Please Note: This is a German blog automatically translated to English.

The most popular IFC viewers

Anyone working with openBIM and IFC also needs a good and preferably vendor-neutral viewer. As I am asked this question very often, I am summarizing the most frequently used free viewers and my experiences with them here today - and of course I look forward to your comments and additions!

TOP 5 vendor-neutral viewers: 

  • FZKViewer, developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), is used worldwide by IFC experts as THE neutral viewer and is often my first choice. Unfortunately, the graphical interface is a bit old-fashioned and the navigation is not exactly intuitive. The FZKViewer is very compact and requires no installation - it is simply unpacked after downloading and can be started by double-clicking on the .exe file.
    Platform: Windows
     
  • open IFC Viewer is a relatively new and neutral development of the Open Design Alliance (ODA). According to its own statements, the viewer should also support experimental IFC features. I have not yet tested it thoroughly, but it certainly sounds promising.
    Platform: Windows / MacOS
     
  • BIMcollab ZOOM is very intuitive and easy to use. Even though BIMcollab offers a paid PRO version, the free version is completely sufficient for viewing and checking IFC files.
    Platform: Windows / MacOS
     
  • BIM Vision is a modular IFC viewer with its own SDK. In the free version, it is a solid viewer and can be extended with various plug-ins that enable, for example, the merging of IFC files or the export of sub-areas into a new IFC.
    Platform: Windows
     

  •  

Other viewers (not manufacturer-neutral): 

  • Solibri Anywhere is clearly laid out, but also has its own logic and does not necessarily display the IFCs faithfully - Solibri automatically calculates quantities based on the values contained in the IFC, but these cannot be found in other viewers, which can lead to confusion.
    Platform: Windows / MacOS

  • DDS-CAD Viewer has a good range of functions and even offers collision detection.
    Platform: Windows
     
  • Another option that is often overlooked, but in many cases is also suitable for viewing IFC files quickly and easily in the browser, is the Autodesk Viewer - IFC files (and many other formats) can be uploaded here free of charge and are available after a short processing time, including the tree structure and properties. The files remain available online for 30 days (extension possible) and can also be shared with others.
    Autodesk BIM 360 is also based on this technology and offers all the functions of a CDE platform in addition to the viewer.
    Platform: all (browser)
     
  • Last but not least, Navisworks may also be of interest to Autodesk users, as although it is not free of charge, it is included in the AEC Collection and offers many other BIM management functionalities, such as 4D simulation or clash detection.
    Platform: Windows

In any case, the viewers must be updated regularly (preferably automatically), as there are currently regular innovations in the IFC area, especially with regard to IFC4. I also always use 2-3 viewers (at least one of which is manufacturer-neutral) so that I can compare the results with each other if necessary.

What are your experiences here and which viewers do you use? 

Update 13.8. - your recommendations: 

DESITE Share - particularly good for infrastructure projects / IFC 4.1

Areddo IFC Viewer - very performant

usBIM.viewer+ 

Online Viewer: bimspot ifs-view.com

Mobile solution: 3D PDF Reader for iOS

Please vote for your "favorites" in the sidebar and feel free to add new suggestions - as soon as a viewer has 3 suggestions, I'll add it to the list. Thank you 🙂

8 comments
  1. Hello Lejla,
    thanks for the compilation.

    I also use the FZK Viewer a lot, as it makes it relatively easy to take a look at the technical details of an IFC file.
    Otherwise, I am a big fan of BIM Vision, as it is very flexible thanks to its expandability and ease of use.

    Can you recommend a viewer for mobile use (iPad, smartphone)?

    1. Hello Fabian,
      Thank you very much for your feedback! Mobile is actually a bit more difficult, especially when it comes to free and vendor-neutral.
      The easiest way is definitely the Autodesk Viewe, which also works well on mobile in the browser and you can also find files once uploaded in your account. BIMspot's https ://ifc-view.com/ should be similar, but I haven't tested it myself yet.
      Personally, I also use Autodesk BIM360 on mobile devices, as I store the files there anyway and can then view them directly, where you can also create comments or tasks, for example.
      The development here is actually moving towards CDE platforms, so that you can store your files in the "Common Data Environment" and then also view them with the corresponding mobile app.
      Hope this information helps you!
      Best regards, Lejla

  2. Nice summary

    the DDS-CAD Viewer is not manufacturer-neutral, but from the Nemetschek Group, just like Solibri.

    I have tested open IFC Viewer, it is fast and looks good, but I miss the possibility to merge different IFC files.

    Kind regards
    Heinrich Boldt

    1. Hello Heinrich,
      hm yes, of course you're right about DDS! 😉
      Regarding Open Viewer, I thought the same thing at first, but you can also merge IFC files under File > Append!
      Best wishes and have a nice weekend,
      Lejla

  3. Do any of you have any tips if you are looking for an IFC viewer and a half, where you can at best also carry out an automatic mass determination?
    LG Freddie

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