Get a project file into 3D through IFC

What you'll do

Turn a project file into an IFC file you can orbit, inspect and edit in BimCraft. The export happens in the program that made the file; BimCraft opens the result.

Steps

1. Open the project in the program that made it. In Revit, that is the release shown on BimCraft's card ("saved in Revit …").
2. Open a 3D view that shows what you want to export. Many exporters export only what that view shows when asked to.
3. Choose File > Export > IFC.
4. Pick the IFC version. IFC2X3 Coordination View 2.0 and IFC4 Reference View both open in BimCraft.
5. Choose a folder and file name, and export.
6. In BimCraft, click Choose a file and choose the new .ifc file.

What you should see

The model in 3D, with storeys taken from the project's levels and the project information in the File panel. Exported from names the exporter.

What the export keeps, and what it does not

• Kept: geometry, storeys, element kinds, names, types, most parameters (as IFC property sets), quantities if you ask the exporter for them, and rooms as spaces.
• Not kept: views, sheets, annotation, families as editable families, worksets and design options. An IFC file is a snapshot of the model's elements, not the project.

Common mistakes

• Parameters missing in BimCraft. The exporter decides which parameters go into IFC. Look for options such as "Export Revit property sets", "Export IFC common property sets" and "Export base quantities", and export again.
• Rooms missing. Turn on the exporter's option to export rooms or spaces, then click Spaces in BimCraft to see them.
• Saving as .ifczip. BimCraft opens plain .ifc only. Choose plain IFC, or unzip the .ifczip.
• Model far from the origin. BimCraft centers the model when it opens, so a model placed far away still appears in the middle of the screen.
• Expecting edits to flow back. Edits you save in BimCraft go into a new IFC file, not into the project file.