Tutorials MarkupCraft help Reference
BCF basics
What a BCF export from MarkupCraft contains, how to use it with BIM coordination tools, and its limits.
Written for MarkupCraft 0.3. The same help is inside the app: press F1.
BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) is an open file format for passing issues between BIM tools. Many model coordination and authoring programs can import a .bcfzip file as a list of issues. MarkupCraft writes BCF 2.1.
Make one
- Open the Markups tab.
- Filter the list to what you want to send, for example Status "Open". Only the listed markups are exported.
- Choose BCF.
- Wait while it makes a snapshot of each markup ("Making snapshots for BCF (5 of 20)…").
Result: "<name> markups.bcfzip" downloads, and the status bar says how many topics it holds and the file size.
What is in it
Each markup becomes one topic:
| Topic field | Filled with |
|---|---|
| Title | Punch number, subject and sheet, for example "#4 Cloud on A-101 — Floor plan" |
| Type | The markup kind (Cloud, Callout, Length…) |
| Status | Open, Accepted, Rejected or Completed |
| Labels | The markup kind and the sheet |
| Author and dates | The markup's author, created and modified dates |
| Assigned to, due date | From its punch item, when it has one |
| Description | Its text or stamp wording, measured value, comment, and the sheet and file |
| Comments | One per reply, with author and date |
| Snapshot | A picture of the markup on its part of the sheet |
| Viewpoint | A top-down view of the markup's place on the sheet |
Exporting the same markup again gives the same topic ID, so a tool that imports BCF can recognize it as the same issue.
Limits to know
- A sheet is not a model. The viewpoint points at the markup's position on the paper, measured in meters of paper. It does not take a BIM tool to a place in the model. Use the snapshot and the sheet name to find the spot.
- Statuses and types are MarkupCraft's own (Open, Accepted, Rejected, Completed; Cloud, Callout…). The file declares them, as BCF allows, but a tool with fixed lists of its own may map or ignore them.
- Export only. MarkupCraft cannot import BCF yet.
- Sending markups back as a PDF is often simpler for drawing reviews. BCF is for getting drawing comments into a model coordination workflow.