I’d like to export my Revit model to IFC, add cost and schedule information to it, and have the ability to update the Revit file without losing all of the cost and schedule data that I added. The GUIDs from Revit will not change, but elements may be added or modified. Is it possible to version IFC files like this without losing data? Which tools should I be looking into to support this workflow?
We are building native IFC authoring for cost and scheduling in the BlenderBIM Add-on equivalent to tools like Synchro and CostX, and this includes integrating IFCs from other sources, as well as 4D and 5D data from other sources (e.g. MS Project, Primavera/P6). I’m not aware of other tools which also do native IFC 4D/5D to the level of detail we have gotten to. I think there is some support in GeometryGym too (@jonm) so that’s another option.
Naturally, the ability to relink changed IFCs is something that we will be building as well. Feel free to reach out for more development at https://community.osarch.org/ - most days you will find new features added relevant to 4D / 5D.
I would be hesitant however to claim “the GUIDs from Revit will not change”. I have come across instances of them changing (without the user replacing the element), such as in MEP systems, especially regarding element types, not the elements themselves. Perhaps @angel.velez can help advise.
- Not all of Revot GUIDs are stable, but all element-based ones are.
- There are occasionally bugs to the statement above, but they are treated as such and generally prioritized (I don’t know of any open bugs).
- We have recently done work to increase the number of stable non-element GUIDs, and depending on feedback, may do more of thst work (should be available in the next open source update).
I would be looking for a tool that took a Revit IFC file as input and tacked on/managed the 4D stuff to create an augmented file. I don’t know what’s available, but I don’t see any conceptual issues with it. Still, versioning in IFC files isn’t great.