PAGE 1
EXPORTING IFC FROM EVIT :
PROPERTIES This graphic is a supplement of full article on BIM Corner - link
There are basically 3 methods we can export user properties from Revit to IFC.
Using Revit property sets option in the IFC exporter dialog
Using so, we will export ALL Revit
properties according to their internal
grouping.
This method includes a lot of obsolete
information in the IFC and also significantly
increases the IFC file size.
This method isn't advisable
We don't have much control over what’s exported and you should use it with
and where it's exported. We are risking that some caution
of the information can be incorrect in IFC
Next method is - Exporting schedules as property sets
This method is fast and easy. It enables us to
create a property set from a schedule that is
called the same name.
All the parameters for the model
components in the schedule are gathered
into one property set.
If we have a lot of schedules in our Revit file, there is an option to export only these that
contain IFC, Pset, or Common words in the title.
Example:
First, we need to create a schedule in Revit and add properties that we want to include
in the export. In our example, I have a structural columns schedule, and I’ll call it Pset
BIM Corner. It has 5 fields Family and Type, Length, Base Level, Volume and LOD.
In the project, there is another schedule – Concrete beam schedule.
I won't be exported as a separated property set since it doesn't
contain words IFC, Pset, or Common in its name.
We are ready. I export to IFC. Here is a link to the exported file.
If you want to learn more about IFC export from Revit and BIM
Coordination visit https://becomebimcoordinator.com
PAGE 2
EXPORTING IFC FROM EVIT :
PROPERTIES This graphic is a supplement of full article on BIM Corner - link
After the export, you can see that we have a
new property set created for all structural
columns. Parameters inside this Pset
correspond to 5 parameters which we add to
the schedule.
IFC file opened in BIM Vision
A few drawbacks of this method:
Such schedules can be easily deleted or Sharing schedules between various Revit
changed by a Revit user, even by models isn’t as easy as sharing a
accident mapping table file (check point 3)
Such an approach doesn’t support We can’t control the mapping of data
spaces types to IFC, we need to rely on IFC
exporter built-in settings
Method using User-defined property set and mapping text file
This method requires using a
mapping text file, which we need to
create. We need to specify its path on
our disc
Revit provides us with a template file.
The default path of this file in Revit 2020
is: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\IFC2020.bundle\Contents\2020
The name of the file is DefaultUserDefinedParameterSets.txt and you can download it
here.
I recommend making a copy of this file first
before you start editing it.
In general, this is a simple text file that we open
in any text editor, in my case in Notepad. The file
has already some guidelines included to help
users understand how to use this mapping file.
Everything starting with a # hashtag is
commented out, which means the exporter
won’t read this line.
If you want to learn more about IFC export from Revit and BIM
Coordination visit https://becomebimcoordinator.com
PAGE 3
EXPORTING IFC FROM EVIT :
PROPERTIES This graphic is a supplement of full article on BIM Corner - link
This part shows you the
format/pattern to follow in
order to add property sets
and properties into IFC
Here are data types which
can be exported to IFC
Here is an example of properly
defined COBie property set
with its properties
In this part, we write our
mapping definition. All
the magic starts here 💥
Example:
In our example, I will export 3 properties of the column.
I gathered them in Revit in the IFC Parameters group as
instance parameters.
LOD – which is a Text parameter,
Reinforced – Yes/No parameter (boolean),
Zone – Integer parameter,
Let’s create a mapping file that will export these 3
parameters to a specific property set in IFC. I will call this
property set: BC_PropertySet.
Setting up user-defined prop. set text file - Step by Step
Step 1 (number 1 on the picture) – To create our own property set, we add a new line
under the guidelines. We start with the word “Property Set:”. Then we hit TAB. Then we
write a Property Set name. In our case, I write BC_PropertySet.
Remember about TAB
between the columns
If you want to learn more about IFC export from Revit and BIM
Coordination visit https://becomebimcoordinator.com
PAGE 4
EXPORTING IFC FROM EVIT :
PROPERTIES This graphic is a supplement of full article on BIM Corner - link
Step 2 (number 2) – Here we
specify the Instance "I" or
Type "T" Level of the
properties. I use Instance.
Step 3 (number 3) – Finally,
we define which IFC entities
this property set belongs to.
Since we want to add
properties only for columns,
I could write IfcColumn.
I added a my own
If I want to add this property set to all elements in the model, then I can comment
use the IfcElement entity. (as in the picture)
Step 4 (number 4) – In the next line,
we specify the property name which
I want to see in the IFC. In my case, I
want our three Revit properties to
start with BC_ prefix, so: BC_LOD,
BC_Reinforced, and BC_Zone.
Step 5 (number 5) – We specify the data type of the given parameter in the IFC file. The
supported data types are listed in the instructions at the beginning of the file.
Step 6 (number 6) – The last piece is optional, and we use it to define the property name in
Revit. If the Revit parameter is named the same as the intended IFC property, then we don’t
need to add it. In our case, IFC parameters use prefix BC_ and Revit parameters don’t, so we
need to specify the last column
Now the mapping text file is ready, we have
to save it. When saving this file, double-
check that it is saved in the UTF-8 format in
your text editor.
The last thing is to go to IFC exporter and change
the reference mapping file to this, which we’ve just
created. After that, we can simply hit Export.
After the export, our BC_PropertySet is
added to all columns in the IFC file as
we wanted. Hurrayyy 🎈🎈👏
IFC file opened in BIM Vision
If you want to learn more about IFC export from Revit and BIM
Coordination visit https://becomebimcoordinator.com
