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Menu: Analyze / IFC (BIM)


This tool creates Industry Foundation Classes files (IFC) that will be able to be imported to Building Information Modeling (BIM) software such as Revit, CYPECAD and ARCHICAD. An IFC file is created or an existing file is opened and elements from the point cloud can be integrated into the file. Types of elements currently available are clusters, sections, polylines and surfaces.

The interface is separated in two distinct sections; the top section concerns the IFC file and elements being added to the file whereas the bottom section represents elements extracted from the point cloud which can be added to the file. 

To create a new file, select a folder and enter in the file name - this will create a new IFC file. It's also possible to open an existing IFC file, as long as the elements contained in the file are supported by VisionLidar.  Once the file is loaded, these elements appear in the folder tree under IFC element. If it's a new file, the project will automatically be named "New project" and a site named "Site" containing the project coordinates will be created. If the file contains more than one project, only the first project will be read by the interface.

To add new elements in the IFC file, it's necessary to first select an IFC element where all lidar elements will be inserted. A project can only contain sites, but a site can contain most of the elements that are supported. For the IFC file to work well in other software, we suggest to place the building on the site, the storeys on the building, the floors/ceilings/walls on a storey and the windows on the floors/ceilings/walls. This is not an official format, however this is the format most often used in the majority of BIM software. It is possible to create a wall on a site without a building or a storey, for example, and the majority of software capable of visualizing IFC files will load it correctly.

  • Name: Shows the name of the selected element. It is possible to modify and save the name in the IFC file using the save button.
  • Type: Indicates the type for the selected element.
  • ID: Displays the unique ID number for the selected element. 
  • #: Displays the line number in the IFC file. To open the IFC file with a text editor and go to the specified line would display the definition of the selected element.

The section named Lidar elements contains all detected or modelized elements in VisionLidar which will be used to generate the IFC file. There are four different element categories:

  • Clusters reads the list of detected clusters in the project (see Menu: Analyze / Clusters). All clusters will appear as a list in the table. By selecting a cluster, it's name and dimensions appear in the right par of the window.  It's possible to filter the list of clusters by inscribing a part of the name in the filter text box and by clicking on the filter icon. This way, only the clusters containing this string of text in their name will be shown in the list. When an element is created by a cluster, it will be the cluster's bounding box which will be exported as geometry. If multiple clusters are selected for addition, each cluster will have it's own dimensions and not those displayed in the properties section of the window, which only displays the properties of a single cluster at a time.
  • Polylines loads a PLN file created using VisionLidar's polyline creation tool (see Menu: Survey / Polylines). The name associated to the object in the list is the number of the polyline. This polyline represents the base of the element; it will therefore be necessary to specify the height for certain elements to be correctly inserted in the IFC file, such as for walls and windows. If many polylines are selected, they will all have the same height but will conserve their respective positions. 
  • Sections loads a CSV file created using VisionLidar's surface by section tool which is a tool that can create building outlines and surfaces (see Menu: Analyze / Surface by Sections). Each section will be named by it's height, and each section represents a closed polyline that can be used as a base polygon for different types of elements.
  • Surfaces reads the list of surfaces in the project (see Explorer / Objects tab / Surfaces). Surfaces allow the user to generate a digital terrain model (DTM) for a site or to create elements by facade by inscribing a thickness instead of a height. 

The different categories of elements allow the user to create elements in the IFC file by using the + button. The elements will be added according to the type selected in the properties section of the window and will be added to the selected element in the file tree at the top of the window. It's possible to undo and/or redo the last performed action if any correction is needed; however, only one undo is currently supported.

Here are the different types of elements that can be created:

  • Site: Creates a site on the project and only for the project. The only category available for this element type is the surface which generates a DTM on the site.
  • Building: Generates a building with the type IfcBuilding. The selected element will determine the building footprint as well as the building's position. The common practice would be to use a section or a polyline as the contour of the building.
  • Storey: Creates a storey with the type IfcBuildingStorey. A storey can only be created on a Building. The selected element will determine the footprint of the storey as well as the position. The common practice would be to use a section or a polyline as the contour of the storey.
  • Roof: Generates a roof with the type IfcRoof. When generated using a polyline or a section, this element requires a height to be positioned correctly and can only contain 2 types of elements; Slab-roof or Element. The common practice would be to generate a Roof / Ceiling using a section or a polyline of the contour of the roof on a Floor and to insert a Slab-roof.
  • Slab-floor: Generates a slab with the type IfcSlab/Floor. When this element is generated using a polyline or a section, it requires a thickness to be entered to be positioned correctly and can only contain 2 types of elements; Window or Element. The common practice is to generate a Slab-floor with a section or a polyline around the footprint of the Floor and to insert Windows as needed. Windows can also be added directly to the site to represent a concrete slab.
  • Slab-roof: Generates a slab with the type IfcSlab/Roof. When this element is generated using a polyline or a section, it requires a thickness to be entered to be positioned correctly and can only contain 2 types of elements; Window or Element. The common practice is to generate a Slab-roof with a section or a polyline around the footprint of the Ceiling / Roof and to insert Windows as needed.
  • Standard wall: Creates vertical wall with the type IfcWallStandardCase. When created by a polyline or a section, the polygon represents the base of the wall and requires a height to be positioned. When generated by a surface, the object represents the facade of the wall and must therefore have a thickness associated to it to be positioned correctly. The standard wall can only contain 3 types of elements; Windows, Openings and generic Elements. The common practice is to generate a Wall on a Storey and to insert Windows and Openings as needed. A standard wall can also be added directly to the site to represent a retaining wall, for example.
  • Window: Creates an element with the type IfcWindow. When created with a polyline or a section, the polygon represents the base of the window and requires a height to be positioned correctly. The common practice is to generate the Windows using the cluster tool and by inserting them in the Wall. To adequately detect windows off a wall with the cluster tool, isolate the wall, hide it and run the cluster detection on what remains. If the parameters are set correctly, the windows will all be detected as separate clusters.
  • Opening: Creates an element with the type IfcOpeningElement. This element can only be created on a Wall. When created using a polyline or a section, the polygon represents the base of the opening and requires a height to be positioned correctly. The common practice is to generate the Openings detected with the cluster tool and to insert them into a Wall. To adequately detect openings off a wall or some other object with the cluster tool, isolate the object, hide it and run the cluster detection on what remains. If the parameters are set correctly, the openings will all be detected as separate clusters.
  • Element: Creates a generic element with the type IfcBuildingElementPart. The Element type can be placed on any type of element except directly on the project. When created by a polyline or a section, the polygon represents the base of the wall and requires a height to be positioned. When generated by a surface, the object represents the facade of the wall and must therefore have a thickness associated to it to be positioned correctly. The common practice is to generate the Elements detected with the cluster tool and to insert them into a Wall. To adequately detect openings off a wall or some other object with the cluster tool, isolate the object, hide it and run the cluster detection on what remains. If the parameters are set correctly, the openings will all be detected as separate clusters.
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