Files & revisions

Uploading files

On a project's Files page, open the Add menu and choose Add file, or drag files from your computer onto the page. Add folder uploads a whole folder.

An IFC file is converted once on the server so that it opens in the viewer in your browser. You can watch its progress in the upload list. Any other kind of file is stored as it is and can be downloaded again; it has no in-browser viewer.

If an upload fails, its entry in the upload list offers Dismiss, and Retry where trying again can succeed. An upload that would only be refused again, such as a file identical to the current version, offers Dismiss alone. Owners and editors can upload. A viewer cannot.

Folders and moving files

To make a folder, open the Add menu, choose New folder, type a folder name and press Create. Open a folder to work inside it.

To move one file, open its actions menu and choose Move to. Pick the destination folder, or Project root for the top level, and press Move. To move several at once, select them: a bar appears with Move and Delete for the whole selection.

Finding a file

Use Search files at the top of the list to search by name. Filters narrows the list by IFC schema and by state. Sort changes the order, and View switches between the grid and the list.

File states

Every file is in one of four states, shown as a badge on its row: WIP, Shared, Published or Archived. WIP is work in progress, visible as unfinished work. Shared has been checked and approved for others to use. Published has been authorised. Archived is kept for the record and is no longer in use.

A file can move from WIP to Shared or Archived; from Shared back to WIP, on to Published, or to Archived; from Published back to WIP or to Archived; and from Archived back to WIP. No other move is possible. Which of these moves you may make depends on your workflow roles: moving a file into or out of Published or Archived needs the authorizer role, and moving a Shared file back to WIP needs the approver role. A project owner holds both unless their workflow roles have been changed.

Moving a file from WIP to Shared

A WIP file reaches Shared through three steps, a check, a review and an approval, each recorded with the person who gave it.

Open the file's actions menu and choose Submit for check. The file then shows Awaiting check, and a member who holds the checker or reviewer role sees Accept and Reject on it. Once accepted, the file shows Awaiting review, where Accept and Reject are offered in the same way. Once that is accepted too, the file shows Awaiting approval, and a member who holds the approver role sees Approve and Reject. Approval moves the file to Shared.

A rejection at any step returns the file to its starting point, shown as Not submitted, with the comment the person gave. A project can require that the approver is someone other than the author; if it does, the author is refused at that step.

While a file is waiting for a decision its content cannot change: a new version or a restore is refused until the decision is recorded.

Changing a file's status

To move a file by a single step outside the check and approval route, use Change status on the file and choose the new state. A move to Published or Archived asks you to confirm first; other moves happen as soon as you choose them. Only the moves your workflow roles allow are offered.

Versions

To add a new version of a file, open its actions menu and choose Upload new version. The new version becomes the current one and the earlier one is kept as Superseded. Uploading a new version of an approved file starts a new cycle: the file returns to WIP.

To see a file's versions, choose History in its actions menu. The File history dialog has four tabs: Versions, Activity, Conformance and Insights. On Versions, each version is marked Current or Superseded and can be opened or downloaded. Restoring an earlier version does not rewind the file: it brings that content back as a new revision.

The file panel

Select a file to see its details beside the list: its revision, number of versions, size, when it was modified and who uploaded it. Open opens an IFC model in the viewer. Version history opens the File history dialog.

The actions menu on a file also offers Details, Download IFC and Download GLB for a model, and Download for any other file. ISO metadata lets you set the file's suitability and revision code; press Save metadata to keep the change.

Activity

The Activity tab of the File history dialog lists what has happened to a file: uploads, state changes, and each check and approval with who did it and when. The record is append-only: entries are added and never edited or removed.

Removing a file

Open the file's actions menu, choose the remove action and confirm in the Remove from project dialog. The file leaves this project; the converted model itself is not deleted. Owners and editors can remove files, and the action is not offered to a viewer.

Deleting a folder does not delete what is in it: files inside a deleted folder move back to the project root.

Workflow: prepare a revision for sharing

Before you begin, confirm that you are in the right project and that you can upload files. Uploading needs an owner or editor role; checking, approving and authorizing use the project's separate workflow roles. Ask the project owner to confirm who will perform each decision.

1. Upload the IFC, or choose Upload new version on its existing file. Wait for conversion to finish, then open the model and check that it is the revision you intended. A successful conversion means the model can be viewed; it is not an approval of its information.
2. Review the model in Assure and, where your team has requirements, in IDS Ruler. Check the revision and run date before using the results. Resolve problems in the authoring tool and upload a new version when needed.
3. Submit the WIP file for check. The check, review and approval decisions happen in sequence. Do not start this sequence while you still need to replace the file: content changes are refused while a decision is pending.
4. After approval, confirm that the file is Shared. Open History and read Activity to see the recorded decisions. Shared is the outcome of this approval route; publishing is a separate authorized action.

Workflow: publish with a recorded decision

Start with the intended revision and use Change status to choose Published where your roles permit it. The confirmation checks for open critical findings recorded for that revision.

If critical findings remain, read the warning and enter the reason for proceeding before choosing Acknowledge and publish. The acknowledgement is recorded in the audit journal. A count of zero means no open critical findings were recorded for this revision; it is not a validation pass.

If the revision or findings change while you review the warning, review the updated information and confirm again. If the check cannot load, retry it before publishing. After a successful change, verify the Published badge and the Activity record.

When a file workflow is blocked

If an action is missing, check both project membership and workflow roles with the project owner. Being able to upload does not automatically permit approval or publication.

If a new version is refused during review, finish the pending decision first. A rejection returns the file to Not submitted and carries the reviewer's comment; use that comment to prepare the next submission.

If a restored file looks like an extra revision, that is expected. Restore creates a new revision using earlier content, so the intervening history remains visible.