DIALux
Architectural rendering software
Architecture software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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€5.99 per month
Free TrialFree version
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What is DIALux
DIALux is a desktop application for lighting design and calculation used to plan indoor and outdoor illumination for buildings and sites. It supports creating room and building geometry, placing luminaires, and generating calculation results and documentation for lighting projects. The product is commonly used by lighting designers, electrical planners, and architects who need photometric calculations and luminaire-specific planning rather than general-purpose 3D modeling.
Lighting-specific calculation workflow
DIALux focuses on illumination planning, including placing luminaires and running lighting calculations for spaces and exterior areas. This specialization makes it more suitable for photometric design tasks than general 3D modeling or broad BIM authoring tools. It also supports producing project documentation based on calculated results.
Luminaire manufacturer data support
The platform is designed to work with luminaire photometric data and manufacturer catalogs commonly used in lighting projects. This helps teams model real fixtures and compare design options using consistent photometric inputs. It reduces the need to manually approximate fixture performance in generic rendering tools.
Project documentation outputs
DIALux provides reporting and documentation features oriented to lighting projects, such as calculation summaries and plan-ready outputs. This supports handoff to stakeholders who need traceable calculation results. It can reduce reliance on separate tools for assembling lighting calculation documentation.
Not a full BIM authoring tool
DIALux is not designed to replace architectural BIM platforms for full building modeling, multidisciplinary coordination, or construction documentation. Teams typically still need a separate architecture/BIM system for authoring the building model and managing design changes. This can introduce coordination overhead between the lighting model and the primary building model.
Rendering and visualization limits
While it supports visual outputs for lighting design, DIALux is not primarily a high-end architectural visualization or animation tool. Users seeking photorealistic marketing renders or advanced scene effects often require a dedicated rendering/visualization application. This can lead to an additional export-and-render workflow for presentation-grade visuals.
Desktop-centric collaboration constraints
DIALux is primarily used as a desktop application, which can limit real-time multi-user collaboration compared with cloud-native design platforms. Sharing work often relies on exchanging files and coordinating versions. This may be less efficient for distributed teams working concurrently on the same project.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0 (permanent) | Full DIALux evo core functionality with access to luminaires from DIALux Members (>2.5M luminaires from >450 members). (Official free version). |
| Unlock Non-Members | €5.99 – €9.99 per month (Region-dependent); €65.99 – €109.99 per year (Region-dependent) | Enables use of luminaires from non-DIALux members inside DIALux evo. Sold separately; also included in DIALux Pro. (Prices depend on region). |
| Pro (DIALux Pro) | €19.99 – €29.99 per month (Region-dependent); €219.99 – €329.99 per year (Region-dependent) | Full Pro features including IFC import/export, export to PPT/DOCX/XLSX/XML/CSV, customizable documentation layout, Open BIM support. Volume discounts available for multiple licenses (tiered per-license monthly and annual pricing). |
Notes:
- Region definitions and pricing bands are published on the official pricing page: Region 1 = Europe, North America, Middle East, Oceania, South Korea, Japan, Singapore; Region 2 = Asia (excluding SK/Japan/Singapore), South America (incl. Latin America), Africa. (See official pricing page.)
- DIALux Pro offers a 30-day free trial (officially stated). (See DIALux Pro product page and subscription page.)
- Volume discounts for DIALux Pro (example tiers shown on official site):
- Region 1 monthly (per-license): 1–4: €29.99; 5–10: €24.99; 11+: €19.99. Annual equivalents also published. (Official pricing page.)
Seller details
DIAL GmbH
Lüdenscheid, Germany
Private
https://www.dial.de/
https://x.com/dialgmbh
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dial-gmbh/
