Import IFC Data

Task area Import / IFC Interface

You can use this tool to import an IFC model in the formats 4 and 2x3. These formats are defined by buildingSMART.

buildingSMART (founded in 1995 as IAI - International Alliance for Interoperability) is a worldwide consortium. It is committed to driving the development of open internationally-recognized standards, tools and training to support the wider use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) by the Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) and Facilities Management (FM) industries. In supporting BIM, buildingSMART believes significant improvements in cost, value and environmental performance can be achieved through the use of open sharable asset information in the creation and operation of civil infrastructure and buildings worldwide. BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. A building information model is a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life-cycle; defined as existing from earliest conception to demolition. Open BIM is a universal approach to the collaborative design, realization and operation of buildings based on open standards, in particular the IFC format registered by ISO as ISO 16739.

You can find further information on buildingSMART on the Internet.

IFC stands for Industry Foundation Classes. IFC define an object-oriented data model for all those involved in the building process. It can be used by all applications that support IFC. It facilitates the accurate exchange of data between these applications. IFC are defined and developed by the IAI.

IFC supports the Allplan approach by providing intelligent descriptions of building elements. In addition to the building topology being transferred to the building structure, the IFC interface imports the associated components with all associated data and information (type, geometry, material properties, layout properties and element attributes).

Tip: If your work requires only the geometries of the components without any attributes, you can select the Import all components as user-defined archit. elements option for import in the IFC Import Settings (advanced) dialog box.

To import an IFC file

1. Click Import IFC Data (How).
   

   Activate Import IFC Data in one of the following ways

   • Actionbar:Role Draft Task Teamwork Task area Import

   • Menu bar: Create Interfaces

   • Palette: Tools Create area in the following modules:

   Interfaces

   • Title bar: Allplan icon Import

   The IFC Import Settings (default) dialog box pops up; the last settings made are preset.

2. If the settings are okay, you can export the IFC data quickly and easily. Do the following:
   • Enter the path and file name in the box or click Browse ... to select the path, file name and file format in the dialog box.
     You can choose between file formats IFC, IFC XML, IFC ZIP and All files. The selection is filtered accordingly.
   • Please check if the desired exchange profile is selected or select another one if necessary.
   • Click OK.

     Note: You can specify the default setting for the path in the Options - Work environment page - Folders for saving.

3. To adjust the import settings, click Settings.

   The IFC Import Settings dialog box is extended.

4. Specify the settings for the IFC import.
5. Select an exchange profile if required.
6. Specify the first drawing file in the Select drawing file dialog box.

   The program imports the data to consecutive drawing files.

   The program assigns the data to the drawing files in accordance with the structural levels in the IFC model (story, building, site). If the unique IDs identify the IFC structural levels imported as the current building structure of the Allplan project, the drawing files will be integrated in the building structure (during reimport of when you import an IFC file a second time).

   Note: If the current project does not have a building structure, an IFC-compliant building structure will be created, and the drawing files will be assigned automatically when you import the IFC model. You can also import the data into an existing building structure.

7. Check the log file and click OK.

   Ignored elements (e.g. without geometry) are sorted in the log by IFC object type and listed with internal ID.

Tip: You can also import IFC files by dragging them from File Explorer into the workspace or by double-clicking an IFC file.

Notes on IFC import of certain objects