IFC (BIM) export

IFC is the open format BIM tools exchange. The export is generated from your design model, so every size matches the plan exactly.

Before you start

• A design with walls. Rooms, doors, windows and furniture are included when present.

Steps

1. Choose Export → BIM model (IFC4) in the editor, or Download .ifc on the project's Export page.
2. Open the .ifc file in your BIM or CAD tool (for example Revit, Archicad, Vectorworks, Bonsai/BlenderBIM or an online IFC viewer).

What's included (the supported subset)

• Project, site, building and storeys: one storey per floor at its elevation, linked as a spatial tree. The site carries latitude and longitude if you've set a location.
• Walls (IfcWall): the exact wall outline including mitred corners, extruded to the wall height. Curved walls are short straight pieces within 1 mm.
• Openings (IfcOpeningElement): one per door, window and opening, cut from its wall. Niches are exported as recesses.
• Doors and windows (IfcDoor, IfcWindow): width, height, operation or panel type, and the schedule mark (D01, W01…) as the tag, each filling its opening.
• Floor slabs (IfcSlab): one per room with a floor, at the nominal thickness used in sections. Rooms open to below have none.
• Rooms (IfcSpace): name, clear interior outline and ceiling height, with net and gross floor area, height and perimeter quantities.
• Furniture (IfcFurnishingElement): each item as its bounding box.
• Phase: each wall, door, window and furniture item has a Status of NEW, EXISTING or DEMOLISH.

Not included yet

Stairs, roofs, terrain, materials and colours, dimensions and labels.

Units and placement

Millimetres for lengths, square metres for areas. The model's X and Y match your plan (Y flipped to point up) and Z is height above project zero. Each element keeps the same GlobalId every time you export the same design, so re-imports update instead of duplicating.

How it's checked

Every export in our test suite is read back by an independent IFC reader that checks every reference resolves, every attribute count matches IFC4, GlobalIds are valid and unique, and the required relationships exist: storeys in the building, elements in a storey, each opening in exactly one wall and each door or window in exactly one opening.

Common problems

• The model is tiny or huge. Your tool ignored the file's units. Set its import units to millimetres.
• Stairs or the roof are missing. They're not part of the IFC export yet. Use the GLB 3D model for a visual of the whole design.