Lumion

To start with, a brief summary for those who are hearing about the program Lumion for the first time. It is a program that brought new order to the rendering world of architects, builders, and designers. It is primarily intended for standard visualizations, targeted at users ranging from individuals and freelancers (the vast majority of users) to large global studios. The biggest advantage compared to traditional rendering solutions (integrated renders of CAD and BIM programs, V-ray, 3DS Max, etc.) is the 100% real-time preview. The moment you adjust a material, for example, you see how it will look with the surrounding light and in the context of the whole visualization. This eliminates hours of rendering for test shots. It contains more than 6,000 high-quality objects (mainly plants and decorations) that can be easily incorporated directly into Lumion and do not slow down CAD and BIM programs. It can be linked in several ways with the vast majority of modeling software, and it even has live linking with the most widely used programs (what you do in one program is immediately transferred to the other with just one click). You don't start with an empty scene, but already have a prepared environment, sun, sky, and optionally plants and surroundings of your choice. And, of course, the final render of the image takes a few seconds.

Thanks to these features, support, and development, it is gradually replacing traditional solutions. It saves users a lot of time on each visualization, also brings less stress to the user, and significantly greater joy in creating visualizations. We usually say that if you value your time and take visualizations seriously, Lumion is the best choice.

New version – Lumion 11

The new version of the program brought significant improvements, each from a slightly different category. Everyone will find something to enjoy. Lumion 11 now offers users the desired orthogonal views, speed optimization, and work with repeating models (proxies), improved shadow quality for exterior greenery elements, better shadows indoors, and much more. A special category is the animation of object assembly, which now works in a much simpler way than before. It should be noted that the application's interface has also been significantly simplified, allowing for even faster creation. Lumion 11 itself runs even faster due to the use of proxies compared to previous versions. This is especially noticeable on slower graphics cards and older computers.

Orthogonal Views

Orthogonal views will be particularly appreciated by Lumion users from smaller companies or individuals who can more effectively create standard 2D views from a prepared scene. They no longer have to combine line views from modeling and BIM tools with visualizations. At the same time, a standard view can be enhanced with staffage, materials, animations, etc. The new orthogonal view feature is very simple to use and includes tools for very quick setup. With a few sliders, you can set an exact 2D view from a 3D perspective. Camera alignment with the facade can also be done completely automatically (useful for orienting structures outside the main planes).

Proxies

If you work with large models and need to include a large number of elements, you will especially appreciate the automatic replacement of repeating models (proxies) with wireframe boxes that appear when your FPS (frames rendered per second) drops below a certain level. This way, even on large scenes with tens of thousands of models, you can move around fluidly during creation without the stuttering that otherwise challenging projects would have brought, making visualization creation unpleasant. The previous version, Lumion 10, introduced so-called displacement maps that allow you to create a visually 3D model from materials. The combination of these maps (for example, for roofs, stone walls, cladding) and working with proxy objects allows for a significant speed increase in an already very fast workflow.

WOW Effect

The biggest "wow features" from the interiors are probably the raindrops running down the glass and detailed shadows. Raindrops run down glass materials, giving a pleasant feeling of "dryness" and warmth in the indoor space. They bring an incredible lively detail to the render. As for more detailed shadows from point lights – this is a huge aid for greater credibility in interior visualizations. Moreover, you don’t have to set anything for shadows; everything is prepared in templates. Alternatively, you can use one of the nine ready-made sample scenes.

The biggest "wow features" from the exteriors are likely the more detailed shadows of grass and vegetation, as well as an expanded library of "very detailed" plants. Shadows always determine the credibility of the scene and visualization; Lumion already improved plant rendering in versions 9 and 10, but now it is another step further. For exterior visualizations, where you cannot rely as much on artificial lights, shadows are crucial. In this regard, Lumion is indeed very advanced, and it has been regarded as its greatest strength by users for several years. The expansion of the database of new detailed plants, which are hard for the untrained eye to distinguish from real plants in the render, is just the cherry on top. But it's very significant for landscape and garden architects.

Layout Animation

Layout animation – as the Czech translation goes – is a very useful feature for enlivening the entire design and especially for showcasing different phases of a project, the significance of filling the interior, changing the layout of the exterior, etc. The uses are countless; mainly, however, even simple animations bring the render and maybe even the orthogonal views to life beautifully. This way, you can also skip a lot of verbal descriptions, phone calls, and negotiations. You simply show the use of space and the design idea through animation. For many people, animation is much clearer, more readable, and more believable than a verbal description. Moreover, animations are created really easily; you just need to select the objects sequentially, turn on the type of animation you want, and then just adjust the timing of the animation's entrance, exit, and offset of individual elements with a few sliders.

Control and Instructions

I must add a note about the controls; many buttons that were difficult to find or were somewhat hidden (and not quite at hand) in versions 9 and 10 have now been moved precisely where they are really needed. Overall, working in Lumion itself has become significantly simplified; an interactive guide has also been added – thanks to which you can learn the basics in about an hour. It teaches you to navigate in the program, place (and even rotate and scale objects before placing them), and get oriented in the basic environment of the program.

Other News

Lumion brings a whole range of new features; some are listed on the website lumion3d.cz, but not all – it is not desired to list all the details of the program's operation. Among the important new functions are:

• Automatic loading of satellite maps onto terrain with buildings. This automatically creates a pleasant background for mass studies, where not only the mass of buildings but also paths, greenery, and the use of space will be visible.
• Car models from the Lumion library can now have a metallic finish, which significantly improves the level of even older models; for new models, this means a nearly realistic appearance in the render.
• You can now add your own IES light profiles to Lumion, allowing you to light your interior very realistically.
• The live linking of modeling software with Lumion has been expanded to include BricsCAD.
• Working with colors has also been significantly simplified. You can now use the European RAL standard and easily select the required color directly.
• Another important thing is that you can make detailed previews of visualizations even in full-screen mode, so you can view an accurate preview of the visualization in larger resolution ahead of time. This is particularly nice for interiors.
• The detailed preview now also works in the Lumion Viewer browser, which greatly expands the presentation possibilities for clients and their ability to navigate the 3D visualization.
• The program generally renders faster and with greater quality; reflections of water surfaces in glass materials with "mirror" reflections are now rendered, for example.
• You can now use volumetric fire with your own background.

The prices of the program have not changed for quite some time (not counting currency fluctuations); the price of Lumion 11 is 39,499 CZK excluding VAT and Lumion 11 PRO is 78,999 CZK excluding VAT (an upgrade from Lumion 11 to Lumion 11 PRO costs 39,499 CZK excluding VAT). The upgrade price list can be found on our website.

For more information, visit:
www.lumion3d.cz
interesting conversations with program users on YouTube.