Lumion Render Farm Guide 2026: Cloud Desktops, Licensing and Costs
Lumion 2026.1 • Cloud desktops • Licensing
A Lumion render farm in the usual sense does not exist, because Lumion states that conventional render node functionality is not available. What works in the cloud is a rented Windows desktop with a strong GPU, where you install Lumion with your own license and render as you would on a local PC. Lumion Pro 2026.1, released on July 14, 2026, lists a GPU scoring a G3DMark of 14,000 or higher, an RTX 3060 class card, as its Recommended tier. Lumion also uses a single GPU, so a multi-GPU rental adds cost without a documented speed gain for one Lumion session.
- Farm or desktop: upload-based farms need a render node. Lumion has none, so you rent a full desktop and run Lumion yourself.
- Hardware tiers: Lumion lists G3DMark 8,000, 14,000 and 22,000 for Minimum, Recommended and High-end, with 6, 10 and 16 GB of VRAM.
- One GPU: Lumion’s knowledge base states that multiple graphics cards do not boost performance or render speed.
- License: your own Lumion plan applies. Named-user plans allow one active session per user, and floating seats share access across a team.
- Region: Lumion warns that a server far from you causes delay. For iRender, its article suggests building the scene locally and rendering remotely if you are in Europe or North America.
Last updated: November 6, 2026. This Lumion render farm guide uses Lumion and provider details read from official pages on that date. RadarRender did not benchmark Lumion on any service named here.
1. Does a Lumion render farm exist?
Lumion’s knowledge base states that conventional render node functionality is not available in Lumion or Lumion Pro. Upload-based render farms send a scene file to many machines and run a command-line renderer on each, and Lumion has no such mode. Lumion’s cloud article also states that Lumion Cloud, its collaboration platform, is not a cloud service for hosting Lumion.
The option that works is a rented Windows computer you control over a remote connection. Lumion says versions 9.0 and newer work on some virtual PC and remote desktop platforms, with a warning. Many virtual desktops do not meet its hardware requirements or are set up in a way that stops Lumion from running. Lumion needs direct and exclusive access to a graphics card and specific open ports, so a service sold as a virtual machine deserves a check before you pay.
1.1. Splitting a long movie across machines
Lumion describes a manual method for movies. With a license key that has several seats, you open the same project on each PC, set a different frame range in the Image Sequence tab of Movie Mode, render, then assemble the stills in a video editor. Lumion wrote the method for PCs you own. Applying it to rented desktops is RadarRender’s reading, and the number of seats in your plan sets how many machines you can run at once.
2. What does Lumion Pro 2026 need on a cloud machine?
Lumion scores graphics cards with PassMark G3DMark and CPUs with single-thread CPUMark instead of naming chips. The tiers below come from the Lumion Pro section of Lumion’s system requirements page.
Lumion Pro 2026.1 hardware tiers as listed by Lumion
Official figures from lumion.com. Example cards are Lumion’s own examples.
| Tier | GPU score (G3DMark) | Example cards | VRAM | CPU (single thread) | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimumsimple projects | 8,000 or higher | GTX 1060, RX 580 | 6 GB or more | 2,200 or higher | 16 GB or more |
| Recommendedcomplex projects | 14,000 or higher | RTX 3060, Quadro RTX 2000 ADA, RX 6700 XT | 10 GB or more | 2,600 or higher | 32 GB or more |
| High-endvery large scenes | 22,000 or higher | RTX 3090, RTX A6000, RX 6800 XT | 16 GB or more | 3,000 or higher | 64 GB or more |
Lumion 2026 requires Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or newer, or Windows 11 version 24H2 (build 26100) or newer. Lumion notes that Windows 10 has reached end of life and recommends Windows 11. Data saved in Lumion 2026 is not backward compatible with Lumion 2025 or earlier, so the rented machine must run the same major version as your local copy. Ray tracing is optional: Lumion’s knowledge base for Lumion 2023 states that a card without hardware ray tracing can still render with the rasterization pipeline.
3. Which cloud desktops does Lumion name?
If you are searching for a Lumion render farm, Lumion’s article on remote desktops and cloud services is the place to start. It lists four paid services and states that Lumion does not sponsor or collaborate with any of them. The same article says Lumion has not tested Splashtop, VMware Fusion, VMware VDI, XenApp, NVIDIA GRID, RTX Server, XenServer, XenDesktop, HP zCentral Remote Boost and others, and that support requests about them show they do not fully meet its requirements. The table is alphabetical and is not a ranking.
Cloud desktops named in Lumion’s own article
What Lumion wrote, plus each provider’s published price or billing where a page showed one.
| Provider | What Lumion’s article says | Published price or billing | Location notes | RadarRender test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designairdesktop-as-a-service for CAD and BIM | NVIDIA GPU virtual workstations on Amazon DCV streaming, ISO 27001 certified, usage-based billing, free trial noted at the time of testing | Provider site: two weeks free, then pay for what you use. States an average of 200 euros per CAD workstation per month. GPU tiers are not listed on the home page | 25 locations according to Lumion | Not tested |
| iRenderremote GPU PC rental | Paid service based in Vietnam, with CPUs and GPUs that meet the High-End requirements. Setup takes a few steps | 1x RTX 4090 $8.20 per hour, 2x $15, 4x $30, 8x $52. 1x RTX 5090 $10.80, 2x $20, 4x $38, 8x $62. 10% off when you pay for 3 hours or more up front | Lumion states that connections from Europe or North America will have a delay and that Asia should be smooth | Not tested |
| Shadowstreamed Windows PC | Low-latency streaming and a good Lumion experience | Not verified for this guide. Check Shadow’s pricing page | Servers in the US and Europe | Not tested |
| Vagoncloud computers | Works in a browser, desktop app recommended. Lists configurations that meet the Recommended tier. Allocate at least 200 GB of drive space | Billed by the minute. A10G 24 GB GPU: $1.67 to $3.57 per hour. T4 16 GB GPU: $0.99 to $2.99 per hour. Storage from $7.99 per month. Outbound transfer above 10 GB a month costs $1.5 per 10 GB | Prices vary by region | Not tested |
iRender prices come from its price page, Vagon prices from its pricing page, and Designair figures from its home page, all read on November 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm them on the provider’s page before you book.
4. Do you need your own Lumion license on a rented machine?
Yes. Renting a computer does not include a Lumion license. Lumion’s plans page describes two types for Lumion Pro. A named-user license is assigned to one person, who logs in with their Lumion account on any computer, with one active session at a time. A floating seat shares access across a team as long as a seat is free. Lumion’s knowledge base adds that all Lumion license keys are floating network licenses managed by a cloud license server, which is why the machine needs an internet connection.
A rented Windows environment starts fresh. You install Lumion yourself, and Lumion states that the install time counts toward your rental cost. Lumion also advises starting Lumion through the remote desktop connection, because the mouse can be oversensitive if Lumion is already running when the connection starts.
Lumion states that its support team cannot help with problems on remote systems it does not own or access. This section summarizes Lumion’s published pages and is not legal advice. For more detail, read our guide on Lumion on a cloud server and licensing.
5. How much does a Lumion render farm style rental cost?
Two separate bills apply: your Lumion plan and the hourly rental. The figures below are in US dollars and come from each provider’s page on November 6, 2026.
Lumion plan and cloud rental prices as published
List prices only. Taxes, bonuses and regional pricing are not included.
| Item | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lumion Pro, named userone-year plan | $96 per month, billed $1,149 up front | Lumion plans page |
| Lumion Pro Floatingone-year plan | $125 per month, billed $1,499 up front | Lumion plans page |
| Lumion Pro trialfree | 14 days, no payment details required | Lumion 2026.1 announcement |
| iRender rental1x RTX 4090 or 1x RTX 5090 | $8.20 or $10.80 per hour | iRender price page |
| Vagon rentalA10G 24 GB GPU | $1.67 to $3.57 per hour, plus storage from $7.99 per month | Vagon pricing page |
| Designair and Shadowrental | Not published on the pages read | Provider pages |
To estimate a session, add install time, scene setup, test renders and the final render, then multiply by the hourly rate. At the published $8.20 per hour for one RTX 4090 on iRender, 10 hours cost $82 before taxes, discounts or bonuses. The same 10 hours on a Vagon desktop at $3.57 per hour cost $35.70, plus the monthly storage fee. These are arithmetic examples from list prices. They do not say which machine finishes first, because RadarRender has not run matched Lumion tests on them.
5.1. Why a multi-GPU rental rarely helps Lumion
Lumion’s knowledge base states that multiple graphics cards in SLI, NVLink or Crossfire will not boost performance or render speed, and that Lumion uses the card connected to the monitor it starts on. That article was written for Lumion 12, and Lumion’s current requirements page specifies one graphics card per tier. On iRender’s price list, the 2x, 4x and 8x packs therefore add cost without a documented speed gain for one Lumion session. The 24 GB of an RTX 4090 and the 32 GB of an RTX 5090 are per card and are not added together, so VRAM should decide between the single-card options.
6. How do you prepare a Lumion project for a rented desktop?
- Match the version: install the same major Lumion version as your local copy, because Lumion 2026 files do not open in older versions.
- Reserve disk space: the full version needs 105 GB free, and Lumion’s article suggests at least 200 GB when setting up a Vagon machine.
- Check the region: Lumion warns that a distant server delays mouse and keyboard response. Pick the nearest location, or finish the scene locally and use the rental for the final render.
- Use a low-latency client: Lumion rates Parsec as the best option for remote control of a computer you own. It says Windows Remote Desktop may have delay and glitches, and that TeamViewer may start a render but is not suited to building a project.
- Count transfers: Vagon charges for outbound data above 10 GB a month, so check transfer terms before downloading large movie files.
- Stop the machine: desktops billed by the hour or minute keep charging while the session runs, so shut the machine down when the render ends.
Output settings change render time a lot. See our guide to Lumion 4K render settings, and what is the best GPU for Lumion if you also weigh a local upgrade. Lumion receives models from SketchUp, Revit, Archicad and Rhino through LiveSync, and our SketchUp and Rhino guides cover those programs’ own render options.
7. FAQ: Lumion render farm questions
Can I use a normal render farm for Lumion?
Not in the usual upload-and-render way. Lumion states that conventional render node functionality is not available in Lumion or Lumion Pro. Cloud use means renting a Windows desktop with a suitable GPU, installing Lumion and running it yourself.
What GPU do I need for Lumion in the cloud?
Lumion’s Recommended tier lists a G3DMark of 14,000 or higher with 10 GB or more of VRAM, for example an RTX 3060. The High-end tier lists 22,000 or higher with 16 GB or more, for example an RTX 3090. Lumion also states that 4K rasterization and 1080p ray tracing need at least 8 GB.
Does Lumion use more than one GPU?
Lumion’s knowledge base states that multiple graphics cards in SLI, NVLink or Crossfire will not boost performance or render speed in Lumion. The article was written for Lumion 12, so confirm with Lumion support if multi-GPU behavior matters for your purchase.
Can I run Lumion on a Mac through the cloud?
Lumion states that using Lumion Pro on a Mac is not officially supported. A rented Windows desktop streamed to your Mac is one way around that. Test latency on a trial before you rely on it for building scenes.
Will Lumion support help if Lumion fails on a cloud desktop?
Lumion states that its technical support team cannot help with issues on remote systems or cloud environments it does not own or access. Contact the cloud provider first and keep your Lumion account details ready.
Related guides
- Lumion on a cloud server: is it allowed and how does licensing work
- Can you run Lumion on a Mac
- Enscape vs Lumion for slow PCs
- Lumion vs D5 Render in 2026
Sources
- Lumion, system requirements, read Nov 6, 2026
- Lumion Knowledge Base, remote desktop and cloud services, read Nov 6, 2026
- Lumion Knowledge Base, render farm and render node functionality, read Nov 6, 2026
- Lumion Knowledge Base, graphics cards and multiple GPUs, article for Lumion 12
- Lumion Knowledge Base, floating license keys
- Lumion, plans and pricing, read Nov 6, 2026
- Lumion, Lumion Pro 2026.1 announcement
- iRender, price page, read Nov 6, 2026
- Vagon, cloud computer pricing, read Nov 6, 2026
- Designair, home page, read Nov 6, 2026
Shadow pricing was not shown on the pages read, and Designair does not list GPU tiers on its home page. RadarRender did not benchmark Lumion on any service named in this guide.
