AtlasVR 3D viewer
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IFC viewer online: BIM models in the browser and in VR

Open an IFC model in seconds, without BIM software: show and hide storeys, click elements and read their properties. Then walk through the building in a VR headset, at full scale.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • No third-party ads
  • Your file stays on your device
  • VR with a headset, AR with a phone

Drop a file here

IFC · STEP · STP · IGES · BREP · STL · glTF · GLB · OBJ · FBX · PLY · 3MF · DAE · ZIP

Enter a code from your computer

The viewer on your computer shows the code under "View in a VR headset".

Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.

WebXR

Even better: your model in VR and AR

On a screen you look at a model. In a VR headset you stand in front of it or inside it: as a table-top model you can pick up, at full scale to walk through, or with passthrough right in your room. No app needed, just the browser on your headset. And with a phone you place the model in AR on your table.

  1. Open your model here on the computer and click View in VR or AR. You get a six-digit code and a QR code.
  2. In the browser of your VR headset, go to the address shown, for example viewer.atlasvr.ch/482913, or scan the QR code with your phone. The model comes straight from your computer, encrypted, with no upload.
  3. Tap View in VR, or View in AR for passthrough and on a phone.

It also works without a computer: open viewer.atlasvr.ch on the headset itself and load the file from its downloads folder or a cloud drive.

WebXR, the open web standard for VR and AR, is built into the Meta Quest Browser (Quest 3 and 3S), the PICO Browser, Chrome on Android XR (for example Samsung Galaxy XR and AR glasses such as XREAL Aura) and Chrome on Android phones for AR. On iPhone and iPad the viewer opens the model in AR Quick Look, Apple's AR view. Safari on Apple Vision Pro supports VR mode.

Controls in the headset

Grip button or trigger
Pick up, move and turn the model
Both hands
Pull the table-top model bigger or smaller
A or X button
Switch between table-top model and full scale
B button
Reset the view
Menu button ≡ or Y button
Show and hide the guide, with "Exit VR" on it
Joystick
At full scale push forward, aim and let go to teleport; push sideways to turn 30 degrees
Hand tracking
Pinch thumb and index finger to grab

Scan with your phone to see the sample model in AR

Open the sample model

How it works

  1. 1

    Open the IFC file

    Drop the .ifc file into the box. Exports from Revit, ArchiCAD, Allplan, Vectorworks and Tekla work.

  2. 2

    Storeys and elements

    Show and hide storeys and element classes such as walls, slabs or windows. Click an element to see its properties.

  3. 3

    Walk through it

    In the browser of your VR headset, tap "View in VR" and press the A button for full scale.

What is an IFC file?

IFC (Industry Foundation Classes, ISO 16739) is the open exchange format for BIM. It describes building elements with their properties, not just geometry.

IFC2x3, IFC4 and IFC4.3
The viewer reads the common versions with the open-source library web-ifc by That Open Company.
Elements, not surfaces
Every wall, window and column is its own object with class, name and property sets (Psets).
Storeys
The spatial structure splits the model into storeys, so you can look at one floor without the slab above it.
Coordinates
The viewer moves large georeferenced coordinates to the origin so the model renders without jitter.

Your file stays with you

The viewer reads your file right in the browser, with WebAssembly on your device. There is no upload, no server that sees your model and no account. If you send the model to your VR headset or phone, it goes encrypted straight from device to device; our server only brokers the connection and forgets the code after 10 minutes at most. The file for AR on an iPhone is made in your browser, too. Close the tab and the model is gone. We count visits with Vercel Web Analytics, without cookies; file names and contents are never sent.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open an IFC file for free?

Drop the IFC file on this page. You need no BIM program, no sign-up and no upload. The viewer shows the model with storeys, element classes and properties.

Which IFC versions are supported?

IFC2x3, IFC4 and IFC4.3, the versions BIM programs export today. Compressed .ifczip files open directly as well.

Can I see the properties of elements?

Yes. Click an element. The viewer shows its class, name, GlobalId and property sets (Psets) including quantities, as far as the model contains them.

Can I walk through a building in VR at full scale?

Yes. Send the IFC model to your VR headset with "View in VR or AR", or open the file there directly, then press the A button for full scale. Use the joystick to teleport through the rooms and to turn in steps of 30 degrees.

Does it work with Revit or ArchiCAD files?

With their IFC export, yes. The native RVT and PLN formats are proprietary and only open in those programs.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The viewer reads the file in your browser, and we store nothing. If you send the model to your VR headset or phone, it goes encrypted straight from your computer to the device, not through our server. So it is safe for confidential drawings and models.

How does the model get from my computer to the VR headset or phone?

Click "View in VR or AR" in the viewer. You get a six-digit code, an address like viewer.atlasvr.ch/482913 and a QR code. Enter the address in the browser of your VR headset or scan the QR code with your phone: the model goes encrypted straight from the computer to the device, with no upload and no cable. Some company and guest networks block this direct connection; your phone's hotspot helps then.

From AtlasVR

Want more than a model viewer?

AtlasVR builds VR training for industry and vocational education: from high-voltage training for automotive technicians to construction trades and a crane simulator in use at AZW. Together with partners such as AGVS, suissetec and Campus Sursee. AtlasVR is an ETH Zurich spin-off based in Flüelen, Switzerland.

Want to show your own models on many VR headsets at once, in class, in a training centre or at a trade fair? Talk to us.

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