💡 Tip: Read more about other important aspects of the BIMcollab Model WebViewer from this article: Quick Start Guide BIMcollab Model WebViewer
The BIMcollab Model WebViewer offers a streamlined way to view IFC models alongside the 2D documentation of a project. With this powerful tool, you can effortlessly navigate through intricate models while also gaining insights into elements and their individual properties.
Loading models to the WebViewer
Uploaded as a document first
If you have uploaded .ifc or .ifczip files as documents in the Documents section of BIMcollab, you can add these documents in the WebViewer.
Learn how to load models and documents to BIMcollab: Upload documents
Click on a document to show the document details and use the Add to WebViewer option.
Once a document is added to the WebViewer you can see it in the Navigation panel of the WebViewer:
If you want to remove a model from the WebViewer , you have to go to the details of that document and click Remove from WebViewer:
⚠️ Attention: Permissions to view models correspond to document viewing permissions of a specific user role.
You will only see documents and models in the Model tab if you have the right permission. For example, non-published or confidential documents will only appear if access is allowed for you.
⚠️ Attention: At the project level, when you open the Model tab, you will also see models from the active phase by default if your project has phases (these models are marked by the 'phase' icon).
However, you cannot replace these models or assign tags to them at the project level.
Upload directly to the WebViewer
When the Navigation tab is open, you can click on the load icon to add models to the BIMcollab model WebViewer. Then the models load quickly and are visible in the viewer. Other members of the team can then view the models and work with various available panels and features. If this icon is greyed out, you do not have the rights to add models. Here is an article on how to enable this right for users: Allow or limit team members to upload and modify files in the WebViewer
⚠️ Attention: In this case, the document will be added without any metadata, and you can add the necessary metadata later from the Document tab if needed.
⚠️ Attention: Model names in the navigation panel will not be updated when using the Replace option to update your files.
Within BIMcollab, models and documents are associated with a unique (a)Document name, which differs from the (b)file name. This unique Document name is linked to multiple BIMcollab workflows and therefore remains unchanged, even if the new version of the file has a different name.
👉 The name of the latest updated file can still be viewed in the Properties panel.
Document states
Just like you can switch between Document states in the Document tab, models made available to the WebViewer follow the same logic. You can easily toggle between documents with the Shared or Published document state in the model list using the dropdown menu.
To learn more about how BIMcollab aligns with the ISO 19650 standard for document management, consult this article: Document state workflow
⚠️ Attention: The Shared document state will only be available to you if you have the correct permissions to view non-published documents.
📝 Note: Documents uploaded directly to the WebViewer are automatically given the Shared document state.
Attaching documents to 3D objects
BIMcollab document management allows users to attach project documents directly to elements within a 3D model, enhancing context and information accessibility. To do this, documents and 3D models must be uploaded at the Project Phase level, and users must have appropriate permissions.
Attaching Documents:
Open the Attach Documents panel.
Select up to 200 elements manually or by Object Type.
Click "Attach Document" and use the search bar to find relevant files.
Attach multiple documents to selected objects.
Viewing Attached Documents:
Selecting an object shows its attached documents in a side panel and document preview is available for PDF, DWG, PNG and JPG.
This system ensures document-model integration, contextual clarity, and structured access based on user roles.
💡 Tip: Read more about attaching documents to 3D objects in this article.