IFC Toolboxes Summary

Here is a listing of tools that supports the development of IFC compliant applications. Tools are listed by category and alphabetically by company name within each category. Available categories are:

1. IFC toolboxes (generic toolbox)
2. IFC toolboxes (high level API)
3. IFC model servers
4. IFC geometry viewers
5. IFC file browsers
6. IFC file validators
7. IFC schema development tools
8. other IFC related tools (converter, etc.)

Contact

NOTE  The list is based on information that had been made available to us, and we as the publisher of this site make this information available as-is, i.e. without any guarantee of completeness, correctness and whether the information is up-to-date.

IFC toolboxes (generic toolbox)

General purpose: A generic toolbox compiles the IFC (or any other) EXPRESS data model into executable code that provides basic functionality such as reading and writing the IFC file structure (identical with the STEP physical file structure following ISO 10303-21). In addition it provides an API to the developer for one or more programming languages (like C++, Java, VB). Other functionality may include persistent database storage, support of ifcXML reading and writing, or others - see description at each tool.

Name of tool	EDMdeveloperSeat™ Basic
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	Software Development Kit for the transparent access to building information model (BIM) data in IFC.
Target users	IFC application developers
IFC Version	Late binding solution that support all existing and future versions of IFC (Ifc151, Ifc20, Ifc2x, Ifc2x2, Ifc2x3, etc.)
Short description	Software Development Kit for the transparent access to building information model (BIM) data in IFC databases (model server), IFC™ and ifcXML™ files. This version is limited to the use of one schema, including existing and future versions. Late binding (schema-independent) libraries for C, C++, Java VisualBasic and .NET. Early binding (generated from one particular schema) libraries for C++, Java and .NET. Uses ISO 10303-11 EXPRESS as data definition language and creates a database automatically by compiling the IFC schema. Uses ISO 10303-14: EXPRESS-X as data manipulation language for mapping, rule definitions, methods, recipes, etc. Full graphical supervisor application including an EXPRESS/EXPRESS-X debugger for troubleshooting both application and data. - Basic version allows the use of one schema, e.g. all existing and future releases. - Distribution of library to support read/write IFC™ (ISO 10303-21) and ifcXML™ (ISO 10303-28) is included.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	EDMdeveloperSeat™ Professional
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	Software Development Kit for the transparent access to all product models defined by the ISO EXPRESS language.
Target users	IFC application developers
IFC Version	Late binding solution that support all previous and future versions of IFC (Ifc151, Ifc20, Ifc2x, Ifc2x2, Ifc2x3, etc.)
Short description	Late binding (schema-independent) libraries for C, C++, Java VisualBasic and .NET. Early binding (generated from one particular schema) libraries for C++, Java and .NET. Uses ISO 10303-11 EXPRESS as data definition language and creates a database automatically by compiling the IFC schema. Uses ISO 10303-14: EXPRESS-X as data manipulation language for mapping, rule definitions, methods, recipes, etc. Full graphical supervisor application including an EXPRESS/EXPRESS-X debugger for troubleshooting both application and data. - Professional version allows for the use of multiple schemas, e.g. STEP, IFC and others. - Distribution of library to support read/write IFC™ (ISO 10303-21) and ifcXML™ (ISO 10303-28) is included
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	EDMmodelMigrator™
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	Model Analysis and Specification of interface definitions.
Target users	IFC application developers
IFC Version	N/A – it is shipped with all official IFC schemas available, but the user can install schemas on demand using the EDMexpressCompiler™.
Short description	A model analysis tool for data experts to define conceptual mapping and for programmers to implement translators. Primarily used as a project management tool when developing an interface between a commercial/legacy application and a standard model such as IFC.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	EDMmodelConverter™
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	An module for EDMdevelopSeat™ and EDMserver™ for converting of database formats.
Target users	IFC application developers
IFC Version	N/A – it is shipped with all official IFC schemas available, but the user can install schemas on demand using the EDMexpressCompiler™
Short description	Executes mappings defined in Express-X and is used for mapping between source and target databases, e.g. from DXF to IFC, from in-house calculation system to IFC, etc.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	IFC Classic Toolbox
Tool developer	Eurostep
Main purpose	Middleware for accessing/writing IFC information in a P21 formatted file
Target users	IFC application developers
IFC Version	IFC 1.5.1, IFC 2.0, IFC 2x, IFC 2x2, IFC 2x3
Short description	C++ classes library available for Visual Studio 6.0, .NET 2002, .NET 2003
Availability	commercial
Contact info	ifc@eurostep.com
Website	http://www.eurostep.com

Name of tool	IFC Active Toolbox
Tool developer	Eurostep
Main purpose	Middleware for accessing/writing IFC information in a P21 formatted file
Target users	IFC application developers
IFC Version	IFC 1.5.1, IFC 2.0, IFC 2x, IFC 2x2, IFC2x3
Short description	ActiveX component available for Windows environments
Availability	commercial
Contact info	ifc@eurostep.com
Website	http://www.eurostep.com

Name of tool	ECCO Toolkit
Tool developer	PDTec GmbH
Main purpose	Software Development Environment for the development of EXPRESS- und EXPRESS-X based applications, like STEP or IFC applications.
Target users	IFC application developers
IFC Version	Supports all existing and future IFC versions
Short description	ECCO is a software development environment for applications implemented in EXPRESS (ISO-10303-11) and EXPRESS-X (ISO-10303-14). It includes a graphical user interface with integrated EXPRESS(-X) editor, compiler and debugger. Mappings from an to IFC schemas can be easily implemented in EXPRESS-X. IFC data can be accessed using the late binding interface for C, C++, Java and C#. Applications generated with ECCO can read and write IFC (ISO 10303-21) and ifcXML (ISO-10303-28) files.
Availability	Commercial, but also free licenses for research and education. Free, full functional 30 day test licenses available.
Contact info	ecco@pdtec.de
Website	www.pdtec.de

Name of tool	IFCsvr ActiveX Component
Tool developer	SECOM CO.,LTD. Intelligent Systems Laboratory
Main purpose	IFC data I/O interface
Target users	IFC tool developers and IFC implementing researchers
IFC Version	IFC R1.5.1, IFC R2.0, IFC2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3
Short description	COM based IFC interface working with VB, VBA. VC++. .Net, etc. BLIS-XML is supported and ifcXML will be supported.
Availability	Freeware, including incorporation into commercial software
Contact info	Yoshinobu Adachi, email yo-adachi@secom.co.jp
Website	http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ifcsvr-users/

Name of tool	ST-Developer v10
Tool developer	STEP Tools, Inc.
Main purpose	Software Development Kit to read, write, create and modify the EXPRESS-defined IFC building model data.
Target users	IFC engineering software developers
IFC Version	All existing and future versions of IFC
Short description	ST-Developer v10 comes with libraries for manipulating IFC files using SDAI C, and C++ application programs. Programs can use data-dictionary calls for flexibility or C++ classes for efficiency. Compilers and interpreters can check data models for all kinds of errors. EXPRESS-G diagrams can be generated from EXPRESS for easy visualization of any schema. ST-Developer is a proven product used for fourteen years by over 300 sites on five continents.  The ST-Developer libraries can be found in over a million workstations based on 20+ commercial CAD, CAM, and CAE tools. No royalties or run-time licenses are required to distribute the programs that you build with ST-Developer. Multiple license and academic discounts are also available.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	info@steptools.com, web, or phone (1-518-687-2848)
Website	http://www.steptools.com

IFC toolboxes (high level API)

General purpose: In addition to a generic toolbox, it allows access to the IFC project model based on aggregated concepts and other IFC data model specific methods, e.g. by including a viewer component, geometric libraries, etc.

Name of tool	SABLE Server
Tool developer	Eurostep
Main purpose	Application server giving access to single/mutiple product model servers in a standard way
Target users	IFC tool developers and IFC implementing researchers
IFC Version	generic
Short description	Exposes an harmonized API (as SOAP web service) to Product model servers and Domain specific high level APIs (as SOAP web services) to IFC based information thourgh product model servers
Availability	in development
Contact info	ifc@eurostep.com
Website	http://www.eurostep.com or http://www.blis-project.org/~sable

Name of tool	BSPro COM-Server for IFC Files
Tool developer	Olof Granlund Oy
Main purpose	A middleware tool to exchange IFC-compliant building data
Target users	IFC tool developers and IFC implementing researchers
IFC Version	Certified for IFC 1.5.1, IFC 2.0 and IFC 2x. Supports also IFC2x2, IFC2x3 for building geometry.
Short description	BSPro is a middleware tool, that can link new and/or existing software tools allowing them to exchange IFC-compliant building data. It uses a language-independent architecture and can be used in any programming environment within Windows. The handling of IFC files using BSPro is possible without deep understanding of the IFC standard. The software developer only needs to write program code to create a BSPro Client Module. The methods offered in the BSPro COM interface enable easy access to IFC classes and their properties. BSPro has its scope in Building Services (BS) i.e. HVAC and electrical. BSPro handles building geometry, thermal data for the building envelope and HVAC system data.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	bspro@granlund.fi
Website	http://www.granlund.fi

Name of tool	IFC Engine DLL
Tool developer	TNO Environment and Geosciences
Main purpose	Simplifying the actual use of IFC and 3D in research and commercial projects
Target users	IFC tool developers and IFC implementing researchers
IFC Version	IFC 1.5.1 (limited), IFC 2.0 (limited), IFC 2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3
Short description	This IFC engine DLL makes use of the kernel of the IFC Engine Viewer, therefore next to basic IFC and schema interfaces a 3D visualization interface is available. A basic ‘open source’ example shows how to write your own IFC Viewer in less than 200 lines of code in Visual Basic making use of this DLL.
Availability	Research use: Share ware, free of charge (some requirements for software how to mention the use of this DLL) Commercial use: license fee required.
Contact info	Peter Bonsma, email: peter.bonsma@tno.nl
Website	http://www.ifcengine.com or http://www.ifcbrowser.com/ifcenginedll.html

Name of tool	Octaga Modeller RAD Kit
Tool developer	Octaga AS
Main purpose	OEM solution for incorporating IFC viewing functionality in enterprise applications.
Target users	3rd Party/enterprise application developers who require interactive viewing of Ifc models in their applications.
IFC Version	IFC 2x2 and IFC 2x3; ifc STEP Part 21 files (*.ifc), and ifcXML (*.xml) files.
Short description	Octaga Modeller Rapid Application Development (RAD) kit includes high level and API documentation, tutorials and samples for enterprise application developers. Interfaces available include: COM (through Active X control), Java and Socket. Developers can load and merge IFC files, highlight and delete multiple objects, and embed interactive hyperlinks, and callback functions/events in the 3D model. Project specific appearance tables (colour, textures, transparency etc.) for Ifc types and materials can also be set up. Support for ISO formats VRML 2.0, X3D and GML is also available.
Availability	Commercial: Octaga Modeller RAD kit is available upon request.
Contact info	John Arthur, email: john.arthur@octaga.com
Website	http://www.octaga.com

IFC model servers

General purpose: Database or model server applications that provide a multi-user database management system and allow to used the IFC schema as the underlying database structure. In addition model servers often offer support for web services, check-in and check-out, thin clients, etc.

Name of tool	EDMserver™
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	Database management system for all ISO 10303-11 EXPRESS schemas
Target users	IFC integration platform developers
IFC Version	N/A – it is shipped with all official IFC schemas available, but the user can install schemas on demand using the EDMexpressCompiler™
Short description	A multi-user database management system for web service (Internet) and TCP/IP implementation of ISO 10303-11: ESPRESS data models. Support plug and play of all types of application; remote (thin) clients through check-in, check-out or tightly integrated (thick) clients working interactively on the server. Includes the EDMvirtualMachine™ that interprets all semantics defined in ISO 10303-11:EXPRESS and ISO 10303-14:EXPRESS-X and EDMexpressX™. Fully integrated with other EPM products such as EDMvisualExpress™, EDMdeveloperSeat™, EDMmodelChecker™; EDMmodelConverter™, EDMmodelMigrator™.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	EDMmodelServer™ for IFC
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	IFC data warehouse for construction project, product catalogues and knowledge management.
Target users	IFC integration platform developers
IFC Version	Ifc2x, Ifc2x2, and Ifc2x3 (draft)
Short description	EDMserver™ with specific methods for managing IFC. Includes necessary tools for managing data sharing in a building project including a check-in/check-out workflow. The EDM3dBrowser™ provides a seamless navigation between geometric and not-geometric data.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	Eurostep Model Server
Tool developer	Eurostep
Main purpose	Product Model Server allowing distant and concurrent data sharing
Target users	IFC integration platform developers
IFC Version	generic
Short description	The Eurostep ModelServer (EMS) is a computer application that provides a shared, persistent product data repository, product data management services, and data access interface(s) for multiple, concurrent client applications over the Internet. EMS is a specialised version of generic Eurostep product model server that supports any product data model defined using standardised EXPRESS language (ISO 10303-Part 11)
Availability	commercial
Contact info	ifc@eurostep.com
Website	http://www.eurostep.com

IFC geometry viewers

General purpose: Reads in an IFC file (based on one or more specific IFC Version) and displays its 2D and/or 3D shape, often in addition to displaying the IFC project file structure. Some viewers also allow the user to read and access the properties (like property sets) of the displayed objects. Other functionality may include to display/hide or highlight objects based on various selection criteria (object type, layer, spatial structure, etc.).

Name of tool	DDS IfcViewer
Tool developer	Data Design System
Main purpose	View IFC files, examine properties etc.
Target users	IFC end users and IFC implementers
IFC Version	IFC2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3
Short description	The IfcViewer is able to display IFC data in 2D and 3D. The sturcture can be viewed as a tree using storey information or grouped as IFC systems (i.e for Building Services like HVAC, Electro etc.) Individual entity types and layers can be switched on and off or be made semitransparent Properties and relations of each object can be shown. VRML, 3DS and DWG can be exported. IFC models can be imported from EDM model server. The DDS IfcViewer is using the same IFC kernel as DDS Bulding Servcies Partner and DDS HousePartner and is not based on a third party toolkit.
Availability	Primarily intended to be used by IAI members that want to have an alternative tool to test and explore IFC models.
Contact info	Bjørn K Stangeland
Website	http://www.dds.no and http://lists.dds.no/mailman/listinfo/ifcviewer

Name of tool	IfcStoreyView
Tool developer	Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
Main purpose	Viewing IFC files, both geometry and assigned attributes, in 2D and 3D
Target users	IFC end users and IFC implementers
IFC Version	IFC2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3, ifcXML (read)
Short description	The IfcStoreyView is able to display IFC data in 2D and in 3D. The building structure is represented as a tree. Individual entity types and layers can be switched on and off. Properties and relations of each object can be shown. The IFCStoreyView is using the ECCO Toolkit (PDTec GmbH) for scanning and parsing the IFC file.
Availability	Freeware
Contact info	Karl-Heinz Haefele, email: karl-heinz.haefele@iai.fzk.de
Website	http://www.iai.fzk.de/ifc

Name of tool	IfcViewer
Tool developer	Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
Main purpose	Viewing IFC files and VRML Export
Target users	IFC end users and IFC implementers
IFC Version	IFC2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3, ifcXML (read)
Short description	The IfcViewer is able to display IFC data in 3D. The building structure is represented as a tree. Individual entity types and layers can be switched on and off. Properties and relations of each object can be shown. Different types of VRML files (V1.0, V2.0, single or multiple files, LoD etc.) can be exported. The IfcViewer is using the ECCO Toolkit (PDTec GmbH) for scanning and parsing the IFC file. The IFCViewer is based on OpenCascade.
Availability	restricted and for IAI members only
Contact info	Karl-Heinz Haefele, email: karl-heinz.haefele@iai.fzk.de
Website	http://www.iai.fzk.de/ifc

Name of tool	Octaga Modeller
Tool developer	Octaga AS
Main purpose	Stand alone and OEM solution for viewing IFC and GML files.
Target users	3rd Party application developers (OEM), IFC-based project workers (architects, designers, engineers, FM engineers), sales and marketing.
IFC Version	IFC 2x2 and IFC 2x3; ifc STEP Part 21 files (*.ifc), and ifcXML (*.xml) files.
Short description	Octaga Modeller is a high end, parametric viewing solution for ISO standard enterprise data formats such as IFC and GML. The viewer creates high quality 3D models directly from IFC data. Features include support for 32-bit texture mapping, dynamic lighting, element highlighting, merging and streaming for large files.
Availability	Commercial: OEM version (currently shipping with EPMTechnology's Model Server).
Contact info	John Arthur, email: john.arthur@octaga.com
Website	http://www.octaga.com

Name of tool	IFC Engine Viewer
Tool developer	TNO Environment and Geosciences
Main purpose	Viewing IFC files in 3D interactively with the textual representation of content in 4 different manners.
Target users	IFC (tool) developers, researchers and end users
IFC Version	IFC 1.5.1 (limited), IFC 2.0 (limited), IFC 2x, IFC 2x2, IFC2x3
Short description	This IFC viewer is internally an advanced content mapper based on internal queries, the 3D view is the real-time direct map of the data in the file. The content can be visualized and edited in a ‘explorer view’ in relation with a 3D view and compared with it’s schema definitions if this schema is available.
Availability	Research use: Share ware, free of charge Commercial use: Share ware, free of charge
Contact info	Peter Bonsma, email: peter.bonsma@tno.nl
Website	http://www.ifcviewer.com or http://www.ifcbrowser.com/ifcengineviewer.html

Name of tool	IFC/VRML Converter
Tool developer	Institute for System Programming, Russian Academy of Sciences
Main purpose	Viewing IFC files and VRML97 export
Target users	IFC end users and software developers
IFC Version	IFC2.0, IFC2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3
Short description	The application is intended to view IFC data in 3D content and to convert them into VRML97 representation. The application incorporates advanced features for constructive solid geometry modeling, managing visual properties, filtering building elements, cutting off views, and animating construction processes.
Availability	Freeware
Contact info	Vitaly Semenov, e-mail: step@ispras.ru
Website	http://www.ispras.ru/~step

IFC file browsers

General purpose: An IFC file browser displays the structure of the IFC project file (ASCII format) and allows to easily navigate through the file by following the links between object instances.

Name of tool	STEP File Browser (part of ST-Developer)
Tool developer	STEP Tools, Inc.
Main purpose	Browsing through IFC and other ISO 10303-21 format files
Target users	IFC engineering software developers
IFC Version	All existing and future versions of IFC
Short description	The File Browser uses color to highlight the syntactic elements of IFC and other ISO 10303-21 format files, and uses instance references as hypertext links to corresponding instance definitions. This allows you to work with the program in a similar way as you would work with a Web browser. To simplifly browsing, you can find all uses of a particular instance and quickly jump to them.  You can also display the EXPRESS definition for a particular instance as well as an XML representation. In addition, you can select a subset of entities to display instead of the whole file. You can also use bookmarks to mark lines of the file to quickly return later to the specified position.
Availability	Commercial (part of ST-Developer, see above)
Contact info	info@steptools.com, web, or phone (1-518-687-2848)
Website	http://www.steptools.com

Name of tool	IFC Engine Basic
Tool developer	TNO Environment and Geosciences
Main purpose	Browsing through IFC (SPFF) files
Target users	IFC tool developers, maybe more generic EXPRESS/SPFF tool developers
IFC Version	Generic (all releases)
Short description	This tool gives you the power to walk through the content of a SPFF (STEP Physical File Format) file in a natural way. The content can be visualized in an ‘explorer view’ en compared with it’s schema definitions if this schema is available.
Availability	Research use: Share ware, free of charge Commercial use: Share ware, free of charge
Contact info	Peter Bonsma, email: peter.bonsma@tno.nl
Website	http://www.ifcbrowser.com or http://www.ifcbrowser.com/ifcenginebasic.html

IFC file validators

General purpose: An IFC file validator allows to validate the validity of the generated IFC file against the definitions within the IFC EXPRESS schema.

Name of tool	EDMmodelChecker™
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	An module for EDMdevelopSeat™ and EDMserver™ for constraint checking
Target users	IFC tool developers and IFC implementing researchers
IFC Version	N/A – it is shipped with all official IFC schemas available, but the user can install schemas on demand using the EDMexpressCompiler™
Short description	Checks  all constraint in the IFC schema or in user-defined Rule schemas. This module has e.g. been used to implement the e-Plan Check system in Singapore, whereas all building plan and building services regulation has been coded in Express-X Rule Schemas. Formatted reports available.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	Express Engine
Tool developer	Express Engine Team
Main purpose	Validate STEP data files (such as IFC files) using EXPRESS schema and translate data population from one EXPRESS schema to another using an EXPRESS-X mapping schema.
Target users	Anyone working with STEP data files, EXPRESS schemas, and EXPRESS-X schemas.
IFC Version	Generic EXPRESS based tool. Should work for any version of IFC.
Short description	Express Engine is a standalone tool capable of validating a STEP data file (.stp) using an EXPRESS schema file (.exp) by running all rules and WHERE clauses.  It is also capable of translating a STEP data population from one EXPRESS schema to another by using an EXPRESS-X schema (.exx).
Availability	Open Source
Contact info	exp-engine-users@list.sourceforge.net
Website	http://exp-engine.sourceforge.net/

Name of tool	IfcObjectCounter
Tool developer	Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
Main purpose	Semantic and syntactic checks of IFC Files
Target users	IFC tool developers and IFC implementing researchers
IFC Version	IFC R1.5.1, IFC R2.0, IFC2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3
Short description	The IfcObjectCounter checks the sematic and syntax of an IFC file. After checking, the number and status (Success, Failure or Unknown) of each IFC entity type can be shown in table. The results can be stored in a log file and can be copied onto the clipboard. The IfCObjectCounter is using the ECCO Toolkit (PDTec GmbH) for scanning and parsing the IFC file.
Availability	Freeware
Contact info	Karl-Heinz Haefele, email: karl-heinz.haefele@iai.fzk.de
Website	http://www.iai.fzk.de/ifc

Name of tool	STEP Conformance Checker (part of ST-Developer)
Tool developer	STEP Tools, Inc.
Main purpose	Checking IFC and other ISO 10303-21 format files against the EXPRESS constraints described in their information model.
Target users	IFC engineering software developers
IFC Version	All existing and future versions of IFC
Short description	The STEP Conformance Checker can evaluate EXPRESS rules and constraints on files defined by the schema.  Application programers can probe specific types or constraints to validate their data sets.
Availability	Commercial (part of ST-Developer, see above)
Contact info	info@steptools.com, web, or phone (1-518-687-2848)
Website	http://www.steptools.com

Name of tool	SemanticSTEP Checker
Tool developer	Institute for System Programming, Russian Academy of Sciences
Main purpose	Highly efficient syntactic and semantic validation of IFC data files
Target users	IFC end users and software developers
IFC Version	All existing and future versions
Short description	SemanticSTEP Checker is intended for rapid and comprehensive validation of IFC data files upon all constraints defined by IFC schemas. The application supports advanced options to manage validation process and to generate detailed diagnostics. It is suggested to use it as standalone application and consistency maintenance and enforcement component for IFC applications and services.
Availability	Limited license
Contact info	Vitaly Semenov, e-mail: step@ispras.ru
Website	http://www.ispras.ru/~step

Name of tool	SemanticSTEP Generator
Tool developer	Institute for System Programming, Russian Academy of Sciences
Main purpose	Generation of IFC data sets for testing application interoperability
Target users	IFC software developers and certification committee members
IFC Version	All existing and future versions
Short description	SemanticSTEP Generator is intended to produce IFC data sets for testing applications upon interoperability requirements. The supported optionality enables to generate data sets of varying sizes and compositions. The generated sets satisfy all syntactic and the most of semantic constraints imposed by IFC schemas.
Availability	In development
Contact info	Vitaly Semenov, e-mail: step@ispras.ru
Website	http://www.ispras.ru/~step

IFC schema development tools

General purpose: Tools used to develop EXPRESS based data models, such as the IFC object model. These tools are used by the IFC schema developers, but not needed by those implementing IFC based solutions.

Name of tool	EDMvisualExpress™
Tool developer	EPM Technology AS
Main purpose	Data modelling and documentation tool for ISO 10303:11 EXPRESS data models
Target users	IFC schema developer and IFC extension project teams
IFC Version	N/A – used by IAI Model Support Group to create, document and maintain the IFC model.
Short description	Windows application for creating datamodels such as IFC. Manages an implementable form (EXPRESS schema) and a graphical form for layout (EXPRESS-G). Includes an EXPRESS compiler for model validation and HTML and RTF export format. The EDMvisualExpress is used to develop the IFC specification.
Availability	Commercial
Contact info	ifc@epmtech.jotne.com
Website	http://www.epmtech.jotne.com

Name of tool	EXPRESS Compiler and EXPRESS-G Tools (part of ST-Developer)
Tool developer	STEP Tools, Inc.
Main purpose	Checking EXPRESS schemas, converting them into C++ class definitions, HTML, or EXPRESS-G diagrams for publication
Target users	IFC engineering software developers and IFC standards developers
IFC Version	All existing and future versions of IFC
Short description	ST-Developer contains an EXPRESS compiler that performs extensive parse and type checking on schemas, and can convert them into useful forms. The C++ classes are used with the ST-Developer programming libraries to create, traverse, and manipulate IFC data.  These can be extended with your own functions and data for additional productivity. EXPRESS-G diagrams can be generated from the EXPRESS text and then manipulated to produce diagrams for publictaion, including HTML and other formatted text from the EXPRESS definitions. See examples.
Availability	Commercial (part of ST-Developer, see above)
Contact info	info@steptools.com, web, or phone (1-518-687-2848)
Website	http://www.steptools.com

other IFC related tools (converter, etc.)

General purpose: Any other tools relevant to developing, viewing and testing of IFC data sets. This includes converters, that translate one data model file into another data model file (these could be two different data models, like IFC and CIS/2, or two different releases of the same data model standard).

Name of tool	CIS/2 to IFC Translator
Tool developer	National Institute of Standards and Technology
Main purpose	Translate CIS/2 files (CIMsteel Integration Standards) to IFC
Target users	IFC application developers, CIS/2 and IFC end users
IFC Version	IFC2x, IFC2x2, IFC2x3, and future versions
Short description	The CIMsteel Integration Standards (CIS/2) are the product model for structural steel.  The product model covers design, analysis, and detailing.  The IFC files generated by the translator can be used by IFC application developers to test their IFC import capabilities for structural steel.  The IFC files are also being used as test cases for mapping IFC back to CIS/2.  End users can now import CIS/2 models into applications that only understand IFC models to do coordination between the structural steel and other parts of the structure. The translator also generates a VRML model (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) from the CIS/2 file.
Availability	Free
Contact info	Robert Lipman, email: robert.lipman@nist.gov
Website	http://cic.nist.gov/vrml/cis2.html