New functionalities of BIMvision 3 and changes in licensing

We are pleased to announce that version BIMvision 2.29.0 is the last in the 2.x series. We will soon release version 3.0, which will introduce a number of new functionalities and improvements.

New functionalities in version 3.0:

Support for IFC 4.4 format
Grid for easier navigation in large models
Support for IfcOpeningElement on the project tree in object types
Support for related documents and approvals
Support for Alignment in formats 4.1, 4.2, 4.3.
Rounding numbers in Properties according to the settings in the Measurement tab

The most important licensing changes in version 3.0

From version 3.0 we are introducing Maintenance, which allows you to update to the next major versions of the system. The cost of an annual subscription is 50 EUR per station.

BIMvision update policy for users with plugins:

Updating to version 3.0 is free of charge
Updates between subversions (e.g. from 3.0.0 to 3.0.1) will remain free of charge
Updating to subsequent major versions (e.g. from 3.0 to 3.1) will only be possible with an active subscription to the maintenance.dll plugin. The cost of a 12-month subscription is 50 EUR per station.

Maintenance is purchased for a 12-month period per seat and is counted from the date of its purchase. It allows you to upgrade to the latest major versions of BIMvision during this period.

If you do not have a valid Maintenance, you will not be able to update the software or work with plugins running on a previous version of BIMvision.

How to purchase and activate Maintenance?

Maintenance can be purchased in our store: https://store.bimvision.eu, just like other plugins. Maintenance is bought by purchasing maintenance.dll. Once Maintenance has been purchased, it must be activated so that the system can recognize the workstation under technical support.

The maintenance.dll file will also be included in the version 3.0 installer.

For users of the subscription version:

Users with an active subscription do not need to take any additional action – their technical support is already included in the subscription. In addition, they can use the extended functionalities of the IDS.bimvision.eu portal under More > Account by logging in as for the other BIMvision-related services.

For users without purchased plugins:

For all these users, all versions of BIMvision remain free.

For users of older versions (2.29.0 and older):

For users of older versions, nothing will change – all purchased plugins will work, but users will not have access to newer features of the program.

For developers:

All developed plugins will work according to API versions. No modification is required.

In case of questions or concerns, we encourage you to contact our support team.

Questions and answers

Will I be able to install a new major version (3.1 or higher) without purchasing Maintenance for my plugins?

No, installing a newer version requires active Maintenance.

Does Maintenance include updates for all plugins I have?

Yes, Maintenance includes the right to updates on a given workstation regardless of the number of plugins installed.

Even though I bought 5 new plugins and I have one “old” plugin, do I need to buy Maintenance?

Yes, Maintenance is required for the “old” plugin to work.

Even though I have purchased 5 new plugins and I have one “old” plugin, do I have to buy Maintenance, or can I uninstall this old plugin, not buy Maintenance and install a new major version?

No, upgrading to a newer major version of BIMvision requires Maintenance. Buying new plugins gives us the ability to activate them with any (even the latest) compatible version of BIMvision, but does not give us the right to upgrade. In such a situation, we should uninstall BIMvision, install the latest version and reactivate the newly purchased plugins.

Can I buy new plugins without Maintenance if they have a better price?

Yes, however this will require uninstalling BIMvision, installing the new version and activating the newly purchased plugin.

Can I buy new plugins and install them on the old version of BIMvision?

Yes, as long as the API version does not require a new version.

If I did not continue Maintenance and after 1.5 years I want to buy it, how much will I have to pay?

Maintenance is an ongoing process and during the period when it was not active, new versions were released. The current latest version includes all of them and for this reason the price will be as much as the time has passed since the end of the previous year, rounded to whole years, i.e. 2 x the price of a single Maintenance and will only cover 0.5 more years.

What if I transfer the software to another computer?

In this case, it is necessary to have Maintenance active and to transfer all plugins including the Maintenance. Otherwise, the plugins will not work on the new computer.

I have three stations with licensed plugins on one account. I bought Maintenance for one station and after six months I plan to buy Maintenance for the remaining ones. What happens in this situation?

All Maintenance assigned to one account must have the same end date. In such a situation, subsequent purchased Maintenance will have a proportionally lower price, but the same end date, of course, if at least one Maintenance is valid.