Tips for using IFC import

This chapter should help to understand how to use IFC file format for getting data from other software.

REVIT

If you use IFC for transfer model from REVIT to SCIA Engineer you should know how the model is written in the IFC and then how it is imported to SCIA Engineer.

In REVIT there is several options how to export the model. SCIA Engineer fully supports only 3:

• IFC2x3 Coordination View 2.0
• IFC4 Reference View
• IFC4 Data Transfer View

On the simple example where 4 columns and 2 walls (one with windows/openings and the other one without any openings), 1 beam and 1 floor were defined is explained how to differ the exported files from REVIT and how it is imported to SCIA Engineer.

 

IFC2x3 Coordination View 2.0

Standard columns are exported with Mapped representation where the column is defined as SweptSolid. It means they are imported as native SCIA Engineer elements.

Standard walls are exported as IfcWallStandardCase with SweptSolid representation. It means walls are imported as native SCIA Engineer elements.

Floor is exported as IfcSlab with SweptSolid representation, i.e. floor is imported as the native SCIA Engineer element.

Beam is exported as IfcBeam with SweptSolid representation, i.e the beam is imported as the native SCIA Engineer element.

 

IFC4 Reference View

Standard columns are exported with Mapped representation where the column is defined as SweptSolid. It means they are imported as native SCIA Engineer elements.

Standard walls are exported as IfcWall. The wall with openings/windows is exported with Tessellation representation whereas the wall without any openings withSweptSolid representation. It means the wall without openings is imported as the native SCIA Engineer element, but the other one is imported as general wolumes.

Floor is exported as IfcSlab with SweptSolid representation, i.e. floor is imported as the native SCIA Engineer element.

Beam is exported as IfcBeam with Mapped representation where the beam is defined as SweptSolid, i.e the beam is imported as the native SCIA Engineer element.

 

IFC4 Data Transfer View

Standard columns are exported with Mapped representation where the column is defined as SweptSolid. It means they are imported as native SCIA Engineer elements.

Standard walls are exported as IfcWall with SweptSolid representation. It means walls are imported as native SCIA Engineer elements.

Floor is exported as IfcSlab with SweptSolid representation, i.e. floor is imported as the native SCIA Engineer element.

Beam is exported as IfcBeam with Mapped representation where the beam is defined as SweptSolid, i.e the beam is imported as the native SCIA Engineer element.

 

 

From above you can see that even in a simple case the export can differ and thus the imported model is not the same even in SCIA Engineer

 

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Tekla Structures

1D members

In IFC4 new objects IfcBeamStandardCase, IfcColumnStandardCase and IfcMemberStandardCase were added and are already supported in SCIA Engineer.

2D members

In IFC4 new object IfcSlabStandardCase was added and is already supported in SCIA Engineer.