4.1 BIM and Scan Models

Available with the Following Subscriptions: All Subscriptions
Available for the Following Roles: All Roles

Learn how to upload a model file from within the scenario and position it on your site plan. 

This article contains the following sections:

• Import 3D models
• Position 3D Models
• Scale Imported FBX Models
• Edit Model Elements
• Edit Tree Structure
  • Remove Model Elements
  • Restore Model Elements
  • Using Tree Structure Filters
• Managing Model Files
• Update BIM Models
• Tips & FAQ
   

Import 3D models

• In edit mode, click Buildings from the toolbar, followed by BIM Model
• Upload a model from a file, or browse existing project files (accessed from Documents)
• The model will now upload and be optimized for the web or "cooked", which may take several minutes depending on the size of the file
  • Note: The file size upload limit is 1.5 GB and the recommended file size should be less than 500 MB to prevent affected site load time
• cmBuilder accepts the following BIM (3D Model) file formats:
  • IFC 2x3
  • IFC 4
  • RVT
  • NWD
  • NWC
  • FBX - (Warning: Do not export FBX directly from Revit)
  • STP

If you're experiencing issues importing your BIM model, check out our troubleshooting guide for helpful tips and solutions.

Position 3D Models

• Edit the model position either by right-clicking the object (1) and selecting Edit BIM Model (2)
• Choose a movement option from the floating menu (3)
  • Move (3) - Click and drag to move on the x, y, z axes, or manually input the axis Position
  • Rotate (4) - Click and drag to rotate about x, y, z axes, or manually input the axis Rotation
  • Snap (5) - Relocate the model with 'Snap to Face', adjust the alignment with 'Move to Face', and orient rotation with 'Rotate to Face'
• Automatically position the model using the following features (6):

  • 'Scale Model Units' - Convert units 1:1 (eg. 1m=1ft)

    Note: Scale Model Units option is only available for FBX files. IFC and RVT files will always import at the correct scale.

  • 'Snap to position using another model' - Align the model to a pre-existing positioned model
  • 'Center model on map tile' - Aligns the model to the center of the map tile

Edit Model Elements

cmBuilder allows you to edit the color of individual model elements. To do this:

• Right-click the BIM element (1)
• Select Edit BIM element (2)
• From here you can edit the name and color of the model element (3)

Edit Tree Structure

Edit Tree structure can be used to remove BIM Elements from the Scenario Tree and 3D. These BIM Elements can be later restored. This is useful to remove unneeded details from the BIM Model, which will declutter the workspace and improve performance.

Remove BIM Elements

You can remove (delete) elements from your imported BIM models by using Edit tree structure. Removed elements can be restored at any time.

To Remove a BIM Element, start by selecting it:

• Right-click the BIM Element (1)
• Select Edit BIM element (2)

• Click Remove BIM Element (3) at the bottom-right corner of the side sheet (3)

  

• The side sheet will display the Edit tree structure tool. Select Elements for removal via:
  • Use the Size Filter (4) to quickly find and remove elements whose volume is smaller than a user supplied value. See more details in the Using Filters in Edit Tree Structure section below.
  • Use the Search field (5) to search for elements by name

  • Manually select element(s) from the tree. 

    

• Once the elements have been selected, click Update (6) and then Update on the pop-up window (7). 
• The page will reload to show the updated model. It is recommended to select multiple BIM Elements for removal to minimize downtime due to the page reloading.

Restore BIM Elements

You can restore your BIM models' removed elements to by using Edit tree structure. To Restore Removed elements, you will have to select them for restoration for the Edit Tree Structure tool:

• Right-click any BIM Element (1) that is part of the same BIM Model.
• Select Edit BIM model (2).
• Click on Edit Tree Structure from the side sheet (3).

• Hover over the removed elements, right-click (4) and click Restore (5), or select Restore (6) from the side sheet.

  

• Once the elements have been selected, click Update (7) and then Update on the pop-up window (8). 

  

• The page will reload to show the updated model. It is recommended to select multiple BIM Elements for restoration to minimize downtime due to the page reloading.

Using Filters to quickly select small elements in Edit Tree Structure

Within Edit Tree Structure, you can filter elements by size to quickly identify small or insignificant components. This helps streamline cleanup and improves performance.

• Select or manually enter the size of the elements you want to quickly select (1)
• Hit the select button (2)
• The items below the defined size will be selected. Review the selection in 3D or from the tree (3)
• Hold down ctrl before clicking on a BIM element to remove/add that item the active multi-selection. 
• Click remove from the toolbar (4) or hover over the highlighted item in the tree and click Remove (5).
• Click Update (6) and Update in the popup window. The page will refresh. 

See video below for detailed instructions:

Managing Model Files

Store and manage uploaded models from Documents

• To download the original model file, click the three dots on the model card, followed by Download Original Model
• Click Upload to upload another model file from here
• Like with projects, you can archive models. This will not remove them from the scenario to preserve where the models is used in previous scenario versions 
  • Click the three dots on the model on the model name, then click Archive
  • To remove the model from the scenario, that must be done within the scenario from Imported Models

💡 Note: Model files cannot be permanently deleted. They can only be archived or removed from a scenario. For more details, see the 0.6 Document article.

Update BIM Models

This feature is not available with a Starter (Legacy) subscription.

Irrespective of their original file type, once imported into a Scenario, BIM Models can be replaced with later revisions thanks to cmBuilder's model update capabilities. Under the condition that for both versions of the BIM Model (tree/file) structure is the same (BIM Element names, project origin and file structure must remain unchanged) the BIM Model position, 🔗geometry splits, BIM Element property changes, and sequencing of BIM Elements will all be preserved from one version to the next. Any new BIM Elements not part of the first model version will need to sequenced.

To update an existing model:

• From the Scenario Tree, right-click on the BIM model > Update with new model, upload the new file.
• You will be notified once the new version is available

• Click Review from the pop-up notification, or Review new version from the model card
• Review changes and confirm by clicking Update Version

Note: Changes are indicated by the blue dots

Tips & FAQ:

Why are certain elements (e.g. furniture) of my RVT or IFC model not showing up in cmBuilder?

To optimize performance and remove unnecessary objects from your BIM models, cmBuilder allows you to filter out model elements based on their IFC (BIM) classifications during import. To customize these filters based on your requirements:

• Access User Settings: click on the button with your initials in the top right hand corner, select User Settings
• Navigate to the Import tab
• In the Default IFC/RVT classes to convert section toggle on/off the BIM classes as needed
• Toggle on Always ask on IFC/RVT upload if you would like to be prompted with this choice each time you upload an IFC or RVT model.

Further Reading:

Object Controls - For information on how to manipulate an object's spatial position and orientation