IfcBridge Model Generation using Visual Programming

Methods and concepts of Building Information Modeling (BIM) are increasingly used in infrastructure projects. However, suitable data structures are still missing to store and exchange model data in an appropriate spatial and asset-specific context. With the IfcBridge schema extension, the vendor-neutral data format Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) now includes classes for bridge structures. This paper presents approaches to export IfcBridge models using existing authoring tools. To overcome the lack of the required spatial context for bridges, a visual programming language is chosen to extract and assign additional knowledge to a bridge model. The data gained from visual programming provides the base for the export into the new IFC 4x2 standard.