IFC Visualization
Industry Foundation Class (IFC) models are a common file type for the exchange of CAD information. They represent architectural, structural and infrastructure designs. You must georeference IFCs for automatic alignment within your project.
This feature allows you to visualize architectural BIM models, structural slab-on-grade elements and underground utilities layered on top of your 3D aerial data.
What is IFC visualization?
IFC visualization allows you to overlay 3D design models onto your drone-captured data. This helps teams compare as-built conditions against design intent to identify discrepancies early. You can view these models in the 3D view to gain better site context.
Availability: Who has access?
Advanced, Teams and Enterprise subscriptions have access to 3D IFC visualization.
This feature is available for both web and mobile platforms.
How to use IFC visualization
Follow these steps to add an IFC model as a layer in your project:
Open your project in DroneDeploy.
Navigate to the Layers pane and click Add.
Select Model/Design Surface.
Select your IFC file for upload.
Confirm the upload. DroneDeploy attempts to infer the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) and automatically align the 3D overlay.
Click the 3D button in the top-right corner of the Explore page to view the model.
Under the Overlays menu, toggle on the desired IFC layer.
Technical requirements for Revit exports
To ensure your IFC aligns correctly, follow these guidelines when exporting from Revit:
Georeference the Revit model to the same published coordinate system as the Project-CRS in DroneDeploy
Remove or hide all unnecessary systems before exporting. We recommend exporting only architectural and structural elements.
Disable the story offset in the Revit export settings.
Export the building as IFC version 2x3 or IFC version 4.
Ensure the file size is 300MB or less.
Limitations
IFC visualization is supported in the 3D view only.
Large files exceeding 300MB may fail to process.
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Only ifc projects/files that follow the below structure will see layers:
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project
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site
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building
story
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FAQs
Q: Does IFC visualization work in 2D? A: No. Currently, IFC visualization is supported only in the 3D view.
Q: What happens if my IFC is not georeferenced? A: If the file lacks georeferencing data, it may not appear. Ensure your Revit model uses the same Project CRS as your DroneDeploy project.
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