IFC Data Browser

A modern web application for exploring and analyzing IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) building model files. Transform complex BIM data into interactive SQL databases directly in your browser.

🚀 Features

• Client-Side Processing: 100% privacy-first: all processing happens in your browser
• Multi-Format Support: Compatible with IFC2X3 and IFC4 formats (IFC4X3 coming soon)
• Interactive Database Viewer: Browse, search, and query your IFC data as SQL tables
• WebAssembly Powered: Uses Pyodide and IfcOpenShell compiled to WebAssembly
• Real-time Progress: Live updates during file processing and conversion
• Dark/Light Theme: Modern UI with theme switching
• Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile devices
• No Upload Required: Files never leave your device

📋 Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• Architecture
• Technology Stack
• Installation
• Usage
• Privacy & Security
• Contributing
• License
• Resources

🎯 Quick Start

1. Open the Application: Navigate to the deployed application URL
2. Upload IFC File: Drag and drop or click to select your .ifc file
3. Wait for Processing: The app will convert your IFC file to a SQLite database
4. Explore Data: Browse tables, view entities, and run custom queries

That's it! No installation, no server setup, no data sharing.

🏗 Architecture

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Next.js UI    │────│  Pyodide Worker  │────│  IfcOpenShell   │
│   (React)       │    │  (WebAssembly)   │    │  (Python)       │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
                                │
                                ▼
                       ┌─────────────────┐
                       │   SQLite DB     │
                       │   (In-Memory)   │
                       └─────────────────┘

Core Components

• Frontend: Next.js 15 with React 19, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS
• WebAssembly Runtime: Pyodide for running Python in the browser
• IFC Processing: IfcOpenShell compiled to WebAssembly
• Database: SQLite compiled to WebAssembly for in-memory storage
• UI Components: Radix UI with custom styling

🛠 Technology Stack

Frontend

• Framework: Next.js 15
• Language: TypeScript
• UI Library: React 19
• Styling: Tailwind CSS + Radix UI
• Theme: next-themes
• File Upload: react-dropzone

Backend (Client-Side)

• Runtime: Pyodide (Python in WebAssembly)
• IFC Library: IfcOpenShell
• Database: SQLite (WebAssembly)
• Geometry: Shapely
• Web Worker: Multi-threaded processing

Development

• Build Tool: Next.js
• Package Manager: pnpm
• Linting: ESLint
• Type Checking: TypeScript

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm/pnpm
• Modern web browser with WebAssembly support

Local Development

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/ifc-data-browser.git
   cd ifc-data-browser

2. Install dependencies

   pnpm install

3. Start development server

   pnpm dev

4. Open your browser Navigate to http://localhost:3000

Production Build

pnpm build
pnpm start

📖 Usage

Basic Workflow

1. File Upload

   • Drag and drop IFC files or click to browse
   • Supported formats: .ifc (IFC2X3, IFC4)
   • File size limit: Browser-dependent (typically 2GB+)

2. Processing

   • Real-time progress updates
   • Multiple processing steps:
     • Loading IFC file
     • Parsing entities
     • Building database schema
     • Converting to SQLite tables
     • Indexing for performance

3. Data Exploration

   • Table Browser: View all converted tables
   • Entity Inspector: Examine individual IFC entities
   • SQL Query Interface: Run custom queries
   • Property Viewer: Explore entity properties and relationships

Example Queries

-- Find all walls
SELECT * FROM ifcwall;

-- Count entities by type
SELECT type, COUNT(*) as count
FROM entities
GROUP BY type
ORDER BY count DESC;

-- Find entities with specific properties
SELECT * FROM ifcwall
WHERE Name LIKE '%exterior%';

🔒 Privacy & Security

Privacy First Design

• Zero Data Transmission: Files never leave your browser
• Client-Side Processing: All computation happens locally
• No External Dependencies: No API calls or server requests
• No Tracking: No analytics or user data collection

Security Features

• WebAssembly Sandbox: Python code runs in secure WASM environment
• No File System Access: Cannot read/write local files
• Memory-Only Storage: Database exists only in browser memory
• No Network Activity: Confirmed via browser developer tools

Verification

To verify privacy claims:

1. Open browser developer tools (F12)
2. Go to Network tab
3. Upload an IFC file
4. Confirm: 0 bytes uploaded, no external requests

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

Project Structure

ifc-data-browser/
├── app/                    # Next.js app router
├── components/             # React components
│   ├── ui/                # Reusable UI components
│   └── ...                # Feature-specific components
├── hooks/                 # Custom React hooks
├── lib/                   # Utility libraries
├── public/                # Static assets
│   └── ifc2sql.py        # Python IFC processing script
└── styles/               # Global styles

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).

Key Points

• ✅ Open Source: Full source code available
• ✅ Copyleft: Modifications must be shared under same license
• ✅ Network Use: Network-accessible modifications must provide source
• ✅ Commercial Use: Allowed with license compliance

See LICENSE for full license text.

📚 Resources

IFC & BIM

• IFC Standards - Official IFC documentation
• buildingSMART - International BIM standards organization
• IFC Schema Browser - Interactive schema documentation

Tools & Libraries

• IfcOpenShell - Core IFC processing library
• Pyodide - Python in WebAssembly
• SQLite - Database engine
• Next.js - React framework

🙏 Acknowledgments

• IfcOpenShell: For the incredible open-source IFC library
• Pyodide Team: For making Python available in browsers
• buildingSMART: For developing and maintaining IFC standards
• Open Source Community: For the tools and libraries that make this possible

📞 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues

or reach out...

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Made with ❤️ for the AEC industry