IFC Viewer Online · Back to the BIM & IFC blog
Validation · 2026-06-30 · 9 min
IFC Model Checker: Check an IFC File Online, Free
Open an IFC file in the browser and the checker scores it from 0 to 100, lists what to fix first and shows each failing element in 3D. Five steps, with a capture of each.
IFC model checker in the browser: an element with a missing material selected in 3D in IFC Viewer Online, with the Health Score and the issues to fix first
An IFC model checker reads the file and tells you what is wrong with its data before someone else finds out. This one runs in the browser: open IFC Viewer Online, drop the .ifc file and it applies 44 rules, scores the model from 0 to 100 and lists what to fix first. Nothing is installed and the file is not uploaded.
Key takeaways
- Free in the browser, with no account: 44 rules on IFC2x3, IFC4 and IFC4x3 files.
- The file stays on your computer. The check runs in the tab.
- Each failing rule shows its elements in 3D and how to fix them in Revit, Archicad, Tekla or Allplan.
- An IDS file checks the requirements of your project; the report exports to print, CSV, JSON, BCF and COBie.
How to check an IFC model in five steps
1. Open the IFC file
Drag the file onto the page, or pick it with Open. The model appears in 3D and the check starts by itself. When it ends, the Validate button shows the score and the panel below lists the three issues that would recover the most points.
The buildingSMART duplex sample right after opening: score 77, and the three rules that cost it the most.
2. See the failing elements in 3D
Press Show in 3D on an issue and step through its elements with the arrows at the top. Each one is selected in the model and its IFC attributes, storey and property sets open on the right, so you can see which wall or door it is and what it lacks.
Element 3 of 119 with a missing type: an exterior wall on Level 1, selected in the model.
3. Read the fix for your authoring tool
Open a rule in the issue list. Under it there is a short explanation and the steps to correct it in Revit, Archicad, Tekla or Allplan, picked from the application that exported the file. The same guidance is published, rule by rule, in the list of IFC validation errors and fixes.
The Missing type rule open: what it means, and what to change in Revit before exporting again.
4. Check the requirements of the project with IDS
The 44 rules are the same for every model. What your client asks for (a fire rating on every wall, a classification code on every door) goes in an IDS file. Choose Check, then Check against IDS, and load it; the samples in the dialog let you try without one. All the facets of IDS 1.0 are evaluated. [ids]
The sample specification that requires FireRating on walls: 57 walls checked, 57 fail.
5. Export the report
Export offers six formats: the full result as JSON, the issue table as CSV, a certificate, the issues as BCF for your coordination tool, a printable delivery report (print it to PDF) and a COBie 2.4 workbook. Filter by severity before downloading if the recipient only needs the errors.
The six export formats of a check.
What the checker checks
| Level | Question | Examples of what it finds |
|---|
| Schema | Is this a readable IFC file of a known version? | Unknown schema, missing header, entities that cannot be parsed |
| Quality rules (44) | Is the data usable by the next person? | Duplicate GlobalIds, elements outside any storey, empty names, missing types, materials, property sets or classification |
| Requirements (IDS) | Does it carry what this project asks for? | Walls without FireRating, doors without a classification code, a property with a value outside the allowed list |
The first two levels run on every file. The third needs an IDS file, yours or a sample.The buildingSMART validation service covers a different ground: STEP syntax, the schema and the normative rules of the standard, on an uploaded file of up to 256 MB and with an account. [bsi-validate] Use it when you need to show that a file conforms to the standard, and a checker like this one for whether the data is complete. Looking for the page about IFC model validation online? It explains the validator rule by rule.
IFC classification checking
One rule flags every element with no classification reference. To require a system and a pattern of codes, write it in an IDS file: the classification facet takes the system (Uniclass, OmniClass, a national table) and the value. The IFC classification checker page shows the check on a sample, and how classification codes live in an IFC model explains where the authoring tool stores them.
Model health check: what the score means
The Health Score weighs each failing rule by its severity and by how many elements it affects, so one error counts more than many notes. Use it as the gate of a delivery. The IFC model health check page produces the score with a printable report, and the Health Score guide explains the calculation.
| Score | Reading | What to do |
|---|
| 90–100 | Ready to deliver | Accept and upload to the CDE |
| 75–89 | Good, minor issues | Use for coordination; fix before formal delivery |
| 50–74 | Needs work | Return to the author with the report |
| 0–49 | Not usable downstream | Do not accept |
Write the two thresholds you use (coordination and delivery) in the BIM execution plan.When to run the check
- Before uploading to the common data environment: ISO 19650-2 has each task team check its information before sharing it.
- Before a clash session: elements outside the spatial structure and broken geometry produce false clashes.
- When a model arrives from a subcontractor, before anyone builds on it.
- At handover, with the IDS of the asset information requirements.
When another checker is the better choice
This checker has fixed rules plus IDS. If you need to write your own geometric rules (clearances, escape routes), or to manage clashes between disciplines over months, a desktop rule engine does more. The comparison of IFC model checkers sets ten tools side by side with their published prices.
Try the checker on a sample
The duplex model used in the captures above. Open the validation panel to see its score and issues.
IFC2x3 · 2.4 MB
Open the interactive IFC viewer
IFC Model Checker: Check an IFC File Online, Free