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What kind of computer does Lumion 11 need?

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Arthur Roodenburg
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1. To have a great experience with Lumion 11, you will need:

  • A modern computer with a high-end dedicated graphics card.
  • Internet access.
  • A computer that meets or exceeds the recommended, or high-end system requirements (depending on your needs).

The requirements are listed in the table on the following page:

Note that Lumion 11 requires Windows 10 version 1809 in order to run.

We recommend updating your Windows 10 to version 2004 or newer as it includes the Windows feature "Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling" which improves the performance of Lumion in some Projects.

To see which version of Windows 10 you currently have installed, click on the Windows button and select Settings -> System -> About, to see the version number.

 

Looking for Lumion 10 information? If you would like to check the old minimum, recommended and high-end system requirements for Lumion 10, they are available on the following page:

 

2. If you need to buy a new computer:

When making any purchase, we recommend you consult with an expert in building PCs so that everything is tailored to your specific needs.

  • Please click here to see our laptop computer recommendations.
  • Please click here to see our desktop computer recommendations.

 

3. How does each hardware component affect Lumion?

The explanations below on how each PC hardware component affects Lumion can be useful information for purchasing upgrades for your existing computer or when purchasing a brand new computer to use with Lumion. As mentioned above, we recommend you consult with an expert in building PCs so that everything is tailored to your specific needs.

Graphics card

Upgrading your graphics card is the single most impactful thing you can do to improve your Lumion experience.
Graphics card memory

The more graphics card memory is available the more details, textures and models can be loaded, handled and rendered by your graphics card. 
CPU (processor)

The CPU plays a role in telling the graphics card what to show you on your screen, and it will be working hard while you are editing your Project. The more details and objects you have in your Project, the more instructions your CPU needs to send to your graphics card.
System memory (RAM)

Your RAM plays a role when a Project or model is loaded in Lumion. The more RAM you have, the bigger and more detailed these loaded scenes and models can be.
Hard drive

The speed of your Hard Drive plays a big role in how fast your models and Projects are loaded. The faster, the better. NVME SSD drives are the latest hard drive technology. 
Power supply

A power supply provides the whole system with the electrical current at specific wattage and voltages. It must be able to give each component enough to run well. If it doesn't, the PC may turn itself off, restart, or run at a lower performance to compensate.

 

4. Which high-end Lumion features are the most demanding for my computer?

In general, the more textures, models, and details you add while editing your Project, the more demanding the whole Project will be on your computer. Not only will your screen frame rate be affected, but your render time may also increase. A computer system that has at least the recommended system requirements will provide you with a smooth experience, but you can always push things too far depending on what you add to your Project.

For your information, these are some of the high-end Lumion features that will demand more from your hardware:

  • 3D Grass Materials.
  • Leaves/Foliage Materials.
  • Video Textures.
  • Previewing Planar Reflections.
  • Previewing dynamic Spotlight shadows.

If you find that your Project has become "too complex" and that your screen frame rate and render times have become affected, aside from considering upgrading your PC hardware, please check out our render tips in our article here.

 

See also:

 

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