Turn a PDF floor plan
into an IFC BIM model
FloorScan reads your plan (PDF, photo or scan) and produces an IFC4 file: load-bearing walls and partitions as IfcWall objects with their measured thickness, doors and windows that genuinely cut through the wall, one IfcSpace per room with its area. Opens in Revit, ArchiCAD, Allplan or any openBIM viewer.
ISO 16739 standard, the BIM exchange format every application reads
From plan to model, without remodeling the existing building wall by wall
Openings truly void the wall (IfcRelVoidsElement), not symbols drawn on top
A real model, not an underlay
A DXF holds lines: two parallel polylines that you recognize as a wall. An IFC holds objects: you click that wall and the application answers "IfcWall, 20 cm thick, load-bearing". That is the whole difference between tracing an underlay and receiving a usable model. FloorScan measures the real thickness of every wall on your plan, infers whether it is load-bearing, and extrudes it as a BIM object carrying its Pset_WallCommon.
Ceiling height is the only figure a 2D plan does not contain: it defaults to 2.50 m and is set before export, globally or room by room. Everything else (position, thickness, opening widths, room areas) is measured on your plan. The DXF and IFC exports come from the same vector model with the same origin, so both files line up exactly and you can hand a client either one.
What the IFC file contains
Walls typed bearing or partition
Every IfcWall carries its measured thickness and its Pset_WallCommon (LoadBearing, IsExternal): your filters and schedules work straight after import.
Openings that cut the wall
An IfcOpeningElement voids the host wall (IfcRelVoidsElement) and receives its IfcDoor or IfcWindow: the bay reads from both sides in 3D.
Rooms measured as IfcSpace
One named space per room, with Qto_SpaceBaseQuantities (area, perimeter, height): your area schedules fill themselves in.
Full BIM hierarchy
Project, site, building, storey: the hierarchy Revit and ArchiCAD expect, with the level named the way you want.
Adjustable height
2.50 m by default, adjustable before export for the whole level or room by room (attic, basement, mezzanine).
IFC and DXF line up
Same vector model, same origin: the model and the 2D plan describe the same building to the millimetre.
Frequently asked questions about IFC export
Which IFC version, and which applications open it?
FloorScan produces IFC4, the current version of the ISO 16739 standard maintained by buildingSMART. It opens in Revit (Insert, Link IFC or Open), ArchiCAD, Allplan, Vectorworks, and in free viewers such as BIMvision, Open IFC Viewer, FreeCAD or Autodesk Viewer. On import, Revit rebuilds its own wall objects from our IfcWall entities, so you get native, editable walls that follow your templates.
Where does wall height come from, since a 2D plan does not contain it?
That is precisely the one missing figure, and we do not guess it: height defaults to 2.50 m and you correct it before export, for the whole level or room by room. Position, thickness, opening widths and areas are measured on your plan, not estimated. If you know the property's real height, enter it and the model comes out right the first time.
Do I have to choose between IFC and DXF?
No, they complement each other and come from the same model. The IFC is the BIM deliverable: wall objects, pierced openings, measured rooms, ready to use in Revit or ArchiCAD. The DXF is the universal 2D deliverable: standard layers, dimensions, joinery blocks, a scaled sheet, ready for AutoCAD and for quantity surveyors. A BIM client gets the IFC, an AutoCAD client gets the DXF, and the two files line up.
Other features
From the blog
From PDF plan to IFC model in 30 seconds
Free demo right away, no credit card. IFC, DXF, Excel and PDF exports included.