How to Upload a BIM Model from Revit, ArchiCAD or Tekla
Model upload in BEEMESTA is how you add a BIM model to a project to calculate an estimate from it. A model arrives in one of two ways: through the BEEMESTA plugin for Revit, straight from the open project, or as a ready IFC file with the “Upload IFC” button. Every upload becomes a new version, and processing progress is shown on the “IFC Ingestions” tab.
The BEEMESTA plugin for Revit
The BEEMESTA plugin installs as an Add-In in Autodesk Revit and sends the model to the platform straight from the open project — no manual export, no hunting for the file. The model is transferred in IFC format, and the plugin already exports it with the settings needed for correct quantities. That’s why it’s the recommended route for Revit.
The plugin itself is versioned too. In company settings, the “Available Plugin Versions” list shows each version, its release date and changelog, and that’s also where you download the plugin. When a new version comes out, BEEMESTA reminds you to download the updated plugin, and separately warns you about an outdated version that is no longer supported.
How do I upload IFC from ArchiCAD, Tekla or another tool?
The plugin is optional. On the project page, click “Upload IFC” and choose an .ifc file — ArchiCAD, Tekla Structures, Revit and any other CAD package that supports the open IFC standard (ISO 16739) can export one. No extra software is needed, and the file can be up to 2 GB.
Before you choose a file, BEEMESTA shows export instructions for your tool and asks you to confirm that the export followed them:
- Revit: IFC 4 Reference View, property sets and Export base quantities enabled, export of the whole project rather than the current view.
- Tekla: IFC4 Reference View, Base quantities, a non-empty Property sets configuration and named storeys.
- ArchiCAD: save as IFC with the iTWO(5d) Export translator, with elements visible on all storeys.
Model versions: what happens when you upload again
By default, every upload is a new model version in the project. Earlier versions and their reports remain, so the design history isn’t lost, and variants of one project can be run in parallel and compared.
If the file matches an already uploaded model, BEEMESTA first compares the elements and shows how many match, how many were added and how many were removed. Then you decide: overwrite one of the versions, copy reports from an existing version and keep the classification and tags — or choose nothing and upload the file as a new version.
Server-side IFC processing: how long it takes
After upload, the file is queued and processed on the server — this can take up to a day. The status is shown on the “IFC Ingestions” tab: “Pending”, “Processing”, “Completed” or “Failed”. Once processed, the model opens in the 3D viewer in the browser, and its elements can be classified.
The estimate is calculated from the dimensions and quantities the file itself carries. So export the model with element quantities (base quantities) enabled: without them the file has no volumes and there is nothing to calculate from. BEEMESTA detects the model’s units on its own and converts quantities to the metric units of the estimate.