Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)

IFC (Industry Foundation Classes), is an Open Data schema and set of formats used to store OpenBIM data. It is developed and maintained by BuildingSMART International. IFC data can digitally describe many concepts, including:

Physical objects in our built environment (walls, slabs, columns, pipes)
2D and 3D geometry that represents objects or annotate objects
A diverse set of properties and attributes spanning many domains
Materials attributes and display colours
Construction planning, resource allocation, and scheduling
Quantification of elements
Roles and responsibilities of organisations and individuals
Design strategies and legal constraints
Analytical models for structural analysis, energy analysis, and light analysis