UNDERSTANDING IFC 7

It is important to note that current IFC Model View Definitions primarily support 3D geometry The content and features of these MVDs are shown in the following
and property data. For the exchange of 2D information, such as plan views and annotations, it is graphic – while IFC4 has many new features if compared to IFC2x3, the
necessary to use traditional formats such as DWG or PDF. IFC4 Reference View has a smaller scope than the IFC2x3 Coordination
View and is designed for being used for referencing in BIM Software,
In addition, the intended use case covers only coordination in BIM coordination software,
besides being used in IFC Viewers and coordination software of course.
viewers or as reference in BIM modeling software such as Revit. The import of an IFC file for
Opening (importing) an IFC4 Reference View in a BIM editor like Revit or
editing purposes is not recommending, not only due to responsibility issues but also to a certain
using it for other use cases like simulation or analysis will usually lead
data loss. The IFC schema is based on the STEP format and can not (yet) effectively cover the
to less good results.
complexity and the internal dependencies of BIM modeling software.
For these usecases we recommend the IFC2x3 Coordination View, until
With IFC 4, the buildingSMART has started the first developments into this direction and is
the IFC4 Design Transfer View as well as the other specialized MVDs for
working on a dedicated Design Transfer View, which will allow a better one-way transfer for
IFC4 have been finalized.
these purposes:

IFC4 Design Transfer Advanced geometric and relational Still under development -
View representation of spatial and not part of the certification
physical components to enable the process
transfer of model information from
one tool to another. Not a „round-
trip“ transfer, but a higher fidelity
one-way transfer of data and
responsibility.
The scope of the IFC2x3 Coordination View compared to the IFC4 Reference
View (c) Mark Baldwin, The BIM Manager (based on a visualization by AEC3)

When using the official buildingSMART documentation, it is

recommended not to use the main schema documentation, but the
dedicated MVD documentation which can be accessed through the
following link: https://technical.buildingsmart.org/standards/ifc/
mvd/mvd-database/

By doing so you can make sure that you are accessing only
the features available in the MVD you are using, while the full
documentation may include classes and properties which are not
included in the MVD you are using.
UNDERSTANDING IFC 8

Geometric representation in IFC NURBS (new in IFC4) This manual is focused on the parts of the IFC schema
IFC4 can describe complex surfaces using NURBS (non- most relevant for a Revit user, which are the physical
While BIM and IFC are a lot about data and information, uniform rational B-splines) surfaces. This considerably objects.
the geometry also often plays an important role. reduces the requirements for available memory,
When it comes to physical objects, the IFC classes are
Therefore it is helpful to understand how the geometry while the quality of irregular surfaces is increased
very similar to the Revit categories, as they define the
is described, as this can influence the file size and the significantly.
relationships and the properties of every element. If
overall performance of the IFC file significantly. The IFC
a building element is created using the wrong Revit
format is based on STEP and solid geometry, which is Note: NURBS are not supported by the IFC4 Reference
category and / or exported using the wrong IFC class,
generated using following methods: View and will be part of the IFC4 Design Transfer View
it will lack important information. Depending on the
classification, each element has defined relationships to
Extrusions
IFC Classes other elements and predefined property sets according
Are the most common and simple graphical method and
to the model view definition used.
are used for most of the cases when the shape can be Every object-oriented data schema is based on classes
described by a simple profile. (entities). The IFC schema contains definitions for Revit supports all main IFC classes which are
most physical objects in building (and increasingly represented in the software itself. A current list can be
Swept Solids also infrastructure) projects, but also for more abstract accessed through the Revit help on AKN. 9
As the name implies, an element is created with the concepts in the entire lifecycle, like Tasks or Resources.
swept solid method using a sweep. In this case, a
profile is swept along a path (direction vector) to
generate the solid. This profile may change due to
rotation or distortion along the path. Revit uses this
method for describing various shapes which cannot be
described with extrusions (rebar).

Brep
The method known as boundary representation (B-rep)
can also be described as a boundary surface model. A
component’s individual surfaces are formed by coordinates
and together represent the actual solid. Thus, even the
most complex shapes can be reproduced geometrically
correct. Since B-rep objects require complex calculations to
display the individual surfaces, more memory is required.

9. Supported IFC Classes | Revit Products 2022 | Autodesk Knowledge Network

UNDERSTANDING IFC 9

In addition to classes, the IFC schema allows the distinction of types, which are IFC Viewers
similar to the subcategories in Revit and provide a further level of classification.
The types are documented in the buildingSMART documentation under Type Before sharing your IFC file it is inherently important to verify it has been exported
Enumeration and are written in block letters. An IfcWall in IFC4 RV for example can correctly. This is typically done in an IFC viewer – linking or opening the IFC file in
have following types: MOVABLE, PARAPET, PARTITIONING, PLUMBINGWALL, SHEAR, the software it has been exported from is not recommended for this purpose. There
STANDARD, ELEMENTEDWALL, USERDEFINED, NOTDEFINED. are many free IFC Viewers to choose from:

Autodesk Solutions:
viewer.autodesk.com (free Autodesk viewer) supports 50+ file formats and allows
sharing + commenting