A name for the new IfcOpenShell viewer

Comments

• sjb007

  May 7 edited May 7

  "Shumu" taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penjing

  "Shumu penjing (樹木盆景): Tree penjing that focuses on the depiction of one or more trees and optionally other plants in a container, with the composition's dominant elements shaped by the creator through trimming, pruning, and wiring."

  Pros:

  • It's short
  • It relates to Bonsai
  • It sounds kind of like "show me"

  shumu.org appears to be available.

  
• theoryshaw

  May 7 edited May 8

  Cool!... I thinking Plynth would be good...

  The architectural reading: It also reads as plinth — the base layer, the neutral common ground on which everything is displayed for examination. A plinth doesn't belong to any one discipline; it's the shared stage where things are brought forward for review and decision. That's coordination precisely — not building, but examining what's been built, together.

  The wordplay: Ply + Nth. A ply is a layer — plywood is multiple plies laminated together, and a BIM coordination model is exactly that: architectural, structural, and MEP disciplines layered on top of each other. Nth means to the fullest degree, exhaustive, nothing missed. Put them together and you get the coordination pitch in a single word: examine every ply to the nth degree. Clash detection, audits, takeoffs, tracking — that's the promise baked into the name.

  The branding fit: IfcOpenShell is developer-facing. Bonsai is authoring. Plynth is neither — it's a clean third identity for a user-facing coordination audience, with no risk of "wait, is this Bonsai or Bonsai Viewer?" confusion. The non-jargon name also fits the stated goal of marketable, user-oriented tools stepping outside the ifc-prefix family.

  The practical case: One syllable, unambiguous pronunciation, unique spelling (good for search, social handles, and domain availability), and after a quick search, no prior software product using the name.

  For giggles, I bought Plynth.org to protect it from domain name poachers.

  "hey, Bob, can you apply your 'ply' to the model"?
  "Frank, send me your 'ply', and I'll see if it works"
  "Donny, get that 'ply' out of here, you're out of your element."

  
• paullee

  May 8

  @sjb007 said:

  "Shumu penjing (樹木盆景): Tree penjing that focuses on the depiction of one or more trees and optionally other plants in a container, with the composition's dominant elements shaped by the creator through trimming, pruning, and wiring."

  "盆景" should be commonly recogisable by Chinese, "樹木盆景" sounds less common, not sure.

  Seems interesting to have a family of names of related arts?

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saikei
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hòn_non_bộ
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai
• KoAra

  May 8

  @sjb007 said:
  "Shumu" taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penjing

  "Shumu penjing (樹木盆景): Tree penjing that focuses on the depiction of one or more trees and optionally other plants in a container, with the composition's dominant elements shaped by the creator through trimming, pruning, and wiring."

  In Japanese, it is known as ‘Bonkei’. The first part, ‘Bon’, is the same as in ‘Bonsai’. The second part, ‘kei’, means something like ‘landscape’ or ‘scenery’.
  Although the English Wikipedia link for the Japanese term ‘Bonkei’ is for ‘Penjing’, there is actually an English Wikipedia page for ‘Bonkei’ as well.
  ‘Bonkei BIM Viewer’ might be a good option. It might be a bit confusing, don’t you think?

  
• condur

  May 8 edited May 8

  kestrel, IfcKestrel, kestrelBIM/kestrel BIM
  A kestrel hovers still while scanning the ground, then moves with precision.

  That feels close to what this tool should do for IFC coordination: load the full model context, scan across discipline models, inspect carefully, identify issues, and help teams act precisely. It also avoids calling it a viewer, because the ambition is clearly bigger than viewing. It is about inspection, coordination, clash detection, audits, takeoffs, and review workflows.

  
• sjb007

  May 8 edited May 8

  @theoryshaw said:
  Cool!... I thinking Plynth would be good...

  Sorry, Ryan:

  • https://www.plynth.ai/
  • https://plynth.studio/

  I suspect this would be at risk of getting challenged.

  Edit: A small bit of advice is to search your suggestion for other potential software using the name. Better to avoid problems sooner rather than later. We don't need another BlenderBIM->Bonsai transition.

  
• ArjanBIMnerd

  May 8 edited May 8

  How about Ikebana?
  Wikipedia:
  Ikebana (生け花, 活け花, 'arranging flowers' or 'making flowers alive') is the Japanese art of flower arrangement.[1][2] It is also known as kadō (花道, 'way of flowers'). The origin of ikebana can be traced back to the ancient Japanese custom of erecting evergreen trees and decorating them with flowers as Yorishiro to invite the gods.

  or a little less obscure: Origami

  
• Shabir_BIM

  May 8

  Hey everyone, a name idea for the new IfcOpenShell coordination viewer: “Loyaflow”.
  Idea behind it:
  “Loya” → inspired by “large scale / grand” (e.g. Loya Jirga concept)
  “Flow” → coordination + continuous movement of BIM data between disciplines
  So together it loosely represents large-scale coordination flow across IFC models, turning static building data into something more continuous and analyzable. Domains are also available, loyaflow.com , loyaflow.org etc.
• gryphus

  May 8 edited May 8

  Hi All!
  What do you think about playing around with possible insects that can live on or have something to do with a bonsai?

  I was thinking of a pun like
  ANThoring (too cool name but not appropriate for the purpose i guess)
  ANTIfc **(sounds a bit off, like a negation, but you can play well with logo and capitals)
  **AntForge
  AntAudit
  AntHive
  or.... Simply BIMAnts

  Choosing a small insect like the ant would make sense, to evoke something very tiny yet at the same time very powerful and strong.

  Also
  NanoMantis (which is very cool and remember Psycho Mantis from MetalGear 🤭)
• falken10vdl

  May 8 edited May 8

  Another option: Diomo
  ;)
• Nigel

  May 8

  shikai
• Nigel

  May 8

  Shikai (視界) is a clean, technical Japanese word meaning “field of view” — exactly the visual envelope a viewer or camera sees.
  For an IFC viewer, it’s one of the best‑fitting Japanese terms you could pick

  
• falken10vdl

  May 8

  Ok, some marketing Latin Moto interpretation for Diomo to connect the brand:

  • “Domus” anchors architecture
  • “Imaginis” connects to visualization / BIM modeling
  • “Ordinata” reflects software structure and IFC organization

  Diomo = system that organizes the imagined building

  Cheers!
• CSN

  May 8

  I'm going to be boring and say that it should be somewhat tied to the existing brand. In my mind calling it "Bonsai Viewer" is fine.
  I appreciate that people want to be creative, but I think it makes it too unclear that it's connected to the IfcOpenShell ecosystem.
  That's my 2 cents.

  
• ifcLic

  May 8

  Bimsai
• ifcLic

  May 8

  Bimkai (from Bleach Bankai second release of zanpaktou -> second release of Bonsai)
• Owura_qu

  May 8 edited May 8

  What about proposing the name iXons to be pronounced as “icons”
  I - information (the “I” in BIM)
  X - exchange (information exchange and collaboration) and,
  O - opensource (open data)
  N - network(s) (emphasizes collaboration and connectivity in BIM)

  This also reflects on the mission of OSArch, which is basically an Information Exchange and Opensource Network(s) (IXONS). And indeed OSArch has become the “icon” of opensource in AEC :). Besides, the app is going to be iconic in AEC!

  BIM iXons!

  
• Samppa

  May 8

  IFSee

  
• brunopostle

  May 8

  I don't have any good ideas for a name, but the chances that this tool will gain at least some editing functionality in the future are quite high - so variations on 'view' or 'read' or 'inspect' may not make much sense in the long term.

  
• condur

  May 8

  @brunopostle said:
  I don't have any good ideas for a name, but the chances that this tool will gain at least some editing functionality in the future are quite high - so variations on 'view' or 'read' or 'inspect' may not make much sense in the long term.

  I was thinking the same. Even if no editing functionality added it is going to be much more than a viewer (clash, IDS checks, QTO etc).
• theoryshaw

  May 8

  @sjb007 darn.
  I did look, but not far enough down, i guess.
  anyone want to buy a domain? ;)

  
• arthur_vilarinho

  May 8

  IFC Desktop.
  It’s clear and simple.

  
• Massimo

  May 8 edited May 8

  I like IfcViewer but i think it is already used by others.
  It could be also FlowerBIM where every petal/leaf represents a different usecase (viewer, diff, clash, etc...).
  In general i think that the name should contain something related to the BIM world so people know what the tool is designed for.
• FeeBarradas

  May 8 edited May 8

  My suggestion is Soma.
  It means "sum", "many parts forming a whole", which feels very fitting for multiple disciplines working as one system. It also has connections to plant life and meanings in Hindu traditions, while still being short, simple, and easy to pronounce in many languages.

  Some other ideas:

  • Mira - “to see” in Spanish, relates nicely to visualization/viewers
  • Cora - reminds me of “core” and “heart”; simple and friendly sounding
  • Onda - Portuguese for “wave”, suggesting flow and communication
  • Luma - derived from "lumen", "light", connected to clarity and visualization
  • Lina - soft sounding, international, and also evokes “line”, "linea", "drawing"
  • Senna - a flowering plant associated with pollination and interconnected ecosystems (and also a nice Ayrton Senna reference!)

  I like Bonsai very much, but I probably wouldn’t repeat another Japanese reference. What about making it more international?
• FeeBarradas

  May 8

  My suggestion is Soma.
  It means sum, many parts forming a whole, which feels very fitting for multiple disciplines working as one system. It also has connections to plant life and meanings in Hindu traditions, while still being short, simple, and easy to pronounce in many languages.

  Some other ideas:

  • Mira — “to see” in Spanish, relates nicely to visualization/viewers
  • Cora — reminds me of “core” and “heart”; simple and friendly sounding
  • Onda — Portuguese for “wave”, suggesting flow and communication
  • Luma — derived from "lumen", "light", connected to clarity and visualization
  • Lina — soft sounding, international, and also evokes “line”, "linea", "drawing"
  • Senna — a flowering plant associated with pollination and interconnected ecosystems (and also a nice Ayrton Senna reference!)

  I like Bonsai very much, but wouldn't repeat another japanese reference. What about making it more international?
• theoryshaw

  May 8 edited May 8

  How about Yui?
  pronounced: yoo-ee--Almost like saying the letter "U" followed immediately by the letter "E."

  The Concept

  Yui (結い) is a Japanese word meaning "binding together." More specifically, it refers to a traditional practice of communal cooperative labour — neighbours coming together to accomplish tasks no single household could manage alone. Each person contributes their discipline; the outcome belongs to all.

  That is, almost exactly, what BIM coordination does. Where Bonsai captures the careful shaping of a single tree, Yui captures what happens when multiple disciplines are brought together and made to work as one.

  The Bonsai Family Connection

  This name emerged from thinking about Yose-ue (寄せ植え) — the Japanese art of forest or group bonsai planting, where multiple trees are arranged together in a single container. The key insight: trees that seem awkward or imperfect alone become characterful and meaningful in relationship to others. The strength of the forest lies in how the trees interact, not in how each performs individually.

  That's the coordination tool in a sentence. Yui captures the spirit of Yose-ue in two syllables — the full term was considered but four syllables with an unusual ending is too great a barrier for an international AEC audience.

  The Mycorrhizal Layer

  There's a deeper metaphor here too. Trees in a forest share nutrients and warning signals through underground fungal networks (mycorrhizae) — the "Wood Wide Web." A BIM coordination tool sits exactly at that interface, revealing hidden connections and clashes between discipline models. Yui as "binding together" works at both levels: the visible forest planting and the invisible root network beneath it.

  No Trademark conflict:

  Yui is clear. The only prior software use is Yahoo's YUI JavaScript library — discontinued in 2014. No active trademarks, no BIM or AEC conflicts. YuiBIM.org seem available.

  The Practical Case

  Two syllables. Pronounceable in any language. Memorable. Meaningful. Scalable as a standalone brand or as "Yui by IfcOpenShell."

  "Send me your Yui model." "I'll run it through Yui." "The Yui audit flagged three clashes."

  It works in conversation. And for anyone who asks what it means — the answer is a story worth telling.

  
• CSN

  May 8

  @brunopostle said:
  I don't have any good ideas for a name, but the chances that this tool will gain at least some editing functionality in the future are quite high - so variations on 'view' or 'read' or 'inspect' may not make much sense in the long term.

  We need to think in terms of ecosystems. Considering that IfcOpenShell is now being broken down into "modules", it would make sense for Bonsai to follow the same idea.
  What I mean is that there should always be a standalone Viewer for any suite of tools. If we need authoring, that should be an extension. I consider the way that Navisworks does it (with Freedom, Simulate, and Manage) - to be a fairly good example of this.
  The real question for me in terms of branding is whether we want "Bonsai" to be the brand. As Moult says, IfcOpenShell isn't actually a very good (read:marketable) brand.
  So we have two options:

  • Go with Bonsai Viewer, Bonsai Editor, Bonsai Explorer, and so on (Bonsai is The Brand).
  • Go with Brand Bonsai, Brand Diomo, Brand Shikai, (where we have funky names for each type of programme) - but note that there is no existing Brand in this case)

  
• aothms

  May 8

  Another option is to pick some inspiration from construction components, maybe not Windows, how about "formworks", think it's a positive name with a construction connotation.

  Otherwise I like everything with Desktop in it, IfcOpenShell Desktop / Bonsai Desktop / IFC Desktop (@arthur_vilarinho) / BIM Desktop / AEC Desktop.
• 255ribeiro

  May 9

  I’ve always had a soft spot for unusual names.
  If, in Goethe’s view, architecture is solid music, let’s say that construction coordination is the great art of conducting.
  Suggestion: BerliozBIM
  Hector Berlioz (1803–1869)
  Frustrated that seemingly no one could conduct his music properly, Berlioz began conducting it himself. He was famously known for his amazing ability to hear what each individual instrument was doing even when the entire orchestra was playing together.

  
• dpszl

  May 9

  Bonsai Drop? - it sounds like a smaller brother with less functions, connects to the bonsai tree aswell.