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IFClite Documentation

  • Get Started

    Create a project with create-ifc-lite or parse your first IFC file in under 5 minutes.

    Quick Start

  • Three.js & Babylon.js

    Use IFClite with Three.js or Babylon.js. WebGL, no WebGPU required.

    Three.js · Babylon.js

  • Server Setup

    Rust server with caching and parallel processing for teams and large files.

    Server Guide

  • Desktop App

    Native Tauri app for offline use, large files, and multi-threaded performance.

    Desktop Guide

What is IFClite?

IFClite is an open-source toolkit for working with IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) files. It runs in the browser, on a server, or as a native desktop app.

What you can do with it:

  • View 3D models in the browser with a WebGPU renderer
  • Use your own 3D engine - parse IFC geometry and render it with Three.js, Babylon.js, or any WebGL engine
  • Extract data like properties, quantities, relationships, and spatial structure
  • Validate models against IDS (Information Delivery Specification) rules
  • Generate 2D drawings like floor plans, sections, and elevations from 3D models
  • Collaborate with BCF support for issues, viewpoints, and comments
  • Export to glTF, IFC, or Parquet
  • Work with multiple models at once with federated selection and visibility

Supports IFC4 / IFC4X3 (876 entities) and IFC5 (IFCX) JSON format. ~260 KB gzipped.

Choose Your Setup

Not sure how to use IFClite? This diagram helps you pick:

flowchart TD Start[I want to work with IFC files] --> Q1{Do I need 3D viewing?} Q1 -->|No, just data| Parser["Use @ifc-lite/parser"] Q1 -->|Yes| Q2{Do I already have a 3D engine?} Q2 -->|Yes, Three.js or Babylon.js| Integration[Use @ifc-lite/geometry + your engine] Q2 -->|No, start fresh| Q3{Where will it run?} Q3 -->|Browser| WebGPU["Use the built-in WebGPU viewer"] Q3 -->|Desktop| Tauri["Use the Tauri desktop app"] Q3 -->|Server for my team| Server["Set up the Rust server"]
Setup Best for Getting started
Browser (WebGPU) Viewing and inspecting models, client-side only Quick Start
Three.js Adding IFC to an existing Three.js app (WebGL) Three.js Tutorial
Babylon.js Adding IFC to an existing Babylon.js app (WebGL) Babylon.js Tutorial
Server Teams, large files (100 MB+), caching for repeat access Server Guide
Desktop (Tauri) Offline use, very large files (500 MB+), multi-threading Desktop Guide

Quick Examples

npx create-ifc-lite my-app
cd my-app && npm install && npm run parse

Or in your own code:

import { IfcParser } from '@ifc-lite/parser';

const parser = new IfcParser();
const result = await parser.parse(buffer);
console.log(`Found ${result.entityCount} entities`);

npx create-ifc-lite my-viewer --template react
cd my-viewer && npm install && npm run dev

Or set it up manually:

import { IfcParser } from '@ifc-lite/parser';
import { GeometryProcessor } from '@ifc-lite/geometry';
import { Renderer } from '@ifc-lite/renderer';

const renderer = new Renderer(canvas);
await renderer.init();
const geometry = new GeometryProcessor();
await geometry.init();

const parser = new IfcParser();
const store = await parser.parseColumnar(buffer);
const geometryResult = await geometry.process(new Uint8Array(buffer));

renderer.loadGeometry(geometryResult);
renderer.fitToView();
renderer.render();

npx create-ifc-lite my-viewer --template threejs     # Three.js
npx create-ifc-lite my-viewer --template babylonjs    # Babylon.js

These templates include a working viewer. See the full tutorials:

npx create-ifc-lite my-backend --template server
cd my-backend && npm run server:start

import { IfcServerClient } from '@ifc-lite/server-client';

const client = new IfcServerClient({ baseUrl: 'https://your-server.com' });

// Caches automatically, skips upload if the file was processed before
const result = await client.parseParquet(file);

// Or stream geometry for large files
for await (const event of client.parseStream(file)) {
  if (event.type === 'batch') {
    renderer.addMeshes(event.meshes);
  }
}

What Do I Install?

You don't need all packages. Here's what to grab for common tasks:

I want to... Packages
Parse an IFC file @ifc-lite/parser
View a 3D model (WebGPU) + @ifc-lite/geometry + @ifc-lite/renderer
Use Three.js or Babylon.js + @ifc-lite/geometry (you handle the rendering)
Query properties and types + @ifc-lite/query
Validate against IDS rules + @ifc-lite/ids
Generate 2D drawings + @ifc-lite/drawing-2d
Export to glTF / IFC / Parquet + @ifc-lite/export
Connect to a server backend + @ifc-lite/server-client

Full list: TypeScript API Reference (25 packages) · Rust API Reference (4 crates)

Browser Support

Chrome 113+ · Edge 113+ · Firefox 127+ · Safari 18+ (all with WebGPU)

Three.js and Babylon.js integrations work with WebGL and don't require WebGPU. See Browser Requirements for details.

Next Steps