Act-3D

Processor

As does not use the CPU for rendering, a CPU with a high core count is not required. However, a fast multi-core CPU will significantly improve the scene loading speed. Therefore we recommend a processor with 4 to 6 cores.

Graphics

Lumion Act-3D is a GPU-centric rendering application and benefits from having a powerful graphics card.

Premiere Pro and After Effects take advantage of the GPU. We recommend a GPU with at least 8GB of memory. Multiple GPUs will speed up export and rendering.

6K/8K production recommendations

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super
NVIDIA Quadro RTX A6000 / A5500 / A5000
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 Ada / 5000 Ada

4K production recommendations

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super / 4070 Super
NVIDIA Quadro RTX A5000 / A4500
NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4500 Ada / 4000 Ada

A common question we get is whether to go with a GeForce or Quadro graphics card and what the main differences are. In short, the actual graphics processor powering both series of cards is exactly the same. In fact, the processors come off of the same assembly line.

So why does the Quadro cost multiples more than the GeForce? The main reason is because the target customers for Quadro cards, namely large content production studios and engineering firms can afford these cards which allows NVIDIA to charge a premium for the couple extra features they enable.

However the GeForce and Quadro cards are not quite the same. For example, NVIDIA controls the specifications and quality assurance on all Quadro cards, while with GeForce cards the specifications and quality assurance are managed by the third party board partners. Furthermore, Quadro cards are a little more reliable because NVIDIA chooses the higher quality graphics chips for them. This results in better reliability, lower power consumption and lower heat output. In addition, Quadro cards have a larger video memory frame buffer that features error correction technology.

In terms of drivers, Quadro cards also get special drivers that are validated for professional grade applications such as for 3D modeling, animation, etc.

Storage

We recommend a solid-state drive (SSD) for the operating system and software.

In addition, we recommend a 4TB or larger hard drive for storage of the pre-rendered assets or the rendered export files if storing these files locally. Hard drives work well for rendering since it is generally not read or write intensive.

Memory

In general, 4GB of RAM per CPU core is recommended. For example, if you select a single 12-core processor, 32GB will suffice for basic tasks or 64GB for more demanding workloads.