IFC, RVT and NWD to STEP (.stp) — tessellated geometry for CAD and fabrication

Convert IFC to STEP (tessellated geometry) for CAD/CAM exchange. Note: parametric features (extrusions, Booleans, swept profiles) are not preserved — the output is triangle-mesh surfaces.

Besides IFC, this tool takes Revit (.rvt) and Navisworks (.nwd) files, with no Revit or Navisworks licence. Drop one in and it is converted to IFC first, then the tool runs on that IFC; your original file is not changed.

Convert an IFC model to STEP online. Upload the IFC, run the export, download a .stp file that opens in mechanical CAD and CAM software — SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion, CATIA, FreeCAD, and the shop-floor tools that only speak engineering formats.

STEP (ISO 10303) is the interchange standard of the mechanical world, the way IFC is the standard of the building world. When a building model has to reach someone whose tools have never heard of IFC — a steel fabricator, a façade manufacturer, a plant engineer, a machine shop — STEP is usually the format they name. This gets you there in the browser instead of through a desktop translator licence.

When to reach for it: When you need to share structural details with a fabrication shop or use the geometry in CAD/CAM engineering software.

What you get: A STEP file (.stp) for precision engineering and manufacturing exchange.

Example: Share geometry with a fabrication shop that accepts STEP tessellation.

Read this before you send it: the output is tessellated

The STEP file carries TRIANGLE-MESH SURFACES, not parametric solids. Extrusions, Booleans and swept profiles are resolved during tessellation, so what arrives is the faceted skin of each element rather than an editable feature tree or a B-rep solid.

This is the single fact that decides whether the export is any use to your recipient, so it's worth confirming with them before you spend the run. Mesh STEP is fine for reference geometry, spatial coordination, clash checking against a mechanical model, visual verification and measurement. It is not fine as the basis for machining toolpaths, parametric editing or a fabrication model built from features — a shop expecting solids will not be able to work from it, and will say so after they've opened it.

When mesh STEP is the right hand-off

Reference geometry — the mechanical engineer needs the building around their equipment, not an editable building.
Coordination and clash — importing the structure into a plant-design or mechanical CAD environment to check interferences against equipment.
Measurement and verification — checking a clearance, a level or a dimension against the architectural model inside a CAD tool.
Any workflow where the receiving tool reads STEP and nothing else, and the geometry is there to look at and measure rather than to be rebuilt from.

Scope the export down first

Mechanical CAD tools are considerably less tolerant of a million triangles than a BIM viewer is, and a whole-building STEP is rarely what anyone wanted. Send the part that matters: Delete IFC Elements to drop classes outside the scope, Split IFC Model to isolate a storey or a zone, Reduce IFC File Size to strip geometry nothing displays. A focused export imports faster, opens reliably, and is easier for the recipient to work with.

If the recipient is on AVEVA E3D specifically, don't use STEP — IFC to AVEVA E3D (PML) produces native, editable SCTN and PIPE primitives instead of a mesh, which is a fundamentally better hand-off. And if what they actually need is 2D, IFC to CAD Drawings generates real plans, elevations and sections rather than a 3D mesh.

Using it on Revit and Navisworks files

When you open a .rvt or a .nwd file here, BIMCamel converts it to IFC on the server and brings you back to this tool with the converted model loaded. Element ids, levels and properties come across under their Revit and Navisworks names, so pick properties as they appear in your model. Your .rvt or .nwd itself is never edited: a tool that changes the model gives you an IFC back.

Revit files can be up to 25 MB without an account, 100 MB with a free one and 200 MB on a paid plan. Navisworks files can be up to 25 MB without an account, 100 MB with a free one and 200 MB on a paid plan, and they open in the browser viewer at the same sizes. Revit projects saved in Revit 2021 to 2027 are supported.

How to convert IFC to STEP online

Upload your model (IFC, RVT or NWD)
Click Run to convert
Download the STEP file

Under the hood

BIMCamel parses IFC files in the browser using the open-source web-ifc engine and renders models with @thatopen/components + three.js. Heavy operations (clean / optimise / validate / convert) run on disposable server-side workers using the same web-ifc stack plus our own .NET pipeline; results stream back to your browser as soon as they're ready. Uploads sit on our servers only as long as your tier's retention window allows and are never used to train AI.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert an IFC file to STEP?

Upload the IFC here and run the export — you get a .stp file that opens in mechanical CAD and CAM software. It runs in the browser with no translator licence and no install.

Is the STEP output parametric solids or a mesh?

A tessellated triangle mesh. Extrusions, Booleans and swept profiles are resolved into faceted surfaces, so there's no feature tree or B-rep solid to edit. Confirm with your recipient that mesh geometry works for them before sending it — a fabricator expecting solids won't be able to build from it.

Can a fabricator machine from this file?

Generally no. Machining toolpaths and feature-based fabrication need solid geometry, and this is a surface mesh. It's suitable as reference geometry, for coordination and for measurement. For structural steel going into AVEVA E3D, use IFC to AVEVA E3D (PML), which produces native editable primitives.

Why is the STEP file so large?

Because mesh STEP stores every triangle as text, and a whole building is a lot of triangles. Cut the scope before exporting — Split IFC Model for one storey, Delete IFC Elements for unneeded classes, Reduce IFC File Size for geometry that nothing displays.

My export produced nothing — why?

The model has no body geometry to tessellate. Annotation-only, grid-only and 2D-only IFCs export nothing, and the run reports that rather than handing back an empty file. Open the model in the IFC viewer to confirm it has representable geometry.

Which IFC versions are supported?

IFC2x3 and IFC4 — the two schema versions exported by essentially every AEC authoring application. IFC4x3, the infrastructure schema, works too: it opens in the viewer, and validation, health reports, property-set editing and georeferencing all run on it. Tools that need geometry processing, such as clash detection and 3D export, aren't verified on IFC4x3 yet.

What's the maximum IFC file size?

Up to 25 MB as a guest, 100 MB with a free account, 500 MB on Pro, and 1 GB on Team. The caps are on upload size only — every tool itself is available on every tier.

What happens to my file after processing?

Your file is uploaded over HTTPS and processed on our servers. Guest uploads are stream-only — the working files are deleted as soon as your download finishes. Free accounts keep results for 7 days; Pro and Team keep saved models until you delete them. Files are never shared with third parties or used to train AI.

Is IFC to STEP free?

Yes. IFC to STEP is free to use — guests get 3 runs a day with 25 MB uploads, and a free account raises that to 10 runs a day with 100 MB uploads. No trial clock, no watermarks.

Can I use a Revit or Navisworks file with IFC, RVT, NWD to STEP?

Yes. Open a .rvt or .nwd file and it is converted to IFC first; the tool then runs on that IFC and your original file is not changed.