Altiro

Free online IFC viewer: open BIM models in your browser

Altiro is an IFC viewer that runs entirely inside the browser. Drop an .ifc file and the model appears in 3D within seconds, with its spatial tree, properties, measurements, section planes, clash detection and IDS validation. Nothing to install, no account to create, and no upload: the file is processed on your own machine and never leaves it.

  • IFC2x3 · IFC4 · IFC4x3
  • No file upload
  • WebGPU accelerated
  • English and Español

Why Altiro

100% anonymous

We collect no data about you. No account, no email, no tracking. The viewer opens your file and that is the whole transaction.

Your files never leave your computer

The IFC is parsed and tessellated locally through WebAssembly. Nothing is uploaded to a cloud service, so you can review confidential project models without clearing it with anyone.

Genuinely fast

The geometry engine is written in Rust and compiled to multithreaded WebAssembly, and the scene is drawn with WebGPU. Models that take other web viewers minutes to open show up here in seconds.

Free, with nothing to install

It runs on any machine with a modern browser. It is equally useful for someone who opens a model once a month and for a BIM coordinator who lives in one.

What you can do with the IFC viewer

Altiro is more than a viewer: it carries the review and coordination tools that normally require a desktop application.

Model tree

Browse the full spatial hierarchy (Site → Building → Storey → Element), or switch to a class-based or aggregate view. Search by name or GlobalId, isolate any level with one click, and sort each storey by name, tag or IFC type.

Properties and property sets

Select any element to read its attributes, property sets (Pset_*), quantities (Qto_*), material, bSDD classifications, type properties and real-world coordinates. File information (schema, units, project and authoring application) is one tab away.

Property filters

Build rules over attributes, property sets, quantities or bounding-box dimensions (match all / match any), then isolate or hide whatever matches. Filters are saved by name and can be exported and imported to reuse on another model or share with the team.

Measurements

Measure point-to-point distance with its X, Y and Z components; angles from three points or between two lines; plane-to-plane distance; face perimeter; arc radius; distance to a grid axis; and the length × width × height plus volume of any selection. Snapping locks onto edges, hole centres and vertices.

Section planes and clip box

Cut through the model with a section plane, or wrap the selection in a clip box to work on one area only. Both are captured in saved BCF views.

Clash detection

Define model sections and a severity matrix between them, set tolerances and gap bands, and run the detection. Results group by severity, by section pair or by type pair, crop automatically around each clash, and export as BCF for Revit, Navisworks, Solibri or BIMcollab.

IDS validation

Import a buildingSMART IDS file (.ids or .xml), validate the model, including edits you have not exported yet, then read the pass rate, colorize passes green and failures red in 3D, and export the report or a BCF of the failures.

Saved views (BCF 2.1)

Capture the current camera, visibility, section and selection as a BCF topic with status, priority, assignee, due date, labels and comments. Restore one with a click, and export the set as a standard .bcfzip for any BCF-capable tool.

Compare revisions

Load the base version and the new revision to get the list of added, modified and deleted elements. Compare data only, geometry only or both; everything unchanged is ghosted so the difference stands out.

Tables, pivots and charts

Turn the model into a table: group by any property, aggregate sums and counts, switch to a pivot or to a bar, line, pie or stacked chart, and export to Excel or CSV for the report.

Colorize the model

Paint the scene by IFC type, name, storey, material or the value of any property, in value-range mode or exact yes/no mode. Palettes are stored as presets and can be exported.

3D labels

Float labels over elements showing whatever you choose (name, tag, type or any property), scoped by IFC type or by a filter result, with configurable text and background colours.

Structure editor

Bulk operations across an IFC type, a filter result or a bSDD set: add or set a property, add quantities, rename or delete properties and property sets, change a value type, copy one field into another, change the IFC class of the elements, and map values in from an Excel or CSV table.

Model federation

Add IFC layers architecture, structure and services into one scene. Each model can be hidden, isolated or removed independently, and clash detection runs across the federated set.

Georeferencing and GIS context

Inspect or set the model georeference: look the coordinate system up by EPSG code, adjust eastings, northings, height and rotation, or geolocate by address. Then pull the surrounding OpenStreetMap context into the 3D scene within a radius you choose.

Ask AI

Type what you want to see in plain language ("hide all doors", "isolate the walls on level 2", "colorize by storey") and the assistant drives the viewer for you. An MCP connector is available to control the viewer tab from your own agent.

Walk mode

Move through the model in first person with WASD, go up and down with Q and E, sprint with Shift, and look around by right-dragging. Phones and tablets get an on-screen joystick.

Export

Save as IFC (STEP) with every edit and deletion applied: the whole model, only what is visible, or a single isolated element. You can also export to GLB, USDA, BCF, an IDS report and XLSX/CSV.

How to open an IFC file online

  1. Open the viewer

    Go to ifc.cl. The IFC engine loads in your browser; there is nothing to download and nothing to install.

  2. Drop your .ifc file

    Drag the file onto the window or click Open IFC. Processing happens on your machine; the file is never uploaded.

  3. Review the model

    Click any wall, slab, beam or duct to read its properties, then measure, section, filter, validate and export the result.

Supported formats

Opens

  • IFC2x3 (.ifc)
  • IFC4 (.ifc)
  • IFC4x3 (.ifc)
  • Zipped IFC (.ifczip)
  • IFC5 (.ifcx), view only

Exports

  • IFC / STEP (.ifc)
  • Binary glTF (.glb)
  • USD ASCII (.usda)
  • BCF 2.1 (.bcfzip)
  • IDS validation report
  • Excel and CSV (.xlsx, .csv)

Requirements

Altiro renders with WebGPU, the modern browser graphics API. Firefox and Safari do not enable it by default yet.

BrowserChrome 113+ or Edge 113+ with WebGPU
SystemWindows, macOS or Linux
InstallationNone, it runs in a browser tab
Large modelsWant a machine with plenty of RAM and a discrete GPU

Frequently asked questions

Is the IFC viewer really free?

Yes. No account, no trial period, and no limit on how many files you open or how big they are beyond what your machine can handle.

Are my IFC files uploaded to a server?

No. The file is read, parsed and tessellated inside the browser through WebAssembly. It never travels over the network, so confidential models stay confidential.

Which IFC versions are supported?

IFC2x3, IFC4 and IFC4x3, plus zipped .ifczip files. IFC5 (.ifcx) can be viewed, though that support is still experimental.

Which browser do I need?

Chrome 113 or newer, or Edge 113 or newer, with WebGPU enabled. Firefox and Safari do not ship WebGPU on by default yet.

Can I open several models at once?

Yes. Add IFC federates architecture, structure and services into one scene, and each model stays independently controllable.

Can I edit the IFC and save it back?

Yes. Edits apply as a reversible overlay on top of the original model and are written into a valid IFC (STEP) file on export. Your input file is never modified.

Does it do clash detection?

Yes. You define model sections, a severity matrix and tolerances, and the clashes export as BCF 2.1 to open in Revit, Navisworks, Solibri or BIMcollab.

Can I review an IFC on a phone or tablet?

The interface adapts to small screens and there is a joystick for walking the model, but large models want the memory and GPU of a desktop machine.

How large a model can it handle?

It depends on your RAM and GPU. A modern laptop handles models of several hundred megabytes comfortably; if you run short, lower the detail level from the status bar.

Is there a desktop version?

Yes, Altiro Desktop. It is the same viewer on the native engine and runs six to seven times faster than the browser build.

Ready to open your model?

No signup, no installation, nothing uploaded. Drop your .ifc file and go.

Open the IFC viewer