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BCF Collaboration

IFClite supports BCF (BIM Collaboration Format), the buildingSMART standard for issue tracking in BIM projects. The @ifc-lite/bcf package implements BCF 2.1 and 3.0 specifications.

What is BCF?

BCF allows teams to create, share, and manage issues (called topics) linked to specific locations and components in a BIM model. Each topic can include:

  • Viewpoints - Camera positions and component visibility snapshots
  • Comments - Discussion threads on the issue
  • Component references - Links to specific IFC entities via GlobalId

Quick Start

Reading BCF Files

import { readBCF } from '@ifc-lite/bcf';

// Read a .bcf or .bcfzip file
const project = await readBCF(bcfBuffer);

console.log(`Project: ${project.name}`);
console.log(`Topics: ${project.topics.size}`);

for (const [guid, topic] of project.topics) {
  console.log(`  ${topic.title} [${topic.topicStatus}]`);
  console.log(`    Comments: ${topic.comments.length}`);
  console.log(`    Viewpoints: ${topic.viewpoints.length}`);
}

Creating BCF Projects

import {
  createBCFProject,
  createBCFTopic,
  createBCFComment,
  addTopicToProject,
  addCommentToTopic,
  writeBCF,
} from '@ifc-lite/bcf';

// Create a new project
const project = createBCFProject({ name: 'My BIM Review', version: '2.1' });

// Create a topic (issue)
const topic = createBCFTopic({
  title: 'Missing fire rating on wall W-042',
  description: 'Wall W-042 in corridor B3 requires 2-hour fire rating',
  author: 'reviewer@example.com',
  topicType: 'Issue',
  topicStatus: 'Open',
  priority: 'High',
  labels: ['fire-safety', 'corridor-B3'],
});

// Add a comment
const comment = createBCFComment({
  author: 'reviewer@example.com',
  comment: 'Please update the fire rating property in the model.',
});
addCommentToTopic(topic, comment);

// Add to project
addTopicToProject(project, topic);

// Export as .bcf file (returns a Blob)
const bcfBlob = await writeBCF(project);

Viewpoints

Viewpoints capture the camera state and component visibility at the time an issue is created. IFClite provides utilities to convert between viewer camera state and BCF viewpoint format.

Creating Viewpoints

import { createViewpoint } from '@ifc-lite/bcf';

// Create a viewpoint from current viewer state
const viewpoint = createViewpoint({
  camera: currentCameraState,   // { position, target, up, fov, isOrthographic?, orthoScale? }
  selectedGuids: selectedGuids, // IFC GlobalIds of selected entities
  hiddenGuids: hiddenGuids,     // IFC GlobalIds of hidden entities
  visibleGuids: visibleGuids,   // IFC GlobalIds for isolation mode (optional)
  sectionPlane: activePlane,    // Single active clipping plane (optional)
  snapshot: base64Image,        // Screenshot as base64 (optional)
});

Restoring Viewpoints

import { extractViewpointState } from '@ifc-lite/bcf';

// Convert BCF viewpoint back to viewer state
const state = extractViewpointState(viewpoint);
// state.camera - { position, target, up, fov, isOrthographic?, orthoScale? }
// state.sectionPlane - clipping plane to apply (singular)
// state.selectedGuids - entities to highlight
// state.hiddenGuids - entities to hide
// state.visibleGuids - entities for isolation mode
// state.coloredGuids - entities with color overrides

GUID Conversion

BCF uses UUID format while IFC uses a compressed 22-character GlobalId (base64). The package provides conversion utilities:

import { uuidToIfcGuid, ifcGuidToUuid, isValidIfcGuid } from '@ifc-lite/bcf';

const ifcGuid = uuidToIfcGuid('a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890');
const uuid = ifcGuidToUuid('0YvctA6Hn0pgmBdv0cPwH6');

if (isValidIfcGuid(guid)) {
  // Valid 22-character IFC GlobalId
}

Viewer Integration

In the IFClite viewer, BCF is integrated through the BCF panel:

  1. Load BCF - Drag and drop a .bcf file or use the BCF panel to import
  2. Browse Topics - View all issues with status, priority, and labels
  3. Navigate Viewpoints - Click a viewpoint to restore camera and visibility
  4. Add Comments - Discuss issues directly in the viewer
  5. Create Topics - Select entities, position camera, and create new issues
  6. Export BCF - Save the project as a .bcf file for sharing

Key Types

Type Description
BCFProject Top-level container with topics map and version
BCFTopic An issue with title, status, comments, and viewpoints
BCFComment A comment on a topic with author and timestamp
BCFViewpoint Camera state, component visibility, and clipping planes
BCFComponents Selected, visible, and colored component references
BCFClippingPlane Section plane definition (location + direction)