»The possible variations are more extensive than in all previous versions.«

We recently launched the latest version of our lighting design software, DIALux evo 9. Besides many useful features, the documentation has changed visually and practically. We asked Dieter Polle, Managing Director at DIAL, what has changed with the new documentation and what is the difference between the freely available new documentation and the paid version.

 

Dieter, why did we change the documentation in DIALux evo?
In recent years, our development was focused primarily on performance. We have a huge fan base worldwide that uses DIALux evo. We have listened and watched our users very closely and found that DIALux could support evo planners much better. One point that came up was the documentation of a project. For many planners, it was simply not representative enough to be used to advertise to a customer or a potential customer. There were also design flaws. For example, some planners needed too many pages to document results in a meaningful way. And there were many pages where sometimes too much space was wasted.

With DIALux evo 9 we have now changed this.

The redesigned documentation completely replaces the old one and offers users much more content in every respect, they are better arranged and have a much more representative layout. They create more clarity and orientation. This is achieved by using orientation plans (e.g. the floor plan). The documentation works along the project structure: First the floor plan, then the rooms and for each room the luminaire positions and the results are displayed.

With DIALux evo 9 every user has the possibility to configure the documentation. This includes switching graphics and display modes on and off, placing their own logo and much more. The possible variations are more extensive than in all previous versions. For the first time DIALux evo 9 offers also layout alternatives for many pages. This allows you to adapt the output very well to the requirements of the respective project. In this respect, the possibilities for all users to influence the layout have increased considerably - and this is freely accessible to everyone and of course free of charge.


But there is also a feature related to the layouts that is now subject to a fee. What is it all about?
Exactly, the Pro Feature "Layout". There are functionalities that are useful for a small circle of planners, but not really necessary to complete lighting design tasks. In the future, we will charge an individual user fee for these types of functions. The planners who would like to have such special functions will then pay for development in this way.

With the development of the new edition, the conceptual change, as a side effect, also created the possibility of making the edition layout designable by the user. Until now, only our developers were able to do this.

Anyone who has acquired this special function can open an editor and adapt layouts as desired. For example: changing the font and font size and the positioning of the content, such as text blocks, graphics and images. Everyone can now reproduce their own corporate design in the editions of DIALux evo.


Dieter, finally an important question: Is DIALux now slowly becoming a paid product?
A very clear no. DIALux is and will remain free. Our users can rely on it. The concept of DIALux is that every planner in the world can use DIALux and will not feel any restrictions in their work. Planners should be able to work with data from all manufacturers and solve any lighting design problem that arises. Free of charge. Our 40-person development team makes DIALux continuously more useful for everyone.

So don't worry, DIALux will not be charged and it will continue to be a fully functional free lighting design software.


You want to know more about the new free documentation? Then check out our latest tutorial on YouTube. There we show you what you can do with the revised documentation.