Interoperability – IFC4

In the world of OPEN BIM, it is important for ARCHICAD to continually improve and enhance its Interoperability features and compatibility. With ARCHICAD 20 IFC4 Compatibility is provided via a number of new improvements.

IFC4 Import‐Export

GRAPHISOFT has been developing IFC – an open‐source platform for OPEN BIM collaboration – since 1996. We continue our pioneering commitment to IFC, supporting the latest IFC standard version and its major subsets (called “Model View Definitions”).

ARCHICAD 20 supports the import and export of the Model View Definitions, which are developed for multi‐disciplinary 3D model‐exchange workflows. The latest IFC4 Model View Definition introduces two separate directions for coordination between different disciplines:

• IFC4 Reference View is suitable for all BIM workflows that are based on reference models, where the exchange is mainly one‐directional. Here requested modifications of the BIM data, mainly of the shape representation, are handled by a change request to the original author.
• IFC4 Design Transfer View provides building information with support for element editing: inserting, deleting, moving, and modifying physical building elements and spaces, within the limited scope of parametric exchange. For example, an architect providing building design information to an engineer for a particular discipline, where geometric modifications may need to be made. Note that the Design Transfer View is not meant for round‐trip model exchange scenarios.

Note: ARCHICAD 20 continues to support the former 2×3 version of IFC.

Triangulated Face‐set Geometry Representation

ARCHICAD supports the import and export of triangulated face‐set geometry representation ‐ a requirement of IFC4 Reference View.

Native ARCHICAD Data Sharing

Tags and Categories data of Building Materials are now shared as standard IFC Material properties.