United States site instead?IFC 2x translator for Archicad® certified by IAI; available as free download
BUDAPEST, November 28, 2002 – Graphisoft’s continuing support
for the now international standard for construction information exchange (adopted
as an ISO standard 16739 at Seoul November 2002), is strengthened by its certification
for the IFC 2x release. Archicad’s IFC 2x add-on gives Archicad® users added
power and security when exchanging data across disciplines and throughout the
building lifecycle. An IAI (International Alliance for Interoperability) member
since 1996, Graphisoft is again one of the first CAD vendors to release certified
IFC translators.
IFC provides a neutral, object-based information exchange standard, allowing
for data transfer among compliant software programs, regardless of their type
or origin. In contrast to traditional files in DWG/DXF format, with their inherent
2D CAD drawing bias, the IFC protocol defines an integrated facility object
model, a full geometric description in 3D, and also understands the relationships,
as well as all the properties (or parameters) of each object.
Certification for IFC 2x has significantly been improved over previous versions.
Hosted by one of Germany’s largest contractors Hochtief in their Frankfurt
office, observers came from many professions of the building industry –
software, facility management, universities and research labs – working
in the fields of product modeling and IFC. For several days the applications
were thoroughly tested against some 60 test cases. The next step is a six months
period, during which the IFC-interfaces of each application will be used in
practice. At the end of this period end-users again contribute to final acceptance
during a second certification workshop using extended test cases.
Participants expressed their conviction that this certification is the historical
moment for the IAI. The IFC 2x platform, stable until at least 2005, allows
implementers a secure investment in IFC interface development with no risk of
continual change. The test group represents a wide cross-section of AEC application
vendors representing a now significant market share. Participants were also
confident in the future of IFC 2x as already in this first certification applications
from very different areas can seamlessly implement it and gain significant advantage.
The benefits apply not only to Archicad users – who have a new powerful
capacity to improve the quality of designs – but also to other participants
in the facility life cycle who depend on access to comprehensive and accurate
data for costing, bidding, construction planning and facility management.
«For Archicad users, the benefits of IFC based collaboration are well
demonstrated in a new report by CIFE at Stanford, US for the Helsinki University
of Technology Auditorium-600 project,» explains Graphisoft’s IFC
coordinator John Mitchell. «Archicad was the center for IFC exchanges
for this project, and continues to provide a leading position in the use of
fully integrated building models, which allows users to take the initiative
to improve the quality of designs and building performance.»
Graphisoft supports its customers worldwide who have already pressed forward
with IFC object model exchanges. Kajima Corporation, one of Japan’s largest
construction companies, uses the IFC file format to achieve higher efficiency
in integrating costing information from Archicad and other specialist engineering
systems. Graphisoft attended and assisted the recent IAI Japan Chapter Certification
of seven industry applications, extending the list of IFC 2.0 supporters.
The IFC 2x beta add-on for Archicad 7.0 (Mac and Windows) is now available
for free download on Graphisoft’s website at www.graphisoft.com/ifc.
The add-on for AchiCAD®8 will be available by spring next year. Further
information about the IAI and BLIS can be found at www.iai-international.org
and www.blis-project.org respectively.