Pro vs. Free
Overview
GeoBridge comes in two editions: Free and Pro. Both are fully functional — Free is not a demo, but a feature-limited but complete variant. Pro adds advanced functions for professional workflows with larger data volumes, multilingual data sources, and multi-file imports.
The current edition (Free or Pro) is shown in the ribbon button About GeoBridge.
Feature matrix
| Function | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| DOP — orthophoto import | ✓ | ✓ |
| DGM — terrain model import (GeoTIFF) | ✓ | ✓ |
| DGM — XYZ point list | — | ✓ |
| CityGML — city model import (LoD1, LoD2) | ✓ | ✓ |
| GeoShape — vector import (GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML/KMZ, CSV) | ✓ | ✓ |
| GeoShape — GeoPackage import (.gpkg) | — | ✓ |
| Set / adopt Survey Point | ✓ | ✓ |
| Anchor variants (Standard, Reference Point, automatic Reuse) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Choose UTM convention | — | ✓ (Free fixed to "without prefix") |
| Polygon filter — multi-pick up to 4 lines | ✓ | ✓ |
| Polygon filter — complex (>4 lines), GeoJSON, line style | — | ✓ |
| Choose DGM preparation (Smoothing + Resolution) | — | ✓ (Free fixed to "Light + Standard") |
| Material mapping per class (CityGML) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Material mapping per function / per storey (CityGML) | — | ✓ |
| Change materials later (CityGML) | — | ✓ |
| Material on individual surfaces / override (CityGML) | — | ✓ |
| AdV metadata as shared parameters | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multilingual UI (9 languages) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Re-import detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-tile import (multi-select in file dialog) | — | ✓ |
| DGM edge-merge along tile boundaries | — | ✓ |
| DGM — DOP as material on Toposolid (incl. texture resolution) | — | ✓ |
| DGM — remove / repair DOP texture | — | ✓ |
| GeoShape — GeoPackage multi-layer picker | — | ✓ |
| CRS reprojection for mismatching source CRS | — | ✓ |
| Drift detection (Survey Point + angle) | — | ✓ |
| HK Addresses as family instances (GeoShape) | — | ✓ |
| GeoShape export (GeoJSON/KML/Shapefile/GeoPackage) | — | ✓ |
When is Free enough?
- A single terrain tile + a city model tile + an orthophoto in a German project with ETRS89/UTM coordinates.
- Concept or study phase where only an overview model of the surroundings is needed.
- First tests to evaluate whether GeoBridge fits the workflow.
When is Pro worth it?
- Larger projects with multiple terrain tiles whose seam must not be visible.
- Repeated imports of the same data into ongoing projects (drift detection prevents accidental SP shifts).
- International projects or vector geodata in WGS84/lat-lon (CRS reprojection).
- ALKIS house numbers as placed family elements, ALKIS cadastral parcels with automatic labelling.
- Differentiated material assignment by storey count, building function, roof shape.
- Survey Point management via the Event Manager (declare the UTM convention after the fact or toggle between with-/without-prefix without losing geometry).
- Manually setting the Survey Point at a preferred anchor before the first import (DOP ribbon "Set SP").
- Combining multiple orthophotos as a single material on a Toposolid (DOP composite).
Switch editions
An existing Free installation can be upgraded to Pro at any time — the Free plugins remain in parallel as sister plugins. Settings, material mappings, anchor definitions, and drift snapshots in existing Revit projects are read and written identically by both editions.
License and subscription
Free is ready to use immediately without activation. Pro is an annual subscription taken out and managed through the Autodesk App Store. There is no license key to enter — the subscription is tied to the Autodesk account that purchased it. When you are signed into Revit with that account, Pro unlocks automatically at startup. The subscription is per user — it follows the Autodesk account, not the workstation, and can be used on a different machine with the same account.
Pricing, volume discounts for offices, renewal, and license management: lichtbus.de/geobridge.
Subscription check, offline use, and expiry
Pro is a subscription. On startup the Pro edition checks once against the Autodesk App Store whether the subscription is active — this is the only connection GeoBridge makes to the outside, and it happens only in the Pro edition. Only the Autodesk user id and the app id are sent; no project or geodata leaves the machine.
- Offline use — as long as the last successful check is at most 14 days old, Pro keeps working normally without an internet connection. Only after more than 14 days with no reachable server do the Pro functions lock. A briefly blocked connection (firewall, proxy, no network) therefore does not lock Pro.
- Subscription expired or cancelled — if the App Store reports the subscription as not active, the notice "GeoBridge Pro — subscription expired" appears. Pro functions are locked until the subscription is renewed. The dialog offers two routes: Renew Pro (opens the Autodesk App Store) or Free edition & info (lichtbus.de/geobridge).
- Free is unaffected — the Free edition checks nothing, makes no connection, and runs independently of the Pro subscription. If you don't want to renew an expired Pro, you can uninstall the Pro version and continue with Free; existing imports, anchors, and material mappings in the project are retained.