IFC Attribute Configuration
During the data transformation between IFC and HiCAD the attribute values from the original data will be transferred to permissible attribute values of the target system.
In the Configuration Editor you can, besides the default settings of the Export options (Prefer CONTOUR part and Unit of length), also define the corresponding attribute mapping configuration for Import and Export.
Open the Configuration Editor in HiCAD via 
> Configuration. There, choose Interfaces > IFC.
Import
Click the 
icon beside Default options for import > Attribute mapping configuration and select Define. The Import configuration dialogue window will be displayed:
The right hand side shows the available IFC attributes (Element attributes and Standard property sets) as data source.
On the left hand side beneath Attribute assignment you select the HiCAD attribute as the target of the mapping.
The + button assigns the chosen IFC source to the chosen HiCAD target attribute. If several sources are chosen, the list will be processed in descending order. The first source supplying a value will be written to the attribute. In the following example, the IFC attributes Name and Description have been assigned to the HiCAD attribute Designation1.
Use the Analyze IFC file button to select an existing IFC file which will then be analyzed. Your individual PropertySet definitions will be additionally loaded into the tree of IFC attributes that can be mapped with appropriate HiCAD attributes on the left hand side.
Export
Click the icon beside Default options for export > Attribute mapping configuration and select Define.
The Export configuration dialogue window will be displayed:
On the left hand side beneath IFC attributes you choose the target element, on the right hand side beneath Attribute assignment you choose the HiCAD data source.
The + button assigns the HiCAD attribute to the chosen IFC element. If several sources are chosen, the list will be processed in descending order. The first source supplying a value will be assigned to the element during export.
Use the Define properties button to create user-defined PropertySets, in addition to the standard PropertySets of the IFC format.
The properties Name of properties set, Property name, Data type are mandatory, the Description is optional.
According to the IFC conventions, the Name of properties set must begin with Pset_ (for PropertySets), or Qto_ for QuantitySets (IfcElementQuantity), respectively. The Property name must be written in UpperCamelCase letters.
The Applicable to field can contain a comma-separated list of IFC types as a restriction of the applicability of the PropertySet. Example: IfcBeam,IfcElementAssembly would result in the PropertySet being output only for steel parts and assemblies, but not for solid primitives.
The applicability of mappings to IFC types will be observed both for the standard IFCPropertySets and the user-specific ones. PsetBeamCommon properties, for example, will only be output for Steel Engineering parts if they have been assigned to HiCAD attributes.
The hierarchy level will be considered in the process; that is, for instance, a mapping for IfcElement.Name will affect all elements in the hierarchy beneath IfcElement, a mapping for IfcBeam.Name will only affect IfcBeam.
Non-initialized element types will not be exported, i.e. an element type will only be written during export if at least one mapping was defined for the corresponding element type.
Please note:
- Both in the Import and in the Export configuration dialogue window, further information (if there is any) will be displayed beneath Element info.
- The export of Element types attempts to automatically select a matching IFC TypeObject (e.g. IfcBeamType for IfcBeam). This is not possible for all types, though (e.g. IfcActuatorType for IfcDistributionControlElement). In such cases, however, you have the option to preset a type object name via the HiCAD part attribute IfcObjectType. During import this attribute will automatically obtain a value, provided that a type has been assigned in the IFC file.
- Use the Favourites button at the top left of the dialogue window to load and save mapping configurations.
