We are currently in the early stages of development and hope to launch Vision by the end of 2020.

Civil FX Vision will be a better visualization tool that will make it possible to bring projects to life by importing CAD and other design files, adding design and existing 3D context and rendering images and videos. Additionally, Vision will make it possible to interact in real-time with the 3D project.

Project visualization is the most effective way to communicate the design of a project to the public, stakeholders and the design team and Vision will make visualizing infrastructure projects easier than ever. This will be the ultimate way to share the vision of any civil project.

Vision will offer all-new features such as smart traffic, motion graphics and a typical section creator. 

There will also be a support team, training resources and user groups to make the Vision experience as valuable as possible. 

Civil FX Vision will be a 3D visualization tool that will make high quality renders accessible to those involved in the design and construction of civil projects. This will include designers, CAD operators, city planners, project managers, construction engineers and more. 

If you are involved in the design or construction of transportation, public works, landscape architecture, site civil, transit or other civil projects, Civil FX Vision will be for you.

Architects have been well served with visualization tools for decades. Many of the tools used for civil visualization are built for architecture or other types of projects and are not a perfect fit for infrastructure projects. Because Civil FX Vision will be built specifically for civil projects it will NOT be a good tool for architects and those working on other types of visualization. Everything from the 3D asset library to the features and compatibility will be designed with infrastructure projects in mind. 

In other words, you won’t find bookshelves or coffee pots in Civil FX Vision.

As Civil FX Vision will be a visualization tool to create beautiful image and video renders as well as interactive publications, it will not have design capabilities. Vision will be created for civil professionals designing projects in CAD software as a place to import and visualize those designs.

The pricing structure for Vision will be a reoccurring monthly subscription. Included in the subscription will be access to the software along with support and training. This model is popular for software because it allows lower entry level investment for the user and more consistent revenue for development and support for the publisher. Most design software including AutoCAD, Adobe Cloud Suite and Microsoft Office use this model.

We are still working out the details of the pricing structure but there will be multiple options with the lowest planned to be at around $100/month USD. We will also likely have options for yearly pricing at a discount.

Due to licensing agreements in conjunction with the 3D library, Vision will not be able to export 3D files but only be able to export image and video files. You will also be able to use a free interactive viewer to view your project in real time on PCs with or without touch screen capabilities. 

There will be a free trial available for Civil FX Vision so that anyone can use the software at no risk before purchasing.

Pre-orders are currently not available but we are considering doing so at a discount in the months leading up to the launch of Vision. Sign up on this page to stay updated.

We will start with a closed beta group in the first half of 2020. If you are interested in being a beta tester, email info@civilfx.com and we will consider you for this group. Access to interesting projects, design files and the ability to test and break the software with good feedback are key attributes we will be looking for when narrowing down the beta group.

We will likely have a survey available for potential beta testers early in 2020.

There are several civil visualization software applications available by major publishers of design software. Not only will Civil FX Vision be an independent option that will work with most design software, it will also allow higher quality renders, have an all-new smart traffic system for realistic and organic looking traffic as well as a handful of other features not available in any other software.

A key feature we plan to build for Civil FX Vision will be team or multi-user compatibility which is lacking in many other visualization tools. While team compatibility may not be available at launch, we will make it a priority soon afterward.

Some civil design offices may even find it valuable to have Vision in conjunction with other visualization software.

Our priority will be to ensure the highest compatibility with the most common civil design software including AutoCAD Civil 3D and Microstation/InRoads (Openroads). We also plan to make it highly compatible with ArchiCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Rhino 3D and 3ds Max files.

Traffic animation based on simulated traffic from Vissim, Aimsun and possibly other transportation planning software will also be available. 

Some software development processes are opaque and kept tightly under wraps. We believe strongly that sharing the process will not only generate interest for the product but allow better feedback and integration with the community that will be using it. For this reason we will be sharing as much as possible about the process until launch and afterward.

This best way to stay updated is by subscribing on this page as we will be sending out email updates along the way. This page will also be revised as necessary to communicate to those interested. The Beyond CAD podcast (link at the top of the page under ABOUT) is a weekly podcast that includes frequent Vision updates.

Following Sam Lytle on LinkedIn is also a great way to stay up to date: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samlytle/

We will also be generating other content on YouTube and other social media platforms as development progresses.