Upload any ifc from your local computer and view it in a browser. I saw it here: Making sure you're not a bot!
Does anybody has more informations? I assume it is Thomas himself who is behind this viewer!?
cheers bernd
cross post on osarch.org https://community.osarch.org/discussion/177/ifcpipeline-a-online-ifc-viewer/
I somehow missed all of these … 
No problem, just for information and discussion
Hello,
I know I’m late to this party but…
Yes, I like this online offering, it is smooth and colourful and pretty, and turns on a dime.
Only issue: it’s online!
I’m not a code person, but is it easy to suck up this Github code / make it into python>>> / and create an ifc-viewing WorkBench in FC?
Is that allowed?
FC is great for all sorts of reasons, but complex renderings of large complex Building model IFC’s is , lets face it, not YET its strong suit.
In the meantime…
cheers
there are a lot of free ifc viewers, what speaks against using it alongside freecad, it saves unnecessary freecad programming
Hi Thomas,
I agree, it is easy just to use any available IFC viewer.
However unless you pay lots of cash-there is no scope to do further design mods on the IFC in those viewers.
IMHO, It would be nice to be able to do modifications on the IFC in FreeCad, and simultaneously see a reasonable representation of what external parties would see if you send them a FreeCAD-generated-IFC to view.
I have imported a few quite large buildings IFC’s into FreeCad.
Firstly they take a very long time (`30mins) - I guess the conversion into FCStd-native takes time, because alot of viewers are able to do that in seconds.
But once the IFC is resident in FC they look very blocky and basic - not pretty - everything is grey, including windows. The lines are way too solid and make small objects look indistinct (I don’t think it is just my settings - I have tried every combination of import options in Preferences).
Also, in FCAD, these big IFC’s are slow to respond and manipulate and very resistant to editing - surfaces won’t accept grids, basic FC tools refuse to work nicely etc.
And when the model is re-exported as an IFC - a lot of the property information is lost-not just colours and textures but also opacity/transparency info (for eg: windows are opaque and cant be seen through etc) [attachment].
Overall its not an entirely joyfull experience.
The idea of easily importing a building into freecad - working on it seamlessly - an exporting it again (a core principle of BIM), is not yet without issues.
Yet strangely, when I export a FC created model (.FCStd) as an IFC - it looks perfectly reasonable in a 3rd party viewer - so obviously the IFC export portion of FreeCAD is not the issue.
So my idea of having the IFC viewer as part of FreeCAD, is that I am assuming these other issues would be more likley to get improved by all those wonderful developers… 
.
Cheers,
i can understand your wishes but if it is only important to take part in a bim process now and immediately with the possibilities of freecad, then i would say it is possible if you use other free programs at the same time. here are examples
Yes, I also think FreeCAD is Very Slow in large models. I have been write a WB and I mport my structure model into FreeCAD. beside that, it takes a long time to import, it is very slow in basic operation like change view or select object.
my ETABS model:
imported model to FreeCAD (function) :
another model:
there is actually no case where it is necessary to work in an ifc file. if you convert it to a mesh, freecad runs fast and you can e.g. reference everything.
here to see from in 0:21
Thanks. I want 2 things:
1- unique name in my etabs and freecad model. I mean each object must be known with same name or label in two model.
2- I want to be able to edit the model (parametric model) and then export the model to ETABS.
I don’t know etabs. i created a test ifc file from create simple copy of a wall. does the name of the wall arrive in etabs?
Wall001001.ifc (3.08 KB)
Excuse me, maybe I am wrong. I don’t want to send Ifc file to etabs, because this way, I have lost many features in my model, like loads and etc. . I want to Import my model from etabs into freecad (with my importer) and then apply some change on it ( in this step freecad is very slow), and then export it to etabs (with my exporter).
ifc is used for bim processes. only the author of an ifc file changes it (usually). but not by ifc import and export but by e.g. open the fcstd or rvt or dwg file, modify it and export a new ifc file. what you describe is more of a case for step or iges
Hi Thomas:
You are correct - in practice. But it is like this because of political decision by corporates who are paranoid about people ‘stealing’, their Intellectual property:
IFC was a very ‘slim’ version of the model - given (under restrictions) to contractors etc. - with just enough info & refs for them to do their work..
But, there should be no need for us to slim the imported IFC down even further for it to work smoothly in FreeCAD.
That’s an OK work-around if FC isn’t performing well, but should not be the end goal.
From the point of view of designers and end-users - more, faster, prettier, is generally better.
I believe a well done ifc file is small and fast
my model is consist of 120000 area object and frames and My freecad file has about 17 Mb in size. although, it is slow in ETABS software, But in FreeCAD it is very slow that can be work with it
I would do it this way
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=66092&start=10#p571719