Environmental model to BIM and GIS: round trip

An environmental model rarely stays alone. The engineering team works in BIM (building information modeling, the 3D design programs). Whoever looks after the map works in GIS (geographic information system, such as QGIS). Each side asks for a different file type, and redoing the data by hand in each program takes time and causes errors. In ecbyts you export the same model in both formats and can bring the files back.

The Environmental model to BIM and GIS: round trip tour takes about 5 minutes and uses screens that already exist in ecbyts, with a demo model of fictitious data. You can pause or leave at any time. Going through the steps saves nothing to the cloud and does not sign you up for a plan.

What the tour shows, step by step

1. Understand the route. You will export the model as IFC (an open BIM format) and as Shapefile (a GIS map format), then bring both back.
2. Open the Export Model window. This is where the model becomes a file. The Format list picks the file type.
3. Export as IFC. Choose IFC in the Format list and press download. The tour only moves on when the file is actually generated.
4. Export as Shapefile. Choose Shapefile and download. You get a compressed (.zip) file with the points, lines and areas, to open in QGIS or another GIS.
5. Open an empty model. Importing into the same scene would duplicate the elements. That is why the tour asks for a new tab, using the plus button next to the tabs. Your model stays saved in the previous tab.
6. Import the IFC file. In Import Data, choose the .ifc file you downloaded. The elements come back in the right position, with their properties.
7. Import the Shapefile. In Import Data, choose the Shapefile .zip. The points, lines and areas come back into the model.
8. Done. Round trip complete. The windows the tour opened are closed at the end.

What each format carries, and what stays out

• IFC carries the position and the properties of each element. It does not carry the 3D shape or the rotation. On import, elements come back as points in the right place.
• Elements with a shape (an outline, a contamination plume, a floor plan) come back as a marker. The element's original family is kept in its properties, so the information is not lost.
• Shapefile comes out in WGS84, the latitude and longitude coordinate system. Field names have at most 10 letters, a limit of the format itself, so long names appear shortened.
• The round trip uses a new tab so it does not duplicate elements in the model you already have.

How far the round trip goes

Working inside a BIM or GIS program is outside this tour. Here you export and import in ecbyts and learn what each format carries. The files are generated on your computer, and the tour saves nothing to the cloud.

How much it costs

The tour is free and requires no sign-up.

Open the tour