Bimble v0.13.1

Bimble v0.13.1: a preview of a fast, open-source structural BIM tool. It views IFC files in 3D, plans, ceiling plans and sections, overlays another office's DXF or PDF plan to check it, draws storey plans at scale, and edits and versions Bimble's own .bimble models. It also runs in a browser.

User manual: https://guilbep.github.io/bimble-docs/

Install

System	Install with	Or the archive
macOS, Apple Silicon (M1–M4)	Bimble_*_aarch64.dmg, or Homebrew (below)	bimble-*-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz
macOS, Intel	Bimble_*_x64.dmg, or Homebrew	bimble-*-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz
Windows 10/11	bimble_*_x64_en-US.msi	bimble-*-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip
Debian, Ubuntu	bimble_*_amd64.deb: sudo apt install ./bimble_*_amd64.deb	bimble-*-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
Fedora, Red Hat, openSUSE	bimble-*.x86_64.rpm: sudo dnf install ./bimble-*.x86_64.rpm	same
Any Linux	bimble_*_x86_64.AppImage: chmod +x, then run it	same
Any browser (static page, to host yourself)	bimble-*-web.zip

Homebrew (macOS and Linux), no security prompt:

brew tap guilbep/bimble https://github.com/guilbep/bimble
brew install guilbep/bimble/bimble

SHA256SUMS lists the checksums. The browser version is also online: https://guilbep.github.io/bimble/ (files you open there stay on your computer).

Run

Open Bimble from Applications, the Start menu or your desktop's menu, or run bimble in a terminal (bimble view your-model.ifc). You can also drop a file on the window.

The installers aren't signed by a paid certificate yet:

• macOS: the first time, macOS says Bimble is from an unidentified developer. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway (or right-click Bimble → Open). Homebrew installs don't ask.
• Windows: SmartScreen may warn about an unknown publisher; choose More info → Run anyway.

Try

• Open an IFC, then File → Convert to .bimble (editable)…: every element comes along; columns, beams, walls, slabs and footings are editable by their dimensions, the rest can be moved and versioned.
• The left panel lists the model's views (3D, plans, ceiling plans, sections) with their view range; select, edit and measure in any of them. Project → Reference plan… lays a DXF or vector PDF over a plan.
• Sheets: place views at their scales, dimension and annotate, export PDF or SVG. bimble plan model.ifc plan.pdf --storey "Level 1" --scale 100 from the command line.
• File → Share for viewing… writes a small .bimbleview that opens in seconds, also in a browser.
• History (Manage tab, or bimble history …): commits, branches, merges; bimble history clone / sync / borrow to work together through a shared folder.
• bimble bench --json > bench.json: how fast it is on your machine. Please send the file, especially from old laptops.

Known limits

• .bimble files saved by 0.12 and later can't be opened by 0.11 and older: upgrade together, or share .json.
• Elements of other classes than columns, beams, walls, slabs and footings are moved, not edited by dimensions.
• Working together is command-line only (a shared folder); no Collaborate tab yet. No hide/isolate yet.
• Reference plans: DXF model space and the first page of a vector PDF; no text, hatches or scanned PDFs.
• In the browser: no model history yet; loading uses one processor core; at most 4 GB per tab.
• Curved geometry is drawn as fine facets (0.5 mm tolerance), not exact surfaces.
• On a machine whose graphics refuse a drawing step, Bimble turns that step off and says so in red: please report the message with your machine and system.

Changes

Full Changelog: v0.13.0...v0.13.1