BIM and IFC – What are IFC models, and how do BIM and IFC relate?

BIM and IFC – What are IFC models, and how do BIM and IFC relate?

1) What is IFC?

An IFC file is a model file created in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) formats, an open file format used by Building Information Modeling (BIM) programs. It contains a building or facility model, including spatial elements, materials, and shapes.

buildingSMART’s technical core is based around Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), which was ISO certified in 2013. It is an open, international standard (ISO 16739-1:2018) and promotes vendor-neutral, or agnostic, and usable capabilities across a wide range of hardware devices, software platforms, and IFC-based applications. IFC is a platform-independent, open data model that enables the exchange of BIM content between different software programs, allowing users to share IFC-based IFC models between applications.

2) What are IFC models?

IFC model files can be imported into various software programs, such as BIM (Building Information Modeling) software. This allows for better collaboration between different teams working on a project, as everyone has access to the same information.

3) What is the IFC data format/IFC schema?

The IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) data format is a standard used in the construction and building industry to store and exchange information about a construction project. The IFC format includes information about the geometry, materials, schedules, and quantities of building elements, as well as the spatial relationships between them.

The IFC schema is a set of rules that defines what can be included in an IFC file and how the data elements are related to each other. The schema is written in XML and is used to ensure that IFC files are organized consistently and can be read by software applications that support the IFC standard. The latest version of the IFC schema is IFC4, which was released in 2018. The IFC schema facilitates interoperability and collaboration among different stakeholders in a construction project.

4) BIM and IFC for Interoperability

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building or infrastructure project. BIM is used to facilitate the coordination, planning, design, construction, and management of projects. IFC files are an essential part of BIM as they enable interoperability between different software applications and allow for better collaboration between different teams. IFC files can be used to transfer data between BIM software, such as Autodesk Revit and Bentley MicroStation, or other project management software applications. This ensures that all stakeholders involved in a project have access to the same information.

5) How does IFC work?

The IFC protocol empowers users to translate and incorporate the IFC data into different software programs. It is an open, platform-independent system that has been arranged in a way that enables stakeholders of a project to access and share their work on one consistent model. Consequently, with this structure of information exchange between different software applications, tasks can be completed more quickly and efficiently than ever before.

6) What does an IFC BIM file contain?

It contains building geometry and building data. These include all the information contained inside the BIM file and some subsets of that information. Transformation of native data in an IFC file is a way to exchange data between applications.

7) BIM data exchange formats

Exchange formats for BIM data, such as IFC, are used to facilitate collaboration between different stakeholders in a project. IFC is an open international standard that is ISO certified and allows IFC-based capabilities to be shared across a wide range of hardware devices and software platforms. IFC files are essential for BIM data exchange, and IFC models are shared between software applications for better collaboration.