In this release, several improvements have been made to enhance IFC workflows in the
AutoCAD Architecture and MEP toolsets. These improvements include:
- Performance improvement: The time required to export large and complex drawing files in IFC format (IFCEXPORT) and import large IFC files into
AutoCAD Architecture and MEP toolsets (IFCIMPORT) has been significantly reduced.
- Quality of import:
The IFC import quality has been enhanced, leading to an overall improvement in the user experience. Known issues that were previously encountered with empty imports and erroneous geometry have been addressed and resolved.
IFC Tech Preview
What is a Tech Preview?
The IFC feature includes a tech preview that allows importing of files with higher geometry fidelity. This tech preview focuses on improving the geometry support for specific items. Here are the key improvements:
- Lines no longer cut across object bodies, resulting in a cleaner representation of the geometry.
- Lines and edges in the rendered objects are now better defined and appear smoother, eliminating jagged edges.
This current version of the tech preview offers support for the following objects, with the possibility for additional objects to be supported in future updates.
| IFC Objects
| Imported AEC Object Type
|
|---|
| IfcDoor
| Door
|
| IfcWindow
| Window
|
| IfcRoof, IfcRailing, IfcStair, IfcRamp, BuildingElementProxy
| MVBlock
|
Important: Exchanging drawings—Do NOT exchange drawings created with this tech preview. This tech preview should NOT be used in a production environment or for editing existing production drawings. To work on your IFC imports in production environments, switch back to non-tech preview mode.
To switch between the default importing technology for IFC files, use the AECIFCTECHPREVIEW system variable.
| Value
| Description
|
|---|
| 0
| Turns off the Tech Preview mode and reverts to the legacy IFC workflow.
|
| 1
| Turns on the Tech Preview feature which includes the improved functionality for importing IFC files. The workflow to
import an IFC file remains unchanged.
|
Note: AECIFCTECHPREVIEW is session-based. This means that the system variable automatically resets to OFF state whenever you restart the application.
To provide feedback or report any issues while using the tech preview feature, use the feedback form in the dialog box. Your feedback is valuable and will help us improve the refine the feature.