Convert IFC into whatever the next tool reads.
glTF and GLB for the web and AR. OBJ for Blender, Unity and Unreal. STEP for engineering exchange. DXF and SVG floor plans for CAD. COBie for FM, PML for AVEVA E3D. Every converter in one browser tab, free, with no desktop pipeline to maintain.
IFC is the format everyone agreed on. It is almost never the format the next person's software opens.
- 3D: glTF · GLB · OBJ · STEP
- 2D: DXF · SVG floor plans, per storey
- Data: COBie · PML
- Schema: IFC2x3 ⇄ IFC4
Start here — IFC to GLB
glTF, because the web can open it. glTF is the format that made 3D models work in a browser and on a phone — and it's what a visualisation team, a web developer or an AR headset asks for. Export as a single .glb or a split set, drop it into three.js, Blender, Unreal or a client's website, and it opens without a plug-in on the other end.
- Single binary .glb, or a split glTF set
- Opens in Blender, three.js, Unreal, most AR viewers
- Geometry only — properties leave separately, via Excel
What this set does
Game engines and renderers
OBJ with materials for the visualisation team's Blender / Unity / Unreal pipeline, with no round trip through an authoring seat.
Back to 2D
DXF and SVG floor plans generated per storey, so a drafter gets drawings out of the 3D model instead of redrawing them.
The cheapest conversion
Sometimes the recipient doesn't need a file at all. A read-only viewer link installs nothing on their machine and expires when you say.
Tools in this category
- IFC to GLB — Convert IFC to GLB (binary glTF) for 3D viewers, AR/VR, and web embedding.
- IFC to OBJ — Convert IFC to Wavefront OBJ format for 3D modeling software.
- IFC to STEP — Convert IFC to STEP (tessellated geometry) for CAD/CAM exchange.
- IFC to DXF — Convert IFC to DXF — a 3DFACE triangle mesh that opens directly in CAD and coordination applications.
- IFC to AVEVA E3D (PML) — Convert IFC into an AVEVA E3D PML macro (.
- IFC to COBie — Extract the five core COBie sheets from IFC — Facility, Floor, Space, Type and Component — as a spreadsheet for facility management handover.
- IFC to CAD — Generate real 2D CAD drawings (floor plans, elevations, and user-defined sections) with per-class layers.
- IFC to Revit — Rebuild an IFC as native Revit elements — walls, floors, ceilings, beams, columns, pipes and ducts — with a free add-in for Revit 2023-2026.
- Upgrade IFC — Convert an older IFC2x3 model to the newer IFC4 format.
- Downgrade IFC — Convert an IFC4 model to the widely supported IFC2x3 format.
- Share IFC File — Generate a shareable link so others can open the model in a read-only viewer.
How it works
- Upload. One IFC. IFC2x3 and IFC4 both convert.
- Pick the target. glTF for the web, OBJ for engines, STEP for engineering, COBie for FM, DXF or SVG for CAD.
- Download or share. Take the converted file, or send the auto-generated viewer link instead.
When you'd use it
The visualisation team
They work in Blender and Unreal, they need the model next week, and they do not want to hear the word IFC.
The client's website
Somebody wants the building spinning on a landing page, which means glTF and a file small enough to load over mobile.
Drafters who need plans
The 3D model exists and the 2D deliverable doesn't. Generating DXF per storey beats redrafting it.
Where it stops
- glTF and OBJ are geometry-only. Property sets don't travel with them — export those to Excel separately.
- STEP output is tessellated geometry: surfaces, not parametric solids. It exchanges shape, not design intent.
- IFC4x3 input isn't converted yet. The run is refused up front rather than quietly writing you an IFC4 file.
- IFC4 → IFC2x3 is one-way lossy, and the loss report tells you what went.
FAQ
Which formats are supported?
glTF (single binary or split), OBJ + .mtl, STEP (tessellated geometry — surfaces, not parametric solids), COBie spreadsheet, DXF and SVG floor plans (per storey), and IFC schema conversion in both directions (IFC2x3 to IFC4, and IFC4 back down to IFC2x3 with a full loss report). IFC4x3 inputs aren't converted yet — the run is refused up front rather than silently writing you an IFC4 file.
Will properties survive a glTF or OBJ conversion?
Both are geometry-only. The glTF/GLB and OBJ exports carry the shapes, not the property sets or per-element grouping. If you need properties alongside geometry in a 3D tool, export the properties to Excel separately and re-attach them in-tool with a small script.
Can I batch-convert a whole folder?
Yes. Add a converter step (or several — glTF + OBJ + STEP at once) to a pipeline in the Automate tab and drop a folder. Each input produces every requested output, with one row per source in the result table.
How does this round-trip into other BCF coordination tools?
BCF 2.1 is the round-trip standard for coordination data. For models, IFC stays the lingua franca — every BIMCamel converter starts from IFC and writes back IFC where applicable, so the desktop tools can ingest the result without an intermediate step.