Comparison

BIMx vs Arrette Scale sketch drafting

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BIMx

Explore and collaborate on architectural BIM projects with interactive 3D models and linked documentation. Visualize designs, access BIM data, and streamline communication between the construction site and office.

Highlights
  • Interactive 2D & 3D BIM model exploration
  • Linked 2D documentation and 3D views
  • Access BIM element data
  • On-site collaboration tools
  • Game-like 3D navigation
  • Real-time 3D cutaways
  • Measure in 3D and 2D
Read full description

Graphisoft’s BIMx is an interactive app for exploring BIM projects and linked documentation sets created in Archicad, MEP Designer, and DDScad. Please download to visualize or collaborate on architectural design projects on your mobile device(s). BIMx offers professional building visualization with game-like navigation to explore and visualize architectural projects. BIMx features the ‘BIMx hyper-model’ – allowing non-design professionals to explore and fully understand architectural design intent, view project deliverables, and access element-level BIM data. BIMx links the 3D model with the relevant 2D documentation layouts, providing a seamless way to view the 3D cutaway model in the context of a 2D layout — and vice versa. BIMx connects the construction site with the architect’s office for streamlined collaboration. Real-time model cut-throughs, in-context measuring, and project markups in the model context make BIMx your best on-site BIM companion. Drive the design narrative on the building site for fast, specific client feedback. Features: • Hyperlinked 2D & 3D views with interactive markers • Trace 2D drawings on 3D with animation • Access project and building component-related BIM information • Superfast 2D documentation viewer • Game-like 3D navigation • Gravity & Egress recognition • Option to access a Hyper-model element from outside of the app • Google Cardboard VR support on iPhones • Real-time 3D cutaway • Cut Plane Color Picker • Shading options • Shadow casting • Sun positioning by date and time • Measure in 3D and on 2D layouts • Explore 3D models of any size thanks to the streaming 3D engine • Save Favorites • Create compelling presentations • Print support, PDF export • Keyboard, mouse, and gamepad support BIMx Pro features, available with Graphisoft account-based licensing: • Issue creation – BCF-based documentation revisioning • Hide 3D elements and control Layer visibility in the virtual model • Customizable Cut Plane Explore the BIMx Pro features with the built-in demo model. Joining BIMcloud in Hyper-models published from Teamwork projects unlocks messaging and Pro features. View our Terms of Use: https://graphisoft.com/legal/terms-of-use/bimx-ios and Privacy Policy: https://graphisoft.com/legal/privacy-policy Send your comments and suggestions to bimx@graphisoft.com!

About

Arrette Scale sketch drafting

This app allows designers to sketch freehand while maintaining precise scale, similar to vector drafting tools. It offers intuitive drawing tools and features for easy sharing and collaboration, simplifying the design process for professionals.

Highlights
  • Freehand drawing pens with vector scaling
  • Adjustable grid system (metric/decimal feet)
  • Straight edge and circle edge tools
  • Distance and area measurement tools
  • Lasso tool for selection and manipulation
  • Layer support for organized designs
  • Easy sharing via email or saving to device
Read full description

Rated #1 Technical App for Architects by ArchDaily! Arrette Scale for iPad is an app for designers who want to draw freehand while maintaining a measurable drawing scale like vector drafting tools. Architects, urban planners, surveyors, home remodelers, field archaeologists and dozens of other kinds of professionals will find this app useful. Unlike some other vector drawing tools, Arrette is simple to use. Arrette provides the platform to begin design work and generate ideas without moving too quickly to rigid straight lines and curves. We want to help you draw much as you would normally draw on paper, but to give you the extra tools and ways to share your work that make your life easier and make the design process simpler and more productive. The basic drawing structure is a familiar one - drawing layers which can be overlayed on a base image. The Grid keeps you aware of the size of what you're drawing, and the Edge helps you draw straight lines when you want. When you're ready, you can easily share drawings by email or save them to your device. We've designed Arrette to be extremely easy to learn. In about five minutes, you'll understand how to zoom and scale your canvas, draw lines, and load base images to work on top of. Our tools will seem familiar from other structured drawing applications, but every tool we've built has been simplified and optimized with scale in mind. Uses for Arrette: * An urban designer drafts plans for a new sub-division in a small town * A real estate agent snaps a photograph of a living space and begins to sketch out ideas for staging * A new home owner sketches the plan for an elaborate garden in the back yard * An archaeologist precisely records the provenience of a newly discovered artifact, including its location on an aerial map and the outline of its form * A construction manager notes progress on a work site, sending annotated precision-scale documents back to the general contractor live from the work site These are just a few of the ways that we have envisioned Arrette becoming an essential tool for many professionals. Arrette is the ideal tool for sketching because of its ease of use, preservation of scale, and flexibility in working with original source material such as other drawings, photographs, and maps. Included drawing tools: * Freehand drawing pens that scale like vector lines but are as easy to use as pencil and paper * An adjustable grid system that you can easily flip between the metric system and decimal feet * A straight edge tool for drawing perfectly straight lines or arrays of parallel lines * A circle edge tool for drawing arcs and circles of arbitrary, but precise radius * Distance and area measurement tools for measuring the lengths, perimeters and areas of arbitrary pathways in your drawing at precise scale * A lasso tool to select, move, copy and paste previously drawn lines * Layers, for separating out parts of composite objects or for adding new ideas to an existing document that overlay earlier designs * The ability to share Arrette documents with other users or to e-mail documents in PNG or PDF formats * An eraser tool, for revising your designs or removing objects from previous work * The ability to adjust the width of all lines globally even after the lines have been drawn * A color picker to choose from a variety of different pen colors for your drawing Base image imports: * The ability to load base images to draw on top of; base images respect their original scale and direction when the document is zoomed or panned * Import base images from Email, Dropbox, and Adobe Creative Cloud * Copy and paste from other apps that support JPG, PNG or PDF Document sharing features: * Send PDFs with scale and direction information to colleagues, clients, and other parties via email * Save your work to your Photo Gallery * Share raster versions of your work with anyone via email, Twitter, or Facebook

Screenshots

BIMx4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BIMx at Free against Arrette Scale sketch drafting's $8.99. BIMx also leads on rating (4.0 vs 2.6) and ratings volume (167 vs 14). Arrette Scale sketch drafting's advantage is iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.0). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

BIMx is free to download; Arrette Scale sketch drafting costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BIMx holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BIMx has 167 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 60% and 60% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BIMx ships an update every 5 weeks, Arrette Scale sketch drafting every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BIMx versus Arrette Scale sketch drafting: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBIMxArrette Scale sketch drafting
PriceFree — better$8.99
Rating4.0 (167 ratings) — better2.6 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews59.8% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings167 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPad
Requires iOS16.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size175 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGraphisoft SEArrette, Inc.

Customer experience

BIMx

All ratings164 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral3.0%
Negative22.0%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive59.8%
Neutral8.2%
Negative32.0%

Arrette Scale sketch drafting

All ratings14 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative32.5%

Bugs and requests

BIMx

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Issues with downloading and opening models
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • Inconsistent rendering and color issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to annotate and markup models
  • Support for more CAD file formats beyond ArchiCAD
  • Improved camera controls and navigation
  • Integration with desktop ArchiCAD software

Arrette Scale sketch drafting

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

BIMx

No in-app purchases

None

Arrette Scale sketch drafting

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BIMx free?
BIMx is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Arrette Scale sketch drafting free?
Arrette Scale sketch drafting costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BIMx or Arrette Scale sketch drafting?
BIMx is rated higher. BIMx averages 4.0 out of 5 from 167 ratings, while Arrette Scale sketch drafting averages 2.6 from 14 ratings.
Do BIMx or Arrette Scale sketch drafting have ads?
Neither BIMx nor Arrette Scale sketch drafting shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BIMx or Arrette Scale sketch drafting?
BIMx ships an update every 5 weeks, and Arrette Scale sketch drafting every 3 months. Most recently, BIMx was updated on October 16, 2026 and Arrette Scale sketch drafting on October 11, 2026.

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