The following are required to configure ArcGIS GeoBIM tools.
Use supported IFC and Revit versions
ArcGIS GeoBIM uses several Autodesk software development kits and APIs to georeference .rvt and .dwg documents. Accordingly, all Revit versions, including the latest 2023 version, are supported with ArcGIS GeoBIM, as long as they can be upgraded without major errors to Revit 2023. For troubleshooting problems in Revit files, refer to the related sections in the A Hitchhiker’s Guide to ArcGIS GeoBIM story.
Note:
You must have Cloud Collaboration as part of your Autodesk licensing to be able to georeference Cloud Workshared models.
ArcGIS GeoBIM supports IFC files in Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM 360 projects based on the following buildingSMART International (bSI) data exchange standards: IFC 4.3, IFC4, IFC2x3, and IFC2x2. Even though ArcGIS GeoBIM supports many IFC entities to georeference a model, follow these steps for the best results with IFC models:
- See the buildingSMART International User Guide for Georeferencing in IFC v2.0 on georeferencing and use the IFC 4.3 or IFC4 format where possible. As defined in the user guide, specify your project reference coordinates (Survey Point and Project Base Point in Revit) according to data given by a land surveyor.
- For IFC 4.3 or IFC4 files, ensure that the IFC entities IFCSite, IFCProjectedCRS, and IFCMapConversion exist in the model.
For instance, if you enter the EPSG code of the coordinate system and use the Project Base Point, the Revit 2023 (Revit 2024 for IFC 4.3) would export the optimal entities for the correct georeferencing in IFC.
Troubleshoot georeferencing of IFC models in ArcGIS GeoBIM
After running the Locate Engineering Documents tool in ArcGIS GeoBIM, the calculated bounding boxes of the models may appear in an unexpected location. This could be caused by the following:
- The wrong reference coordinate system was selected when the IFC file was exported from the source authoring software (for example, Revit).
- Shared coordinates have not been published into all the files that are linked to a .rvt model.
- A model has been placed far away from the origin (Survey Point in Revit) in the authoring source software.
Note:
The wrong reference coordinates may be hidden when using other IFC viewers, because some IFC viewers may ignore or override user coordinate systems.
To fix the coordinate system in the source models, check the export settings of the source software that was used to export the IFC model. Follow these steps to check the export settings:
- See Section 5: Embedding the Geo-Referencing Data in the buildingSMART International User Guide for Georeferencing in IFC v2.0 file.
- Consult the user who exported the IFC file from the authoring software.
- Check the export settings of the source software that was used to export the IFC.
- Check which coordinate system was selected in the export setting of the authoring software.