The implementation of industry foundation classes in simulation tools for the building industry

Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) provide an environment of interoperability among IFC-compliant software applications in the architecture, engineering, construction, and facilities management (AEC/FM) industry. They allow building simulation software to automatically acquire building geometry and other building data from project models created with IFC compliant CAD software. They also facilitate direct exchange of input and output data with other simulation software. This paper discusses how simulation software can be made compliant with version 1.5 of the IFC. It also describes the immediate plans for expansion of IFC and the process of definition and addition of new classes to the model.