Design & BIM
What is IFC (Industry Foundation Classes)?
IFC is the open, vendor-neutral file format for exchanging BIM models between different software. It defines a standard schema for building elements and their properties so a model authored in one tool can be read by another without losing meaning.
In practice
IFC is the lingua franca of openBIM workflows: consultants exchange IFC files when they use different authoring tools, and many analysis, code-checking, and quantity tools accept IFC input. Export settings matter: a sloppy IFC export loses the data downstream tools need.
Tools for IFC
Revit
Industry-standard BIM authoring for architecture and engineering
ArchiCAD
BIM Software for 2D drawing & 3D building modeling
Speckle
Data interoperability platform for AEC
Related terms
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