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Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) 4.3 and 4.4 Development

repository·ifc4.3-main·Indexed 42 days ago

https://github.com/buildingsmart/ifc4.x-development

Official development environment for the IFC 4.3 and 4.4 specifications, including the IFC 4.3.2.0 version. This repository contains the IFC documentation server, a Flask-based platform for viewing schema definitions, entity inheritance trees, and concept diagrams. It provides detailed technical documentation on the IfcKernel and IfcControlExtension schemas, as well as guidelines for contributing to the specification using Markdown and Graphviz.

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What's inside IFC

  1. Overview of the IfcRailDomain schema

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcRailDomain schema provides specialized object concepts specifically for the rail domain that are not covered by lower-level or sibling schemas. It is a new schema introduced in IFC4.3.

    Key components defined in this domain include:

    • Rail types: Various types of rails used for guidance of vehicles or machinery.
    • Track sub-domain elements: Specific components such as sleepers, frogs, and derailers.
    • Spatial structures: Specialized spatial structure types used for breaking down railway projects.

  2. Overview of the IFC 4.3 Documentation Server

    ifc4.3-main

    The IFC 4.3 Documentation server is a web-based platform for viewing IFC documentation. It is designed to be cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux) and uses plain-text Markdown for documentation, allowing for easy editing via Git or GitHub.

    Key features include:

    • Automated Schema Processing: Automatically generates changelogs, entity inheritance trees, and concept diagrams (SVG).
    • Interactive Documentation: Includes built-in search, entity hover previews, inherited concept usage displays, and breadcrumb navigation.
    • Code Support: Automatic syntax highlighting for EXPRESS, STEP, XML, and JSON.
    • Extensibility: Layouts are customized via HTML templates and CSS.

    You can view the live site at: http://ifc43-docs.standards.buildingsmart.org/

  3. Overview of the IfcPortsAndWaterwaysDomain schema

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcPortsAndWaterwaysDomain schema is part of the Domain Layer of the IFC Model. It extends the infrastructure concepts found in IfcSharedInfrastructureElements to provide specialized definitions for ports and waterways infrastructure.

    This schema is used to model complex maritime environments, including cargo and passenger terminals, marinas, shipyards, canal networks, and water control systems. It covers specific facility types (like breakwaters, dry docks, and wharfs), marine products (like mooring systems and aids to navigation), and various maritime complex types.

  4. Overview of the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema defines resource concepts specifically for the construction management domain. It is designed to facilitate information exchange between construction management applications.

    To provide a complete model for construction management, IfcConstructionMgmtDomain is intended to be used in conjunction with the IfcProcessExtension and IfcSharedMgmtElements schemas.

    Key capabilities provided by this schema include:

    • Resource Management: Modeling material, labour, equipment, product, crew, and sub-contract resources.
    • Process Integration: Identifying products resulting from processes to be used as resources in future processes.
    • Productivity & Scheduling: Calculating resource productivity (work, usage, durations) and managing resource time information for allocations and levelling.
    • Cost Management: Capturing resource cost information for earned value calculations and resource quantities for cost schedules.
    • Temporal Data: Providing time-phased data for scheduled and actual work, usage, and costs.
    • Resource Definitions: Defining resource types that describe shared productivity and cost rates.

  5. Overview of the IfcRoadDomain schema

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcRoadDomain schema is part of the Domain Layer of the IFC Model and was introduced in IFC4x3. It extends the infrastructure concepts found in IfcSharedInfrastructureElements to define specific concepts for road infrastructure.

    In-Scope Road Types and Spaces

    The schema covers common global road types:

    • Controlled access highway
    • Dual carriageway
    • Single carriageway
    • Street
    • Bicycle path
    • Footpath

    In-Scope Junction Types

    • Interchanges: Includes overpasses, underpasses, and ramps.
    • Intersections: Includes intersecting roads (3 to 7 way), roundabouts/traffic circles, pedestrian crossings, and bicycle crossings.

    In-Scope Components, Elements, and Equipment

    • Road Structure and Guarding: Road structures and guard elements.
    • Signage: Road sign elements.
    • Paving: Road paving components.
    • Utilities: Lighting, telecom, power, storm-water, surface-water, drainage systems, and other underground facilities within the road body.
    • Paved Surfaces: Includes parking lots, service areas, toll plazas, parking buildings, ferry ports, and airports.

    Out of Scope

    The following are not covered by this schema:

    • Equipment and buildings located on the listed paved surfaces.
    • Railway crossings.
    • Tramways.
    • City scape or urban planning elements.

  6. What is covered by IfcGeometricModelResource

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcGeometricModelResource schema defines the resources used for geometric model representations, primarily for representing the shape or geometric form of a product model.

    In the current version, the scope includes:

    • Precise geometric forms of three-dimensional solid objects.
    • Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) models.
    • Definition of half-spaces.
    • Solid models created via sweeping operations (e.g., solids of revolution or linear extrusion).
    • Manifold Boundary Representation (B-Rep) models.
    • Surface models.
    • Tessellated models.
    • Geometric sets.

  7. Overview of the IfcHvacDomain schema

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcHvacDomain schema provides the basic object concepts necessary for interoperability in the Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) domain. It is an extension of the concepts defined in the IfcSharedBldgServiceElements schema.

    In-Scope Concepts

    • Distribution Systems: Segments, fittings, and connections for duct and piping systems (e.g., air conditioning, ventilation, exhaust-air, chilled water, steam, heating hot water, potable water, waste, natural gas, and LPG).
    • Equipment: Building services equipment such as boilers, chillers, fans, pumps, and their associated vibration isolation.
    • Terminal and Flow Control Devices: Devices like air vents, grilles, variable air volume modulators, valves, and dampers.

  8. Overview of the IfcStructuralAnalysisDomain

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcStructuralAnalysisDomain is designed to integrate structural engineering data into the IFC model by associating structural assumptions with existing building and spatial elements. It allows for the definition of structural analysis models that can be consumed by structural analysis applications, ensuring that engineering information is visible across related domains.

    Key Capabilities

    • Structural Geometry: Defines planar or spatial models using straight/curved structural curves and planar/curved structural surfaces.
    • Connections and Supports: Defines connections and supports at points, curves, and surfaces.
    • Loading Specifications: Supports point, curve, and surface loads, as well as temperature loads. These can be organized into load groups, load cases, and load combinations.
    • Model Management: Allows for the specification of multiple structural analysis models to describe different building aspects, including the ability to store dependencies between these models.
    • Analysis Results: Captures results in the form of forces and displacements.

  9. Understand the scope of the IfcElectricalDomain schema

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcElectricalDomain schema is part of the IFC Model's Domain Layer. It extends IfcSharedBldgServiceElements to define cabled systems used for electrical supply, data, telephone signals, and other cable transmissions.

    Supported Systems

    The schema covers cabled systems for:

    • Power distribution and lighting
    • Data, telecommunications, and security
    • Signalling, control, and audio-visual purposes

    Voltage Constraints

    The schema is specifically scoped for low voltage electrical installations within the following ranges:

    • AC: 12V to 1000V
    • DC: 12V to 1500V

    Note that while medium/high voltage (>1000V AC / >1500V DC) or extra-low voltage (<12V) systems can be specified using this schema, specific provisions for them are not yet fully implemented.

    Supported Component Types

    The schema supports various electrical components, including:

    • Audio-visual appliances
    • Cable carrier fittings (conduit, cable tray, cable duct, ladder)
    • Electrical appliances and electric motors
    • Distribution panels and generators
    • Junction boxes and outlets
    • Light fixtures and lamps
    • Protective devices (including tripping units)
    • Switching devices
    • Transformers

  10. Understand the IfcBuildingControlsDomain schema

    ifc4.3-main

    The IfcBuildingControlsDomain schema is part of the IFC Model's Domain Layer. It extends building service concepts to define building automation, control, instrumentation, and alarm systems. It is used to model the logic and hardware of control systems rather than the physical distribution elements themselves (like valves or dampers, which reside in IfcHvacDomain or IfcElectricalDomain).

    Key concepts supported include:

    • Actuators, Controllers, and Sensors: Hardware components for control and measurement.
    • Alarms and Events: Capturing alarm sources and event handling.
    • Procedures and Tasks: Defining device procedures and scheduled programs.
    • Real-time vs. Design Data: The schema separates design information (occurrences) from real-time device state (IfcPerformanceHistory) to support different lifecycle stages.

  11. Access the IFC 4.3.2.0 Specification

    ifc4.3-main

    The ifc4.3-main branch of this repository contains the development version of the IFC 4.3.2.0 Specification. This version includes minor fixes (such as spelling corrections and additional clarifications) added after the official ISO release.

    For the formal, static, ISO-approved release, use the following official links:

  12. Understand the scope and structure of IFC

    ifc4.3-main

    The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) is an open international standard for Building Information Model (BIM) data. It provides definitions for data required for buildings, bridges, and infrastructure assets throughout their life cycle.

    IFC is composed of two primary layers:

    1. Data Schema: Defines the structure and rules of the data.
    2. Exchange File Formats: The actual files used to share data between software applications.

    This release includes the data schemas (represented as EXPRESS and XML schemas) and reference data (property and quantity names, plus formal/informative descriptions).