IFC guide to exchange models between Rhino and Revit
17 March 2018 | Comments Off on IFC guide to exchange models between Rhino and Revit
VisualARQ includes a built-in IFC import and export plug-in which makes it possible to exchange VisualARQ and Rhino models with Revit (and other AEC software packages) using IFC 2×3 files.
How does it work?
Export from Rhino to IFC:
- To save the entire model, go to (File > Save as..) and save the model as an IFC file.
- To save part of the model, select the objects to export, and go to (File > Export) and save the model as an IFC file
Import IFC files into Rhino:
Open a new file (File > Open…) and select the IFC file to import. Make sure you have selected the IFC 2×3 Building Model (*.ifc) file type or All compatible file types.
Import IFC files into Revit:
Go to Open > Open IFC and select the IFC file.
What information do IFC files store?
IFC files store any “built-in” information from VisualARQ objects (i.e “Volume, Height or Area of a wall), and also custom parameters added to VisualARQ and Rhino objects. This video shows how to create custom parameters to add information to any kind of geometry. This information is read by Revit when opening the IFC file.
How are VisualARQ objects recognized in Revit?
The VisualARQ objects, once they are exported to IFC and opened in Revit, are recognized in Revit by their object type (walls as walls, beams as beams, etc…). Revit will understand the imported objects as native Revit objects or Generic Models depending on how objects have been created in VisualARQ.
The table below describes whether Revit reads geometry from IFC files as Standard Revit objects or Geometric objects:
- Standard objects: Objects identified by Revit as native parametric objects. Styles are recognized as Revit families and objects can be fully edited.
- Geometric Objects: The object’s geometry is recognized by Revit. The object type is identified but no parametric features are available.
