Overview

This node extracts information from IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) files using the web-ifc library. It supports multiple operations including extracting all elements, extracting elements by type, extracting elements with their properties, extracting properties for specific elements, and getting basic file information. The node can process IFC data either from binary data passed from a previous node or directly from a file path. It is useful in scenarios where users need to analyze or manipulate building and construction data stored in IFC format, such as in BIM (Building Information Modeling) workflows.

Use Case Examples

1. Extract all elements from an IFC file to analyze building components.
2. Get specific element types like walls or doors from an IFC file for detailed inspection.
3. Retrieve properties of certain elements by their IDs for reporting or validation.
4. Obtain basic metadata about an IFC file to understand its contents before processing.

Properties

Output

JSON

• operation - The operation performed (e.g., getFileInfo).
• fileInfoExtractorOutput - Basic information extracted about the IFC file when using the Get File Info operation.

Dependencies

• web-ifc library for IFC file parsing and extraction
• Node.js fs module for reading files from the filesystem

Troubleshooting

• Ensure the file path is correct and accessible when using the file path input source; otherwise, a file read error will occur.
• If using binary data input, verify that the binary property name matches the property containing the IFC data in the previous node.
• Initialization of the web-ifc API may fail; the node attempts multiple initialization methods and will throw an error if all fail.
• Common error messages include missing file path, unknown operation, or failure to initialize the web-ifc API. These can be resolved by providing correct parameters and ensuring dependencies are installed properly.

Links

• web-ifc GitHub Repository - The library used for parsing and extracting data from IFC files.