Form: Import IFC File
Use the File menu > Import > Import IFC File command to import IFC files.
Click the File menu > Import > Import IFC File command to display the Import IFC File form.
Use the top Browse button and the adjacent edit/display box to specify the path and filename of the IFC file to be imported.
SAP2000 reads the IFC file you selected and displays an account of its relevant content.
IFC files are repositories of Building Information Modeling BIM data. Most of this data is not relevant to structural analysis and accordingly not imported by SAP2000. Various types of IFC data are organized into subsets named “views” which gather data types relevant to various aspects of building design, construction, and maintenance. There are several such views, but only two views are relevant to SAP2000: the “structural analysis view”, and the “architectural coordination view”.
The structural analysis view describes a building structure in terms of nodes, elements, and loads. Files containing a structural analysis view are the most suitable for import into SAP2000, but are written by very few if any 3D building modeling programs.
The architectural coordination view describes the components of a building in architectural terms. Files containing an architectural coordination view are quite prevalent. Only some of the entities in these files are relevant to SAP2000, and whether these entities can be imported or not depends on how their geometry is described. For example, if the external faces of a beam or column are specified in the IFC file but its centerline is not, the beam or column cannot be imported. Furthermore, because the geometric extents of framing elements stop at the external faces of their supports, you will need to systematically adjust end points after import.
SAP2000 tabulates the number of “Structural Analysis Entities” on the left side of the form, and the number of “Architectural Coordination Entities” on the right side of the form.
Use the lower Browse button and the edit/display box next to it to specify the path and filename of a section catalog other than AISC14.pro. SAP2000 imports most IFC profiles that are subtypes of IfcParameterizedProfileDef, with a few exceptions such as IfcEllipseProfileDef. However, many 3D building modeling programs do not export section profiles this way, and instead export them as IfcArbitraryClosedProfileDef entities which are defined by their outlines. Such profile entities are not directly useable for analysis and design. However, if their ProfileName attribute matches one of the section names in the section catalog you selected, these profile entities are imported as the corresponding SAP2000 section.
Next to the count of each type of entity is a check box. These check boxes let you control which types of IFC entities to import. If the file includes both Structural Analysis view and Architectural Coordination view entities, you should choose one type or the other. If you import both, you may get duplicate frame and shell objects.
Click the OK button to complete the import.
After a few moments, SAP2000 displays the imported model. If there are errors or warnings, a message box will be displayed to that effect. You should then review the log file. Its name and folder location are the same as those of the .IFC file you imported, with the extension changed to .ifcimp.log