Graphisoft introduces BIMx Docs for iPhone and iPad

At Graphisoft’s North American BIM Conference this week in San Diego, the company announced the immediate availability of the next generation of its BIMx app for the Apple App Store. The brand new “BIMx Docs” function pack included in the new version provides access to full BIM projects containing the 2D documentation as well the 3D BIM model.

Hyper Models

A new advanced “Hyper-model” technology provides full integration of 2D and 3D making navigation more intuitive, smoother and faster than most other construction-related model or documentation viewer mobile apps.

01 – BIMx Docs is a function pack for Graphisoft’s BIMx and it packs a tremendous amount of new features and tools into the mobile BIM offering.

“BIMx Docs, with its Hyper-model capability, has the potential to fundamentally change the way people explore BIM projects on their touch screen devices, whether they’re away from their office and/or don’t have BIM training,” said Akos Pfemeter, Director of Global Marketing at GRAPHISOFT. “The outstanding performance and smooth navigation we have achieved even on full-fledged, large scale BIM projects containing several hundreds of layouts that would virtually stop most PDF viewers is unmatched by any other mobile app when flying on BIMx on an iPhone/iPad,” he continued.

BIMx Docs Features

• Hyper-model — this is a unique technology that brings full scope BIM data into the dynamic touch screen environment for mobile devices. Integrated context-sensitive 2D and 3D building project navigation with smooth transitions helps even non-professionals find their way in a full BIM project
• Navigation Markers — what makes BIMx unique is its unique model-based, context-sensitive hyperlinks. Conceptually they are very much like hyperlinks on the Web. At the same time, due to their orientation in the 3D space and on the 2D drawing, they add an invaluable extra dimension to understanding the model while simply navigating in it
• 2D and 3D Transitions — BIMx has smooth transitions between 3D and 2D views. Even the untrained eye will have no trouble viewing and understanding the plans. Trimming building models with the interactive slider offers a whole new way of understanding and coordinating building information models
• Navigation Speed — No other mobile solution provides the same level of access to an integrated BIM environment with such high performance. Construction documentation can contain as many has several hundred sheets. Even within a project of that size, BIMx Docs offers lightning speed navigation within large layout books. This feature alone, even for 2D drawings, makes BIMx Docs an unbeatable tool for virtually anyone
• Cloud Connection — With a direct link to the BIM project in the BIM authoring tool, BIMx Docs offers a smooth and easy communication workflow with stakeholders outside the office environment. Graphisoft’s cloud-based BIMx Transfer Service makes sure you get the latest updates fast and in an effective way. In addition, this is a free project publication portal as well. Contractors get their own digital copy of the project that can be updated as needed, enabling site supervision and visualization of the details to on-site workers.

Availability and Pricing

The new BIMx Docs function pack is already available on the Apple App Store. The basic BIMx app remains free. BIMx Docs function pack costs 4.99.USD for one project and 49.99.USD for unlimited number of projects.

To learn more visit here. To see the app on the Apple App Store go here.

Architosh Analysis

This was a well-timed surprise for the Hungarian-based software leader, released as part of its first North American Graphisoft BIM Conference, which took place earlier this week. If the app works as smoothly as the movie demo does it will be quite an impressive tool in the hands of architects and AEC professionals working with BIM projects. The iPad is already the leading tablet computer in AEC by a landslide. The decision to keep pushing on the iOS front is hugely smart in our opinion.

An interesting question to ask is will this app utilize the 64-bit A7 processor? And the short answer now must be possibly. Clearly it runs on iPhones and iPads and the new A7 with 64-bit is so new that we would not be surprised at all to learn that a special version tweaked for the 64-bit A7 would need some additional time to code. We’ll strive to learn more soon.