**3.2 Entering the building project information**

As shown in **Figure 3**, the Project Info option in the Info sub-menu under the File menu in ArchiCAD was selected to add the sample housing project's project information. The project information was entered under five headings on the Project Info page automatically provided by ArchiCAD software. These headings are detailed below:


**Figure 2.** *Creating a new housing project in ArchiCAD.*


**Figure 3.**

*Entering the project information of the sample housing project.*

#### **3.3 Modeling of the building elements**

For the sample housing project's BIM model, different types of building elements such as room, door, window, railing, mechanical ventilation, elevator, stair, wall, column, beam, and slab were modeled. To create the BIM model, the reinforced concrete structure of the project was completed with columns, beams, and slabs of appropriate sizes. Later, the rooms were determined with walls following the project. Doors and windows were placed in the holes opened into the walls. Stairs and elevators connecting all floors were formed under the project. Finally, the safety of stairs, windows, doors, and balconies was provided with railings in appropriate sizes. Toolbox in ArchiCAD interface was used for modeling the selected building elements. Unlike the others, Zone (Space) was chosen for a room from the Toolbox.

As shown in **Figure 4**, the <IfcType> and <Name> attributes of the building elements were assigned automatically by ArchiCAD. The <IfcType> attribute is not

## *The Data Representations of a Building Project: BIM Model, and IFC or IFCXML Data Standard DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104580*

allowed to be changed by the user. However, the <Name> attribute can be changed by the user if required. ArchiCAD gave the <Name> attribute of the building element by automatically associating it with the floor name and sequence number. For example, WD – 003 Living Room Window shown in **Figure 4** is the third window ('WD' – 0'03') on the ground floor (WD – '0'03) of the sample housing project. That is why it

#### **Figure 4.**

*The representation of the IFC data file of the sample housing project (the building elements on the ground floor with IFC labels).*

is named WD – 003. The <Description> and <ObjectType> attributes of the building elements were entered by the user. The <Description> attribute is the appropriate selection of the relevant building element for the room to which it is associated. On the other hand, the <ObjectType> attribute is the programming language equivalent of selecting the relevant building element, which is appropriate for the room to which it is associated.

An example of the building elements whose four attributes were defined with the IFC labels was shown in **Figure 4**. Three-dimensional views of the building elements on the ground floor were automatically prepared with ArchiCAD. The building elements were shown with the <IfcType>, <Name>, <Description>, and <ObjectType> attributes in **Figure 4**. The room (space) labels of the building elements on the BIM model's ground floor were shown in the top view. The window, railing, mechanical ventilation, elevator, stair, wall, column, beam, and slab labels of the building elements on the BIM model's ground floor were shown in the bottom view.
