Welcome

The buildingSMART technical website is the source of information for all technical specifications and particularly for the IFC specifications that are published by buildingSMART International and managed by MSG. This includes:

• the official buildingSMART interoperability specifications
  
• the IFC release specifications
• the ifcXML release specifications
• the Property Set definitions
• the IFC Model View Definitions
  
• the official buildingSMART interoperability program
• the IFC implementation support program, including:
• buildingSMART Implementation Support Group ISG program
• IFC implementation agreements issued by ISG and MSG
  
• the buildingSMART IFC certification program
  
• accompanying non-normative documentations
• development schedule and development news
• frequently asked questions
  
• additional complementary services and guidelines
• implementation guidelines, supporting tools and information
• implementation examples and source code
  

The official technical website of buildingSMART International is managed by the Model Support Group MSG within buildingSMART International Ltd. The MSG is established as a technical group and is responsible for the IFC development. It provides services for

• IFC extension integration (developing new releases of IFC
• IFC specification documentation (editorial work for the IFC release)
• IFC maintenance (continuous improvement of the specification and running the issue database)
• IFC property set content development and publishing the property set XML definitions
• IFC implementation support (supporting the Implementer Support Group and certification process)
• IFC Model View Definition coordination of official view definitions issued by buildingSMART
  
• ifcXML development (converting the IFC specification into XSD)

• to support and coordinate IFC implementation (meetings, teleconferences, guidelines, web support)
  
• to serve as a forum to exchange experiences among companies implementing IFC support
  
• to promote interoperability through demonstrations, trade shows and communicating end-user's benefits
  
• to facilitate certification programs to certify IFC compliant software
  
• to monitor software implementation activities around IFC and collect feedback to the IFC development teams
  

To get started choose your subject in the navigation menu on the left or at the top of this page. You must be a registered user to access some of the information on these pages (like the "Download" section). See details on registration here.

Active participation is encouraged and welcome. You can register issues on the IFC specification and other specifications using the issue database. See details on using the issue database here.

We invite everyone to comment on the upcoming next release of IFC, working title IFC2x4. Goto to the IFC2x4 RC1 page for download and to the IFC Review issue database for comments.

If you have any questions please contact the site administrator or one of the MSG members.

The Industry Foundation Classes, IFC are an open, neutral and standardized specification for Building Information Models, BIM. It provides support for

• data exchange among software applications within the AEC/FM industry sector
• model-based description of spatial elements, building elements, MEP elements and other components that constitutes a building or facility
• shape representation of such components
• relationships of such components between each other and to the spatial and system structure
• attachment of properties, classifications, external library access, etc. to such components