A license for a look
An owner, a subcontractor’s foreman or an inspector wants to check one room or one riser. Buying or borrowing a modeling license for that is out of proportion, and the trial that gets installed is never opened again.
Revit and IFC
View a Revit model without Revit: ask for an IFC export
A Revit model arrives and you do not have Revit. Fidrel does not open the .rvt file itself, and it is better to say so first: what it opens is the IFC file that Revit can export. Once someone uploads the IFC to the project, you browse the model tree, read object properties, cut sections and measure in the browser, with nothing to install.
30 days free · No long-term contract.
Why a Revit model is hard to look at
The wrong file is sent
The model is shared as a .rvt, a linked-file package or a screenshot. The recipient cannot use any of them, and a week passes before someone asks for something they can open.
Models that sit in the wrong place
Each discipline exports from its own origin. When the files are opened together they do not line up, and a structural frame floats beside the architecture it belongs to.
RVT and IFC: what you can open
A .rvt file is Revit’s own project format, and only Revit reads it. IFC is the open format that every BIM tool exports, and Fidrel reads IFC 2x3, IFC 4 and IFC 4.3. The same goes for Archicad, Tekla and SketchUp files: export to IFC first. Navisworks cannot export IFC, so ask for the model from the software it was made in. The original IFC file is kept unchanged with the project documents.
BIM & 3D
What you can do with the model
The model tree is organized by level and object type. Select an object to see its attributes, type, materials, properties and quantities. Place a section or a section box, measure distances and areas with snapping to corners and edges, color-code by model, level or object type, and hide, isolate or x-ray objects. A saved view can be attached to an NCR or an issue, so the next person opens the model with the same camera, selection and section.
From a Revit model to a view in the browser
Step 1
Ask the sender for an IFC export
Fidrel’s own guide tells the exporter to export IFC 4 Reference View or IFC 2x3 Coordination View 2.0 and choose Shared Coordinates. One file per discipline works best, and every discipline should use the same coordinate system and origin.
Step 2
Upload the IFC to the project
Under BIM models, press Upload model and drop the IFC. Fidrel accepts .ifc and zipped .ifczip files up to 512 MB, shows the IFC version and the software it came from, and lets you choose the discipline and folder.
Step 3
Let the browser build the 3D model
The model is built in your browser, so keep the tab open until it is done. A large model can take a few minutes and a lot of memory, and a model that is too large for the browser can be split by building or level.
Step 4
Open it in 3D
Press Open in 3D, or Federated model to see several disciplines together. Use the Model tree, select an object for its properties, place a section and measure distances and areas.
Who sees the model
The models belong to the project they were uploaded to. Members can open and review them, and a member with read-only rights can review the models but not upload new ones. Tell the sender which discipline and level of detail you need, since the viewer shows what the export contains and nothing more.
What viewing a Revit model in Fidrel does not do
Fidrel does not open .rvt, .nwd or .dgn files; the model has to be exported to IFC first. Fidrel does not edit models: you can look, section and measure, but not change geometry or properties. Anything the sender leaves out of the IFC export is not in the model Fidrel shows. A model opens in the viewer for the members of the project it was uploaded to; there is no public viewer link for a model.
Related solutions
One project. One subscription. The entire platform included.
Your trial applies to your first own project and starts when that project is created. No card required. Afterwards, choose card or invoice to continue.
- 30 days free
- Unlimited participants
- No minimum term
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No. A .rvt file is not supported. Ask for an IFC export from Revit and upload that; Fidrel accepts IFC 2x3, IFC 4 and IFC 4.3 files.
Fidrel’s guide suggests IFC 4 Reference View or IFC 2x3 Coordination View 2.0 with Shared Coordinates, and one file per discipline. Check with the sender, because export settings differ between Revit versions.
No. The model is built in your browser, so keep the tab open while it builds. A very large model may need a computer with more memory, or the sender can split it by building or level.
Up to 512 MB. A file that is larger is refused with a message that asks you to split the model, for example by building or level.
No. Fidrel is for reviewing and coordinating, not editing. Section, measure and log what you see as an NCR or an issue, and ask the model’s author to make the change.