How to merge two IFC files
"Joining" means two different things in BIM and they are worth keeping apart: federating is seeing them together, each in its own file; merging is writing one into the other and ending up with a single IFC. Here are both, done in the browser and without uploading the models anywhere.
Open my IFC files — free See the IFC editor
Which one do you need
| | Federate | Merge |
|---|
| Result | Several files seen together | One single new IFC |
| What it is for | Coordinating, reviewing, measuring across disciplines, finding clashes | Delivering one file, or moving elements from one model to another |
| Upside | Each discipline keeps owning its file; updates on the next issue | The recipient opens one thing and has it all |
| Downside | You load every file each time | A new revision means redoing the merge |
Rule of thumb: during the project, federate; to deliver, merge.
Step by step
- Load the files. Drag the .ifc files onto geomaifc.com/app: several can be open at once.
- To federate: go to the 3D view and press Load 3D. With two or more files open they align by their real coordinates on their own. From the model panel you can switch each one on, off or into focus.
- To merge: open Merge, choose the base file and the one to be inserted. If the schemas differ (IFC2x3 against IFC4, say) you are warned and offered the conversion.
- Check in 3D that what you inserted lands where it should — this is the part that fails most when merging by hand — and download the IFC.
If a model shows up miles from the rest when federating, it almost always means that file carries no georeference. Fix it by placing it in real coordinates from the editor, not by dragging it by eye.
Details that save surprises
- Duplicate GUIDs. Merging two exports from the same source can repeat identifiers; check the result before delivering.
- Units. Make sure both models use the same ones: a file in millimetres inserted into one in metres shows up instantly in 3D.
- Weight. Merging adds up: if both models are big, so is the result. For reviewing, federating almost always wins.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I merge different IFC versions?
- Yes: each schema is detected and a conversion is offered before inserting.
- Are coordinates kept?
- Yes — IfcMapConversion or the IfcSite placement is honoured, so each model lands where it belongs.
- Are my original files modified?
- No: the result is downloaded as a new file.
- Is it free?
- Viewing and federating are in the free plan. Merging belongs to the paid plans. See plans.
Merge my IFC files now Add properties to an IFC