Continue your VitruV specification, online.
VitruV is the free desktop application of the Service public de Wallonie for drafting a special specification from the CCTB. ArchiMind imports its .cdcx export and carries the project into an online workspace, with AI, the bill of quantities and readiness checks before issue.
What VitruV does
VitruV is published by the Service public de Wallonie. The application installs on a workstation and lets you compose a special specification by selecting and adapting articles of the Cahier des charges type – Bâtiment (CCTB), then produce the descriptive document and the bill of quantities as DOCX and XLSX.
The SPW says so in its own documentation: using VitruV is not mandatory. The project author is free to use another drafting application, as long as the text of the CCTB in force is followed.
Many practices therefore hold VitruV projects, exported as .cdcx. Those files are not lost: it is the format ArchiMind imports.
What ArchiMind adds
- The import of your .cdcx export. An existing VitruV project continues in ArchiMind, structure and articles included, without re-entry.
- An online workspace. Nothing to install; every project has owner, editor and viewer roles for your partners.
- AI proposals tied to your own articles. Every proposed clause points at the article of your template it applies to, and generation takes a restore point before it writes.
- The bill of quantities derived from the IFC model. Visible dimension lines, one article number across the clause, the métré and the export.
- The move to the next CCTB edition. The project migrates with a preview; dropped chapters become custom entries and your text is never erased.
- Readiness checks before issue. A brand without “or equivalent”, an open choice, an unverified citation, a reference the edition no longer carries: flagged while fixing is still cheap.
- PDF and XLSX exports. The specification and the bill of quantities, separately or as one package for tendering.
VitruV and ArchiMind, side by side
| Capability | VitruV | ArchiMind |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Service public de Wallonie | Phi Consulting SRL, Charleroi |
| Licence | Free | Monthly subscription, 14-day trial |
| Installation | Desktop application | Browser, nothing to install |
| Standards | CCTB | CCTB, VMSW, QUALIROUTES or your own template |
| Continuing an existing project | Its own projects | .cdcx (VitruV) import and IFC model |
| Drafting | Selecting and adapting CCTB articles | Selecting articles, AI proposals identifying the target article, a restore point before writing |
| Bill of quantities | Estimated, detailed and summary | Derived from the IFC model, visible dimension lines |
| New CCTB edition | New edition in the application | Project migration with a preview, your text kept |
| Checks before issue | Project validation before generation: blocking errors and warnings on quantities, units, lots and project information | Content checks: brands without “or equivalent”, open choices, unverified citations, edition references |
| Working together | Workstation | Owner, editor and viewer roles per project |
| Exports | DOCX and XLSX | PDF and XLSX, or one package |
Questions about VitruV and ArchiMind
Can I import my VitruV project into ArchiMind?
Yes. Export the project from VitruV as .cdcx, then import the file into ArchiMind: the structure, the articles and your adaptations land in a new project. Importing Word or PDF documents is not available yet and is coming soon; the .cdcx file and the IFC model are the two input formats of a project today.
Is VitruV mandatory for a CCTB specification?
No. The Service public de Wallonie states in its documentation that VitruV is not mandatory and that the project author may use another drafting application. What matters for a contract is the text of the CCTB in the edition in force, not the tool that was used to compose it.
Do I have to give up VitruV to use ArchiMind?
No. You can keep opening your older projects in VitruV and import into ArchiMind only the ones you resume or that change edition. The simplest path is to start with a project in progress, compare the export you get with your own practice, then decide project by project.
What happens to my project when a new CCTB edition is published?
ArchiMind previews the migration of the project to the new edition, from one edition to the next: chapters updated automatically, official texts that changed, elements to check. Dropped chapters are kept as custom entries and your own text is never erased; you apply the migration when you are ready.
Does ArchiMind work outside Wallonia?
Yes. The CCTB is the Walloon reference, but ArchiMind also supports the VMSW standard specification for social housing in Flanders, QUALIROUTES for road works, and your own template for private projects anywhere in Belgium. The interface exists in French, Dutch and English.
Pick up a VitruV project this afternoon.
Export it as .cdcx, import it, and see what the bill of quantities and the checks say. 14 days free, no credit card.