Preview Image of Building Model

You can create a preview image of the building model (MODEL.vxm) in the local archive to the building folder. The image is a jpg file. The preview image is displayed in the building browser in front of the building id.

You can create the preview image when closing or saving the building.
  • Create a preview image when closing the building. When you close the building, select Update Preview. The check box is selected by default when the building has changed after it was last saved. The preview image is not updated when you save the building. This speeds up saving the building, especially in network server installations. The functionality is enabled as a default.
  • Create a preview image when saving the building. You can enable the preview image creation also when saving the building by editing the value of the keyword save_preview_bmp in the system settings. By default, save_preview_bmp = 1. In this case, the preview image is created only when closing the building. Add to the value:
    • +2 - The preview image is created when you save the building by selecting File > Save.
    • +4 - The preview image is created when you save the building by pressing Ctrl+S.

The preview image is generated from the view in the model window at the time of closing or saving.

By default, the preview image is not perspective. If you want a perspective preview image, change the keyword thumbnail_perspective to 1 in the system settings (default is 0):

thumbnail_perspective= 1

Note: The keyword affects all preview images that are generated, including thumbnails of components in the component library.

You can view the preview images in Windows Explorer as follows:

  1. Select either the shared/projects folder or an individual building folder under it in Windows Explorer.
  2. Select the option to display the thumbnails of the files for viewing in Windows Explorer.
Note: A preview image of a building in Vertex Sync is generated each time the building is synchronized. The preview image is generated from the view in the model window at the time of synchronization.