Difference between revisions of "BlenderBIM Add-on"
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= Description = | = Description = | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on (formerly known as BlenderBIM) is an add-on to [[Blender]] and part of our [[:Category:Blender_Add-on]]s. It provides functions related to [[OpenBIM]] reading, writing, and analysis through a user interface to IfcOpenShell. |
| − | + | Bonsai is alpha software, expect things to change and break. It is not ready for regular production work if you're not willing to expend a lot of pain and effort. Please read the [[BlenderBIM_Add-on_Roadmap]] to understand progress on the software. | |
You can find ways to offer financial support in the [[Donation_Directory]]. | You can find ways to offer financial support in the [[Donation_Directory]]. | ||
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== Features == | == Features == | ||
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on featured projects|Featured projects]] |
* Import <code>.ifc</code>, <code>.ifczip</code>, and <code>.ifcxml</code> formats | * Import <code>.ifc</code>, <code>.ifczip</code>, and <code>.ifcxml</code> formats | ||
* Export <code>.ifc</code>, <code>.ifczip</code>, and <code>.ifcjson</code> formats | * Export <code>.ifc</code>, <code>.ifczip</code>, and <code>.ifcjson</code> formats | ||
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== Benefits == | == Benefits == | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on is your free, open source, NativeIFC AECO toolkit. |
| − | * “'''Your'''” because it belongs to you, the users. The | + | * “'''Your'''” because it belongs to you, the users. The Bonsai Add-on is not owned by a company. |
| − | * “'''Free'''”, in two ways: you don’t have to pay, as in “free beer”, and free as in freedom/liberty. | + | * “'''Free'''”, in two ways: you don’t have to pay, as in “free beer”, and free as in freedom/liberty. Bonsai Add-on will always be free because everybody is allowed to distribute the Bonsai Add-on free of charge. The Bonsai Add-on ensures your freedom by using a GNU license which provides the four freedoms: |
** The freedom to use our software for any purpose. | ** The freedom to use our software for any purpose. | ||
** The freedom to learn how our software is built. | ** The freedom to learn how our software is built. | ||
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** The freedom to share our software with others, so we can all work together easier. If ten people each share one improvement, then everyone in the industry gets ten improvements. | ** The freedom to share our software with others, so we can all work together easier. If ten people each share one improvement, then everyone in the industry gets ten improvements. | ||
* “'''Open source'''” allows and encourages building communities around software projects. Users are in control of their tools. | * “'''Open source'''” allows and encourages building communities around software projects. Users are in control of their tools. | ||
| − | * “'''NativeIFC'''” because it is not translating geometry to and from an internal schema. The native language of | + | * “'''NativeIFC'''” because it is not translating geometry to and from an internal schema. The native language of the Bonsai Add-on is the IFC schema. Changes you make are changes to IFC data. |
| − | * “'''AECO'''” indicates that the | + | * “'''AECO'''” indicates that the Bonsai Add-on is designed to be used by architects, engineers, construction, and operations teams; everybody in our industry. |
* “'''Toolbox'''” because it is a collection of specialised tools for users to solve their problems. | * “'''Toolbox'''” because it is a collection of specialised tools for users to solve their problems. | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on will transform the industry in three ways: through academia, as part of an AECO workflow, and as a forerunner of new AECO tools. |
=== Academia === | === Academia === | ||
| − | A few universities in Europe have already incorporated the | + | A few universities in Europe have already incorporated the Bonsai Add-on into their curriculum and students are already starting to use the Bonsai Add-on as part of their thesis work. |
| − | As the | + | As the Bonsai Add-on becomes entrenched in academia, the new generation of AECO professionals will be familiar with IFC and with the Bonsai Add-on. When these people join the workforce, they will use the Bonsai Add-on to solve problems. Their supervisors will have no objection to this, because the Bonsai Add-on doesn’t cost the company any money. |
| − | There are three benefits of the | + | There are three benefits of the Bonsai Add-on for academia: it is free, it makes it easier to teach IFC, and it is open source. |
==== Free ==== | ==== Free ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on is free. With the Bonsai Add-on on their computer, students don’t have to go to the university computer centre to work on a licensed copy of proprietary software. |
==== Easier to teach IFC ==== | ==== Easier to teach IFC ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on makes it easier to teach IFC. The structure and terminology used in the Bonsai Add-on matches what is in the IFC specification. A professor can teach a lesson based on the IFC specification and then give a practical assignment on the same topic to be completed using the Bonsai Add-on. |
==== Open source ==== | ==== Open source ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on is open source. An open source application makes research easier and makes the Bonsai Add-on a suitable platform for a thesis. |
=== Part of the AECO workflow === | === Part of the AECO workflow === | ||
| − | There are three benefits of having the | + | There are three benefits of having the Bonsai Add-on as part of the AECO workflow: It is an alternative to paid software, it works together with paid software, and it improves quality. |
==== Alternative to paid software ==== | ==== Alternative to paid software ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on can be an alternative to paid AECO software. The long-term objective of the Bonsai Add-on project is to provide a free, open source alternative to paid software in the AECO workflow; an alternative that provides features equal to or better than what is available from paid software. It may take a few years to achieve this objective, but we are on track. |
Some users may choose to continue to use paid software, just as many choose to use Microsoft Office, rather than the free open source alternatives available. What is important is that users will have a choice. | Some users may choose to continue to use paid software, just as many choose to use Microsoft Office, rather than the free open source alternatives available. What is important is that users will have a choice. | ||
| − | There is a rapidly growing number of utilities that are NativeIFC. These utilities, things like IFC checkers and IFC viewers, are useful tools, but they operate on the peripheral of AECO workflows. The | + | There is a rapidly growing number of utilities that are NativeIFC. These utilities, things like IFC checkers and IFC viewers, are useful tools, but they operate on the peripheral of AECO workflows. The Bonsai Add-on is game-changing because it aims to provide a NativeIFC alternative to the core applications in AECO workflows. |
==== Works together with paid software ==== | ==== Works together with paid software ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on can work together with paid AECO software. You will rarely find an architect who uses both Revit and ArchiCAD on the same project; although sometimes the architect uses ArchiCAD and other members of the design team use Revit. |
| − | There are a few large projects on which the architect uses both Revit and the | + | There are a few large projects on which the architect uses both Revit and the Bonsai Add-on. There are also a few large projects on which the architect uses both ArchiCAD and the Bonsai Add-on. There are also a few small projects on which the architect uses the Bonsai Add-on instead of Revit or ArchiCAD. |
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on has many features to address user needs on large projects using Revit or ArchiCAD. |
| − | * The | + | * The Bonsai Add-on can be used to analyse and debug an IFC file created by Revit or ArchiCAD. You can export IFC data into your favourite spreadsheet, use spreadsheet tools to analyse the data, modify the data in the spreadsheet, and then update the IFC file with the corrected data from the spreadsheet. |
| − | * The | + | * The Bonsai Add-on includes a patch utility that allows you to apply recipes to fix commonly occurring problems in IFC files. For example, many BIM authoring software packages do not handle geolocation properly and this can be fixed using the patch utility. |
==== Improves quality ==== | ==== Improves quality ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on will improve the quality of all AECO software. With the availability of the Bonsai Add-on as a free, open source option for the industry, software vendors will have to provide better value to justify their price tag. Over time, as the Bonsai Add-on continuously improves, paid software will also have to continuously improve. The big winners are the AECO community because software improves quickly and they are no longer locked in and held hostage by vendor-controlled models. We don’t measure the success of the Bonsai Add-on using market share; we measure success by the quality of tools available to the AECO industry and the impact this has on the built environment. |
=== Forerunner of new AECO tools === | === Forerunner of new AECO tools === | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on is the first of a new generation of applications based on NativeIFC for the AECO industry. The Bonsai Add-on will be a forerunner of new applications in three ways: it inspires imitators, it is an enabling platform, and it is a new category of tools. |
==== Inspire imitators ==== | ==== Inspire imitators ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on will inspire imitators. Before the Bonsai Add-on, the only NativeIFC applications were utilities and viewers. Nobody had attempted to create a comprehensive IFC authoring tool that was NativeIFC. In this sense, the Bonsai Add-on is a trailblazer. Inspired by the example of the Bonsai Add-on, software developers can say, “If the Bonsai Add-on can create an authoring application based on NativeIFC, why can’t I?” |
Often, it is the companies who follow closely behind the trailblazer who make the biggest impact. For example, a computer user interface using a desktop, windows, and mouse was first developed at Xerox’s Palo Alto research centre, but it was Microsoft and Apple who brought them to the mainstream. | Often, it is the companies who follow closely behind the trailblazer who make the biggest impact. For example, a computer user interface using a desktop, windows, and mouse was first developed at Xerox’s Palo Alto research centre, but it was Microsoft and Apple who brought them to the mainstream. | ||
| − | Who knows, maybe some company will grab hold of the NativeIFC approach and build a suite of world-class applications that ends up dominating the market. That would be great. There will always be the | + | Who knows, maybe some company will grab hold of the NativeIFC approach and build a suite of world-class applications that ends up dominating the market. That would be great. There will always be the Bonsai Add-on as a free, open source alternative. |
| − | Even though the | + | Even though the Bonsai Add-on is currently in its early stages, its potential has already been recognised. It won the buildingSMART 2020 technology award. It was given a MegaGrant by Epic Games. And in 2021, Google sponsored two people to work on it as part of their “Summer of Code” initiative. |
==== Enabling platform ==== | ==== Enabling platform ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on can be an enabling platform for new AECO applications. The Bonsai Add-on is much, much more than a new software application for the AECO industry. The Bonsai Add-on is also an enabling platform for an entire ecosystem of new NativeIFC software applications. To explain this, we need to look under the hood. |
[[File:Under the hood.png|thumb|Under the hood]] | [[File:Under the hood.png|thumb|Under the hood]] | ||
| − | Everything starts with the user. The User Interface allows the user to interact with the | + | Everything starts with the user. The User Interface allows the user to interact with the Bonsai Add-on. The user experience, display, menu items, and input fields, come from a combination of existing Blender features and the new additional features of the Bonsai Add-on. |
| − | Under the hood, there are dozens of world-class 3D computer graphics features provided by the developers of Blender combined with dozens of AECO features provided by the developers of the | + | Under the hood, there are dozens of world-class 3D computer graphics features provided by the developers of Blender combined with dozens of AECO features provided by the developers of the Bonsai Add-on. Both the developers of Blender and the developers of the Bonsai Add-on regularly add new features. Typically, each feature is written as a separate software module, also called an application program. Some of the functionality of the Bonsai Add-on is available without using Blender. |
A user can write a script to access the features directly, without a Blender user interface. This can be useful when you want to automate a series of tasks. | A user can write a script to access the features directly, without a Blender user interface. This can be useful when you want to automate a series of tasks. | ||
| Line 114: | Line 114: | ||
There are dozens of application programs. Sometimes, these application programs need to read or write data. Reading and writing of data are done through an application programming interface or API. The API allows each application program to interact with a software called IfcOpenShell. | There are dozens of application programs. Sometimes, these application programs need to read or write data. Reading and writing of data are done through an application programming interface or API. The API allows each application program to interact with a software called IfcOpenShell. | ||
| − | The user never interacts directly with IfcOpenShell, only application programs interact directly with IfcOpenShell. IfcOpenShell provides a simple way for application programs of the | + | The user never interacts directly with IfcOpenShell, only application programs interact directly with IfcOpenShell. IfcOpenShell provides a simple way for application programs of the Bonsai Add-on to read and write NativeIFC data. The developers of the Bonsai Add-on don’t have to worry about the complexity of IFC. IfcOpenShell hides all this complexity from the developers. |
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on is built on top of the IfcOpenShell platform. IfcOpenShell is free open source software that allows any developer, not just the developers of the Bonsai Add-on, to easily read and write NativeIFC data. |
IfcOpenShell has been around for a decade and already works as an enabling platform for many types of utilities and other software applications. Some of these may be free, while others may be paid software, but all of them will work together seamlessly because they all use NativeIFC. | IfcOpenShell has been around for a decade and already works as an enabling platform for many types of utilities and other software applications. Some of these may be free, while others may be paid software, but all of them will work together seamlessly because they all use NativeIFC. | ||
| − | FreeCAD and the | + | FreeCAD and the Bonsai Add-on are software applications using the IfcOpenShell platform. They are both free and open source. There are also many paid software applications using the IfcOpenShell platform. IfcOpenShell is not the only free open source platform available to work with NativeIFC. |
A developer may also choose to build their application on top of the xBIM platform or the IFC.js platform. Applications built on any of these platforms will work together seamlessly because they are all based on NativeIFC. | A developer may also choose to build their application on top of the xBIM platform or the IFC.js platform. Applications built on any of these platforms will work together seamlessly because they are all based on NativeIFC. | ||
==== New category of tools ==== | ==== New category of tools ==== | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on can be a catalyst for a new category of software tools. There is some really cool stuff being added to Blender and the Bonsai Add-on will be able to take advantage of this. For example, Blender is already being used for virtual reality and augmented reality. It will be easy to fully integrate this with the Bonsai Add-on. |
| − | There is an emerging need for digital tools, tailored to the AECO industry, that simplify communications, coordination, and collaboration between stakeholders, including clients and facility managers. Fortunately, buildingSMART anticipated this need and developed a BIM Collaboration Format, or BCF, for issue management. Tools using the BCF specification allow smart issue tracking and smart issue exchange between stakeholders. The BCF specification supports both a workflow using a file exchange and a workflow using an API in a client-server environment. The | + | There is an emerging need for digital tools, tailored to the AECO industry, that simplify communications, coordination, and collaboration between stakeholders, including clients and facility managers. Fortunately, buildingSMART anticipated this need and developed a BIM Collaboration Format, or BCF, for issue management. Tools using the BCF specification allow smart issue tracking and smart issue exchange between stakeholders. The BCF specification supports both a workflow using a file exchange and a workflow using an API in a client-server environment. The Bonsai Add-on is one of the first applications to support the new BCF API, ready for others to build upon. Just as IFCopenshell, xBIM and IFC.js are platforms for new NativeIFC applications, the BCF API is a platform for new applications that focus on smart collaboration between AECO stakeholders. |
=== Conclusion === | === Conclusion === | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai Add-on provides many benefits to the AECO industry. The Bonsai Add-on will transform the AECO industry. |
== Learn More == | == Learn More == | ||
| − | The | + | The Bonsai website has a tutorial to export your first model. |
| − | * [https:// | + | * [https://docs.bonsaibim.org/quickstart/installation.html How to install the Bonsai Add-on] |
| − | * [https:// | + | * [https://docs.bonsaibim.org/quickstart/introduction_to_bim.html Bonsai beginners tutorial: my first BIM project] |
You can then read these articles to learn to use the add-on in more detail. | You can then read these articles to learn to use the add-on in more detail. | ||
| − | [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on installation]] |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on Setting up a BIM Project]] |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on Importing geospatial data]] |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on for building and exporting an IFC model]] |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on adding information to IFC]] |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on exporting 2D documentation]] |
* [[Adding labels linked to properties and quantities]] | * [[Adding labels linked to properties and quantities]] | ||
| − | * [[A simple step by step example of a project with | + | * [[A simple step by step example of a project with Bonsai Add-on]] |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai and COBie]] |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Costing]] |
* [https://community.osarch.org/discussion/160/5d-blenderbim-a-tool-for-quantity-surveyors-or-cost-engineers 5D-BlenderBim: A tool for Quantity Surveyors or Cost Engineers] | * [https://community.osarch.org/discussion/160/5d-blenderbim-a-tool-for-quantity-surveyors-or-cost-engineers 5D-BlenderBim: A tool for Quantity Surveyors or Cost Engineers] | ||
| − | We are collecting tips, tricks and best practices for using the | + | We are collecting tips, tricks and best practices for using the Bonsai Add-on on this page: |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on FAQ]] Collection of Questions [https://community.osarch.org/ from Forum] |
==Advanced usage== | ==Advanced usage== | ||
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Bonsai Add-on code examples]] |
== External Resources == | == External Resources == | ||
| − | * [https:// | + | * [https://docs.bonsaibim.org/ Bonsai documentation] |
| − | * [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnl3Zvy78lNfGIYLBxAu5-g/videos IFC Architect] Youtube channel with many videotutorials to learn how to use BlenderBIM. | + | * [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnl3Zvy78lNfGIYLBxAu5-g/videos IFC Architect] Youtube channel with many videotutorials to learn how to use Bonsai (formerly BlenderBIM). |
| − | * [https://community.osarch.org/profile/condur Petru Conduraru] of the BIMVoice [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPKI_VFw_UHYwEB3WeP69Sw Youtube Channel] and [https://bimvoice.com/ Podcast] has some introductory videos and a [https://www.youtube.com/c/BIMvoice/search | + | * [https://community.osarch.org/profile/condur Petru Conduraru] of the BIMVoice [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPKI_VFw_UHYwEB3WeP69Sw Youtube Channel] and [https://bimvoice.com/ Podcast] has some introductory videos and a [https://www.youtube.com/c/BIMvoice/search playlist] focusing on Bonsai Add-on. |
| − | * "[https://vimeo.com/479924151 A Modular Toolkit for Developing openBIM Data Pipelines]" presentation to [[BuildingSMART International]], 20 minute video. The project won the 2020 Technology Award. The toolkit includes [[ | + | * "[https://vimeo.com/479924151 A Modular Toolkit for Developing openBIM Data Pipelines]" presentation to [[BuildingSMART International]], 20 minute video. The project won the 2020 Technology Award. The toolkit includes [[Bonsai Add-on]] and it's components IFC Diff, IFC Clash, BIM Tester, IFC Patch, IFC CSV and IFC CoBie |
| − | * In [https://twitter.com/theoryshaw/status/1448024088631549955 this] Twitter thread [https://community.osarch.org/profile/theoryshaw Ryan Schultz] from [http://openingdesign.com/ OpeningDesign] provides a series of quick, off-the-cuff | + | * In [https://twitter.com/theoryshaw/status/1448024088631549955 this] Twitter thread [https://community.osarch.org/profile/theoryshaw Ryan Schultz] from [http://openingdesign.com/ OpeningDesign] provides a series of quick, off-the-cuff Bonsai tutorials. They are centered around the development and evolution of The Stead: an open source modular/panelized home. |
* Some examples of [https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell/issues/1153 generating 2D drawing directly from IFC] | * Some examples of [https://github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell/issues/1153 generating 2D drawing directly from IFC] | ||
| − | * [https://github.com/myoualid/ifc-101-course IFC-101-course:] A video-series on IFC and | + | * [https://github.com/myoualid/ifc-101-course IFC-101-course:] A video-series on IFC and Bonsai |
| − | * [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query= | + | * [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bonsaibim Here's] a general search for "BonsaiBIM" on Youtube |
{{Blender_Add-on}} | {{Blender_Add-on}} | ||
{{software}} | {{software}} | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Bonsai Add-on]] |
[[Category:Blender Add-on]] | [[Category:Blender Add-on]] | ||
[[Category:Blender]] | [[Category:Blender]] | ||
Latest revision as of 09:21, 29 March 2025
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Website: | blenderbim.org |
| Source: | source |
| License: | LGPL-3.0 |
| Bugs: | report bugs |
| Community: | community |
| Maturity: | Category:Functional |
| Donate: | donate |
 Software Directory
| |
Description[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on (formerly known as BlenderBIM) is an add-on to Blender and part of our Category:Blender_Add-ons. It provides functions related to OpenBIM reading, writing, and analysis through a user interface to IfcOpenShell.
Bonsai is alpha software, expect things to change and break. It is not ready for regular production work if you're not willing to expend a lot of pain and effort. Please read the BlenderBIM_Add-on_Roadmap to understand progress on the software.
You can find ways to offer financial support in the Donation_Directory.
Sub pages[edit]
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on Changelog
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on Clash detection
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on FAQ
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on Roadmap
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on Setting up a BIM Project
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on code examples
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on exporting 2D documentation
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on featured projects
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on for building and exporting an IFC model
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Add-on installation
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM Costing
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM IFCCSV
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BlenderBIM and COBie
- BlenderBIM Add-on/BonsaiBIM Features Guide
- BlenderBIM Add-on/Bonsai QuantityTakeoff
- BlenderBIM Add-on/IFC Patch Recipes
- BlenderBIM Add-on/Shortcuts
- BlenderBIM Add-on/Using the Python console with BlenderBIM Add-on
Features[edit]
- Featured projects
- Import
.ifc,.ifczip, and.ifcxmlformats - Export
.ifc,.ifczip, and.ifcjsonformats - Checking IFC data against an Information Delivery Manual with MicroMVDs
- Provide an interface to manage IFC data, including:
- Assigning IFC classes
- Assigning attributes to IFC elements
- Assigning properties and property sets to IFC elements
- Assigning quantities and quantity sets to IFC elements
- Calculating quantities of IFC geometry
- Clash detection
Benefits[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on is your free, open source, NativeIFC AECO toolkit.
- “Your” because it belongs to you, the users. The Bonsai Add-on is not owned by a company.
- “Free”, in two ways: you don’t have to pay, as in “free beer”, and free as in freedom/liberty. Bonsai Add-on will always be free because everybody is allowed to distribute the Bonsai Add-on free of charge. The Bonsai Add-on ensures your freedom by using a GNU license which provides the four freedoms:
- The freedom to use our software for any purpose.
- The freedom to learn how our software is built.
- The freedom to change our software to suit your needs.
- The freedom to share our software with others, so we can all work together easier. If ten people each share one improvement, then everyone in the industry gets ten improvements.
- “Open source” allows and encourages building communities around software projects. Users are in control of their tools.
- “NativeIFC” because it is not translating geometry to and from an internal schema. The native language of the Bonsai Add-on is the IFC schema. Changes you make are changes to IFC data.
- “AECO” indicates that the Bonsai Add-on is designed to be used by architects, engineers, construction, and operations teams; everybody in our industry.
- “Toolbox” because it is a collection of specialised tools for users to solve their problems.
The Bonsai Add-on will transform the industry in three ways: through academia, as part of an AECO workflow, and as a forerunner of new AECO tools.
Academia[edit]
A few universities in Europe have already incorporated the Bonsai Add-on into their curriculum and students are already starting to use the Bonsai Add-on as part of their thesis work.
As the Bonsai Add-on becomes entrenched in academia, the new generation of AECO professionals will be familiar with IFC and with the Bonsai Add-on. When these people join the workforce, they will use the Bonsai Add-on to solve problems. Their supervisors will have no objection to this, because the Bonsai Add-on doesn’t cost the company any money.
There are three benefits of the Bonsai Add-on for academia: it is free, it makes it easier to teach IFC, and it is open source.
Free[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on is free. With the Bonsai Add-on on their computer, students don’t have to go to the university computer centre to work on a licensed copy of proprietary software.
Easier to teach IFC[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on makes it easier to teach IFC. The structure and terminology used in the Bonsai Add-on matches what is in the IFC specification. A professor can teach a lesson based on the IFC specification and then give a practical assignment on the same topic to be completed using the Bonsai Add-on.
Open source[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on is open source. An open source application makes research easier and makes the Bonsai Add-on a suitable platform for a thesis.
Part of the AECO workflow[edit]
There are three benefits of having the Bonsai Add-on as part of the AECO workflow: It is an alternative to paid software, it works together with paid software, and it improves quality.
Alternative to paid software[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on can be an alternative to paid AECO software. The long-term objective of the Bonsai Add-on project is to provide a free, open source alternative to paid software in the AECO workflow; an alternative that provides features equal to or better than what is available from paid software. It may take a few years to achieve this objective, but we are on track.
Some users may choose to continue to use paid software, just as many choose to use Microsoft Office, rather than the free open source alternatives available. What is important is that users will have a choice.
There is a rapidly growing number of utilities that are NativeIFC. These utilities, things like IFC checkers and IFC viewers, are useful tools, but they operate on the peripheral of AECO workflows. The Bonsai Add-on is game-changing because it aims to provide a NativeIFC alternative to the core applications in AECO workflows.
Works together with paid software[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on can work together with paid AECO software. You will rarely find an architect who uses both Revit and ArchiCAD on the same project; although sometimes the architect uses ArchiCAD and other members of the design team use Revit.
There are a few large projects on which the architect uses both Revit and the Bonsai Add-on. There are also a few large projects on which the architect uses both ArchiCAD and the Bonsai Add-on. There are also a few small projects on which the architect uses the Bonsai Add-on instead of Revit or ArchiCAD.
The Bonsai Add-on has many features to address user needs on large projects using Revit or ArchiCAD.
- The Bonsai Add-on can be used to analyse and debug an IFC file created by Revit or ArchiCAD. You can export IFC data into your favourite spreadsheet, use spreadsheet tools to analyse the data, modify the data in the spreadsheet, and then update the IFC file with the corrected data from the spreadsheet.
- The Bonsai Add-on includes a patch utility that allows you to apply recipes to fix commonly occurring problems in IFC files. For example, many BIM authoring software packages do not handle geolocation properly and this can be fixed using the patch utility.
Improves quality[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on will improve the quality of all AECO software. With the availability of the Bonsai Add-on as a free, open source option for the industry, software vendors will have to provide better value to justify their price tag. Over time, as the Bonsai Add-on continuously improves, paid software will also have to continuously improve. The big winners are the AECO community because software improves quickly and they are no longer locked in and held hostage by vendor-controlled models. We don’t measure the success of the Bonsai Add-on using market share; we measure success by the quality of tools available to the AECO industry and the impact this has on the built environment.
Forerunner of new AECO tools[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on is the first of a new generation of applications based on NativeIFC for the AECO industry. The Bonsai Add-on will be a forerunner of new applications in three ways: it inspires imitators, it is an enabling platform, and it is a new category of tools.
Inspire imitators[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on will inspire imitators. Before the Bonsai Add-on, the only NativeIFC applications were utilities and viewers. Nobody had attempted to create a comprehensive IFC authoring tool that was NativeIFC. In this sense, the Bonsai Add-on is a trailblazer. Inspired by the example of the Bonsai Add-on, software developers can say, “If the Bonsai Add-on can create an authoring application based on NativeIFC, why can’t I?”
Often, it is the companies who follow closely behind the trailblazer who make the biggest impact. For example, a computer user interface using a desktop, windows, and mouse was first developed at Xerox’s Palo Alto research centre, but it was Microsoft and Apple who brought them to the mainstream.
Who knows, maybe some company will grab hold of the NativeIFC approach and build a suite of world-class applications that ends up dominating the market. That would be great. There will always be the Bonsai Add-on as a free, open source alternative.
Even though the Bonsai Add-on is currently in its early stages, its potential has already been recognised. It won the buildingSMART 2020 technology award. It was given a MegaGrant by Epic Games. And in 2021, Google sponsored two people to work on it as part of their “Summer of Code” initiative.
Enabling platform[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on can be an enabling platform for new AECO applications. The Bonsai Add-on is much, much more than a new software application for the AECO industry. The Bonsai Add-on is also an enabling platform for an entire ecosystem of new NativeIFC software applications. To explain this, we need to look under the hood.
Everything starts with the user. The User Interface allows the user to interact with the Bonsai Add-on. The user experience, display, menu items, and input fields, come from a combination of existing Blender features and the new additional features of the Bonsai Add-on.
Under the hood, there are dozens of world-class 3D computer graphics features provided by the developers of Blender combined with dozens of AECO features provided by the developers of the Bonsai Add-on. Both the developers of Blender and the developers of the Bonsai Add-on regularly add new features. Typically, each feature is written as a separate software module, also called an application program. Some of the functionality of the Bonsai Add-on is available without using Blender.
A user can write a script to access the features directly, without a Blender user interface. This can be useful when you want to automate a series of tasks.
There are dozens of application programs. Sometimes, these application programs need to read or write data. Reading and writing of data are done through an application programming interface or API. The API allows each application program to interact with a software called IfcOpenShell.
The user never interacts directly with IfcOpenShell, only application programs interact directly with IfcOpenShell. IfcOpenShell provides a simple way for application programs of the Bonsai Add-on to read and write NativeIFC data. The developers of the Bonsai Add-on don’t have to worry about the complexity of IFC. IfcOpenShell hides all this complexity from the developers.
The Bonsai Add-on is built on top of the IfcOpenShell platform. IfcOpenShell is free open source software that allows any developer, not just the developers of the Bonsai Add-on, to easily read and write NativeIFC data.
IfcOpenShell has been around for a decade and already works as an enabling platform for many types of utilities and other software applications. Some of these may be free, while others may be paid software, but all of them will work together seamlessly because they all use NativeIFC.
FreeCAD and the Bonsai Add-on are software applications using the IfcOpenShell platform. They are both free and open source. There are also many paid software applications using the IfcOpenShell platform. IfcOpenShell is not the only free open source platform available to work with NativeIFC.
A developer may also choose to build their application on top of the xBIM platform or the IFC.js platform. Applications built on any of these platforms will work together seamlessly because they are all based on NativeIFC.
New category of tools[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on can be a catalyst for a new category of software tools. There is some really cool stuff being added to Blender and the Bonsai Add-on will be able to take advantage of this. For example, Blender is already being used for virtual reality and augmented reality. It will be easy to fully integrate this with the Bonsai Add-on.
There is an emerging need for digital tools, tailored to the AECO industry, that simplify communications, coordination, and collaboration between stakeholders, including clients and facility managers. Fortunately, buildingSMART anticipated this need and developed a BIM Collaboration Format, or BCF, for issue management. Tools using the BCF specification allow smart issue tracking and smart issue exchange between stakeholders. The BCF specification supports both a workflow using a file exchange and a workflow using an API in a client-server environment. The Bonsai Add-on is one of the first applications to support the new BCF API, ready for others to build upon. Just as IFCopenshell, xBIM and IFC.js are platforms for new NativeIFC applications, the BCF API is a platform for new applications that focus on smart collaboration between AECO stakeholders.
Conclusion[edit]
The Bonsai Add-on provides many benefits to the AECO industry. The Bonsai Add-on will transform the AECO industry.
Learn More[edit]
The Bonsai website has a tutorial to export your first model.
You can then read these articles to learn to use the add-on in more detail.
- Bonsai Add-on installation
- Bonsai Add-on Setting up a BIM Project
- Bonsai Add-on Importing geospatial data
- Bonsai Add-on for building and exporting an IFC model
- Bonsai Add-on adding information to IFC
- Bonsai Add-on exporting 2D documentation
- Adding labels linked to properties and quantities
- A simple step by step example of a project with Bonsai Add-on
- Bonsai and COBie
- Bonsai Costing
- 5D-BlenderBim: A tool for Quantity Surveyors or Cost Engineers
We are collecting tips, tricks and best practices for using the Bonsai Add-on on this page:
- Bonsai Add-on FAQ Collection of Questions from Forum
Advanced usage[edit]
External Resources[edit]
- Bonsai documentation
- IFC Architect Youtube channel with many videotutorials to learn how to use Bonsai (formerly BlenderBIM).
- Petru Conduraru of the BIMVoice Youtube Channel and Podcast has some introductory videos and a playlist focusing on Bonsai Add-on.
- "A Modular Toolkit for Developing openBIM Data Pipelines" presentation to BuildingSMART International, 20 minute video. The project won the 2020 Technology Award. The toolkit includes Bonsai Add-on and it's components IFC Diff, IFC Clash, BIM Tester, IFC Patch, IFC CSV and IFC CoBie
- In this Twitter thread Ryan Schultz from OpeningDesign provides a series of quick, off-the-cuff Bonsai tutorials. They are centered around the development and evolution of The Stead: an open source modular/panelized home.
- Some examples of generating 2D drawing directly from IFC
- IFC-101-course: A video-series on IFC and Bonsai
- Here's a general search for "BonsaiBIM" on Youtube
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This page describes a Blender Add-on relevant to AEC work. See similar add-ons in the Category:Blender Add-on. |
| This page describes a software project from our AEC Free Software directory |
