Vectorworks, the first BIM software to receive IFC4 export certification, now supports your Open BIM workflows better than ever before.
In April 2019, Vectorworks achieved IFC4 Reference View 1.2 Export Certification from
buildingSMART International (bSI) — the global authority driving transformation of the built asset economy through open, international standards.
So, what does this mean for your workflow?
Think of IFC functioning like HTML. We built the blog you’re reading with a code that’s equally accessible on Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or any other web browser. If you share this post with a friend, they can view it with their own preferred browser and experience the exact same display.
With IFC import/export capabilities, you have the freedom to choose your design software and still experience the same 3D models as everyone else on the project. The open-source format means you aren’t forced into using one solution just for easier file exchange. After all, architects and electrical engineers often don’t work in the same software.
Example of an IFC file exchange.
“The IFC file format gives focus to the standardized exchange of data when sharing information among different software systems used in the building industry,” explained Rubina Siddiqui, director of product marketing at Vectorworks.
Without IFC, BIM is only possible in a closed environment. It uniquely supports both 3D geometry and data, allowing crucial tasks like clash detection to be done entirely in 3D. It creates a collaborative environment for everyone’s expertise to coexist.
A publicly defined and accepted standard, IFC4 export criteria serves as a basis for contracts by facilitating interoperability. This not only supports your Open BIM workflow, rather it enhances it — allowing architects, engineers, landscape professionals, and construction teams to communicate with a common language.
“With the IFC data manager, all doors are open to us for proper IFC model exports, which are tailored to the information requirements of the customer without having to constantly adapt our internal databases, classifications, or naming conventions,” said Marc Pancera, associate and head of BIM Research & Development at
IttenBrechbühl AG.
“Of course, the mapping part requires a certain understanding of the IFC data model from our BIM Champions,” he said, “but fortunately this is publicly documented —
just read it yourself!”
See how Vectorworks supports BIM workflows.
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