The Perfect Lift: Inside Liebherr’s Crane Planner 2.0
- Meagan Wood
- Feb 26, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 1
30-Second Takeaway
Liebherr’s Crane Planner 2.0 is transforming lift planning by combining real crane load data with immersive 3D visualization. Developed in collaboration with software specialists at weltenbauer, the platform offers over 1.6 million crane configurations, enabling contractors and rental companies to safely plan complex lifts, calculate ground pressures, and optimize crane selection without expensive CAD software or hardware.
Solving the Complexity of Crane Selection
Selecting the right crane for a specific jobsite has always been a high-stakes decision. Load capacity, reach, ground pressure, site constraints, and safety margins must all align often under tight project timelines.
Liebherr’s Crane Planner 2.0 addresses this challenge by providing a digital planning environment that allows users to configure cranes and simulate lifts in realistic 3D jobsite conditions. With more than 1.6 million individual configurations, the software supports informed decision-making long before a crane ever arrives on site.
From Gaming Technology to Heavy Lifting
Behind Crane Planner 2.0 is an unexpected influence: video game development.
Sebastian Knapp, a software developer at weltenbauer. Software Entwicklung GmbH in Wiesbaden, has worked on Crane Planner since 2015. While he has never operated a crane himself, Knapp has digitally maneuvered countless Liebherr cranes across virtual construction sites many of them record-setting lifts.
Using real-time 3D graphics, Crane Planner allows users to position cranes, adjust configurations, and visualize operations with precision. Once a lift is planned, the software automatically generates reports containing:
Crane configuration details
Technical drawings
Machine data
Setup notes and calculations
Engineering Accuracy Meets Digital Planning
At Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH in Austria, Christoph Mai, Product Manager for Crane Planner, oversees the integration of engineering accuracy into the software.
Crane Planner 2.0 currently includes over 30 Liebherr mobile, crawler, and duty cycle crawler cranes, with calculations based directly on LICCON load moment limiter logic the same system used in live crane operations.
Every configuration change triggers new calculations for:
Ground pressure
Reaction forces
Load distribution
Centers of gravity
“This ensures that what users see in Crane Planner reflects what happens on the real machine,” Mai explains.
Built for BIM and Modern Jobsite Planning
Crane Planner 2.0 aligns with Building Information Modeling (BIM) principles, allowing structured data to support a project throughout its lifecycle from planning and design to execution and operation.
This makes the platform particularly valuable for:
Urban construction projects
Infrastructure work
Confined job sites
Tandem and high-risk lifts
In dense environments such as Hamburg’s Speicherstadt, where cranes must operate within historic layouts never designed for modern equipment, Crane Planner can identify collision risks and display visual warnings before a crane is mobilized.
Simplifying Advanced Technology
Despite the complexity behind the calculations, the user interface remains intentionally intuitive.
Drawing from experience in gaming, mixed reality, and simulation platforms, weltenbauer designed Crane Planner to run across:
Desktop systems
Mobile devices
Modern consoles
Mixed reality environments
Christian Rathemacher, a member of weltenbauer’s management board, describes the philosophy simply:
“We explore the limits of machines digitally while ensuring safety at all times.”
Balancing Clarity and Safety
One of the biggest development challenges was ensuring critical safety data was never lost in visual simplicity.
Each update follows a dual-control principle, with weltenbauer developers and Liebherr engineers jointly reviewing data accuracy and safety logic. This iterative process allows
Crane Planner to evolve rapidly while maintaining engineering integrity.
Crane Planner currently receives two major updates per year, with additional refinements driven by customer feedback.
Accessible Lift Planning Without CAD Barriers
Unlike traditional CAD-based planning tools, Crane Planner 2.0 does not require:
Expensive licenses
Specialized hardware
Extensive CAD training
Updates are delivered regularly as part of the selected license, and Liebherr continues expanding the crane library and feature set.
About Liebherr
The Liebherr Group is a family-owned global technology company with a diversified portfolio spanning 13 product segments, including mobile cranes, crawler cranes, tower cranes, and digital construction solutions.
Headquartered in Switzerland with major crane operations in Germany and Austria, Liebherr is recognized for combining engineering precision with forward-thinking digital tools.
Through solutions like Crane Planner 2.0, Liebherr continues to redefine how lifting operations are planned, executed, and optimized worldwide.
Learn More 🔗 https://www.liebherr.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Liebherr Crane Planner 2.0?
Crane Planner 2.0 is a 3D lift planning software that helps users select, configure, and simulate Liebherr cranes for specific jobsite conditions.
How many crane configurations are available?
The software supports up to 1.6 million individual configurations across more than 30 crane models.
Is the data accurate to real crane performance?
Yes. Calculations are based on the same LICCON logic used in live Liebherr cranes.
Who uses Crane Planner?
Crane rental companies, contractors, engineers, planners, students, and project managers use it for lift planning and feasibility studies.
Does it support BIM workflows?
Yes. Crane Planner aligns with BIM principles and supports structured project data throughout the construction lifecycle.
Is special hardware required?
No. The software is designed to run on standard devices without expensive CAD systems.
