ifc-data-extraction

What This Skill Does

The ifc-data-extraction skill serves as a robust gateway for OpenClaw agents to interface with Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) files, the global standard for open BIM (Building Information Modeling). By leveraging the powerful IfcOpenShell library, this skill allows agents to programmatically parse complex architectural and engineering models. It enables the extraction of structured data, including spatial relationships, elemental quantities, material properties, and custom Property Sets (Psets). Whether you are auditing a building model for compliance, performing quantity take-offs for cost estimation, or extracting coordinate data for spatial analysis, this skill transforms static BIM files into actionable, structured datasets ready for analysis.

Installation

To integrate this skill into your environment, use the following clawhub command in your terminal:

clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/datadrivenconstruction/ifc-data-extraction

Ensure that you have the necessary dependencies, including ifcopenshell and pandas, installed in your Python environment. Once installed, the IFCExtractor class becomes available for instantiation within your OpenClaw agent scripts.

Use Cases

• Automated Quantity Take-offs: Automatically calculate total wall area, concrete volumes, or door counts across an entire project model.
• BIM Quality Assurance: Validate that all building elements are assigned to the correct levels or have mandatory properties (e.g., fire rating) populated.
• Data Interoperability: Convert complex proprietary BIM models into standard CSV or JSON formats for use in third-party database or spreadsheet tools.
• Spatial Analysis: Filter and map elements based on their spatial hierarchies (Site > Building > Storey > Element) to identify congestion or space usage patterns.

Example Prompts

1. "Open 'hospital_design.ifc', calculate the total number of doors and windows, and export the list of their unique IDs to a CSV file."
2. "Analyze the architectural model and list all slabs that do not have a thermal conductivity property assigned in their Psets."
3. "Summarize the project structure from 'office_project.ifc' and tell me how many distinct levels are defined in the building model."

Tips & Limitations

• Version Support: The efficiency of extraction depends on the IFC schema version (IFC2x3, IFC4, etc.). Ensure your model is compatible with the version supported by your IfcOpenShell instance.
• Performance: For large-scale BIM models (hundreds of megabytes), ensure your system has sufficient RAM, as loading the entire model into memory can be resource-intensive.
• Validation: Always verify the schema interpretation, as different BIM authoring software (Revit, Archicad, Tekla) may export IFCs with slight variations in Pset naming conventions.