IfcProjectLibrary concepts

Rick_BriceRick_Brice
in General

I'm trying to understand IfcProjectLibrary and I would like some feedback from the community.
I understand the concept of a "library" within and IFC file. Objects can be defined by IfcRelDefinesByType with the IfcTypeObjects in the library - easy enough.

Question 1 - what is the value of IfcProject - IfcRelDeclares - IfcProjectLibrary - IfcRelDeclares - IfcTypeObject compared to IfcProject - IfcRelDeclares - IfcTypeObject?

Question 2 - do product manufacturers provided prebuild IfcProjectLibrary for their products that you can reference into an IFC model?

Question 3 - Is there a mechanism in IfcOpenShell where I can create an IFC model, import a pre-defined IfcProjectLibrary, and use the types defined in that library? Any examples?

The specific use case I have in mind is road signs. The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) publishes the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which defines common road signs such as "STOP", "YIELD", "NO LEFT TURN", etc. It seems to me that the MUTCD would be a perfect candid to have a companion IFC file containing and IfcProjectLibrary that defines IfcSignType for all the standard signs.

Question 4 - Am I thinking about this correctly?

Thanks for your feedback.

steverugiKoAraduarteframosAce

Comments

  • walpawalpa

    @Rick_Brice said:
    Question 1 - what is the value of IfcProject - IfcRelDeclares - IfcProjectLibrary - IfcRelDeclares - IfcTypeObject compared to IfcProject - IfcRelDeclares - IfcTypeObject?
    Question 3 - Is there a mechanism in IfcOpenShell where I can create an IFC model, import a pre-defined IfcProjectLibrary, and use the types defined in that library? Any examples?

    Maybe this post will help clarify.

    Question 2 - do product manufacturers provided prebuild IfcProjectLibrary for their products that you can reference into an IFC model?

    Yes, a way for manufacturers to induce designers to specify their products. As in this repository.

    Question 4 - Am I thinking about this correctly?

    Yes, I think so

    The specific use case I have in mind is road signs. The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) publishes the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) which defines common road signs such as "STOP", "YIELD", "NO LEFT TURN", etc. It seems to me that the MUTCD would be a perfect candid to have a companion IFC file containing and IfcProjectLibrary that defines IfcSignType for all the standard signs.

    I agree, this would be a very noble initiative.
    I am creating a pipe fittings library using Geometry Nodes to automate the modeling of the meshes and Python to automate the creation of the types. If you want any help with this initiative, we can talk.
    Cheers

    Bedsonduarteframos
  • Rick_BriceRick_Brice

    Fantastic- that helps a lot.
    It looks like you can have a file of predefined libraries and use types from it when authoring a model in Bonsai because it is a feature of the software some intentionally created.

    On the other hand, if I was coding an ifc file in a text editor, I could not reference a type from a library in an external file because ifc doesn’t work that way.

    walpa
  • BedsonBedson

    @walpa I'd love to see a breakdown of your workflow.

Sign In or Register to comment.