Task 1 - The support for IFC within BIM (and other) software

This task is intended mainly for BIM software, but it is also open to GIS solutions, or other kinds of software supporting interoperability with IFC.

• What is tested
• Summary of the Task
• What data must be used
• How is the task organised
• The materials participants need
• Deliverables for Task 1

What is tested

The Task 1 - Support for IFC will test the support for the actual interoperability of software and tools with IFC files.

Software performances

Participants can choose the software they are more confident with.

All kinds of software and tools are admitted (off-the shelf software, self-programmed tools, analysis software, and so on).

A list of suggested software is published, together with the already tested ones, in the software section of this website.

A long list of available software for managing IFC files exists, and can be searched in the buildingSMART website.

Some of these are participating in the buildingSMART process for IFC certification (or being awarded with), and others already obtained the certification. In the initial part of the task participants will be asked about the certification status of the tested software.

Software + Hardware performances

A part of the investigation regards also the performances of the software in the used computer. Therefore, as important part of the results, participants are also asked to check the (approximated) required processing time for each step. For these results were not affected by third factors, participants are asked to close all the unnecessary processes, software and tools in the computer during the test.

Moreover, in ‘Section 3’ of the Results template, participants are asked to report the characteristics of the used computer.

In the case they need to change computer for different parts of the Task, they are asked to communicate this through e-mail (f.noardo@tudelft.nl). Otherwise, it will be assumed that the computer described at the beginning is used for the whole Task.

Summary of the Task

For all the tests you should refer to the information provided in the data description section for each part of the test (e.g. testing dimensions with the given measurements, semantics with the described elements, and so on)

1. The participants should import the IFC model in their software and fill the results template about:

• How is the georeferencing managed? Is it fully kept (unit of measure, scale, coordinate reference system, orientation)? How does it change (where is the origin of the new system, how is it oriented, what is the coordinate reference system and projection and what the unit of measure for the representation? Does the model maintain its correct dimensions and proportions and it is not distorted or scaled?).

• How are the semantics translated into the software internal library/vocabulary? Is the IFC classification kept? Is the translation consistent with the IFC definitions? Are the relations among the objects kept and consistent? What changes / inconsistencies / errors were noted?

• How is the geometry managed? Is it read in the correct way (solids are solids, normals do not change, nothing is interpreted in an inconsistent way)? Otherwise, how does it change?

• How can the file be managed? Is it possible to edit some attributes? Is it possible to edit the geometry? Is it possible to analyse it? In this case, what analysis are possible in the software? Are they reliable?

1. The participants should export the BIM in IFC again (if the software is also able to export) and deliver the exported file. If some specific passages were performed in the software for fostering a compliant export, they will deliver also a detailed tutorial about them, including screenshots and description.

Participants will answer these questions and add screenshots to document these features in the results template provided for task 1 (see following parts of this webpage). The participants should deliver also the file in the specific (native) format of the used software and exported IFC files.

What data must be used

For performing this task, the following data will be used, in this order:

• Myran IFC model
• Up:Town IFC model
• Specific IFC geometries

In the case the tested software is not able to manage some of the data, participants can anyway deliver the results concerning the others.

You will be able to download the data after you fill the registration form.

And you can find their description, useful to the task, in the data section of this website.

The Myran and Up:Town IFC models are not open data. Therefore, we ask participants not to use them without permissions outside the project, please.

How is the task organised

The task can be performed by filling a provided results template as web forms (using typeform.com). You can access it and begin your answer in a following section in this webpage.

The results template is organised in 5 sections:

Please, note that it is not necessary to fill all the questions if the software doesn’t have the needed functionalities.

If processes, settings and any useful further detail is carefully described while using the Myran.ifc data, it is possible to avoid repeating them, if nothing different has to be reported.

• Section 1 - Participant information (This information has already been captured in the registration form, here we only ask name and e-mail as reference. If something has changed, please communicate it at f.noardo@tudelft.nl).

• Section 2 - Tested software/tool (asking details about the tested software)

• Section 3 - Computer hardware used (asking details about the used computer for correctly comparing the performances of the different tools)

• Section 4 - The Task (guiding the participant through the task). This, in turn, includes:

  • Test with Myran.ifc data (this will allow the main test of the software functionalities):

    • Import functionality
    • Georeferencing information
    • Semantics
    • Geometry
    • Model management (visualisation, editing, analysis, query)
    • export functionality

    .

  • Test with UpTown.ifc data (this will add an evaluation of the software performances with bigger data):

    • Import functionality
    • Georeferencing information
    • Semantics
    • Geometry
    • Model management (visualisation, editing, analysis, query)
    • export functionality

    .

  • Test with Savigliano.ifc data (this will test the software also with IFC 4 files):

    • Import functionality
    • Georeferencing information
    • Semantics
    • Geometry
    • Model management (visualisation, editing, analysis, query)
    • export functionality

    .

  • Test with IFCgeometries.ifc data (this will allow an analytical test about the management of specific kinds of IFC geometries):

    • Import functionality
    • Geometry
    • export functionality

    .

  • Test with IFC4geometries.ifc data (this will allow an analytical test about the management of specific kinds of IFC geometries also in IFC 4):

    • Import functionality
    • Geometry
    • export functionality .

• Section 5 - Finalisation (participants can deliver eventual further information or comments, agree with the use of data and deliver the processed models, both in native formats and IFC, before submitting their results).

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It is really recommended to have a look at the whole task before starting.

Participants can have the overall in-sight into the task through reading the complete list of questions and having a look at an example of submitted template in its most up-to-date format

(Please note that the online forms are made easier to be filled with respect to those files! Our suggestion is to have a look at the whole task here and then do the tests while filling the online form. Thank you).

To begin and submit the online forms, an internet connection is needed. However, after it is loaded, no connection is necessary, and the form can stay open for long time, as long as te tab browser stay open (it won’t refresh), so that you can take your time for doing tests. See FAQ

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!! Please note that it is not possible to modify the submitted answers. In case this is necessary, you can e-mail the organisers to report the needed changes.

If you test more than one software, you should submit one form per software (all of them will be stored and the information won’t be replaced

Structure of the online results template

To allow the participants to fill the results template in different times without loosing the previous work, the results template for this task is splitted in 12 parts.

At the end of each part, the link towards the following one will be provided, both in the last slide of the online form, and in an e-mail sent to the indicated e-mail address.

REMEMBER TO SUBMIT EACH PART, by pushing “Submit” in the online form, before moving to the following part (an e-mail will notify you).

In particular, the 12 parts include:

• 1/18) ‘Section 1 - Participants information’ to ‘Section 3 - Computer hardware used’
• 2/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Myran.ifc - ‘Import functionality’
• 3/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Myran.ifc - ‘Georeferencing information’
• 4/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Myran.ifc - ‘Semantics’
• 5/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Myran.ifc - ‘Geometry’ to ‘Model management’
• 6/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Myran.ifc - ‘Export functionality’
• 7/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with UpTown.ifc - ‘Import functionality’
• 8/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with UpTown.ifc - ‘Georeferencing information’
• 9/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with UpTown.ifc - ‘Semantics’
• 10/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with UpTown.ifc - ‘Geometry’ to ‘Model management’
• 11/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with UpTown.ifc - ‘Export functionality’
• 12/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Savigliano.ifc - ‘Import functionality’
• 13/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Savigliano.ifc - ‘Georeferencing information’
• 14/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Savigliano.ifc - ‘Semantics’
• 15/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Savigliano.ifc - ‘Geometry’ to ‘Model management’
• 16/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with Savigliano.ifc - ‘Export functionality’
• 17/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with IFCgeometries.ifc - ‘Import functionality’ to ‘Export functionality’
• 18/18) ‘Section 4 - the Task’: test with IFC4geometries.ifc - ‘Import functionality’ to ‘Section 5 - Finalisation’

The materials participants need

Information and descriptions are all published in this website.

Registration form

Contact us and register your participation to the benchmark, giving your personal details and declaring which tool you intend to test, for which Task through this registration form.

Data

You are able to download the IFC data after you fill the registration form.

The Myran and Up:Town IFC models are not open data. Therefore, we ask participants not to use them without permissions outside the project, please.

The IFCgeometries.ifc file can also be downloaded from the description page

Results template

Begin to perform the Task and deliver results through the online Results template for Task 1

You can see an example of delivered answers

Deliverables for Task 1

REMEMBER TO DELIVER, through the last online form:

1. All the files (5) in the project or native format employed by the tested software, as imported (if the software allows to save in its native format);

2. All the exported IFC models (5) (if the software has export functionality);

3. The answered results template for task 1 by submitting the filled online form (the word version of the template, completed with the open answers, descriptions and screenshots could also be attached, if necessary)

In the case that some materials were not correctly delivered or some of your answers are not clear, you could be contacted by organisers for integrating your results or giving more explanations.