BIMx Licensing

[Daniel Kovacs]

BIMx is Graphisoft's multiplatform design presentation and collaboration solution. Read more about supported platforms here.

In this article, you can learn which functionalities are available in BIMx on different platforms, about sign-in, Pro features, and what's needed to host your models on the BIMx Model Transfer Service.

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Graphisoft Account Sign-in

To open models in BIMx Mobile (iOS&iPadOS, Android) and Desktop (Windows, macOS) applications, you'll need to sign in with your Graphisoft account.

• Signing up is simple and free at https://id.graphisoft.com/user/register
• BIMx Mobile and Desktop don't require sign-in for opening the first model per device. Once this model is selected, more will open only after authentication.
• BIMx Web does not require signing at all.
• The built-in demo model doesn’t require sign-in either.
• You'll need to sign in once. BIMx keeps you authenticated for a year online and 7 days offline.

Integrating BIMx into our ecosystem (Archicad, BIMcloud, DDScad, etc.) with Graphisoft accounts forms the basis of our simplified cloud licensing. It enables automatic access to Pro features on multiple platforms. It also helps us improve our services and better tailor BIMx to our users’ needs.

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Graphisoft Account-based Cloud Licensing

Pro features offer advanced productivity and collaboration tools for architects, engineers, and project stakeholders of architectural design projects.
All members of eligible Companies get Pro features in the iOS&iPadOS app, on Android, on Windows and on macOS.

Simply sign in with your Graphisoft account to automatically access Pro features in BIMx. Your account is Pro if your company owns at least one of the following subscription types:

• Active Service Contract subscriptions:
  • Software Service Agreement (SSA) for Archicad
  • Graphisoft Forward
• Active Subscriptions:
  • Archicad
  • Archicad Solo
  • Archicad Studio
  • Archicad Collaborate
  • Archicad Collaborate Global
  • BIMcloud (on-premises)
  • DDScad Electrical Collaborate

Offline usage of Pro features is also available for 7 days after disconnection from the network. Access to BIMx Pro features will be terminated when the last active service or product subscription of the company expires. Renewing it will enable Pro features again.  

BIMx Feature Comparison

The BIMx app has three levels of functionalities:

1. Standard: Viewer functions mostly, available for anyone.
2. Pro: Additional productivity and collaboration tools for contributors of architectural projects.
3. Teamwork: Additional integrated messaging in projects hosted on BIMcloud.

Features	Mobile	Desktop	Web
Standard
Hyperlinked 2D & 3D Content	✅	✅	✅
Access Element-level information	✅	✅	✅
Data detection on schedules	✅	✅	✅
Game-like 3D navigation with customizable preferences	✅	✅	✅
All-round 3D Cutaways	✅	✅	✅
Room labels and info	✅	✅	✅
3D Model Switch	✅	✅	✅
Shadows with accurate sun positioning	✅	✅	✅
Shading options	✅	✅	✅
Smart Measure tool	✅	✅	✅
Gallery of 3D views and presentation mode	✅	✅	✅
Save favorite 2D and 3D views, create presentations	✅	✅	✅
Print, PDF Export	✅	✅	✅
Interactive Labels and Element information in 2D	✅	✅	✅
Access models and elements via hyperlinks from outside BIMx	✅		✅
Unlimited 3D model size on Mobile (Data Streaming)	✅	n/a	n/a
Google Cardboard VR Support	✅	n/a	n/a
Pro
Hide 3D elements and invert current view	✅	✅
Hide layers, layer folders and layer combinations in 3D	✅	✅
Customizable Cut Plane	✅	✅
Issue creation – BCF-based markup tool	✅
Integrate external databases (BIMx API)	✅
Teamwork
BIMcloud Teamwork Messaging	✅
Sending Issues directly to Archicad	✅

In addition to signing into your Graphisoft account, joining BIMcloud also enables Pro features in BIMx Mobile (except for BIMx API).

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BIMx Model Transfer Service

The BIMx Model Transfer Service hosts a website where you can store and share your models with others, and it is also home to the BIMx Web application. The BIMx Model Transfer enables storing models and updating (even partially) them in the mobile applications directly from the cloud. This service is available for anyone with a Graphisoft account for free. Viewing published models doesn't require authentication when opening model URL (e.g. https://bimx.graphisoft.com/model/e1741614-826b-4412-a1da-a7b76ada0e6a). 

Functional levels

The Service has the following functional levels also described in BIMx Model Transfer's Terms of Use.

1. Visitor functions:

• This functional level doesn't require signing in to BIMx Model with Graphisoft ID to open a model (e.g. https://bimx.graphisoft.com/model/e1741614-826b-4412-a1da-a7b76ada0e6a).

2. Basic functions:

• 5GB of Public Storage “My models” is available for everyone after signing in with Graphisoft ID. This storage is linked to your Graphisoft account. 

3. Company functions:

• 5GB of Public Company Storage, and others available for the members of the Companies without any Service Contract or Subscription. 

4. Premium functions:

• 10GB of Private Company Storage, and others available for members of eligible Companies owning at least one subscription detailed in the Graphisoft-account-based cloud licensing paragraph. 

BIMx Model Transfer Feature Comparison

Features	Visitor	Basic	Company	Premium
View model in BIMx Web	✅	✅	✅	✅
Download models	✅	✅	✅	✅
Share model's URL via email, twitter, etc	✅	✅	✅	✅
Search between Public models	✅	✅	✅	✅
Upload models to 5GB own Public Storage "My models"		✅	✅	✅
Delete models		✅	✅	✅
Add Keywords and Description		✅	✅	✅
Update models from Archicad or in the web interface		✅	✅	✅
Upload models to 5GB Company Public Storage			✅	✅
Move models between Company folders			✅	✅
Upload models to 10GB Company Private Storage				✅
Add password protection to Private models				✅
Change Visibility				✅
Embed model in own website				✅

Note: You can ask for more private storage on BIMx Model Transfer by contacting bimx@graphisoft.com. 

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Creating BIMx Hyper-models

You can publish Building Information Models as BIMx Hyper-models from Archicad and DDScad. See how to publish BIMx Hyper-models from Archicad here. The two methods to publish models are also described in knowledgebase articles, see:

• Exporting & Directly Uploading a BIMx Hyper-model from Archicad
• Exporting & Manually Uploading a BIMx Hyper-model on BIMx Model Transfer

You can publish BIMx Hyper-models with all Archicad license types. When published with EDU license, 2D Layouts are displayed with watermarks in the corners. You cannot save to BIMx format when running Archicad without a license (Demo mode).