Revit User Import Capability - IFC4

[Aaron Bourgoin]

What does a Revit user do to import an IFC 4 file. Autodesk and Revit sites Bothe say that Revit can import an IFC4 file, but can only import IFC 2x3.

If we export IFC4 files, can they convert these in a different application for use in their projects? If yes, what?

[Karoly Horvath]

Yep.

Simple 😉 

[Jim Allen]

Since the original post was made, quite a lot of time has elapsed, and my office are now using AC27 instead of AC25.

Revit has also been updated. It may be that IFC4 works fine with AC27 and the latest version of Revit. If so, it's good news.

I've had a lot of success with importing Revit structural drawings into AC27. There were a few wrinkles, but these might have been user error in the Revit model.

Depends what you are doing though. Inserting an IFC file into Revit may indeed work fine insofar as the geometry displays as it ought.

What should happen is that doors and windows display properly in 2D and 3D and that imported IFC walls should be able to host Revit family components like building services equipment. Although the IFC imported and displayed just fine in 3D, when we tested it, it didn't in 2D and had functional issues.

I'm hoping it's fixed now, but I haven't checked in AC27.

[Karoly Horvath]

I have only worked with Archicad 25 and Revit 2022, so don't know how the current versions behave.

Also, I did not even dare to expect anything more than correct geometry out of IFC 4.0 conversion.

To make things really usable, I should be able to receive the Structural elements from Revit as native elenents. I mean: slabs should be slabs, walls = walls and column are columns when I import them into Archicad. No objects ols. (And of course vice versa)

I strongly support the idea of not modeling things twice. Struct eng modelled the structure, I import and don't model again. That would not only save time, but reduce errors a lot!

Same goes for services: mec and electronic can place the on ceiling services (second fix), so why should I repete it as an a? I should just review and maybe move stuff, but not model it all again...

One day this will work.

It may need a nit of AI learning algorithm to convert elements to native elements properly.

[Jim Allen]

In terms of structure at least, imported IFC structure exported from the structural engineer's Revit model works really well in AC27 - in fact pretty much as you describe.

Haven't checked to see whether the building services issues have been fixed though.

[Karoly Horvath]

I just have to check that out. If you are right I will have a celebration party!