About the IDS Import
Explains the concept of importing information requirements in the open Information Delivery Specification (IDS) standard.
IDS(Information Delivery Specification)
The IDS standard (Information Delivery Specification) is a manufacturer-neutral standard of buildingSMART for the definition of machine-readable exchange information requirements that enables automated checks and validation of models. The IDS standard is based on the IFC standard.
- Target objects (IFC entities): Definitions as to which IFC classes the requirements relate to (e.g.
IfcWall,IfcSpaceHeater). - Properties and attributes: Definition as to which properties must be present on the object (e.g.
FireRating,LoadBearing) - Data formats and value ranges: Specifications for data types, units, permitted values or value lists.
- Checking rules (constraints): Conditions that must be met (e.g. “Target value”, “Must not be empty”).
An IDS file can therefore be used to define which properties are to be assigned to which objects in the project, in which structure and with which content, in accordance with client information requirements (AIA) and the BIM execution plan (BAP). Requirements can be defined in as much detail as required, for example depending on attributes, properties, external classes, relationships and materials: A bidet requires a hot water connection, whereas a urinal does not; designations of fire resistance classes in fire dampers must begin with “K”. In addition, it is possible to specify who is responsible for providing which kind of data at which milestones in the course of the project.
Implementation in the LINEAR Solutions
The IDS standard is not supported by Revit nativ, nor does its data structure correspond 1:1 to that of the IFC standard. To enable a consistent interpretation of the data, the IDS file is imported in several stages, in which existing information is assigned and enriched with additional data.
You start the import from the Element Classes and Property Sets dialog, assign Revit categories to the selected specifications from the IDS file and check the assignment of incoming IFC parameters to Revit data types. In addition to the IDS file, a definition file with information on shared parameters is required for the last step. If such a file with the file name of the IDS file and the file extension *.ids.txt is located in the directory of the IDS file, it is automatically recognized. Alternatively, you can select a different file or create one once the parameters have been assigned.
After the import, all selected specifications are available as an element class. Each of these element classes contains the corresponding requirements from the IDS file in the Property Sets area. Each property set can be checked here and fine-tuned if necessary. If all elements in the model have an IFC classification, the requirements defined for them appear in the LINEAR Properties when an element is selected. Unfulfilled requirements are highlighted. You can use the Element Lists function to systematically export and clean incorrect data in a batch process.