Current IFC Release

Jun 2007 : the Modeling Support Group of IAI is publishing the IFC2x3 TC1 release, the first technical corrigendum of the 3rd edition of the IFC2x platform. A technical corrigendum aims at improving the documentation of the IFC specification and allows for corrections of the procedural part of the IFC model (functions, constraint rules), it will not change however the structure of the exchange files, neither the IFC STEP physical file format, nor the ifcXML document format. IFC exchange files written according to IFC2x3 and IFC2x3 TC1 are up- and downward compatible.

Feb 2006 : The current IFC Release is IFC2x3, the 3rd Edition of the IFC2x platform. It is now the common implementation platform for all implementors achieving IFC interoperability. The first view definition, the IFC2x3 extended coordination view has been defined and provides the basis for IFC2x3 coordination view certifications.

Future IFC Releases

A new IFC2x extension release with the working title IFC2x4 is schedules to to include the results from ongoing end-user driven IFC extension development projects. It will include (1) extensions in the building service and electrical design domain, (2) general improvements of the definition of building structures and elements, (3) references to external libraries, (4) linking to GIS models, (5) improvements on general resource definitions such as geometry (e.g. to include NURBS, and tessellated surface models).

• The IFC2x4 Final release is anticipated to be available mid of 2012. The final buildingSMART release is published as IFC4 (being the official name of the new release, while maintaining IFC2x4 as the developer name). The time line of publishing IFC4 will be aligned with the final acceptance as ISO 16739. It is currently anticipated, that the ISO schedule would allow final balloting and acceptance as ISO/IS 16739 by mid 2012.
• Depending on the outcome of the ISO development and balloting process, that started on June 02, 2011 with ISO/CD 16739, a forth IFC2x4 Release Candidate RC4 might be published.
• A third IFC2x4 Release Candidate RC3 is anticipated to incorporate feedback on the new IFC documentation format first introduced in RC2 and other issue resolutions from the public review process. It is scheduled to release by 19. Sept 2011.
• The second IFC2x4 Release Candidate RC2 is added to the release cycle to address open issues that could not been fixed in RC1 and to ensure public review of the changes introduced in RC1. It is scheduled for release in September 2010 in time for the buildingSMART summit in Copenhagen 06.-10. Sept. It had been finally releases on Oct 2, 2010.
• The first IFC2x4 Release Candidate RC1 is now available (as of May 2010). It has been scheduled for public release at the buildingSMART summit in Seoul, Korea, 19.-23. April 2010, and is published 2 weeks later.
• The first release candidate has resolved many critical issues but also introduced some significant last minute changes. Therefore the MSG development team felt that a second release candidate is necessary to ensure another round of public and internal review.

• The IFC2x4 beta 3 release development started on 05. Oct and is expected to finish on 14. Dec 2009. The public review period has now started and is scheduled to close on 21. Nov 2009.
• The IFC2x4 beta3 development phase has been added to the IFC2x4 release cycle due to the numerous and valuable review comments the development team received.
• The IFC2x4 beta 2 release development started on 18. May 2009 along with the review period for IFC2x4 beta 1. It had been released on 28. Sept 2009 with another public review period to follow. A preview has been publicly presented at the buildingSMART technical summit in Berlin, 21.-22. September 2009.
• The IFC2x4 beta 2 development phase is included to adequately address feedback from the review process of IFC2x4 alpha. Wider public review of IFC2x4 alpha identified more and deeper issues. These will require additional development time but will lead to a more forward looking and stable IFC release that will be suitable for formal standardization as ISO16739.
• The IFC2x4 beta 1 release development started on 23. Nov 2008 and has been released for publication on 12. May 2009 with another public review period to follow. The IFC2x4 beta 1 release has been publicly presented at the buildingSMART summit in Paris, 11.-15. May 2009. The review period has now started and has been close on 14.08.2009.
• The IFC2x4 alpha release has been published for comments on 20 Jun 2008, the public review period ended on 21 Nov 2008.

ISO 16739

The IFC specification is currently registered as an ISO Publicly Available Specification, ISO PAS 16739. A New Work Item, NWI, has been initiated with the ISO group ISO TC184/SC4 to standardize the upcoming IFC2x4 specification as an ISO International Standard ISO 16739. The acceptance of IFC as a formal ISO standard will add to the stability and credibility of the IFC specification.

• The official ballot for the Committee Draft ISO/CD 16739 has started June 02, 2011. It closes on Aug 03, 2011. Once the balloting comments are resolved, the next step is submitting the Draft International Standard ISO/DIS 16739. It is currently planned for October 2011.