Understanding the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) Panel

Quick answer: BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) is an open file format for exchanging textual comments, images, and more on top of an IFC model, improving communication between different parties in the BIM process. This finally resolves the last of the four BIM-specific panels described on this hub’s BIM workspace page (Project Browser, Compositions, Profiles, and now BCF). BCF links a comment, screenshot, list of involved objects, and camera viewpoint to an issue, anything from a small design change to a cross-discipline clash, saveable as standalone files or managed on the cloud. Its advantage is working across different software packages entirely, a BCF issue created in Solibri, for example, opens directly in BricsCAD BIM, with easy navigation through the model based on issues.

BCF Files

Standalone BCF files are more cumbersome than cloud services but useful when working offline; import one into any BCF manager, including BricsCAD BIM, to read its issues and see exactly where they apply in the model.

Worth knowing clearly: BCF files can’t be created within BricsCAD BIM itself, you need another service like Solibri Model Checker or BIMcollab ZOOM, which creates a BCF file from one or more IFC files, with issues containing comments, screenshots or other images, a list of involved objects (identified unambiguously by GUID), and a camera position. Similarly, once a BCF file has been imported into BricsCAD BIM, you can’t create or modify issues there, issue creation only works through cloud services.

Using the Cloud

Cloud services are generally easier to manage BCF issues with. BricsCAD BIM currently supports automatic connection to Catenda, BIMcollab, and BIM Track, though other services can be entered manually; you’ll need an account with whichever service you connect to. Cloud services let you create and manage issues in real time from anywhere, and change the status of existing issues directly from within BricsCAD BIM, alongside creating new ones.

The BCF Panel

Click the board pin icon on the left of the screen to open it (if it’s not there, right-click an empty space in the ribbon, and under Panels, enable BIM BCF).

The panel shows the three most popular collaboration cloud services, plus whichever one you used most recently, click a button to connect directly. Options are also available to connect with another service, or import a BCF file. The top menu offers the same options, plus Refresh (to see the latest cloud updates) and Clear the sources (disconnects from the cloud service, or closes an imported BCF file).

Working with the BCF Panel: A Worked Example

Octave’s own documentation for this article uses two downloadable example files, a drawing and a BCF file, to walk through this.

When importing a BCF file: the panel shows the currently opened file’s path, a search bar to filter issues, and a list of issues (in this example, one issue with two associated views). Click an issue to open it, showing a button to return to the overview, detailed information like status and creation date, and its comments. If a comment has an associated camera position, clicking its thumbnail moves the camera in your current drawing to that position, and highlights or isolates any entities attached to that viewpoint, a genuinely useful way to locate exactly where an issue applies without manually searching the model.

When using a cloud service: more options become available, setting statuses, adding comments and screenshots, and creating new issues. Connect either by clicking one of the collaboration service buttons in the first panel tab, or via the Custom log in dialog for another service. Connecting to BIMcollab prompts for a namespace; Catenda and BIM Track redirect you to their login page in your browser; other services need their URL entered manually.

After logging in, the source URL displays along with a list of your projects. Clicking a project opens its issue list, similar to importing a BCF file, showing the current project at the top, with options to filter by assignee and status, and to add a new issue. Clicking an issue shows the same detailed information and comments as before, plus the ability to add bitmap images or a screenshot from model space, and add textual comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a new BCF file directly inside BricsCAD BIM? No, you need another service like Solibri Model Checker or BIMcollab ZOOM to create one from IFC files first.

Can I add new issues to a BCF file I’ve imported into BricsCAD? No, issue creation and modification only works through a connected cloud service, not an imported standalone file.

Which cloud services does BricsCAD BIM connect to automatically? Catenda, BIMcollab, and BIM Track; other services can be added manually via their URL.

What happens when I click a comment’s thumbnail image in the BCF panel? The camera in your current drawing moves to that comment’s associated position, and any attached entities highlight or isolate, helping you locate the issue directly.