new app?? also when I go to the transfer site to grab a new project from my firm, it wants to open it in the old app--how do I change that default? do I need to delete the old app? (I'd like to keep both for now)

[shrutiniwas]

rszabo wrote:
Please note that the next-generation mobile app doesn't use the precalculated Global Illumination at all. It applies a real-time lighting calculation algorithm instead, called Ambient Occlusion. This way, publishing and updating Hyper-models from Archicad can be multiple times faster without GI.

We are aware that the Parallel projection and Stereo 3D features would be great in the renewed app. I administrated your requests in our system accordingly. Hopefully, these functions will be implemented soon.

Hi,
Losing GI in the new BIMx has been quite disheartening. But, hope that the ‘Ambient Occlusion’ would give equivalent, if not better appearances to the BIMx models.
Would legacy version remain active till the rendering rectifications related to ambient occlusion could reach us?

[Roland Szabo]

Hi,

I'm happy to let you know that we are not planning to remove BIMx (legacy) from App Store. However, it will not receive further updates since we're focusing on fine-tuning the renewed mobile app alongside the web and desktop versions.

Kind regards,
Roland

[Rex Maximilian]

One thing that concerns me are the hoops I jump through to get BIMx Legacy installed on my clients' devices; to make sure they don't install the newer BIMx instead. But then, they launch BIMx Legacy, and get a full screen prompt to download the NEW BIMx. The two cannot exist on the same device as model download links will always open in the newer one.

Graphisoft put the BIMx Legacy app back on the App Store because of the failings of the new BIMx, (well documented here). But to give it the ugly icon, brand it as "Legacy" and finally to persuade users who specifically install the Legacy version for a reason to switch defeats the purpose.

If you cannot fix the new BIMx with quality GI rendering, parallel views and 3D stereograph, then please refrain from the negative campaign of BIMx Legacy. It's not a good look.

[Roland Szabo]

Hi Rex,

Thanks again for sharing your experiences.
I understand that the visualization quality of GI is missing from the renewed iOS app. We will address this issue in a future app version, the new 3D engine and its real-time rendering algorithm are a great basis for 3D enhancements. Our goal is to provide a more realistic 3D view than the old application has with GI (since GI belongs to the old 3D engine).

We generally not recommend keeping two apps installed. If BIMx and BIMx (legacy) are both on the device, BIMx (legacy) will be the default app for downloading from the Transfer Site regardless of the order of installations. There are workarounds for overriding the associated app to BIMx (see this example).

Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.

[Rex Maximilian]

Thank you Roland,

The one thing I would like to reiterate from my previous email, or strongly request, is that the full page prompt to change to BIMx from BIMx (Legacy) not pop up anymore. As stated before, BIMx (L) is being installed on our clients' devices in lieu of the regular BIMx for a reason. It defeats the purpose if our clients install the upgrade. It's more work for us to undo it. It "breaks" what we have going with our clients when using the Legacy version: which are nicer 3D views, the ability to have parallel views, and finally 3D stereogram capability (believe it or not I use this heavily, pass out branded 3D glasses and my clients love it!) Is there a way you can consider removing this prompt to switch?

Thanks again.

[Rex Maximilian]

rszabo wrote:
If BIMx and BIMx (legacy) are both on the device, BIMx (legacy) will be the default app for downloading from the Transfer Site regardless of the order of installations. There are workarounds for overriding the associated app to BIMx (see this example).

It seems to me that the BIMx app is the default app over Legacy. I could be wrong though. I uninstalled BIMx so I'd have to install again to check.

As for the example, I'm not sure if you know this, but you cannot "copy link" from the "Download Model" button in Safari on iPhones. It simply will not give you the ability to copy the link. You have to open the URL in Chrome for iPhone. Then you can copy the link and send in a text. This is how I send all my clients the link (via text). A major reason for this is because every time I used to send new clients the project BIMx email, they always click on the PLAY button in the browser not realizing they have to scroll down to load the model into the BIMx app. As you probably would agree, viewing a BIMx model in the Safari browser on an iPhone is not pretty, LOL!

In the images below, you can see first of all, the interface for the web site in a phone browser is not nice. The preview image is clipped and it prompts the user to click the play button also.

In the second image, which is Safari, there is no "Copy Link" option. Only "Copy" which copies the text "Download model"

In the third image is Chrome, which does allow for a "Copy Link" feature.

In short, I feel the landing page for BIMx models on phone browsers desperately needs improving.

[Roland Szabo]

Hi Rex,

First of all, I highly appreciate your informative feedback.

Sorry to hear the page about switching from the retired app causes such inconveniences. This page appears at first launch, and then only once every 30 days. So instead of updating the old PRO (but now free) application, we are focusing on enhancing the renewed app to make it a better choice from every point of view as soon as possible.

Stereo 3D and Parallel Projection are on the list of possible future developments, and we will consider improving the design of BIMx Model Transfer Site too. Providing download links to clients is a nice solution to make the import process simpler by not touching the web UI, since the best functionalities are in the mobile app.

Yes, the workarounds for the default app's OS-level limitation can be inconvenient indeed, I'm aware of the functional differences between browsers and iOS/iPadOS. This is (also) why it's not recommended to use 2 apps parallel. I believe the upcoming enhancements will eliminate preferring to use the legacy version.

Best regards,
Roland

[Rex Maximilian]

rszabo wrote:
Hi Rex,Sorry to hear the page about switching from the retired app causes such inconveniences. This page appears at first launch, and then only once every 30 days.

Thanks Roland, I understand, but I feel that if it continues to pop up, it will lead to unintended updates, since BIMx Legacy is a "fix" or a workaround to circumvent the deleted features in the standard BIMx app and is installed "purposely" in lieu of BIMx. Giving the end user the unneeded prompt to download BIMx can only complicate things they proceed. I humbly request you reconsider taking away this prompt. Otherwise, it's just another fly in the ointment for those of us with clients using BIMx Legacy (so the previous features and old GI are accessible).

rszabo wrote:
Stereo 3D and Parallel Projection are on the list of possible future developments, and we will consider improving the design of BIMx Model Transfer Site too.

If I may ask, why is it only "possible?" Wouldn't it be beneficial to have these features back to make this app full featured. The current BIMx has so many limitations without 3D mode or parallel views.

rszabo wrote:
Providing download links to clients is a nice solution to make the import process simpler by not touching the web UI, since the best functionalities are in the mobile app.

Yes, going from email, to web browser, to an unintended browser UI, then to app, is not a good process. The email should contain a direct download link that opens in the app.

Thanks for always responding to my posts. And again, please consider deleting the notice to switch from Legacy to standard BIMx until BIMx Legacy is no longer needed.

[Florian Lohberger]

hi,

does anyone know when the update of the visual enhancements (GI, AO,...) will come for BIMX?
The current visual quality is of a kind that we prefer not to use BIMX as presentation tool for clients.
Hope improvements come soon.

BR, Florian

[Rex Maximilian]

Florian wrote:
hi,

does anyone know when the update of the visual enhancements (GI, AO,...) will come for BIMX?
The current visual quality is of a kind that we prefer not to use BIMX as presentation tool for clients.
Hope improvements come soon.

BR, Florian

I truly feel it will not happen. It's been a year since the BIMx update where they took out the higher quality renderings, parallel views and 3D stereo vision and to date, we've seen no improvements. I think Graphisoft has painted themselves in a corner and that R&D has no solution.

I actually use one of four methods now:
1. BIMx Legacy
2. Twinmotion's cloud presenter
3. Save to SKP and open in a mobile sketchup viewer
4. Save as Revit from ArchiCAD and load onto a free Autodesk account web viewer. How sad is that? Saving to Revit improves our 3D navigation presentations. It used to be the other way around.