Is my IFC file uploaded anywhere?

No. Files are parsed entirely in your browser via web-ifc, a WebAssembly build of the open-source IFC parser. Nothing leaves your machine. The app works completely offline once loaded.

Can I use it with confidential models under NDA?

Yes. Because all processing happens in your browser and no data is ever transmitted to any server, you can safely use it with confidential project models under NDA. There is no service agreement to review with your client — no data changes hands.

Can I share the validation results with my team or client?

Yes. After running validation, click Share Report to copy a link that encodes the full Health Score and issue list directly in the URL — no file upload, no server, no account required. You can also export results as JSON, CSV, or a Validation Certificate. The IFC file itself never leaves your browser.

Yes, fully. IFC Viewer Online works on any modern browser — Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on both Mac and Windows. No plugin, no installation, no operating system restriction.

What happens if my IFC file is very large?

The app handles files up to 2 GB. Performance depends on your device — files under 200 MB load well on most modern hardware. Once parsed, geometry is cached in OPFS so every subsequent load of the same file is instant, even offline.

How does the validation work?

The validator runs 44 built-in rules in a background Web Worker so the UI stays responsive. Rules cover GUID duplicates, spatial hierarchy, orphan elements, naming conventions, missing type assignments, ISO 19650 property sets, LOD completeness, clash detection, proxy overuse, coordinate offset, storey-elevation integrity, unit consistency, and more. You can also run a buildingSMART IDS specification against the model. Every model receives a Health Score from 0 to 100. Results stream in as each rule completes.

Can I fix errors and re-export a corrected IFC?

Yes. All edits (GUID fixes, renames, property value changes) are held as non-destructive diffs with full undo/redo. Clicking Export IFC applies all diffs to the original binary in a Web Worker and downloads the corrected file — no server involved.

What IFC versions are supported?

IFC2x3, IFC4, IFC4x1, and IFC4x3. The viewer uses the open-source web-ifc parser — the same engine used by most modern BIM tools and @thatopen/components. Outdated schemas are automatically flagged by the validator.

What measurement tools are available?

You can measure lengths between any two points, areas of surfaces, volumes of enclosed elements, and individual edge lengths — all directly in the 3D viewport. Measurements persist as labelled annotations and can be exported alongside your model.

Can I load multiple IFC files at once?

Yes. Load as many IFC files as your device memory allows. Each model has independent visibility, transforms, validation, quantity takeoff, and export. Use the Scene panel to manage, reorder, or remove models at any time.

Does it work offline?

Yes, once the page is loaded. The WebAssembly parser and WebGL renderer run entirely in the browser. Parsed geometry is cached in OPFS so repeat loads are instant even without a network connection.

What are the file size limits?

There is no enforced limit — performance depends on your device. Files up to ~200 MB typically load well on modern hardware. The OPFS geometry cache means you only pay the parse cost once per file.

Is it free? Can I use it for commercial projects?

Yes, completely free. The source code is MIT-licensed. You can use the live app or fork the repository for your own projects, including commercial ones.

Can I view my own IFC file on a 3D map?

Yes. Open the IFC in the browser and enable Map mode. A georeferenced IFC can be placed automatically; a file without usable location data can be positioned manually with a map pin.

What IFC data provides accurate map placement?

For IFC4, the strongest route is an IfcProjectedCRS identifying the target coordinate reference system plus IfcMapConversion values for eastings, northings, height, rotation and scale.

Is IfcSite latitude and longitude enough?

It can provide an approximate fallback, but it normally does not carry the same projected-coordinate precision, rotation and vertical reference as a complete map conversion.

Does Map mode upload the IFC file?

The IFC is parsed locally in the browser. Map mode still needs network requests for the selected map, terrain and OpenStreetMap context, so it is not an offline feature.

Which coordinate system does the Ciutadella example use?

The included IFC4 file names EPSG:25831, ETRS89 / UTM zone 31N, and includes a real IfcMapConversion aligned to the Passeig de Lluís Companys axis.

Back to the BIM & IFC blog

Tool Guides · 2026-08-27 · 10 min

How to View an IFC on a 3D Map: Georeferenced BIM in the Browser

Open a real IFC4 pavilion in its Barcelona map context, inspect the live 3D demo, and learn how IfcProjectedCRS and IfcMapConversion place BIM correctly.

Actual IFC Viewer Online capture showing the georeferenced Ciutadella Pavilion inside a detailed 3D map of Barcelona

Yes: you can view an IFC on a 3D map directly in the browser. The useful version of that sentence is not “put a building near a pin”; it is “read the model coordinate reference system, preserve the engineering geometry, and align terrain plus GIS context around it”. The live example below does exactly that with a small IFC4 pavilion in Barcelona.

4 — IFC schema
240 KB — example file
137 — model elements
EPSG:25831 — projected CRS

Actual IFC Viewer Online map mode with the small Ciutadella Pavilion highlighted among extruded Barcelona buildings, tree-lined avenues and terrain — Actual product capture from the reproducible deep link. The pavilion is the authored IFC; the city, terrain and trees are surrounding map context.

Try the IFC + 3D Map Demo

Start the example to load the bundled IFC locally and then request its 3D site context. Orbit, zoom and open the full viewer if you want the complete map controls. External map services can take a few seconds to stream terrain and surrounding features.

Ciutadella Pavilion — georeferenced IFC on a 3D map

A bundled 240 KB IFC4 model aligned automatically in Barcelona through EPSG:25831 and IfcMapConversion, with optional terrain and OpenStreetMap surroundings.

Actual IFC Viewer Online capture of the Ciutadella Pavilion loaded in Barcelona map mode — IFC and map are ready — drag to orbit

What Makes a Map Placement Trustworthy?

The official buildingSMART definition says IfcMapConversion transforms a local engineering coordinate system into the coordinate reference system of the map using scale, rotation and translation. IfcProjectedCRS identifies that map coordinate system. Those two pieces answer different questions and are both useful.

IFC information	Question it answers	Confidence in this workflow
IfcProjectedCRS	Which projected map grid and datum?	High when the EPSG definition is resolvable
IfcMapConversion	Where is the local origin, at what rotation, height and scale?	High for automatic placement
IfcSite RefLatitude / RefLongitude	Where is the site approximately?	Approximate fallback
Manual map pin	Where should an ungeoreferenced model be shown?	User-provided, not surveyed

Opening successfully is not evidence that an IFC is located correctly. The placement source must remain visible.

Diagram showing local IFC coordinates transformed by IfcProjectedCRS and IfcMapConversion into aligned terrain and 3D map context — The map aligns around the local model. Keeping geometry near the project origin avoids sacrificing rendering precision to very large global coordinates.

The Ciutadella File Is a Reproducible Test, Not a Mock-up

The example is intentionally small enough to inspect. It is a 24 × 12 m exhibition pavilion on a 4 × 6 m grid, with a foyer, mezzanine gallery, double-height hall, glazed façades and pitched standing-seam roof. Its role is to make placement errors obvious against a recognizable street axis.

IFC4 file: BCN-IVO-ZZ-XX-M3-Z-0003.ifc, 240 KB and 137 model elements.
Target CRS: EPSG:25831 — ETRS89 / UTM zone 31N.
Map origin: E 431543.18, N 4582439.59, orthogonal height 18.5 m.
Project X axis: (0.700909, −0.713250), which places the pavilion at roughly −45.5° to grid east.
Site: Passeig de Lluís Companys, about 80 m from the Arc de Triomf and oriented with the promenade rather than square to north.

#63=IFCPROJECTEDCRS('EPSG:25831', ...);
#64=IFCMAPCONVERSION(#10,#63,
  431543.18,4582439.59,18.5,
  0.7009092643,-0.7132504492,1.0);

The model and its Blender/Bonsai generation script are public, so the screenshot and live scene can be rebuilt instead of taken on trust.

What the 3D Map Adds to an IFC Viewer

Orientation you can verify

Street axes and neighbouring geometry reveal a wrong north angle immediately.

Terrain context

Relief gives the model a ground reference while a height offset handles datum differences explicitly.

Surrounding massing

OpenStreetMap buildings, water, parks, trees and bridges provide site context without becoming IFC elements.

Engineering coordinates preserved

The model remains in its local metre-based frame; the basemap moves into the scene rather than rewriting the IFC geometry.

Local IFC Privacy and Online Map Requests Are Separate

IFC processing

File bytes parsed in the browser
Geometry stays on the device
Local project coordinates preserved
Works without creating an account

Map context

Downloads tiles or terrain from the selected provider
Requests OpenStreetMap surroundings when enabled
Requires provider attribution
Needs network access and provider availability

OpenStreetMap requires visible credit and notice of its ODbL terms. The viewer keeps that attribution inside map captures; the official OpenStreetMap copyright page explains the requirement. Hiding the attribution to make a cleaner marketing image would make the image less trustworthy and non-compliant.

How to Put Your Own IFC on a 3D Map

Open the IFC in the browser and inspect its site and coordinate metadata before enabling map layers.
Open Map mode. If the file contains a resolvable projected CRS and map conversion, review the detected location, rotation and confidence.
If the file only contains site latitude/longitude, treat the result as approximate and compare it with known site control.
If no usable georeference exists, place the model manually and label that placement as user-provided rather than surveyed.
Enable terrain and surroundings one layer at a time, then verify the street axis, footprint, height and nearby landmarks.
Keep the attribution visible in screenshots, reports and client presentations.

The Visual Promise — and Its Limit

Conceptual editorial rendering of a translucent BIM building aligned over a Mediterranean city grid at sunset — Conceptual editorial illustration generated for this article. It communicates the IFC + GIS idea; it is not a product screenshot, survey or representation of the Ciutadella Pavilion.

A convincing 3D map is useful. A visible coordinate source, confidence level and reproducible model are what make it authoritative.
IFC Viewer Online

For measured reality beside the model, continue with IFC + point-cloud Scan-to-BIM alignment. For time-based site evidence, see IFC + video on 3D terrain.

How to View an IFC on a 3D Map: Georeferenced BIM in the Browser