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3D & CAD · head to head

Lumion vs Alibre Design

Lumion logo

Lumion

3D & CAD

Architectural visualization made easy

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Alibre Design logo

Alibre Design

3D & CAD

Affordable professional CAD

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lumion enterprise tier is priced by quote only, labelled Let's talk in the vendor's own pricing data, alongside otherwise self-serve tiers with published dollar and pound figures; Alibre Design perpetual licences do not include updates; maintenance is a separate yearly plan starting at $50 per year for CAD support and updates
  • They diverge on capability: Lumion covers Real-time rendering, Alibre Design covers Parametric modeling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lumion and Alibre Design actually diverge.

Attributes where Lumion and Alibre Design differ
AttributeLumionAlibre Design
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
Founded19981997

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), free tier (No), platforms (Windows), user rating (Not yet rated), category (3D & CAD).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Lumion

  • Real-time rendering
  • Content library
  • Effects
  • Video animation
  • VR export
  • LiveSync
  • Revit
  • SketchUp

Only in Alibre Design

  • Parametric modeling
  • Assemblies
  • Sheet metal
  • 2D drawings
  • BOM
  • Rendering
  • CAM software
  • PDM

Both cover

  • Windows support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Lumion

  • Architectural visualizationnot Alibre Design
  • Client presentationsnot Alibre Design

Alibre Design

  • Parametric 3D solid modelling for mechanical partsnot Lumion
  • Producing 2D manufacturing drawings from 3D modelsnot Lumion
  • Designing parts for 3D printing and small shop machiningnot Lumion

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Lumion

  • Enterprise tier is priced by quote only, labelled Let's talk in the vendor's own pricing data, alongside otherwise self-serve tiers with published dollar and pound figures

Alibre Design

  • Perpetual licences do not include updates; maintenance is a separate yearly plan starting at $50 per year for CAD support and updates
  • Sheet metal, PDM data management and rendering are Design Expert only at $1,999
  • Scripting is excluded from the $199 Atom3D edition
  • CAM capability is sold as separate EZ-Mill, EZ-Turn and EZ-EDM products costing up to $2,999
  • A dedicated account manager is excluded from Atom3D

Pricing, plan by plan

Lumion

$29/month
  • Standard$1499/month
    • Core features
  • Pro$2999/month
    • Full features
    • More content

Alibre Design

$29/month
  • Atom3D$199/month
    • Basic modeling
  • Design$999/month
    • Professional CAD
  • Expert$1999/month
    • Full features

Which should you pick?

Choose Lumion if

  • You need real-time rendering.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want content library.
Lumion review

Choose Alibre Design if

  • You need parametric modeling.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want assemblies.
Alibre Design review

Questions people ask

Is Lumion or Alibre Design better?
Neither clearly leads. Lumion starts at $29/month and Alibre Design at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lumion or Alibre Design?
Lumion starts at $29/month and Alibre Design at $29/month.
Does Lumion or Alibre Design run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Lumion best used for?
Lumion is most often used for architectural visualization, client presentations. Of those, architectural visualization and client presentations are not what Alibre Design is typically brought in for.
What can Lumion do that Alibre Design cannot?
Lumion covers Real-time rendering, Content library, Effects, Video animation. Alibre Design covers Parametric modeling, Assemblies, Sheet metal, 2D drawings. Both handle Windows support.
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