IFC files

[b.blackwood]

Hi,

I am creating manufactured assemblies which go into buildings (toilet pods etc).  I have been doing this in Inventor for about 4 years.  Yesterday I found out that after years of pushing from me, my main client is adopting mandatory BIM.

The only problem is, that they (and my other main clients) have mandated IFC as the interchange format.  And it doesnt seem that I can import or export IFC files with Inventor.

Has Autodesk got any plans to incorporate this?  Or is there a translator available? 

I have tried going via Revit, but it doesnt really work (and also I have gone too far with Inventor to change now).  This is essential to including all Inventor users in the federated BIM process.

Thanks

B.

[Anonymous]

I'm having the same problems.

My client is stating that IFC is the format used by all 3D BOM programs to communicate. Very strange when Inventor doesn't have a export possibility for that.

[mflayler2]

Wow that is a little nearsighted of them to only require IFC all the way down the chain.  That, at this point forces a organization to own a seat of Revit just for taking Inventor ADSK files into and then export to IFC so the OMNI class information and properties are correct.

I suppose you could obtain a seat to Building Design Ultimate that includes Inventor?  That may be cheaper than outright getting Revit from scratch.  I'm not sure if a cross grade exists for that though.

[Inv_kaos]

Will they accept Autodesk Exchange File *.adsk?

Go to environments -> BIM Exchange -> then Author Connectors -> Export Building Components. You then choose what model properties you want to export with the file.

Is this not the Autodesk intended method for using manufacturing files with BIM anyway? Perhaps send them a sample file with your request so they can check if the fomat is suitable for their needs.

[mflayler2]

ADSK is more translation based between Autodesk products while IFC is more industry wide between Infrastructure and Building products.  It appears that the deliverable is desired so the consumer of this data does not need to do the work bringing it into Revit and then positioning or hooking it up.

[DynamicObjects]

I too am interested in import/export of the 'IFC' schema for Inventor.

We use Inventor for the built environment (civil engineering) and the IFC schema (currently IFC2X3) is the defacto schema for the industry (BIM etc) in the UK.  

When i look at the STEP files exported from Inventor i can see from the header tags that it is using an 'automotive' industry schema "FILE_SCHEMA(('AUTOMOTIVE_DESIGN { 1 0 10303 214 1 1 1 1 }'))" whereas STEP / IFC files from revit are using the schema "FILE_SCHEMA(('IFC2X3'))".

Currently we must export (.adsk) to Revit in order to translate to this schema.  The problem with this is that the omniclass codes are not then stored in the original Inventor files but have to be added MANUALLY in Revit EACH time we want to deliver an IFC version of it.

Does AutoDESK intend to add the IFC schema to Inventor's STEP export/import facility in the near future??????

regards

Dan

[MJAT]

Hi Guys!

We have the exact same problem.

Found this Plug in at Autodesk Exchange Apps but havent been able to try it yet.

https://apps.exchange.autodesk.com/INVNTOR/en/Detail/Index?id=appstore.exchange.autodesk.com%3aifcex...

If this works it will save a lot of time and money.

It´s allso intresting if Autodesk plans to implement this into Inventor in the future?

Regards

Mattias

[MJAT]

The plugin that was metioned abow is no longer active.
We found out that it did not live up to the expectations.
Was in contact with the suport and then the plugin dissapeard....

No sulotion at this time.

[MJAT]

Hi,

The plugin is back and updated! Gues they took it down due to upgrading.
Tride it... Works Ok, some minor bugs reported to there support.

[toonsol]

I'm trying the plugin right now. Seem to work. Can't find the price. Does anybody know how much it costs?

Toon

[MJAT]

Can't remember the correct price but some where around $200.

[mflayler2]

If you are on subscription, IFC export is free in Inventor 2016 R3.

[MJAT]

Thanks Mark that's perfect!

Tried it.... Works perfectly fine.

Navisworks: Shows the file correct but it's just one big mass. would be great if it could be divided into same parts as in Inventor.

Solibri model viewer: Also shows the IFC file correct.

Revit: Revit don't like this file! It creates a lot of strange solids that makes no sens.

I know this is the Inventor forum so i will make another post in the Revit forum for this issue.

Regards Mattias

[rvooijen]

Has anyone found a workaround to import ifc or its geometry into inventor yet? Ifc has become the industry standard and i cant import it. I need to be able to import the geometry of the ifc so i can model my products around it so to speak. Now we are at inventor 2017 and still no support! I cant simply quit inventor but i certianly can not continue my work this way. I did some research and it seems the competition CAN do this. can anyone help me?

[TheCADWhisperer]

Can you attach an example file here that I can use for some experimentation?

[WHolzwarth]

Look here:

http://iai-typo3.iai.fzk.de/www-extern/index.php?id=1138

The IFCViewer can export a STEP file. IMO, IFC files are like meshes. Good with straight lines, resource-hungry with cylindrical parts.

Walter

[rvooijen]

Dear Walter, thank you for posting a link to a program which can export ifc to step and other file formats. As you already stated ifc is "just" mesh. Exporting an Ifc to step in autocad or revit or other programs generates a step which is too "heavy" to load into inventor. For example: the tutorial file of the "get started" template for revit is exportable to step. However it creates a step file of multiple ( easily 100+) mb's of raw mesh. Resulting in a lockup when loaded into iv 2017. I also aready tried iges and obj files. Had more luck with those files because they generate a smaller file size IMO having a better data management (still BIG). These files are importable as faces which i need to use the sculp tool on to create a solid in which i can mate objects too. However this means of importing geom is a very faulty, trial and error based process on which i cannot rely (makes geom errors). The thing i cannot comprehend is acad, revit, navisworks and maybe other packages by autodesk can handle these files except inventor. Boggles my mind. Im gonna try the linked software and update with results. Thank you again for your support.

[rvooijen]

OK, 

I am very happy to respond with positive news. A viable yet still clumsy workaround has been reached.

I tried to export to stp. after a few minutes it generated a file of multiple gigs and crashed.

Then i tried a stp file supposed for 3d printing. generated a file of 22 mb's in about 3 seconds. no geom errors. 🙂

Downloaded a inventor plugin called mesh enabler made by autodesk itself.

imported the stl. wrong measurements. measured a comparison part in ifc. estimated it to be in meters.

reimported the stl. with the options menu i set the units to meters. (auto detect seems buggy)

loaded in the  mesh enabler. Right clicked enable to mesh. choose solids - delete original.

While holding my heart inventor became non responsive for a couple of minutes, task manager cpu and ram usage climbing to about 25 % using an i7 quad and 16 gigs of ram. approx 2gb of operational free ram mem needed to complete operation.

It started responding again. right click on the mesh feature in the model browser, disable translucent.

Save. import into assy.

insert basic file. things mate and are measurable. show up in the idw or inv dwg.

below a pic of the steel works i was trying to import with a very tiny redbox which is my constrain test.

Model is imported.

When reading the forum for mesh enabler there was a user called steven lucero who advised users to use software program mesh mixer ( also by autodesk) to clean and suppress model size of stl files. i deleted quite some parts of the stl which i did not need and re-exported to stl dot bin which compresses the model to under one mb!. reapplied same workflow and it just took a few second for mesh enabler to convert the model. 

I would like to thank all people aware and unaware of their involvement in helping me for solving a very very pressing matter

[totharq]

Hi,

This plug in is from BIMDeX.

They have some other solutions for file exchange in CAD environment in their site.

This week I'll try the Inventor > Revit  trial version..... maybe it can be a solution for our probleem.

About price, $295 a year l(stand alone license)

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