ARCHICAD provides three methods for importing an IFC model to ARCHICAD: Open, Merge, and Hotlink. This section describes the Open and Merge IFC processes.
See also Hotlink IFC File.
Import Functions: Open and Merge
•Open: Opens the entire model or filtered parts of an IFC file as a new project. ARCHICAD will transform the imported elements into corresponding ARCHICAD elements, based on settings in the chosen IFC Translator for Import.
•Merge (File > Interoperability): Available only in Floor Plan view. Inserts an IFC model in whole or in part into a running ARCHICAD project. Merge preserves your running project, without overwriting its data (this is the “Reference model” concept). However, even in this “Reference model”, the merged elements are real ARCHICAD elements based on the IFC-ARCHICAD mapping convention.
In the Merge process, ARCHICAD automatically generates new IFC GlobalId (ARCHICAD IFC ID) values for all imported elements to avoid overwriting the IFC GlobalIDs of the host project. For the purposes of listing and searching, the elements’ original GlobalId values are also retained, in the form of a parameter called “External IFC ID”.
Important Note on Translators and Template Files:
•When you import an IFC project using Open or Hotlink IFC: You will choose an IFC Translator for Import from an external Template file, selected by you.
•When you import an IFC project using the Merge command: You will choose an IFC Translator for Import from the current host project.
Open IFC Model
Follow these steps to import IFC data using the Open process.
1.Use File > Open.
2.Select the IFC File Format.
3.Choose the IFC file to import.
4.Use the drop-down list to choose among the IFC Translators.
5.Click Settings from the Open dialog to see a summary of the selected Translator settings, or to choose a Translator from a different template.
6.Click “Open” to import the IFC model. Additional steps follow, depending on the type of imported model.
See Additional Options at IFC Import, below.
Merge IFC Project
1.Use File > Interoperability > Merge.
2.Select the IFC File Format.
3.Choose the IFC file to merge.
4.Choose a Translator
Use the drop-down list to choose among the IFC Translators.
5.Choose Settings from the Merge dialog to see a summary of the selected Translator settings.
Note: In the Merge process, ARCHICAD uses an IFC Translator for Import that you choose from the current host project.
6.Click Open to merge the IFC Project to ARCHICAD.
7.Additional steps follow, depending on the type of imported model.
See next section.
Additional Options at IFC Import
If the IFC file contains multiple IfcBuildings and/or IfcSites, then a Building/Site Selection dialog appears. The import process can import only one building at a time.
On the left of this selection dialog, view the site and building hierarchy in the tree structure. At right, information is shown on each selected building.
If the “Import all Site geometry” checkbox (at the bottom left of the dialog box) is not enabled, then the selected IfcBuilding will be imported with only the IfcSite geometry which is assigned to the building.
To import the entire site model, regardless of the chosen building, activate the “Import all Site geometry” option.
Filter Model at Import
As needed, further filter the set of elements to import, using the Model Filter dialog box.
See Filter Model at Import (Secondary Filter).
Choose where to save Library Parts generated during IFC import:
They are placed in the project’s Embedded Library by default.
Notes:
◦When updating a Hotlinked Module, the Linked Library will not be updated! If Linked Library contents have changed, you must update the library manually.
◦Make sure that the target folder is write-enabled at the time of import. If it is not, the import process will fail.
◦In Teamwork, the Linked Library option is not available; generated Library Parts are saved to the Embedded Library.
Hint: In case of repeated IFC Merge processes with large models, your Embedded Library may become very large if many Library Parts are generated; this can cause performance problems. In this case, you should save the generated Library Parts to a linked library instead.
Vertical Position of Merged IFC Model (only at Merge IFC Model)
View or change the options in the Vertical Position dialog box, to define the vertical position of the merged model in the host ARCHICAD project.
•Original: When using the File > Interoperability > Merge command to import an IFC model, ARCHICAD recreates the original vertical position of the merged model inside the host project by default. ARCHICAD will automatically match stories and create offsets to ensure that the merged model is in the same vertical position as in the IFC source file.
•Custom: Alternatively, click Custom to manually set the merged model’s vertical position.
•From the pop-up menu, choose the story of the incoming IFC project which should be placed onto the current story. In the list, each story of the IFC model is shown with its own elevation in parentheses.
•Elevation Offset: To adjust the vertical position of the imported model, enter a positive or negative value in the Elevation Offset at the bottom of the dialog. By default (and this is recommended), the Elevation offset value is the absolute difference between the elevation values of the chosen IFC model story and the current ARCHICAD story.
Result
•See the Result field to see which merged stories will be placed on which stories of the host.
•In either case (Original or Custom vertical position), new stories are created above or below the host project’s story range, if they are needed to accommodate extra stories in the merged project.
•New stories (if any) are marked with a plus sign. These stories will be created in the Host when you click OK to close the dialog box.