IFC to glTF / GLB converter
Turn IFC models into lightweight, web-ready glTF — with colors, transparency and GlobalIds preserved. Converted locally in your browser, never uploaded.
Your file is processed locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Drop your IFC file here
.ifc and .ifczip · IFC2x3, IFC4, IFC4x3
No file at hand? Try a sample: ·
From BIM exchange format to render-ready asset
IFC is built for exchanging building information, not for rendering it. The moment a model needs to live on a website, in a configurator, in a game engine or in an AR scene, you need glTF — the JPEG of 3D. This converter takes the same pipeline that powers our IFC viewer, tessellates your model at full detail, and writes a standards-compliant GLB with the original IFC colors and transparency as PBR materials. Repeated geometry is shared instead of duplicated, which is why a typical structural model shrinks by 70–90% on the way through.
Everything happens locally in your browser with WebAssembly. Your model is never uploaded — no server queue, no size paywall, and confidential project files stay confidential.
How it works
- Drop your IFC file. .ifc or .ifczip from Revit, ArchiCAD, Tekla or any IFC-compliant tool. The model loads into a live 3D preview so you can verify it is the right file — orbit and zoom while you decide the options.
- Pick your options. GLB (recommended, single file) or .gltf + .bin; element metadata on or off; IfcSpace volumes excluded by default so room boxes don't wrap your building.
- Convert and download. You get the file plus the numbers that matter: elements exported, triangle count, and the size reduction versus the source IFC.
What AEC teams convert IFC to glTF for
Publishing models on the web. Project portals, marketing pages and client review tools run on Three.js, Babylon.js or <model-viewer> — all of which speak glTF natively. A 40 MB IFC that took a minute to parse becomes a GLB that streams in seconds.
Rendering and visualization in Blender. Blender imports GLB out of the box, with materials already assigned. Convert, import, light, render — no BIM add-ons required, and the mesh is exactly what the IFC author modelled.
Game engines, VR and AR. Unity and Unreal both consume glTF for virtual walkthroughs, training scenarios and digital-twin frontends. Because each element node can carry its GlobalId as an extra, you can still wire interactions back to the BIM database after import.
Lightweight coordination snapshots. Sending a subcontractor a 6 MB GLB they can open by dragging it into a browser tab beats sending a 60 MB IFC they need software for. For the receiving side, our viewer opens the original IFC — and the properties explorer answers the data questions the GLB can't.
Faithful geometry, honest numbers
The converter walks every element with a 3D representation, fetches its full-detail tessellation (no LOD shortcuts), and reconstructs the exact placement matrices — including mirrored elements, which naive converters often flip inside out. Elements sharing a profile share one mesh in the output file, GLB-standard. What you see in the preview is literally the dataset being written. If the output looks wrong in your target tool, open the same IFC in the viewer and compare — and if you need the non-graphic data to travel with the model, pair the GLB with an Excel export keyed by GlobalId.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to convert confidential IFC models here?
Yes. The whole conversion — parsing, meshing and glTF encoding — runs inside your browser with WebAssembly. Your IFC file is never uploaded to any server, and the resulting GLB is generated and downloaded locally. Close the tab and nothing persists.
Should I choose GLB or glTF?
GLB is the same glTF scene packed into a single binary file — it is what most tools expect (Blender, Three.js, Babylon, Unity, Unreal, <model-viewer>) and the format we recommend. The .gltf option gives you a JSON scene plus a separate .bin geometry buffer (delivered as a ZIP), useful when a pipeline needs to inspect or post-process the JSON.
Why is the GLB so much smaller than my IFC?
IFC stores parametric definitions and a lot of non-geometric data as text; glTF stores ready-to-render triangles in a compact binary buffer. On top of that, repeated elements (a beam profile used 33,000 times, for example) share a single geometry in the output instead of being written once per instance. Reductions of 70–90% are normal for real project models.
Are properties and Psets preserved?
glTF is a graphics format, so property sets do not translate directly. With the metadata option enabled, every element node carries its GlobalId, name and IFC class as glTF extras — enough to link geometry back to BIM data downstream. For the full dataset, export the same file with the IFC to Excel tool and join on GlobalId.
Are materials and colors kept?
Yes — the surface colors and transparency defined in the IFC (the same ones you see in our viewer) are exported as PBR materials, so glass stays translucent and elements keep their look. IFC files rarely contain image textures, so there are none to lose.
Which IFC versions and file sizes work?
IFC2x3, IFC4 and IFC4x3, plus compressed .ifczip files. There is no hard size limit; models up to roughly 300 MB work on a typical desktop machine. Large models take a few minutes — the built-in 3D preview shows you exactly what will be exported while you wait.