Link an IFC File

To use an IFC model as a reference for additional design work, link the IFC file to a Revit model.

1. (Optional) Before linking an IFC file, click File tab Open (IFC Options) and use the Import IFC Options dialog to do the following:
   • Select a default Revit template to use for IFC files.
   Note: If a default template is not selected, the first template listed under File Locations in Revit Options will be used.
   • Load an IFC class mapping file or manually assign Revit categories to IFC classes and types.
   • Make sure the IFC file contains the geometric data needed for the Revit capability that you plan to use. For more information, see About Imported Geometry.
     Note: In Revit 2024.1 and newer, Link IFC uses a new link processor by default. The processor offers more advanced geometric fidelity and stability, but may reduce performance. Change the Revit.ini file to use the legacy IFC link framework. See: Import IFC Settings.
2. Open the Revit model.
3. Click Insert tabLink panel (Link IFC).
4. In the Open IFC File dialog, navigate to the IFC file, select it, and click Open.

The software uses the IFC file to create the following files:

• an intermediate Revit model named <ifc_file>.ifc.RVT
• a log file named <ifc_file>.ifc.log.html
• a shared parameters file named <ifc_file>.ifc.sharedparameters.txt

The software then links the intermediate IFC-based model to the host model.

Parent topic: Using IFC Files

Related Concepts

• About Linking to IFC Files
• About the Visibility of Linked Models
• Managing Links
• About the IFC File Format

Related Tasks

• Open an IFC File
• Select a Template for IFC Files
• Load an IFC Class Mapping File
• Override Categories for IFC Objects
• Unload and Reload Linked Models