CL3VER Does Big Update—New CL3VER Presenter and More

Barcelona-based CL3VER has quietly updated its recently unveiled platform for 3D and interactivity. (see, Architosh, “CL3VER Stuns—Bold New Platform for 3D and Interactivity,” 4 October 2017).

The new update largely centers on an all-new CL3VER Presenter, a tool that lets you and other stakeholders evaluate designs through interpretive tours. Now the new Presenter tool is added to the current plugins.

CL3VER Presenter

And speaking about those plugins. Currently, CL3VER is supporting fully two major Autodesk platforms in Revit and 3ds Max, while Trimble’s SketchUp and McNeel’s Rhino are in beta format. It means the plugins are available for users to use but they are beta. Nimrod Friedmann, CCO, of CL3VER, told me yesterday that the SketchUp plugin is aiming to come out of beta at the beginning of February, while Rhino will come later (not specific date mentioned).

01 – CL3VER’s new Presenter aims to deepen narrative control and options for architects and designers in their presentations and collaborations.

The new Presenter tool is now integral to CL3VER the app. Friedmann said that previously the plan was to have the Presenter tool be its own standalone application but based on user feedback and developing technologies the plan changed.

The Presenter is very similar to the older product in that users can create “steps” in a narrative-driven 3D presentation. Friedmann said to “think of CL3VER 3D as PowerPoint for designers and architects.” This means you can add text and images to the viewports that control particular scenes (views) within the 3D environment. For example, as you approach the main entrance of a building, that can be the first viewport that is a controlled scene.

What is coming down the pike too is the ability to integrate YouTube videos into Presenter, adding increasingly sophisticated options to narrative 3D presentations. CL3VER can save a whole presentation to an executable application for Windows. There are no plans for a Mac runtime for end-consumers of Presenter presentations at this time. This is partly because clients of the software company in the real estate market are desiring a cloud-based option that will enable them to embed their Presenter presentation files into a web page. That would enable viewing of CL3VER presentations on both Mac, Windows, Linux, or ChromeOS for example.

02 – CL3VER Presenter allows the viewer to view 3D models under various render methods, resolutions and quality.

At the moment CL3VER, the authoring environment, is also strictly for the Windows platform. The old version of CL3VER supported an iOS environment, but the company has not told us about platforms beyond the Windows space at this time. Friedmann says, what is most important is getting the new solution running in an optimal manner with the integration of the V-Ray rendering engine behind it.

Pricing and Availability

The company offers a 30-day free trial, which is the Pro plan for 30-days. Subscription plans include an Entry level plan for $36/user/month. The Pro level plan is $48/user/month. The differences vary in the number of plugins (1 versus 2), project count, unlimited workspaces versus one workspace and a few other items.

To learn more visit: https://www.cl3ver.com

Analysis and Commentary

We awarded CL3VER multiple AIA BEST of SHOW honors in years past due to their innovative approach to narrative 3D. The industry has been lacking tools that go beyond mere 3D rendering creation apps but apps that package the whole presentation story up for the user to present to multiple stakeholders. 

The real estate and architectural worlds are more interlinked than ever before. Architects are increasingly sitting at the end of the table at even earlier points in the building development cycle, while many architects have moved directly into real estate development themselves. While these are newer trends, the lack of highly developed options like this—a PowerPoint for architects of sorts, as Friedmann called it—says something about where architects’ mindsets really are—still more on their craft and less on the business-side of propelling development itself. But that is going to change as accelerating forces drive the develop-build-operate cycle forward. 

• CL3VER 3D has added a useful streamlined new Presenter integral to the CL3VER platform experience. The commenting system should and will become increasingly powerful, offering early-stage collaboration among the design team members and client stakeholders. 

• The future ability to embed Presenter presentations on a web page is hugely compelling, not just for the real estate market but for architects themselves, who are using their websites in more complex ways for marketing purposes. 

• CL3VER is a tool that touches on salesmanship, storytelling, educational experiences, and of course design collaboration. All four of those are aspects of modern-day architectural practice. 

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