IFC link takes long and Revit crashes

[hamid_zre]

Dear colleages and members, 

I was wondering if you could explain me how is the process of linking an IFC file in Revit. I know it takes long if we want to link a heavy or complex IFC file, and I saw the follwing solution from Autodesk. 

Opening, importing, linking or working with an IFC takes a long time in Revit

However, as a company we often can't access the source company to ask them to modify or make a suitable IFC model. 

In detail, while we are linking an IFC, Revit shows the loading status bar underneath which sometimes craches. However, if we open the task manager while linking IFC and crashtime, it doesn't show a busy process! 

I've shared this isuue with my colleagues in ICT sector and they were wondering how this linking process works? 

That's why I'm curious to know how is the process of linking an IFC model in Revit, and maybe by knowing that, we can find a solution (specially for a midrange company dealing with heavy IFC files) to make the process of linking and loading faster. 

Thanks in advance for your comments and advices.

Regards,

Hamid

[curtisridenour]

A long time ago, i found IFC files to be extremely cumbersome in Revit. Specifically when i was exporting them. The geometry in Revit was not easily fitting with how IFC creates its geometry. I found changing the Revolves in a specific family to more simple extrusions reduced the amount of faces being exported by MILLIONS.

So, I would suggest looking through the IFC file for elements with lots and and lots of dense geometry. This will need to be simplified in some way or the IFC files will need to be SPLIT up into smaller pieces and loaded in on separate worksets.

You may need to work with the team that created the IFC files to reduce their density.

Another option might be to link the IFC into a Navisworks file and then bring it into Revit. Navisworks was one of my go to intermediate programs for handling the complexity of Point Clouds back in Revit back in the day.

[hamid_zre]

Thanka a lot for your reply and suggestion. 

The 1st option looks the simplest one, but it's not applicable somehow. We are a company which somehow stands at the last steps of construction process and usually we don't have connection and acces to Architecture firms who made the models. And consequently we don't collaborate with them in modelling phase. We often recieve the IFC files from contractors and place our installations models in. 

The 2nd option looks better in our case, however I'm not sure if can we export .rvt from Navisworks as a simpler model?

Besides, we are looking for a solution that can be applicable for a department of approx. 20 modellers! In case the solution might be using an intermedaite program, I don't guess it'll be a cost efficient one. 

That's why I was interested to go deeper in loading process of IFC model, in order to understand how Revit actually reads and loads an IFC model. Maybe by knowing this process my colleagues in ICT can propose a solution as well.

@curtisridenour thanks again for your time and attention about this issue.

Best regards, 

Hamid

[fabiosato · Accepted solution]

Hello,

When you link an IFC file, Revit converts it into an RVT file and links the converted file.

When the IFC file is updated, the conversion is made again.

Your problem may be caused by insufficient memory to keep your model open and convert the IFC.

To avoid this problem, I convert the IFC file into RVT using the open IFC command.

Then I linked the converted RVT file, but the conversion engine is different, and you may find some differences.

Regarding using Navisworks, you can convert IFC into NWC and, in Revit, use the link coordination model. This option is lighter but not good for generating sheets.

[hamid_zre]

Hello,

@fabiosato, Thanks a lot for your explanation and suggestion. Conversion to nwc or nwd looks a suitable option. Maybe we can convert the files by using only one PC. (It doesn't make sence to buy Navisworks for each user).

As I experienced, a challenge with coordination model is that we can't select the faces in model. 

Could you possibly explain me more about IFC commands? Or share some resources to know more about?

Thanks again for your time and attention.

Regards, 

Hamid

[fabiosato]

Hello,

You can check BIM me up! YouTube channel