BIMx Web Viewer vs Marmoset Viewer

BIMx Web Viewer lets people explore a BIMx Hyper-model in a browser without installing a program or downloading an app. A Hyper-model combines linked 2D project documents, embedded BIM data, and 3D models. Hyper-models can be created in Archicad or DDScad and published locally, to BIMx Model Transfer, to BIMcloud, or elsewhere. The Measure tool supports length, angle, and area measurements in 2D, with measurement guides in 3D. Users can play presentations based on Gallery views or Favorites, with automatic transitions between views. Favorites are saved in the browser and are not included when a Hyper-model is shared. BIMx Pro features include hiding 3D elements, controlling layer visibility, and changing the cut plane; Model Transfer access requires an eligible company membership and Graphisoft ID sign-in. Browser support varies by operating system: Windows lists Chrome, Edge, and Firefox; macOS lists Safari, Chrome, and Firefox; Android lists Chrome. The system requirements list iOS and iPadOS as unsupported. The viewer is free, and Graphisoft provides online help and a support contact.

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.