ifc-lite
Fast · Lightweight · Columnar · Browser-native
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Features · Quick Start · Documentation · Architecture · Performance · Contributing
Overview
IFClite parses, processes, and renders IFC files in the browser using Rust + WebAssembly and WebGPU. Smaller and faster than the alternatives.
~650 KB WASM (~260 KB gzipped) • 2.6x faster • 100% IFC4X3 schema (876 entities)
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Clean DX | Columnar data structures, TypedArrays, consistent API. Built from scratch for clarity |
| STEP/IFC Parsing | Zero-copy tokenization with full IFC4X3 schema support (876 entities) |
| Streaming Pipeline | Progressive geometry processing. First triangles in 300-500ms |
| WebGPU Rendering | Modern GPU-accelerated 3D with depth testing and frustum culling |
| Zero-Copy GPU | Direct WASM memory to GPU buffers, 60-70% less RAM |
Quick Start
Option 1: Create a New Project (Recommended)
Get started instantly without cloning the repo:
npx create-ifc-lite my-ifc-app
cd my-ifc-app
npm install && npm run parse
Or create a React viewer:
npx create-ifc-lite my-viewer --template react
cd my-viewer
npm install && npm run dev
Option 2: Install Packages Directly
Add IFClite to your existing project:
npm install @ifc-lite/parser
import { IfcParser } from '@ifc-lite/parser';
const parser = new IfcParser();
const result = parser.parse(ifcBuffer);
console.log(`Found ${result.entities.length} entities`);
For full 3D rendering, add geometry and renderer packages:
npm install @ifc-lite/parser @ifc-lite/geometry @ifc-lite/renderer
Option 3: Rust/Cargo
For Rust projects:
cargo add ifc-lite-core
use ifc_lite_core::parse_ifc;
let result = parse_ifc(&ifc_bytes)?;
println!("Parsed {} entities", result.entities.len());
Option 4: Clone the Repo (Contributors)
For contributing or running the full demo app:
git clone https://github.com/louistrue/ifc-lite.git
cd ifc-lite
pnpm install && pnpm dev
Open http://localhost:5173 and load an IFC file.
Note: Requires Node.js 18+ and pnpm 8+. No Rust toolchain needed - WASM is pre-built.
📖 Full Guide: See Installation for detailed setup options including troubleshooting.
Basic Usage
import { IfcParser } from '@ifc-lite/parser';
import { Renderer } from '@ifc-lite/renderer';
// Parse IFC file
const parser = new IfcParser();
const result = parser.parse(ifcArrayBuffer);
// Access entities
const walls = result.entities.filter(e => e.type === 'IFCWALL');
console.log(`Found ${walls.length} walls`);
// Render geometry (requires @ifc-lite/renderer)
const renderer = new Renderer(canvas);
await renderer.loadGeometry(result.geometry);
renderer.render();
Documentation
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Quick Start | Parse your first IFC file in 5 minutes |
| Installation | Detailed setup for npm, Cargo, and from source |
| User Guide | Complete guides: parsing, geometry, rendering, querying |
| Tutorials | Build a viewer, custom queries, extend the parser |
| Architecture | System design with detailed diagrams |
| API Reference | TypeScript, Rust, and WASM API docs |
| Contributing | Development setup and testing guide |
Architecture
flowchart LR
IFC[IFC File] --> Tokenize
Tokenize --> Scan --> Decode
Decode --> Tables[Columnar Tables]
Decode --> Graph[Relationship Graph]
Tables --> Renderer[WebGPU Renderer]
Graph --> Export[glTF / Parquet]
style IFC fill:#6366f1,stroke:#312e81,color:#fff
style Tokenize fill:#2563eb,stroke:#1e3a8a,color:#fff
style Scan fill:#2563eb,stroke:#1e3a8a,color:#fff
style Decode fill:#10b981,stroke:#064e3b,color:#fff
style Tables fill:#f59e0b,stroke:#7c2d12,color:#fff
style Graph fill:#f59e0b,stroke:#7c2d12,color:#fff
style Renderer fill:#a855f7,stroke:#581c87,color:#fff
style Export fill:#a855f7,stroke:#581c87,color:#fff
IFC files flow through three processing layers. See the Architecture Documentation for detailed diagrams including data flow, memory model, and threading.
Deep Dive: Data Flow · Parsing Pipeline · Geometry Pipeline · Rendering Pipeline
Project Structure
ifc-lite/
├── rust/ # Rust/WASM backend
│ ├── core/ # IFC/STEP parsing (~2,000 LOC)
│ ├── geometry/ # Geometry processing (~2,500 LOC)
│ └── wasm-bindings/ # JavaScript API (~800 LOC)
│
├── packages/ # TypeScript packages
│ ├── parser/ # High-level IFC parser
│ ├── geometry/ # Geometry bridge (WASM)
│ ├── renderer/ # WebGPU rendering
│ ├── cache/ # Binary cache format
│ ├── query/ # Query system
│ ├── data/ # Columnar data structures
│ ├── spatial/ # Spatial indexing
│ ├── export/ # Export formats
│ └── codegen/ # Schema generator
│
├── apps/
│ └── viewer/ # React web application
│
└── docs/ # Documentation (MkDocs)
Performance
Bundle Size Comparison
| Library | WASM Size | Gzipped |
|---|---|---|
| IFClite | 0.65 MB | 0.26 MB |
| web-ifc | 1.1 MB | 0.4 MB |
| IfcOpenShell | 15 MB | - |
Parse Performance
| Model Size | IFClite | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10 MB | ~100-200ms | Small models |
| 50 MB | ~600-700ms | Typical models |
| 100+ MB | ~1.5-2s | Complex geometry |
Based on benchmark results across 67 IFC files.
Zero-Copy GPU Pipeline
- Zero-copy WASM to WebGPU: Direct memory access from WASM linear memory to GPU buffers
- 60-70% reduction in peak RAM usage
- 74% faster parse time with optimized data flow
- 40-50% faster geometry-to-GPU pipeline
Geometry Processing
- 5x faster overall than web-ifc (median 2.18x, up to 104x on some files)
- Streaming pipeline with batched processing (100 meshes/batch)
- First triangles visible in 300-500ms
See full benchmark data for per-file comparisons.
Browser Requirements
| Browser | Minimum Version | WebGPU |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | 113+ | ✅ |
| Edge | 113+ | ✅ |
| Firefox | 127+ | ✅ |
| Safari | 18+ | ✅ |
More Info: See Browser Requirements for WebGPU feature detection and fallbacks.
Development (Contributors)
For contributing to IFClite itself:
git clone https://github.com/louistrue/ifc-lite.git
cd ifc-lite
pnpm install
pnpm dev # Start viewer in dev mode
pnpm build # Build all packages
pnpm test # Run tests
# Add a changeset when making changes
pnpm changeset # Describe your changes (required for releases)
# Rust/WASM development (optional - WASM is pre-built)
cd rust && cargo build --release --target wasm32-unknown-unknown
bash scripts/build-wasm.sh # Rebuild WASM after Rust changes
Packages
| Package | Description | Status | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|
create-ifc-lite |
Project scaffolding CLI | ✅ Stable | API |
@ifc-lite/parser |
STEP tokenizer & entity extraction | ✅ Stable | API |
@ifc-lite/geometry |
Geometry processing bridge | ✅ Stable | API |
@ifc-lite/renderer |
WebGPU rendering pipeline | ✅ Stable | API |
@ifc-lite/cache |
Binary cache for instant loading | ✅ Stable | API |
@ifc-lite/query |
Fluent & SQL query system | 🚧 Beta | API |
@ifc-lite/data |
Columnar data structures | ✅ Stable | API |
@ifc-lite/spatial |
Spatial indexing & culling | 🚧 Beta | API |
@ifc-lite/export |
Export (glTF, Parquet, etc.) | 🚧 Beta | API |
Rust Crates
| Crate | Description | Status | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|
ifc-lite-core |
STEP/IFC parsing | ✅ Stable | docs.rs |
ifc-lite-geometry |
Mesh triangulation | ✅ Stable | docs.rs |
ifc-lite-wasm |
WASM bindings | ✅ Stable | docs.rs |
Community Projects
Projects built by the community using IFClite (not officially maintained):
| Project | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|
| bimifc.de | @holg | Pure Rust/Bevy IFC viewer, no TypeScript needed |
Built something with IFClite? Open a PR to add it here!
Contributing
We welcome contributions!
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Development Setup | Prerequisites, installation, and project structure |
| Testing Guide | Running tests, writing tests, CI |
| Release Process | Versioning and publishing workflow |
# Fork and clone
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/ifc-lite.git
# Create a branch
git checkout -b feature/my-feature
# Make changes and test
pnpm test
# Add a changeset to describe your changes
pnpm changeset
# Submit a pull request (include the changeset file)
License
This project is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
Acknowledgments
- Built with nom for parsing
- earcutr for polygon triangulation
- nalgebra for linear algebra
- wasm-bindgen for Rust/JS interop
Made with ❤️ for the AEC industry