Question

Impossible to use IFC aligments in FME?

6 years ago
15 January 2018
13 replies
5 views

jneujens
189 replies

I was trying something with a free IFC dataset containing a terrain model and some linear features (alignments). You can download the data here (click 'Examples' --> Terrain and aligment).

The FME IFC reader/writer is compatible with IFC4. I am assuming this does not include the 2 extensions of the IFC4 standard? Anyway, it is impossible to read the alignments.

This means that things like IfcAlignment, IfcBridge, IfcRoad are impossible to work with in FME (read or write?). These features are currently being reviewed for future releases of the IFC standard (http://www.buildingsmart-tech.org/infrastructure/projects).

So we will have to wait for the standard to be published and the IFC Reader/Writer to be updated? Or is there somekind of workaround? Your advice is much appreciated.

13 replies

Userlevel 2

+17

Hi @jneujens,

I'm sorry, but FME 2017 cannot read the terrain and alignment extension to IFC. We do have an existing enhancement request to add this support, which we anticipate for FME 2019. I will notify you as soon as the capability is available in beta.

FME's XML reading can be quite flexible, so if you could get an IFC-XML version of the data, we may be able to read that for yo, using a combination of the XML reader and transformers to interpret the geometry.

Hi @jneujens,

I'm sorry, but FME 2017 cannot read the terrain and alignment extension to IFC. We do have an existing enhancement request to add this support, which we anticipate for FME 2019. I will notify you as soon as the capability is available in beta.

FME's XML reading can be quite flexible, so if you could get an IFC-XML version of the data, we may be able to read that for yo, using a combination of the XML reader and transformers to interpret the geometry.

Thanks DaveAtSafe, for your answer! I have no IFC-XML files, as I would like to try to create them from other data sources. I might try to create something in IFC-XML. Thanks!

Userlevel 4

+13

fmelizard
Contributor
3701 replies
6 years ago
30 January 2018

Safe PR#75546

I'm also interested in IFC for infrastructure.

Do you think it's possible to export an asset of infrastruscture with the current IFC writer ? I am not really aware of the IFC hierarchy ... I tried the Autocad to IFC conversion example from @DaveAtSafe but it doesn't display the same result !

Regards,

jneujens
Author
189 replies
6 years ago
22 March 2018

That is a very general question louis_c3. Sometimes your assets might fit to a certain IFC class, just so you can already visualize your data in IFC. To provide an answer I think I need your data or more specific information?

That is a very general question louis_c3. Sometimes your assets might fit to a certain IFC class, just so you can already visualize your data in IFC. To provide an answer I think I need your data or more specific information?

Here is the same sample of data I shared in my question : Writing in an extended data.

I receive solid 3d from autocad civil 3d and I would like to export those in IFC.

jneujens
Author
189 replies
6 years ago
23 March 2018

That is a very general question louis_c3. Sometimes your assets might fit to a certain IFC class, just so you can already visualize your data in IFC. To provide an answer I think I need your data or more specific information?

louis_c3 , what you can always try is to write your 3d example to 'IfcBuildingElementProxy'. BuildingSmart defines this type as: 'The IfcBuildingElementProxy is a proxy definition that provides the same functionality as an IfcBuildingElement, but without having a defined meaning of the special type of building element, it represents.'

Writing linear features (pipes, ducts, cables, etc.) in IFC is still an ongoing challenge, so using this generic feature type might work for you.

That is a very general question louis_c3. Sometimes your assets might fit to a certain IFC class, just so you can already visualize your data in IFC. To provide an answer I think I need your data or more specific information?

Ok thanks for the tip ! I will try something ;)

That is a very general question louis_c3. Sometimes your assets might fit to a certain IFC class, just so you can already visualize your data in IFC. To provide an answer I think I need your data or more specific information?

Thanks again for that tip ! It works now !

uaidifc.png

I Hope the Infra Alignment enhancement made it to FME 2019

This Infrastructure enhancement would be welcome. Hope it makes it to FME 2019.

+6

I just checked the enhancement request for IFC alignments and unfortunately there is nothing in the works yet for 2019. One thing I would recommend is to contact support@safe.com and provide some specific business case information for this. I have referenced this community query to the PR - increased queries can help raise the profile of enhancement requests like this.

There are a few developments of interest on the IFC_XML front. For one, we should have support for IFC XML reading soon in the 2019 beta. Also, if you do as Dave suggests and export your data as IFC XML (Revit supports this), you may be able to use FME's XML reader to read a subset of the data you are interested in. I created a custom reader for IFC XML Spaces which shows one approach of how you might tackle this - see: https://hub.safe.com/formats/ifcxml-ifcspace-reader

I just checked the enhancement request for IFC alignments and unfortunately there is nothing in the works yet for 2019. One thing I would recommend is to contact support@safe.com and provide some specific business case information for this. I have referenced this community query to the PR - increased queries can help raise the profile of enhancement requests like this.

There are a few developments of interest on the IFC_XML front. For one, we should have support for IFC XML reading soon in the 2019 beta. Also, if you do as Dave suggests and export your data as IFC XML (Revit supports this), you may be able to use FME's XML reader to read a subset of the data you are interested in. I created a custom reader for IFC XML Spaces which shows one approach of how you might tackle this - see: https://hub.safe.com/formats/ifcxml-ifcspace-reader

Thanks for the info and the efforts! ;)

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