In addition to new tools for modeling and calculating MEP networks, the new Trimble Nova version 16.2 offers a number of significant enhancements for IFC export. Let's take a look at their benefits and objectives, both for the design office using the solution, and more generally for all those involved in the project.
The IFC format
IFC, from Industry Foundation Classes, is an object-oriented format developed by BuildingSMART and enjoying worldwide standard status (ISO 16739:2013). The Open BIM methodology, via IFC, facilitates the exchange of data between BIM software by enabling the creation of a multidisciplinary collaborative workflow around the same format, whose robustness, stability and durability are no longer debated today.
Trimble Nova and IFC: a history, a commitment
Since its initial release in 2009 (version 5), the integration of the IFC format into Trimble Nova has undergone several major development cycles.
"Considering that the MEP format has evolved relatively little since the release of the 2x3 format (2007), one might well wonder why IFC is so often included in new versions of Trimble Nova," asks Julien Brousse, member of the product management team.
"The explanation lies not in the definition of the format itself, but in its enhancement: on the one hand, the demands of project owners and BIM management are naturally growing with their ever-increasing experience of IFC.
On the other hand, the day-to-day challenges faced by design offices lead us to formulate practical issues that go far beyond a story of digital format. These issues are the foundation of our development dynamic, and our customers are both the instigators and the beneficiaries."
