We recently wrote about TSPC Group of Hungary and their incredible Dorothea Hotel project in downtown Budapest. The massive hotel complex utilized a wide array of BIM and non-BIM software solutions across all design, engineering, and construction disciplines. One critical tool was Dalux, a BIM software solution.
About Dalux
Dalux is regarded as the world’s best BIM viewer, and that is not just a tagline on the company’s website but seemingly a consensus from firms doing large building projects in Europe. TSPC Group isn’t the first firm Architosh has written a story about where Dalux was mentioned. Itten+Brechbühl of Europe also noted its utilization for their large projects. (see: Architosh, “BIG BIM plus Open BIM with Vectorworks Architect,” 15 August 2019).
Dalux is a Danish company with headquarters in Copenhagen and offices all over Europe, including one in Canada, one in the USA, and two in the UK. Very euro-centric, Dalux seems little known in the United States, where software solutions for architects tend to be dominated by the mighty US-based Autodesk.
The Dalux BIM Viewer. A horizontal sectional view through a BIM model. This is from a recent article here. (Image: TSPC Group)
In the tour led by architects from TSPC Group of Hungary, when several AEC journalists were guided through the Dorothea Hotel complex, we learned that Dalux running on an iPad was the preferred way the construction teams reviewed the BIM models for the project, including highly complex federated models that were dense with 3D information. When asked about why Dalux? The answer was two-fold. Firstly, it was a requirement from the construction company. Secondly, it was noted that Dalux could actually handle the entire federated BIM model. We saw the model in action on an Apple iPad.
Dalux Products
Dalux has several products as part of its Dalux Platform. One key product perhaps all BIM users should get to know is its BIM Viewer, which is free. Dulux BIM Viewer supports native BIM, IFC, and drawings, and the company touts it as the fastest, simplest, and most connected BIM viewer in the world.
The free viewer runs on desktop computers and mobile devices. You can invite unlimited users to view the projects in the viewer. Functions inside the viewer include measuring, filtering, cutting, and more, such as viewing the properties of elements of the model.
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You can share your BIM models to the Dalux BIM Viewer via plugins that get installed for tools such as Solibri, Revit, Archicad, Tekla, Navisworks and regular IFC files. Collaboration features work through the cloud via the Dalux platform. You can import clashes from Solibri or Navisworks. Comments with responsibility assignments are fully included and tracked and managed through the web interface. (see below).
Dalux Box is a full ISO 19650-compliant CDE system. (click for larger image)
Dalux Box is a full CDE (common data environment). It integrates with other Dalux products and is ISO 19650 enabled, and features include Shared and Published folders and an enforceable file naming standard for compliance. With the Dalux plugins installed users can respond to queries directly from their authoring tools. There is Microsoft 365 Online Integration plus 2D and 3D compare functionality for drawings and models.
Dalux Tender is a full project tendering platform. The product integrates with Dalux Field, which we have not mentioned yet. It also integrates with Dalux Box, the CDE solution, and mobile solutions.
Dalux makes a series of products for the field, including Dalux Field to manage on-site processes such as QA, health and safety, and compliance. Dalux Field SiteWalk is for reality capture and integrates with Dalux Field. And Dalux Infrafield is for product for large infrastructure projects and has similar features and integrations.
Finally, Dalux makes a few FM products called Dalux FM and Dalux Handover. These facilities management products are aimed at owner operators of building assets. To learn more about Dalux’s cloud-based platform and applications for AEC, visit here.