| Lumion | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Act-3D B.V. |
| Initial release | 2010 |
| Stable release | Lumion Pro 2025 |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Type | 3D visualization |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | lumion |
Lumion is a real-time 3D architectural visualization software developed by Act-3D B.V., a privately owned Dutch company, developer of the Quest3D engine, headquartered in Sassenheim, Netherlands. [1] Primarily used in architecture, landscaping, urban planning and interior design, Lumion allows the creation of high-resolution renders and visualizations. It is available in 180 countries worldwide. [2] [3] [4]
Act-3D, a company behind Lumion, was founded in 1998 in Leiden, Netherlands. [5]
In September 2001, the company developed Quest3D, a proprietary 3D engine utilized in the areas of architecture, product design, computer games, training software, and simulation environments. [6] [7]
Act-3D shifted focus to architectural 3D rendering shortly after its inception. The first version of Lumion software was released in December 2010. [2] [8]
In April 2025, Lumion released Lumion Pro 2025, introducing AI-based image upscaling, expanded ray-traced effects such as water and volumetric lighting, a scene inspector, performance controls, and new nature assets created through photogrammetry. [9] [10]
In April of the same year, Lumion released Lumion View, a real-time visualization plugin for SketchUp that allows users to create ray-traced 4K renders directly within the modeling software. [11] [12]
In August 2025, Lumion announced the acquisition of Denmark-based startup Niimblr, which specializes in cloud-based collaboration, and rebranded it as Lumion Cloud. Bringing a visual-first collaboration solution to its ecosystem. [13] Lumion Cloud enables architectural visualization professionals to upload files with seamless integration to Lumion View and Pro, and collect feedback from team members, clients and stakeholders. [14]
In October 2025, Lumion released Lumion View for Revit plugin, offering the benefits of Lumion View to Autodesk Revit users. [15]
Lumion has Lumion View, Lumion Pro, and Lumion Cloud for commercial use. Lumion View is a lightweight, real-time rendering plugin that integrates with modelling applications (such as SketchUp and Revit) to support early-stage design review and fast visual feedback, while Lumion Pro is the full-featured desktop application that provides the advanced rendering tools and the complete content library for production-grade visualization. [16] Lumion Studio is offered as a bundled subscription that combines the capabilities of both View and Pro. [17] [18]
Lumion Cloud, a web-based collaboration platform built for architects and designers, is currently free for all users with a Lumion Account. [19]
Lumion also has two educational licenses for non-commercial use only: Lumion Student and Lumion Faculty. Lumion Student is a free 1-year license designed for students. It can be renewed throughout their studies and is intended for non-commercial use only. Lumion Faculty is a free 3-year license for faculty members representing educational institutions. Lumion Faculty is restricted to use on university computer labs only. [18]
Lumion offers real-time rendering, allowing users to view changes and updates instantly. [8]
It also has integration with popular CAD software, such as Revit, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Archicad, and many more. Lumion LiveSync was introduced for the first time in 2018 for Sketchup, enabling real-time model-to-render synchronization. [20] [8] [21]
LiveSync feature allows CAD modeling and Lumion rendering integration for simultaneous work in both environments with modifications that are instantly visible within the context of a lifelike landscape, including realistic skies, vegetation, furniture, and other rendered elements. [20] [22]
Lumion’s render engine combines rasterization technology with ray tracing for realistic light behavior and automatically generates realistic indirect lighting, reflections, and shadows. [23] [24] [8] [25] [26]
It is compatible with both Nvidia and AMD GPUs. [27] [28] It supports PBR material workflow, utilizing 8 material maps. Renders natural physical properties through the calculation of light conditions and gives control over the material settings. [29]
Lumion's system requirements vary by version, generally recommending a powerful graphics card, sufficient RAM, and a high-speed processor for optimal performance. A benchmark test is available for individual assessment (Lumion benchmarks the user's computer graphics card, graphics memory, CPU, and system memory; if any of these components have a red score, the user may need to upgrade this component for a better Lumion use). System requirements also differ between the products: Lumion View is intended to run on lighter hardware as a plugin, while Lumion Pro requires a more powerful workstation (notably a fast graphics card and increased memory). [30] [31]