IFC and Revit: what practices should know
IFC is an open exchange schema. A .RVT file is Autodesk’s project format. They are not interchangeable, and round-tripping has limits.
Published 19 August 2026 · 3 min read
IFC appears in many appointment documents next to “BIM”. The two are not the same. Industry Foundation Classes are a vendor-neutral schema for exchanging building information between different applications. buildingSMART maintains the specification; ISO publishes it as ISO 16739. The 2024 ISO edition of the data schema corresponds to IFC 4.3. The source pages are listed at the end of this note.
What Revit does with IFC
Revit can write an IFC from the current model. The exporter asks which IFC version and model view to use. Whatever is chosen, the receiving application then reads that file with its own translator. Category mapping, geometry and property sets should be checked against the actual exchange requirement. They should not be assumed to match the original Revit families one-for-one.
IFC is not the authoring file
If the architectural team will continue to edit walls, create sheets, or develop the design in Revit, they need a native .RVT in the agreed version. IFC is an exchange format. Opening an IFC in another tool — or even back in Revit — is not guaranteed to restore the original Revit families, types and constraints. Treat IFC as a published view of the model for coordination or handover, unless the appointment says otherwise and that has been tested.
Coordination
Model coordination between disciplines often uses IFC or linked native models, depending on the team. Clash detection, COBie and facilities-management datasets are separate deliverables with their own specifications. They should not be assumed to appear because a Revit model exists or because an IFC was exported.
Questions
No. IFC is produced by export, with chosen settings. It is included only when it is part of the agreed scope.