Lumion 2024 has arrived, bringing a host of new features and improvements designed to elevate our architectural rendering projects. This update introduces significant enhancements to camera presets, including the ability to retain camera positions and more intuitive controls for following objects. These changes ensure we can capture every angle of our designs with precision and ease.
One of the standout updates is the integration of NRD as a denoiser in Movie Mode, providing real-time previews that help us fine-tune our visuals without losing quality. Additionally, the new styles and updated example projects, including the Museum Pavilion, offer fresh inspiration and practical applications for our renderings. With these updates, Lumion 2024 promises to streamline our workflow and produce stunning, photorealistic results.
Overview of Lumion 2024 Architectural Rendering
Key Features and Enhancements
Lumion 2024 introduces several powerful features designed to elevate architectural rendering projects to new heights. Key improvements include the integration of fully-functional ray tracing for glass and water materials, offering unparalleled realism in reflections and refractions. Although these materials aren’t fully converted yet, planned updates promise further enhancements.
Additionally, the new version addresses camera presets comprehensively. Users can now benefit from improved control with features like the Pan-Tilt Camera, with end angle snap points reduced to three for better precision. Follow Object presets now allow the camera to maintain its position when the target object is deleted and can be adjusted with the Gizmo tool, providing enhanced flexibility.
The NRD denoiser is integrated into Movie Mode for real-time previews, ensuring cleaner visuals and streamlined workflows. Furthermore, the addition of new materials and updated thumbnail previews addresses user feedback, improving the overall experience and accuracy in representations.
System Requirements and Compatibility
To run Lumion 2024 efficiently, systems must meet specific requirements. A compatible OS includes Windows 10 64-bit or later. Recommended processors are multicore Intel or AMD processors with 64-bit support running at 2 GHz or above. A minimum of 8 GB of RAM is necessary, though more is beneficial for complex projects.
For graphics, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or an equivalent with 2 GB VRAM is required, ensuring smooth performance. Optimal performance is achieved with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 or greater. Users must also have at least 31 GB of free disk space for installation, with additional space needed during the process. Installations on case-sensitive file systems are not feasible.
These advancements and requirements underscore Lumion 2024’s commitment to providing architects with tools that marry performance with visual fidelity, ensuring that projects render seamlessly with stunning, photorealistic quality.
New Features in Lumion 2024
Advanced Ray Tracing Capabilities
Lumion 2024 introduces advanced ray tracing for enhanced realism. This update includes optimized reflections and refractions in glass and water materials. The system now utilizes fewer samples to achieve comparable quality, resulting in up to 5x faster rendering speed. This efficiency gain makes it easier to incorporate dynamic animations in project presentations and design evaluations. The ray tracing effect now supports 2,277 nature items, glass, and translucent materials, allowing for lifelike results across various use cases.
Expanded Materials and Objects Library
We’ve added 26 new materials to the Lumion library, improving the diversity of resources available. These include brick materials and updated thumbnail previews for better display accuracy. The Lumion Objects Library now features enhanced search functionality and new tags, simplifying the process of finding specific items. User feedback significantly influenced these updates, ensuring the materials and objects meet high standards of quality and usability.
Enhanced Camera Controls and Effects
Camera controls received substantial improvements in Lumion 2024. The Pan-Tilt Camera’s end angle snap points are reduced to 3, offering greater precision. The Follow Object preset now maintains its position when the target object is deleted, providing consistent control. The camera can also be moved using the Gizmo while set to follow an object. Additionally, switching between Build Mode and Movie Mode no longer resets the camera position. The NRD denoiser integrated into Movie Mode ensures cleaner visuals, with real-time previews always using NRD. Final outputs can toggle the denoiser on or off as needed, providing flexibility in post-production.
Improved Performance and Usability
Interface and Workflow Enhancements
Lumion 2024 brings significant enhancements to the interface and workflow for architectural rendering projects. The addition of consistent camera controls across various 3D modeling software ensures a seamless transition for users who work with SketchUp, Revit, and Rhino. Users can now enable these controls from the Settings menu, aligning the Orbit and Pan key inputs.
The software introduces the ability to conform objects to the landscape during placement by pressing the F key. This feature streamlines the object placement process, ensuring objects automatically adapt to the terrain. Additionally, switching between Build Mode and Movie Mode no longer resets the camera position, maintaining continuity and saving time.
Real-time Rendering Improvements
Real-time rendering in Lumion 2024 sees notable improvements with the integration of NVIDIA’s Real-Time Denoisers (NRD), including ReLAX and ReBLUR. These tools reduce the number of required ray-traced samples, achieving high-quality results quickly. NRD’s denoising is effective in both the preview and final render, enhancing the rendering process in Photo and Movie Modes.
Moreover, the new advanced ray-traced glass supports refraction, emulated glass depth, and colored light transmission. Rendering quality is further enhanced through Multiple Importance Sampling (MIS), which optimizes performance. All Nature Objects have been converted to be compatible with ray tracing and rasterization, ensuring a consistent and high-fidelity render across different scene elements.
Incorporating these improvements, Lumion 2024 ensures a more efficient workflow and higher quality results for architectural renderings.
Practical Applications and Use Cases
Case Studies: From Concept to Construction
Architecture firms have embraced Lumion 2024 for its efficiency in transforming concepts into photorealistic visuals. One prominent example is a large-scale urban development project. The initial zoning and design phases relied heavily on Lumion’s advanced ray tracing and real-time denoising features to create accurate visual simulations. These realistic renders facilitated stakeholder approval and community engagement by offering clear, detailed previews of proposed structures and landscapes.
In another case, residential architects used Lumion to visualize interior designs. By leveraging the 26 new materials, they presented clients with various finish options, enhancing client satisfaction. The integration of the updated Camera Preset Path streamlined adjustments, providing seamless transitions between different room views.
Tips for Maximizing Efficiency with Lumion 2024
Lumion 2024 includes several tools designed to enhance productivity. To maximize its potential, follow these tips:
- Use Real-Time Denoisers: Enable NVIDIA’s Real-Time Denoisers in both Preview and Movie Mode to maintain high render quality and immediate feedback, saving time in iterative design processes.
- Integrate New Materials: Take advantage of the 26 new materials to showcase diverse design aesthetics. Consistently update the material library to keep presentations fresh and engaging.
- Optimize Camera Controls: Utilize the improved Camera Preset Path and Orbit Camera functionalities. The reduced snap points at the end angle of the Pan/Tilt Camera and the ability to control the Follow Object Camera with the Gizmo enhance precision, allowing for more dynamic presentations.
- Utilize Autosnapping Features: Employ autosnapping for object placement and resizing to ensure consistent alignments and spacing, reducing manual adjustments and potential errors.
- Explore Updated Content Library: The enhanced search features and new tags in the Objects Library improve efficiency when locating specific items, reducing time spent on preparation and increasing focus on creative aspects.
By following these strategies, architects and designers can leverage Lumion 2024’s advanced tools to enhance efficiency and produce high-quality architectural renderings.
Conclusion
Lumion 2024 significantly advances architectural rendering through its suite of new features and improvements. We’ve highlighted key enhancements and their contextual benefits to architectural workflows.
Enhanced Denoising for Real-Time Previews
In Movie Mode, NRD operates as a real-time denoiser, ensuring that previews are clear. Denoiser toggling affects only HQ Preview and final output. While the denoiser is off, the HQ Preview and final rendering will retain noise, contrasting with NRD-denoised images when it is on.
| Mode | Denoiser ON | Denoiser OFF |
|---|---|---|
| Preview | NRD denoised | Noise |
| HQ Preview | NRD denoised | Noise |
| Render | NRD denoised | Noise |
This ensures that our design evaluations are accurate and realistic.
Updated Camera Controls
Several camera control updates in Lumion 2024 streamline navigation and enhance precise positioning. Examples include:
- Hovering over the Import button now shows the source model’s location.
- Switching from Build Mode to Movie Mode no longer resets the camera position.
- PanTilt Camera now has three end angle snap points.
- Follow Object Camera retains its position after target object deletion and is now adjustable using the Gizmo.
- Switching between Simple and Advanced Camera Paths updates the camera path accurately.
These improvements ensure better control and flexibility in visualizing architectural designs.
Improved Ray Tracing Capabilities
Ray tracing enhancements in Lumion 2024 deliver more realistic rendering. Specific features include:
- Disabled ray tracing in Panorama Mode for optimized performance.
- Temporary disabling of the 2 Point Perspective Effect during photo matching.
- Correctly denoised materials with less than 100% opacity, using OIDN Denoiser and displaying a dithered pattern with NRD Denoiser.
- Eliminated low VRAM detection errors for high-resolution renders.
These improvements enhance the rendering quality and performance.
Updated Example Projects and Styles
We now have access to eight new styles covering Ray Tracing, Rasterization, and conceptual representation, replacing older styles. A new Example Project, Museum Pavilion, replaces the outdated Glass House, providing up-to-date references and inspiration.
Lumion 2024’s updates aim to refine our workflow and produce higher-quality architectural renderings by incorporating advanced technologies and user-friendly enhancements.
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