IfcOpenShell

0.8.5 · active · verified Thu Apr 16

IfcOpenShell is an open-source (LGPL) software library providing an API for working with the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data model, used in Building Information Modeling (BIM). The `ifcopenshell` Python library offers high-level bindings and utilities for reading, writing, and manipulating IFC files. It is currently at version 0.8.5 and receives updates aligning with the underlying C++ library, with an irregular release cadence.

Common errors

```
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'ifcopenshell'
```
cause The ifcopenshell package was not installed or is not accessible in the current Python environment.

fix Run `pip install ifcopenshell` in the correct virtual environment. Ensure your Python version is compatible with the latest IfcOpenShell release.
```
ImportError: DLL load failed while importing _ifcopenshell: The specified module could not be found.
```
cause This usually indicates missing underlying C++ dependencies (e.g., Visual C++ Redistributables on Windows), or that a compatible binary wheel (`ifcopenshell-python`) could not be installed for your specific platform/Python version.

fix On Windows, install the latest Visual C++ Redistributables. Ensure your Python version matches a pre-built wheel available for your OS and architecture. Check `pip debug` output for more clues or consider using a different Python environment.
```
TypeError: guid.create_guid() takes 0 positional arguments but 1 was given
```
cause Attempting to use the deprecated `create_guid()` function with an argument, or using it at all in v0.8+ where it's been replaced.

fix Replace `ifcopenshell.create_guid()` with `ifcopenshell.guid.new()` which generates a new GUID without arguments.
```
TypeError: argument of type 'IfcProduct' is not iterable
```
cause You are trying to iterate over a single IFC entity object, likely returned by `ifc_file.by_id()` or if a `by_type()` call only returned one result, without properly converting it to a list if iteration is intended.

fix If `by_id()` is used, it returns a single object. If `by_type()` might return one, convert to a list: `my_entities = list(ifc_file.by_type('IfcWall'))` or check `if isinstance(entity, list):` before iterating.

Warnings

breaking Major API changes occurred between v0.7 and v0.8, particularly in geometry processing and file creation. Code written for v0.7 will likely break in v0.8.
Fix: Review the official migration guide for v0.8. Specifically, `ifcopenshell.guid.new()` replaces `ifcopenshell.create_guid()`, and arguments for `ifcopenshell.geom.settings()` have changed.
gotcha IfcOpenShell has strict Python version requirements and platform-specific binary wheels. Installation might fail if your Python version or operating system/architecture is not supported by a pre-built wheel.
Fix: Always check the `requires_python` metadata on PyPI or the official documentation for the supported Python range. For v0.8.5, this is typically Python 3.10-3.14. If a wheel is unavailable, building from source is an option but significantly more complex.
deprecated The `ifcopenshell.file.createIfcFile()` function is effectively superseded by `ifcopenshell.template()`, which offers a more robust and flexible way to create new IFC files.
Fix: Use `ifcopenshell.template(schema='IFC4')` for creating new IFC files. This provides better control over the IFC schema and initial setup.

Install

pip install ifcopenshell For Python 3.10-3.14 (check official documentation for exact range)

Imports

ifcopenshell
```
import ifcopenshell
```
open
wrong:
```
from ifcopenshell import open
```
correct:
```
ifcopenshell.open(...)
```
Importing 'open' directly can conflict with Python's built-in open() function.
template
```
ifcopenshell.template(...)
```
guid.new
wrong:
```
ifcopenshell.create_guid()
```
correct:
```
ifcopenshell.guid.new()
```
Replaced 'create_guid()' in v0.8 with 'guid.new()'.
geom.settings
```
settings = ifcopenshell.geom.settings()
```
Used for configuring geometry processing parameters.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to create a new IFC file with a basic 'IfcProject' entity, save it to disk, and then clean up the generated file.

import ifcopenshell
import os

# Create a new IFC4 file
ifc_file = ifcopenshell.template(schema="IFC4")

# Create a project entity
project_guid = ifcopenshell.guid.new()
project = ifc_file.create_entity("IfcProject", project_guid)
project.Name = "My First IfcOpenShell Project"

# Add the project to the file
ifc_file.add(project)

# Define output path
output_path = "my_first_project.ifc"

# Save the IFC file
ifc_file.write(output_path)
print(f"Successfully created IFC file: {output_path}")

# Optional: Clean up the created file for repeated runs
if os.path.exists(output_path):
    os.remove(output_path)
    print(f"Cleaned up {output_path}")

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