BIMFACE

BIMFACE is a cloud engine for lightweighting and displaying building information models, built by Glodon, the Beijing-based construction software company. It is aimed at developers who want to add BIM viewing and model data to their own platforms. Instead of asking every user to install Revit, Navisworks or another authoring tool, a team uploads the original files to BIMFACE, which converts them into a lightweight format that streams to a web browser, tablet or phone.

Key features

• Cloud file conversion – supports more than 50 file formats, including RVT, DWG, SKP, DGN, IFC, NWD, 3DS and Glodon's GTJ, with no manual preparation
• Large model viewing – Glodon states the viewer handles models with millions of components and hundreds of millions of triangles, and city-scale scenes
• BIM+GIS scenes – places building models in geographic context using stream loading for large sites
• Clash detection – runs collision checks and locates conflicts inside the model
• Drawing and model linking – connects 2D drawings to the 3D model for review and site work
• Realistic rendering – online baking of light, shadow and materials for presentation-quality views
• Open APIs – more than 1,000 APIs and documentation for building custom applications on top of the engine

How it is used

BIMFACE sits underneath other products rather than acting as a finished end-user app. Glodon lists use cases across the building lifecycle: developers managing projects from a single model, designers building component libraries, contractors simulating and tracking construction progress, and operations teams maintaining MEP systems. Published customer cases include a BIM project management platform for Wanda Group, a smart site and operations platform for Hunan Construction Engineering, and Arup's Neuron digital building platform.

Who it's for

BIMFACE fits software vendors, in-house digital teams at contractors and developers, and system integrators who need a proven BIM viewer and model database inside their own web or mobile product. Glodon says more than 10,000 BIM application providers use it. The main site and documentation are in Chinese, with an English product page on Glodon's international site.