BIMx Desktop Viewer vs Marmoset Viewer

BIMx Desktop Viewer is a free Windows and macOS application for exploring BIMx Hyper-models alongside linked 2D project documentation and embedded BIM data. Markers and hyperlinks connect locations in documents with the 3D model and are created during export. Smart Measure provides length, angle, and area measurements in 2D, plus measurement guides in 3D. Users can export a current layout, an entire layout book, or a 3D view to PDF. Display controls include field of view, perspective or parallel projection, shading, sun position, and anti-aliasing. Hyper-models can be generated in Archicad or DDScad and published locally, to BIMx Model Transfer, BIMcloud, or another location. They can also open in a browser through a web link without installing an app. Graphisoft says BIMx Issues support markup of 2D and 3D views and BCF compliance. Facility managers and owners can access Facilities Management databases through the BIM model. Minimum desktop requirements are 4 GB RAM and 5 GB free disk space; Windows 11 or macOS 10.15 are listed.

Marmoset Viewer is a physically based WebGL viewer for sharing interactive 3D presentations on the web. Scenes are created in Marmoset Toolbag and exported as optimized .mview packages to host or embed. Viewer supports animated scenes, refractive materials, shadowed fog, and shadow catcher objects. Developers can embed packages using a JavaScript library and embed utility; packages can also be uploaded to ArtStation, and a third-party WordPress plugin is available for uploads and embedding. A free standalone desktop app opens .mview files locally and is downloadable separately from Toolbag. The maker lists Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android support, but says Android support is less robust than Windows, OS X, and iOS. Global illumination, screen-space reflections, and ambient occlusion are not supported. Because models and textures must be sent to the browser for rendering, the maker says robust copy protection is essentially impossible. The standalone Viewer app is free, and Viewer is included with Toolbag versions 2.07 and newer. The listed format is .mview; measurement tools and annotation or markup are not available.