IFC Tip Series: Part 2

Welcome to the second installment of our IFC Tip Series where we will try to help guide you through the sometimes daunting world of IFC. In this particular tip we show you how to open an IFC file in two major BIM programs – ArchiCAD and Revit.

Opening an IFC file in ArchiCAD

When you receive an IFC file:

• Open it – this will open a fresh ArchiCAD session
• On Import you can save the IFC library parts as an external library
• Clean up the file (if necessary)
• Link this new ArchiCAD file (original IFC) into your Working Model using the Hotlink command
• Now Add the IFC library separately
• When an updated model is provided, use the Detect IFC Model Changes command (generally this is done in a separate ArchiCAD session), when you are happy with the new model changes, use the Update with IFC Model command (within the original IFC file) and update the Hotlink in the Working model.

Opening an IFC file in Revit

When you receive an IFC file, you can link the file directly into Revit using the ‘Insert > Link IFC’ command. While this method is nice and quick, there’s another method which allows you to control some settings during the  import process:

• Open your IFC file in a new session of Revit (using Open > IFC)
• Link this .rvt file (original IFC) into your working model (using Insert > Link Revit). This method allows you to ‘clean-up’ the IFC prior to linking into your live model.

• When a new model is provided, in your original IFC file, use ‘Manage Links > Reload From…’ to update to the new file.
• Then within your Working file, use the ‘Manage Links > Reload’ to overwrite the link.
  TIP:  If you do not want elements to join automatically, clear Auto-Join Elements. When this option is selected (the default), walls automatically join to other walls or to columns. By clearing this option, performance of the import process may improve, and you have more control over the results.

Found this article interesting? You may also like to see Part 1 of this series.