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We, at spacedesigner3d.com, would like to allow our users to export to industry foundation classes (IFC) format. That can enable architects and builders import projects drawn in our web-based application into environments like Revit or Archicad.

Space Designer projects are composed of generic architectural entities: walls, openings, stairs, floors, ceilings (even false ceilings), furniture, etc. organized in levels. From that perspective, it seems to be similar to IFC's nature.

Until now I could find some middleware solutions in C++, Java or Python.

  • IfcOpenShell (opensource): parser and code generator for the various IFC schemas. They have some tutorials too.

  • xBim (opensource): .NET open-source software development BIM toolkit

  • BimServer (opensource): A Server approach to sore and manipulate the IFC data.

  • GeometryGymIFC (opensource): Another C# library to generate and parse OpenBIM IFC.

  • ST-Developer v10 (commercial): libraries for manipulating IFC files in C, C++.

To use them, we have two options:

  • Send the project data to a server running these libraries, and export the IFC result from it.
  • Embed our application and the IFC library in a desktop application (we have already one using electron) to run these libraries locally.

Perhaps the web-browser is considered off-topic for this task, but I would still like to know if I missed any Javascript equivalent of these libraries? We had this "alone in the void" feeling for fbx format too, and we have developed our fbx generator in Javascript, which works today quite well. In your opinion is it feasible for IFC too?

Despite our extensive knowledge of 3D data structures and formats, making a start in IFC file does not seem to be an easy task, and we do not want to rediscover the wheel. So from where we should start?

user2067592
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1 Answers1

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XBIM is working very well. It's able to process large models, both IFC2x3 and IFC4, more than 70MB, in few seconds, parsing the whole structure and building the hierarchical schema of the elements.

There's also a IFC -> wexbim converter to get a model that can be displayed and browsable in 3D directly in the browser using OpenGL. The javascript to initialize the building viewer can be found in the xBim packages.

They have also windows controls, so you can build desktop applications re-using the code of the web interface and vice-versa...

I'm implementing it on an existing platform for facility management. BTW I'll take a look also at BimServer as it seems it has really good APIs

Giox
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