The new Add Document Models tool creates lightweight and simplified 3D visual representations of Revit and IFC models, ensuring fast-loading web scenes. These 3D models include synchronized metadata and links to live models in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and BIM 360.
Note:
This feature uses the 3D Object Feature Layer technology in ArcGIS. For more information, see Introduction to the 3D object feature class.
Use cases
This tool provides a quick solution for a variety of AEC tasks, such as:
- Flooding simulation based on up-to-date as-built or most recent design.
- Line of sight optimization for construction site cameras.
- Identify and document safety violations using ArcGIS Field Maps.
- Egress sites for transportation in ecologically sensitive areas—conflict between tree root ball and planned construction.
Select the tool
Working with GIS data requires careful choices about the coordinate system of your projects. To create simplified 3D models from Autodesk Revit and IFC files, we recommend you create your ArcGIS GeoBIM project using the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84 - EPSG 4326) coordinate system, in case you don't have a basemap and an elevation service from your project area. By selecting WGS84 as the project's coordinate system, the world elevation service from Esri will be used in the project's web scene.
- Select the Add Document Models tool
. Note:
The Add Document Extents tool will also run by default. The 2D extent is a key input to georeference 3D models in the correct location on Earth's surface.
Depending on the count and complexity of the models in your BIM project, the Add Document Models tool can take several hours to finish processing.
Output
Here are the three additional items created in your contents by running the Add Document Models tool using the WGS84 coordinate system:
- A WGS84 Latitude Longitude hosted 3D object feature layer—The associated feature layer for your scene layer that keeps the attribute data for your scene layer. This feature layer will be called {your GeoBIM project name}_3D.
- A WGS84 Latitude Longitude hosted scene layer—This scene layer will be called {your GeoBIM project name}_3D. This layer will be added to the project web scene with the layer name Models.
- A Web Mercator project global web scene—This web scene will be generated with the name {your GeoBIM project name} Project Scene. This web scene contains all ArcGIS GeoBIM 2D project layers and the 3D scene layer created above. In case the project's coordinate system is WGS84 (EPSG 4326), the scene will be using the world elevation service (Terrain 3D) from Esri, and all models will align with the elevation.
This configuration (WGS84 data with a Web Mercator global web scene) provides the best balance between accurate model placement and dimensions, while providing an easy to use elevation layer to ensure your models appear at the correct elevation relative to the ground.
If you have an elevation layer for a projected coordinate system (a local UTM, Lambert Conic Conformal, or other system), you can use that projected coordinate system to create your ArcGIS GeoBIM project and use the Add Document Models tool to create 3D models. To do this, you must add the appropriate elevation layer to the project or app scene using Scene Viewer.
Note:
To learn more on how to create a new elevation service using ArcGIS Pro, see Share a web elevation layer.
If you do not have an elevation layer in the desired projected coordinate system we recommend you avoid using the Add Document Models tool. Your models will appear to float at their specified elevation according to the Revit or IFC model relative to ground.
You can find a large number of publicly available layers that can be used as a basemap in ArcGIS Online or in ArcGIS Living Atlas. See Create a custom basemap gallery to learn more about using custom basemaps in ArcGIS GeoBIM. Even though there will be sufficient styling applied to all layers, you can customize the project web scene. See Style 3D object layers to learn more.
How updates and replacements work for 3D models
This tool is particularly beneficial during the early project stages when frequent model updates occur. Here is a summary of how changes are detected and honored:
- Start: Run Add Document Models.
- Decision point: Is this the first time running?
- Yes: Sync everything.
- No: Check whether a change is detected.
- No change detected: No 3D processing needed.
- Change detected: Process only changed models and folders.
Conditions for detecting changes:
- Change in name or version.
- Removed BIM models or folders in ACC or BIM 360.
- New selection of folders in ArcGIS GeoBIM.
- Deselected folders in ArcGIS GeoBIM.
Actions and output when processing changed models and/or folders:
- Reprocess new version and add again.
- Delete models from deleted documents or folders in ACC or BIM 360.
- Add models from new selected folders.
- Delete models from deselected folders.
Limitations
Some limitations for this tool include:
- When the ArcGIS GeoBIM project web scene is opened in Scene Viewer, a runtime error (Webscene not valid against schema) shows up because of an incomplete configuration. To work around this do the following:
- Ignore and close the error message. Save the web scene as it is. The error message will not show up again.
- If the project web scene is added to an ArcGIS GeoBIM app, only the Save to Copy option is available. Selecting this will save a new web scene. To see the Save option in ArcGIS GeoBIM when adding the project web scene to an app do the following:
- Open the ArcGIS GeoBIM project web scene in Scene Viewer and save it. This will fix the schema and you will be able to save the project web scene using the Save option in ArcGIS GeoBIM.
- IFC and RVT are currently the only supported formats.