API for BIMx Mobile Apps

[Doreena Deng]

What is BIMx API for?

BIMx API aims to convert the BIMx mobile app into a key user-facing component for any BIM-based design, construction and operation service. Using this API, you can enrich your service with powerful 3D model and drawing viewer capabilities and utilize BIMx as an easy-to-use, integrated front-end component that is able to provide access to any project, location, building component, or equipment data anywhere and anytime.

BIMx API functions overview

Examples of important API features:

• link a website to an element to open it inside BIMx (popover opened from the element context menu):

 

• inject element-associated, live data to BIMx's element information popover or project info through a web service

Overall, with BIMx API you will be able to achieve: 

• Web service authentication support
• Partner registering (APIKey), extension enabling/disabling
• Support of embedded HTML content
• Option to define camera position in the 3D model
• Element selections with custom colours
• Selection sets
• Option to open a 2D document using custom URL scheme
• Get exact coordinates for any point in the model
• Direct Hyper-model download form your storage server
  
  

Check out the BIMx API intro slides for some high-level examples.

Real-life use case videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k5PLJ-BqAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgA-2NXhSMU

Who can use BIMx API

BIMx API is available on both iOS, iPadOS and Android devices free of charge for registered developer partners. It requires an active BIMx Pro license assigned to the Graphisoft account, and a dedicated BIMx Developer ID, which is issued by Graphisoft as a part of the 3rd party developer registration process. After registration, the detailed developer documentation of how to create and use extensions will be available. 

How to start

BIMx API defines connection points on the user interface of the BIMx app. At this points you can inject your own data or code by installing simple extension definition files (a JSON file with .bimxx file extension) next to the BIMx app which files describe the scheme of the data connection between the BIMx app and your web service or/and mobile app. This data connection utilizes the widely used Apple’s Inter-App Communication technology which is available on Android too.

Requirements of running a BIMx API function:

• a Graphisoft account also used on Commmunity, Archicad, BIMx, etc. If you don't have it yet, create one on https://id.graphisoft.com/user/register
• BIMx API Developer registration with Graphisoft account: https://archicadapi.graphisoft.com/registration/personal
  this step gives you access to the detailed BIMx API documentation
• a BIMx Developer ID for your company (not the Archicad Developer ID). Please ask for it by sending a mail to bimx@graphisoft.com
• a BIMx Pro license assigned to your Graphisoft account to enable reading extensions in BIMx Mobile. Learn more about BIMx’s licensing in this article. 

Note:
You can benefit from BIMx Mobile's advanced hyperlink system even without BIMx API extensions. This article describes how to use a specific URL scheme to open a Hyper-model or directly a 3D element with a defined camera position from outside the app.

We encourage you to open a new topic on the Developer Hub if you wish to discuss a BIMx API function.