RhinoLands Help

IFC Translator

Keyboard:
Export: SaveAs
Import: Open
Menu:
Export: File > Save as...
Import: File > Open...

RhinoLands includes a built-in IFC import and export plug-in which makes it possible to exchange RhinoLands models in the Rhino version with other AEC software packages using IFC 2x3 files.

What is IFC?

The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file format is a standard way of exchanging objects in the building industry to reduce loss of information when transmitting files between different applications.

Export to IFC

  • Go to File > Save as and save the model as an IFC file.

    • Export Options: click on the Options... button to open the IFC Export Options Dialog to define how you want to export the model and assign IFC types to the existing layers in the document.

    The IFC tag allows you to assign IFC properties to objects when they are exported to IFC.

    Import IFC files

  • Open a new file (File > Open...), select the Import options from the Import Options Dialog, and select the IFC file to import. Make sure you have selected the IFC 2x3 Building Model (*.ifc) file type or All compatible file types.

    • What kind of geometry and data does Lands Design export to IFC?

    Geometry

    • 3D geometry: Rhino solids, surfaces and meshes are opened as independent mesh objects, unless they have a specific IFC type assigned by object or by layer.
    • 2D geometry: Annotation objects such as texts, hatches or dimensions are not exported to IFC.

    Lands elements

    • Plants: they are exported as proxies according to the current plant 3D display.
    • Civil work objects: Walls, fences, stairs and paths are exported as proxies.
    • Terrains: a lands terrain is exported as an ifcSite entity. When there are more than one terrain objects in the export, they are grouped in one single ifcSite entity.

    Project and Site

    • When a model is exported to IFC, the Project (ifcProject) and Site (ifcSite) information is automatically generated in the IFC file.
    • Some data (text keys) can be added to the Project and Site this way:
      Steps:
      1. Run the SetDocumentUserText command
      2. Type one of the following text key:
        • IfcProject_Name
        • IfcProject_Description
        • IfcProject_LongName
        • IfcProject_Phase
        • IfcSite_Name
        • IfcSite_Description
        • IfcSite_LongName
      3. Type a document text (the text given to the chosen key)
    • Since there are no ifcBuilding or ifcLevel concepts in RhinoLands, the Rhino geometry and RhinoLands elements are exported directly to the IfcSite as their location, no matter whether there is a lands terrain created or not.

    Properties

    • Custom parameters and their values assigned to Lands objects and Rhino geometry are stored in IFC files as ifcProperties.