#21 - Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)

Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is a data model developed by buildingSMART International (bSI) to support the interoperability of building information modelling (BIM) applications. IFC is an open standard, which means that it is freely available for use by anyone.

IFC provides a common language for exchanging information about buildings and infrastructure. This information can be used to create 3D models, generate drawings, and perform analyses. IFC is also used to support collaboration between different stakeholders in the building lifecycle, such as architects, engineers, contractors, and facility managers.

IFC has a number of benefits, including:

• It provides a common language for exchanging information about buildings and infrastructure.

• It can be used to create 3D models, generate drawings, and perform analyses.

• It supports collaboration between different stakeholders in the building lifecycle.

• It is an open standard, which means that it is freely available for use by anyone.

IFC works by defining a set of classes and properties that can be used to describe buildings and infrastructure. These classes and properties are organized into a hierarchy, with more general classes at the top and more specific classes at the bottom.

The process of using IFC begins with creating a model of a building or infrastructure using a BIM application. The model is then exported to IFC format. This can be done manually or automatically. Once the model is in IFC format, it can be imported into other BIM applications or used by other software applications that support IFC.

There are several versions of IFC schemas. The latest version is IFC 4.3. IFC 2x3 is a previous version of IFC that is still widely used.

IFC 2x3 is a complex schema with a large number of classes and properties. The following is an example of an IFC 2x3 class:

class IfcBuildingElement

{

IfcGloballyUniqueId id;

IfcOwnerHistory ownerHistory;

IfcObjectPlacement placement;

IfcProductDefinitionShape productDefinitionShape;

IfcTypeObject type;

IfcObjectDefinition derivedFrom;

...

}

The IfcBuildingElement class is used to represent a building element, such as a wall, floor, or roof. The id property is a unique identifier for the element. The ownerHistory property stores information about the element's ownership history. The placement property stores information about the element's location and orientation. The productDefinitionShape property stores information about the element's shape. The type property stores information about the element's type. The derivedFrom property stores information about the element's base type.

IFC 2x3 can be read using a variety of software applications. Some popular IFC viewers include Solibri Model Viewer, Navisworks Manage, and Bentley Navigator.

Follow this link to learn more about IFC schemas - IFC Specifications Database

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