IFC as a database

Various experiments of storing IFC as an EdgeDB Database. See the GitHub repo for the source code for the docs and all related code

Note

I am writing this document primarily to organize my thoughts.

Consequently, this document will be randomly updated and for the most part appear chaotic and inconsistent.

Use Cases

• Use Cases
  • Upload IFC file to empty Database
  • Download entire IFC model from IFC Database
  • Download Partial IFC model from IFC Database
  • Use EdgeDB as a backend IFC DB for Blender

Schema Conversion

• Converting IFC schema to EdgeDB schema (ESDL)
  • EdgeDB using partial IFC Schema
  • EdgeDB using the entire IFC Schema
  • EdgeDB using specific IFC entities
• Migrating the entire IFC schema into EdgeDB
  • Memory Alloc error
• Necessary modifications to the IFC schema
  • Base Types
  • Potential improvements

Inserting Elements

• IFC Insert Strategies
  • SEQUENCE
  • BULK
  • PARALLEL

Querying Elements

• Query Building
• Query by element name(s)/GlobalId(s)
• Nested Object links
  • Query 1 -> Basic Select
  • Query 2 -> Get properties of linked objects
  • Query 3 -> The completed query shape
  • Strategies for reducing the general IFC query shape complexity
• Slicing in the Spatial Hierarchy
  • Motivation & Goal
  • Scenario
  • Query Strategy
  • Query 1 -> Get the entire spatial hierarchy
  • Query 2 -> Getting all relevant data associated to the returned list of classes
• Large queries
  • EdgeDB “Pagination”

Updating Elements

• Updating EdgeDB with local IFC changes
  • Diffing example 1 -> Basic Edit of a Blender Cube
  • The issue of tracking differences in IFC files and unordered lists
• EdgeDB update statement issue
• The issue of property updates and “overlinking”
  • The problem
  • Solutions

Validation

• Validation Strategy
• Round-tripping cube-advanced-brep.ifc

CI/CD

• Unittesting EdgeDB schemas