Explore in 3D

Opening a model

On a project's Files page, select an IFC model and press Open, or open it from the file's row. The model opens in the 3D viewer in your browser. Nothing is installed: the model was converted on the server when it was uploaded, and the browser loads the converted model.

Only IFC models open in the viewer. Other kinds of file are downloaded instead.

Moving around the model

Drag to orbit the model. Scroll to zoom towards the cursor. Drag with the middle mouse button to pan, and drag with the right button to zoom.

The 3D View Stone in the top right shows the model's orientation: drag it to orbit, or click one of its faces to snap to that view. Press Home to return to the home view, an upright isometric. Press F to zoom to the selection, or to fit the whole model when nothing is selected. Fit to view and Focus selection in the view controls do the same.

Selecting and inspecting an element

Click an element to select it. Double-click to zoom to it. Hold Ctrl or Command and click to add an element to the selection or take it out, hold Shift and click to select a range, and hold Shift or Command and drag to select with a box. Right-click opens the action menu for the selection.

The Properties panel shows the selected element: its identifiers and attributes, then Details, Quantities and Links. If an element has nothing under a heading, the panel says so.

Undo and Redo step back and forward through selection and visibility changes. Press Space or Esc to clear the selection.

Finding elements

The left panel has two tabs: Elements and Spatial. On Elements, search by name, type or GUID, and filter by IFC type. Spatial shows the model's spatial structure, such as its storeys and the elements in them. Isolate shows one element or one type on its own; Reset view brings everything back.

Levels, sections and explode

Levels lists the model's storeys with a checkbox for each, so you can show any combination of them; Show all returns to the whole model.

Section cuts the model so you can see inside. Choose Plane or Box. With Plane, move the cut with Position and use Flip direction to cut from the other side. With Box, set the extent of the box along each axis, or use Fit to selection to place it around what you have selected; Reset restores the full box. Off turns the tool off.

Explode pulls the model's parts apart by the amount you set, so that hidden elements become visible. Reset puts them back.

Measuring

Open Measure and choose Distance, Angle or Path, then click points on the model. Each measurement stays listed until you delete it; Clear all removes them together. Choose Off, or press Esc, to leave measure mode.

Saved views, screenshots and display options

Open Views and press Save current view to keep the camera position under a name. Saved views can be renamed and deleted. Screenshot saves an image of the current view, and Markup lets you place pins on the model.

The view controls also switch the Ground grid, Origin axes and Level planes on and off, and Auto-orbit turns the model slowly on its own.

Walk mode

Walk mode moves you through the model in first person. Use W, A, S and D or the arrow keys to move, Q and E to go down and up, and hold Shift to move three times faster. Drag to look around; the mouse wheel changes your speed. Press Esc to leave walk mode and return to the view you had before.

Keyboard shortcuts

Press the question mark key to show or hide the list of keyboard and mouse shortcuts. The main ones: F zooms to the selection, Home resets to the home view, Ctrl or Command with Z undoes the last selection or visibility change, and Ctrl or Command with Y redoes it. Space leaves the active tool or clears the selection, and works in fullscreen where the browser keeps Esc for itself. Esc leaves walk mode, then measure mode, then clears the selection, then collapses the expanded viewer, in that order.