I Imported a large electrical and piping ifc model as a background object to guide structural modeling, using an RFEM version 6.11.0006. The size of the ifc model is about 200 MB.
Despite using a powerful laptop** and setting the battery mode to best performance, the RFEM application slowed down to almost becoming unusable, so much so that it took half an hour to import the ifc and only clicking on a checkbox takes so long I was able to walk around, get a coffee, scroll on my phone and write this post, and the checkbox hasn't worked yet ...
Software like Solibri, open the same ifc model within seconds.
I hope you find a way to improve this. It is an unacceptable performance.
P.S. I can't share any models due to project limitations.
** RAM is 64 GB, CPU is 11thGen intel core i7 11850H 2.5 GHz
Yes, obviously a solution to this problem is that I export only the IFC parts that are relevant to my need, if I have access to the original BIM model.
If I don't have access to the original BIM model, then I would like to see RFEM handle a simple visualization of an IFC file as smoothly and fast as other software like Solibri.
Why does RFEM have to perform any extra calculations or tasks in the background if I only need the IFC as a background visualization to guide my modeling? What more calculations does RFEM need to do, more than what Solibri does, to visualize an IFC file? Yet, Solibri takes several seconds to open the model, but RFEM takes more than half an hour!
I think instead of asking users to spend an hour to create selective objects into their IFC, it would be better to improve the visualization algorithms of RFEM. Also, please add a search bar to the list of IFC objects to allow fast modifications of the visualization checkboxes.
I’ve forwarded your request regarding performance improvements when importing large IFC models to our development team. They will review it for possible enhancements in future updates.
I’m facing the same issue. In many cases, the IFC is only needed as a background reference for coordination — for example, when creating a new FE model while checking pipe supports or equipment locations.
The structural engineer often has no control over what other disciplines export, so expecting users to “make the IFC lighter” shifts the responsibility to the wrong side.
Since IFC is an industry standard and serves multiple purposes, RFEM should handle it more efficiently — ideally with a lightweight visualization mode for reference use only.
I understand your concern and your desire to increase processing speed when processing IFC models.
That's why I forwarded your request regarding performance improvements when importing large IFC models to our development team. I cannot reliably predict when the change will be implemented in the program.
@marco.nikoleizig would modifying the background layer objects to accept the *.ifc format be solution to this? at the moment they only accept *.dxf format.
thank you very much for your suggestion!
I’ve forwarded your feature request — importing IFC files as background layers — to our program developers.
At the moment, I cannot reliably predict when this enhancement will be implemented. In the meantime, you can find update reports, information about bug fixes, and new features in RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9 here:
However, you may already be able to achieve your goal by exporting the IFC file as a DXF from your authoring software and then importing the DXF into RFEM/RSTAB.
Please note:
When importing DXF files, a large number of lines may be created if the data is not simplified beforehand. Therefore, I recommend cleaning up or reducing the file to the essential geometry before importing.
If you have any further questions, feel free to let me know!
Reduce the data volume of your IFC model as much as possible. This ensures better performance and facilitates further processing.
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