IFC Viewer

Open an IFC file in your browser and look inside the building model. IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is the open file format BIM programs use to exchange building models: walls, slabs, doors, windows, columns and the rest, placed on storeys and carrying their own data. This viewer draws the model in 3D in the colours the file gives, lists the storeys with their elevations and the element types with how many of each, and lets you hide a storey, hide a type or isolate one type. Click any element to see its IFC class, name, GlobalId, tag and storey, its property sets (such as Pset_WallCommon), its quantities and its materials. Cut the model with a horizontal or vertical section plane, or take a plan cut above a storey, measure between two points in millimetres, and save the view as a PNG. The file is read on your device by an open-source IFC reader and never uploaded.

100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; your IFC files are never uploaded.

How to view an IFC file

1. Drop an IFC file (.ifc or .ifczip) on the box, or click Try a sample.
2. Orbit with a drag, zoom with the wheel or a pinch, pan with a right-drag.
3. Use Storeys and element types to hide, show or isolate parts of the building.
4. Click an element to read its properties, cut a section or measure, then save the view as a PNG.

What you can use it for

• Check an IFC model from an architect or engineer without BIM software
• Read the property sets and quantities of a wall, door or slab
• See how many walls, doors and windows each storey has
• Look at one floor at a time with a plan cut
• Measure a distance in a building model
• Make a PNG view of a model for a report

What the viewer reads from an IFC file

In the IFC file	What you see
Building elements with a shape (walls, slabs, doors, windows, columns, beams, roofs, stairs …)	Drawn in 3D in the file’s surface colours, with outline edges
Openings cut into walls and slabs	Cut out of the wall or slab, so doors and windows sit in their holes
Spatial structure (project, site, building, storeys)	Storeys listed by elevation with their element counts; tick or untick each one
IFC classes of the elements	Element types with counts; hide a type or isolate it
Name, GlobalId, Tag, PredefinedType, ObjectType	Shown for the element you click
Property sets and quantity sets (on the element or its type)	Listed as tables with every property and quantity
Materials (single, layer sets, lists)	Named for the selected element
Unit assignment (length unit)	Read and shown; sizes and measurements in millimetres
Header (schema, model view, application, author, date)	Listed under File details

The Checks list reports a file that is cut short, elements with no 3D shape and elements that sit in no storey. What can be read is still drawn.

What the sample IFC contains

Element type	IFC class	How many
Walls	IfcWall	6
Doors	IfcDoor	1
Windows	IfcWindow	1
Columns	IfcColumn	1
Slabs (floors, roofs)	IfcSlab	2

Storey	Elevation	Elements on it
Ground Floor	0 mm	8
First Floor	3,000 mm	3

Property set	Property	Value (front door)
Pset_DoorCommon	IsExternal	True
Pset_DoorCommon	FireRating	EI 30
Pset_DoorCommon	Reference	D-01

The sample is an IFC4 file the page writes itself, so nothing is fetched for it: 11 elements, 2 openings and 168 triangles once the openings are cut. The south wall also carries quantities (Length 6000 mm, Height 2800 mm, GrossVolume 3.36 m³) and the material Brick. Computed by the viewer’s own reader.

What the test files give

Test file	Schema	Length unit	Elements	Storeys	Triangles	Size (X × Y × Z)	Checks raised
Two-storey house in millimetres	IFC4	millimetres	11	2	168	6,000 × 4,000 × 6,000 mm	0
Same house in metres	IFC4	metres	11	2	168	6,000 × 4,000 × 6,000 mm	0
House with one wall that has no shape	IFC4	millimetres	11	2	156	6,000 × 4,000 × 6,000 mm	1
IFC2X3 house (walls and slabs)	IFC2X3	millimetres	8	2	96	6,000 × 4,000 × 6,000 mm	0
Cut-short file (test of the checks)	IFC4	millimetres	6	2	72	6,000 × 4,000 × 5,800 mm	2

Computed by the viewer from its own test files. The metre and millimetre versions of the house give the same size, because the file’s unit is applied. The cut-short file is meant to fail: the checks say the end of the file is missing and that its walls sit in no storey, and the walls that were read are still drawn.

IFC versions and the reader

Schema in the file	Read here	Note
IFC2X3	Yes	The version most BIM programs have exported for years
IFC4 (ISO 16739-1:2018)	Yes	Adds new element classes and property types
IFC4X3	Yes	Adds roads, rails, bridges and other infrastructure
ifcXML	No	The XML form of IFC; save as .ifc text instead
.ifczip	Yes	Unzipped in the browser, then read as .ifc

Part	Version	Size
IFC reader (web-ifc, open source, MPL-2.0)	0.0.78	5.64 MB script + 1.52 MB WebAssembly, about 1.1 MB compressed
3D engine (three.js)	0.186.1	Loaded with the page

The IFC reader is fetched only when you open a file. It runs on your device; the file is not sent to any server.

Section plane and measuring

Tool	What it does
Horizontal cut (height)	Hides everything above the height you set with the slider; the height is shown as Z in millimetres
Plan cut 1.2 m above a storey	Cuts 1.2 m above the storey elevation, so you see that floor from above like a plan
Vertical cut across X or Y	Hides everything past the cut, to look into the building from the side
Measure	Click two points on the model; the distance and its X, Y and Z parts are shown in millimetres
Isolate a type	Shows only one IFC class, such as all doors

Clicks on the hidden side of a section are ignored, so you always select or measure what you can see.

What it does not do

In some IFC files	Here
Textures and rendering materials	Surface colours are drawn; image textures are not
2D annotation, grids and plan symbols	Not drawn; the 3D shapes are
Editing or saving the IFC	Not offered: the page only reads
Linking several IFC files into one federated view	One file at a time

If a file uses something the reader cannot draw, the element is still listed with its properties.

Next steps

Have a CAD part rather than a building? The STEP viewer opens STEP and IGES files. For 2D drawings use the DXF viewer, and for 3D printing files the STL viewer. To turn a 3D model into a technical drawing, try Orthographic Drawing.

Sources

Sources: Library of Congress: Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), Clear Text Family (IFC-SPF; ISO 16739-1:2018; ifcXML and ZIP variants); Library of Congress: STEP-file, ISO 10303-21 (the clear text encoding IFC files use); web-ifc source repository (MPL-2.0): the IFC reader this page runs, version 0.0.78.

Frequently asked questions

Is this IFC viewer free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you open. The file is read in your browser, so it never leaves your device.

What is an IFC file?

IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is an open standard for building information models, published as ISO 16739-1. An .ifc file is plain text in the STEP format (ISO 10303-21): every wall, slab, door and storey is a numbered line, linked to its shape, its place in the building and its property sets.

Which IFC versions can it open?

IFC2X3, IFC4 and IFC4X3 files, as .ifc text or zipped as .ifczip. The version is read from the FILE_SCHEMA line at the top of the file and shown under File details.

How do I see the properties of a wall or door?

Click it in the 3D view, or open the list under its type in Storeys and element types and click its name. The Selected element panel shows its attributes, every property set and quantity set linked to it or to its type, and its materials.

Can I look at one floor at a time?

Yes. Untick the other storeys, or choose Plan cut 1.2 m above a storey under Section plane to see that floor from above like a plan.

Why are some elements listed but not drawn?

Some elements in an IFC file have no 3D shape, only data. They are listed with (no shape) and counted in the Checks, so you can still read their properties.

What units does it use?

The length unit comes from the file (millimetres, metres, feet or others). Sizes and measurements on the page are always shown in millimetres, and quantities are shown in the unit the file uses.

Does it load the whole IFC reader up front?

No. The IFC reader (web-ifc 0.0.78, about 1.1 MB compressed) is fetched from the jsDelivr CDN only when you open a file or the sample. Your file itself is never sent anywhere.

Can I convert IFC to another format here?

This page views IFC files. It does not write other formats; save a PNG of the view for a report, or export the format you need from your BIM program.

Is my IFC file uploaded?

No. The IFC file is read by JavaScript and WebAssembly in your browser, so it never leaves your device.