Home of OSArch

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Revision as of 21:09, 20 September 2020 by JanF (talk | contribs) (JanF moved page Main Page to Home of OSArch: The term "Main Page" is too general and ambiguous)

Welcome to the OSArch WIKI - the resource and workflow database of open and accessible software for the Architecture - Engineering - Construction fields, maintained and developed by professionals actively using these tools for professional work.

The Open-Source Architecture Community brings together like-minded users and developers who share a common goal: that the built environment can be designed, constructed, operated, and recycled with free/libre software and open-source software with increased transparency, and a more ethical approach.

We're creating a place where everyone involved in the built environment's conception and life can meet, inspire and collaborate to develop empowering digital tools.

GNU Free Software "Open-source software (OSS) is a type of computer software in which source code is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose." -Wikipedia Open Source Initiative

We encourage the community to share what they're working on, use more free software in what is currently a proprietary-dominated market, and learn more about what's out there.

For community discussion, visit the OSArch Community Forum and read about our Monthly Meetup.

This wiki is brand-new. Please expect changes. Please feel free to contribute! See How to contribute the OSArch community.

A good way to find what's on this site is to browse the directories below and the list of categories.

Overview of open source AEC software

The core of this project is the The AECO Free Software Directory. Enjoy browsing our directory for interesting solutions and let us know if we've overlooked anything.

See also our featured projects (developed directly by members of the OSArch community):

Workflows using open source AEC software

The easiest way to learn about the exciting Open AEC universe and start using these tools is to see some real projects and try the workflows other people are using. The complete list of our workflows is in the Workflows using AES FOSS directory.

You can also check out the Featured images, which show you the most impressive visual examples of what free software can do for AECO.

We are actively looking for examples of real-world projects we can share. Know a project? Get in touch with us on the OSArch forum!

Some of our featured projects:

Technical standards and solutions

A lot of the software used in OSArch workflows is based on industry standards which are also defined to be open. You can see the complete list in the Open Data Standards Directory.

The most important ones right now are:

To do tests and experiments with new software a large amount of data is often necessary. Open Data is a great resource, so we're also collecting links to these.

Standards organizations play an important role in creating the Open Data Standards OpenBIM relies on

Academic Papers and articles out there can help you gain an understanding of the industry and where free software can play a role in AECO

How to contribute the OSArch community

By joining the OSArch community forum you can engage in the various discussions, ask questions and get to know other members of the community.

Detailed ways to help are listed on the How to contribute to OSArch page.

Of course any financial support is always welcome. You will find the direct donation links of the single software projects in the Donation directory. There is currently no central OSArch fund.

You are also welcome to participate on expanding thi wiki:

And most importantly, all the projects need development support: Contributing to OSArch development 101 will show you the first steps in case you are just beginning with programming, OpenBIM programming video basics will teach you the stuff particular to OpenBIM. If you already know what to do, feel free to join any of the developer teams at their respective gits. For example: