How to call ifcconvert from the terminal

If you are new to using the terminal and need to convert IFC files, you might be wondering how to call ifcconvert from the terminal. ifcconvert is a command-line tool that allows you to convert files in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) format to other formats such as STEP or OBJ.

In this article, we will guide you through the process of calling ifcconvert from the terminal step by step. By following these instructions, you will be able to convert your IFC files with ease.

Step 1: Install ifcconvert

The first step is to install ifcconvert on your system. ifcconvert is part of the IfcOpenShell library, which provides tools for working with IFC files. To install ifcconvert, follow these steps:

1. Open the terminal on your computer.
2. Check if Git is installed by typing the following command and pressing Enter:

git --version

3. If Git is not installed, install it by following the official Git installation instructions for your operating system.
4. Once Git is installed, clone the IfcOpenShell repository by running the following command:

git clone https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell.git

5. Change into the IfcOpenShell directory by running:

cd IfcOpenShell

6. Build and install IfcOpenShell by running the following commands:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

Step 2: Call ifcconvert

Now that you have ifcconvert installed on your system, you can call it from the terminal to convert your IFC files. Follow these steps to call ifcconvert:

1. Open the terminal on your computer.
2. Change into the directory where your IFC file is located. For example, if your file is located in the "Documents" folder, run:

cd Documents

3. Once you are in the correct directory, you can call ifcconvert by running the following command:

ifcconvert input.ifc output.step

Replace "input.ifc" with the name of your IFC file and "output.step" with the desired name and format of the output file. You can choose from various output formats such as STEP, OBJ, or XML.

For example, if your IFC file is named "building.ifc" and you want to convert it to STEP format with the output file named "building.step", the command would be:

ifcconvert building.ifc building.step

4. Press Enter to execute the command.
5. Wait for the conversion process to complete. The time it takes depends on the size of your IFC file and the complexity of its contents.
6. Once the conversion is finished, you will find the output file in the same directory as your original IFC file.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you should now be able to call ifcconvert from the terminal and convert your IFC files to different formats. Remember to install ifcconvert by setting up the IfcOpenShell library first, and then use the correct command syntax to perform the conversion.

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