Likelihood to Recommend As an ARCHICAD user, this is almost a no-brainer. BIMx is included (although there are some paying options) and works well out-of-the-box. There is little to setup from the ARCHICAD side. You prepare a set of layouts/views and can publish the model on Ine go. The free version focuses on the 3D-model viewer. You publish an interactive model and can walk through it. With the PRO version, you also can publish the "Hyper-Model" - an integration of 2D and 3D views. If you are looking at tuning your own interactivity, e.g. in precisely defining what can happen and what information to show, you cannot customize BIMx that way. You have to look at alternatives, such as game engines or other 3D visualization software.
Read full review Newforma is a great tool to collaborate with large teams and between firms. It allows for great documentation of transfers, activities, and other procedural aspects of projects that require collaboration between disciplines, for example, MEP, electrical, architectural and technology. For internal use, Newforma has been great for communications tracking and archival, as well as for record-keeping of all the users in a team or number of teams. Many great options are features are unused due to a lack of training or exposure to them, for example, the graphical viewers that can preview CAD, Revit, and other formats, or the markup tool available with the desktop client.
Read full review Pros Mix functions together calculate the impact of variables advanced log book Read full review Newforma sits on top of our previous filing system (Windows Explorer). This was very important to us because we didn't have to change the project numbering system in order to fit Newforma's design. Also, if we were to decide we didn't like it, we could easily revert back to our previous methods. Newforma does a great job of indexing information, making searches much easier by being able to use keywords instead of knowing the exact file location. No more traversing through countless folders before finding what you need. Newforma keeps a read receipt for everything that you submit through it for issue tracking, and keeps an easy to read record of your workflow. Read full review Cons It is an out-of-the-box solution for end-users. There is almost no customization possible (e.g. API for developers) Pricing is a bit confusing with two options for in-app purchase (PRO and Share a Model) and the separate Desktop Viewer Android version takes a long time to get updated to iOS version Only for ARCHICAD users. No other software is supported. Read full review I have found it difficult to locate audits. Some users have issues while uploading project data. Read full review Likelihood to Renew Most people using it are thrilled about it. But our use of ARCHICAD in projects is (alas) a bit limited, especially compared with the attention for
Revit with our clients. And as an ARCHICAD teacher, I have to remember to keep introducing it as it is accepted well with most users.
Read full review Support Rating While I have never asked for support myself, a Newforma representative has been in the office annually to give training seminars and info sessions on how to fully use the product. I find this essential to keep the product relevant and make sure everyone knows its full capabilities and an important part of customer support.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Direct publishing to a 3D model can be done with a few other tools, but if (and only if) you are using ARCHICAD, it is the easiest to use. For
Revit users, there is more choice, including
Revit Live or some online model-viewers and publishers. For full custom interactivity, you have to look at e.g. Unity3D or Unreal where you can include and extend endlessly, but you will lack the ease of BIMx. You'd also have to look for good similar navigation. Especially the link between 2D views and 3D model sections is hard to beat. But in that context, if you want to e.g. allow users to choose design alternatives, select another material or include animations and sound, this is not possible in BIMx.
Read full review A good competitor against other similar solutions and support is excellent.
Read full review Return on Investment increased the efficiency in project management collaboration was improved risk estimation is better viewed Read full review Newforma makes it easy to transfer, share, archive, and search extensive data sets in a single GUI For it to be effective, all users in a team must receive a basic training and use it consistently Adoption in the industry is good (A/E); many teams use it consistently. Learning to use it once produces time-saving in subsequent projects Read full review ScreenShots