Topic: Lumion SDK/API

[Ming Architect]

Hello,

I'm interesting if there will be Lumion SDK/API soon?

I want to share why API is so important :

It would open a lot possibilities. I remembered 5 years ago the time I already use SketchUp as design tool when most people still use 3ds Max because that's pro tool. Later SketchUp introduce Ruby API which is so easy to learn, then many of users, which are avarage architects, start building some crazy useful plug-in. Then, I know SkecthUp have future, which now it really is. They're already outnumbered many expensive and big design & viz software in architectural field. Not because it is the best, but because it quick, versatile and user can build their needed features. And now I already know people even start try to extend it as a BIM. Their devs just do some ground works like dynamic components and API, after that features come from communities, mostly open sources or so cheap.

Without plug-in, SketchUp and contents can't really shine like what it is today. It's not about Google, the community exist and very dedicated before Google take over @Last. The development is so slow after it is under Google, but the community is getting bigger and bigger. And the community is so active, without much development drive from Google, the key of it is easy, API and 3dwarehouse.

These are some example of what easiness, API and dedicated community:

- forums.sketchucation.com
Already 100,000 members and now provided businesses. This forum was built non-commercial because the official SketchUp forum was taken down after Google takeover. Google try to convert us to google group, but it harder and commercial oriented and not easy to get involved. Later no dedicated user use it much. Most of them become dedicated users of Sketchucation.com, I remembered that time, it just a few thousand users.

- http://rhin.crai.archi.fr/rld/
- http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=250026
This is the result of SketchUp easy to write API. First, quality start to pop. Then their end-users  start asking how to do and actually do it. Then, more and more educated. Now, countless quality plug in available for frees ... it is unbelievable. I feel it is more open source than blender in the spirits.

- http://formfonts.com/
At first, they are normal dedivated SketchUp users which like to share and teach people how to do things in SketchUp. Few years later, they start their business. And I'm sure their business is quite safe from Autodesk already.

- http://www.smustard.com/
- http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/download/plugins.html

So much commercial plug-in, no one believe 5 years ago that this little software can become so far.

I really want to see more and more things can be done in Lumion. Someone may think Lumion is visualization product, but I see no reason why it can't be done more than that. Take a look at what small and simple modeling product like SketchUp, they even have a lot plug-in that try to do others, like lightUp, 2dtools, stage design, game design, etc.

It would be great if we can draw some massing, do quick sketching in Lumion.

Lastly, sorry for my english

Regards,
Ming

[peterm]

Agree in principal.  Has been discussed in the forum before but worth revisiting.  We need an SDK that allows for the extended community to grow which grows the product.

The two areas could be:
1. as it's built on Quest3D it might be something that some Quest3D developers could provide extended functionality/features or content within Quest3D files,
2. content to extend the core Lumion Library and have a TurboSquid type market.

This should be in a manner that allows for both free/shareware and licensed/paid for stuff.

[Ming Architect]

This should be in a manner that allows for both free/shareware and licensed/paid for stuff.

Yes, this is also important aspect. The more free contents =  the more users. For example, content creators can use free versions to build their products for sharing or sell. That would change a lot things. And I would say free contents is very importants to get more and more users, because it educated users which many of them hope to become pro content sellers, and drive paid contents quality. And I'm sure architectural firms have money to spend if ti make them work more efficiently.

Content creators can be even very end-user furniture company like IKEA, Habitat, Grohe or parts suppliers which want to promote and ease architects/clients decision to buy. The example is like 2020technologies.com kitchen design software, it is dream come true when need to design kitchen quickly.




I even dream that one day it can even linked with BIM software, so I can really do some beautiful real-time furniture selection in front of clients, wow them, and use those mainly for documents.

Thanks,
Ming

[cbcarch]

Sketchup has made a lot of progress recently--but it is FAR from being a real BIM tool.

Revit is by FAR the superior BIM tool on the market, and now that Lumion has a Revit/Collada plug-in, the workflow has improved drastically. Take a look at the world AEC market and how much Revit is being used. Revit to 3dsMax has been the typical workflow, via FBX using Mental Ray Materials in both products.

But without extreme investments in renderfarms, CPU based rendering is very slow compared to GPU/RT rendering such as Lumion and TwinMotion.

cheers

[RAD]

sketch-up = Revit
   nope never

BIM=death of Architecture?

Lumion>Vray for boutique's

[Ming Architect]

sketch-up = Revit
   nope never

BIM=death of Architecture?

Lumion>Vray for boutique's

That's right, SketchUp will never become great BIM like Revit, but someone try to make it just enough aspect of BIM and quick tool which satisfy small project with IFC info in it, imagined you can rough sketch simple house in 30 minutes in SketchUp with client and able to get bill-of -material and cost estimation in that period. What I mean is Lumion can take some good aspect of SketchUp which not limit by design. And my bet is with Revit too. Actually, I tried to ditch SketchUp from my workflow, it's too limited for organic stuff with any plugin exist.



And BIM would not be the death of architecture, see how Gehry use BIM. Actually, they can't do any design without BIM. And I don't see any BIM have great design tools built-in soon, there're always advanced tech for this like:





It will definitely about the time that all design,modeling,BIM tools got real-time rendering like Lumion. But Lumion have it now which I think why anything else should plugged into it. But when you do work with too many software, it can't be done in production quickly. And I see API as the quick fixed to many problems. You can put a lot important functions into one Lumion, which may take just 20% of your time for 80% of your normal workflow. And that's make sense, according to Pareto principle which most programmer know well.

For example, one day Lumion may have CityEngine module. But someone may built it from the ground up with API/ or linked it with some open-sourced tool ... of course CityEngine would be always superior, but 80% of work maybe able to get done with cheap plug-in. Which is good for Lumion user base because they have a choice to use cheap/free plugin and buy the pro stuff when they want to ease their life or extend their design capability. That's win-win, right?

My prediction is Lumion devs are smart and ever think about this. Maybe they even plan with many level of API. For example, low level access with official plugin like speedtree. And limited API for community. Of course, this should be overly optimistic since Lumion still not that big

Thanks,
Ming

[RAD]

Yes yes.  Agree.  Ming Thank you.  
I  grasshopper+rhino 

The question for the Lumion developers is....  
Do they want to be like Apple?  of course they do.