Parties in BIM projects increasingly share information in the IFC file format. IFC makes it possible to share information transparently, even if collaborating parties use different modeling platforms or viewers.
IFC as exchange format
The IFC file format is based on an open standard specifically aimed at construction. The format provides for an unambiguous definition of geometry but also contains freedom to add parametric information. More and more contractors are using IFC for the coordination of BIM models from different fields. Moreover, the RVB also calls for an as-built model in IFC via the BIM standard on completion.
Platform independence
The added value of IFC is in its platform independence. Although the format is not (yet) ideal for processing a model from one platform in another platform, it is well suited for the mutual exchange of information. This is often what is most important: the structural engineer does not model ventilation ducts, and the electrician does not make calculations about concrete. The geometry, position, and all parametric information allocated to an element in Platform A remain completely visible when an IFC is viewed in platform B, and vice versa.
Classification standards
Due to the open structure of the IFC format, it is possible to adjust the information going from a BIM modeling platform to an IFC. For example: the Dutch RVB BIM standard requires that each element has a NL-SfB classification stored in a certain way. Based on this classification, elements can be grouped, selected, and displayed in the same manner in different parties' IFC files. This method has also been used in many private construction projects.
Define your own sets of parameters
It is also possible to define your own parameter sets in an IFC file. Within the IFC exporter in Revit, it is possible, for example, to have these parameter sets refer to application-specific parameters using parameter mapping. This allows information to always be entered and managed in one place and to be displayed simultaneously in various places in the IFC, depending on the needs of the construction team and client. Information can thus be managed in the modeling application of the construction partner, at the location that is most suitable for their own workflow.
Agreements
This requires agreements. Agreements on what information will be required from whom. Agreements about when and where to find data. These agreements are in the BIM protocol. This seems like extra work, but actually offers freedom. The free choice of a software package that best suits the company. IFC hereby bridges the information gap between different construction fields. And that's what it's about within a BIM workflow. Sharing information that another can use in order to work better together and to understand what the other is doing. In order to achieve a better result together.
