Questions about this AI for BIM & IFC models workflow
Answers to common questions about this workflow.
Can I define custom validation rules for my project?
Yes. Ask the agent to check for any property, value, or combination of conditions defined in your BEP or EIR. You can also upload your information delivery specification document to the project space and ask the agent to compare the model against it.
Does Nomic validate against IDS (Information Delivery Specification)?
Nomic can check the properties and values specified in an IDS document. Upload the specification and ask the agent to validate the model against its requirements. Full automated IDS schema validation is on the roadmap.
Can Nomic check COBie data?
Yes. The agent can check for COBie-required fields including space names and numbers, floor assignments, component types, and maintenance-related properties. Ask "Which spaces are missing a COBie zone assignment?" and the agent returns the full list.
How do I share validation findings with the model author?
Export the validation results as Excel or JSON and share them with the model author. Results include element IDs, categories, levels, and the specific missing or invalid data: everything the author needs to locate and fix the issue in their authoring tool.
Can I check an IFC model online without installing anything?
Yes, for data checks. Nomic runs in the browser, so you upload the .ifc or .ifczip file and query the extracted tables without a desktop checker or a CAD licence. That covers property sets, classifications, fire ratings, quantities and COBie fields. It does not cover rule-set engines or IDS schema validation, which remain a separate job.
How is this different from the buildingSMART IFC Validation Service?
They answer different questions. The buildingSMART service is a free conformance check: it tells you whether a file is valid IFC against STEP syntax, the schema, normative rules and industry practices, and it states that it does not check project-specific or organisation-specific requirements. Nomic checks the content against what your project asked for, and against the drawings and specifications sitting in the same project space. Running the buildingSMART check first is good practice, because a malformed file makes every later check unreliable.
How do I configure the rules for a check?
In plain language rather than a rule editor. Describe the requirement the way the BEP or EIR states it, for example that every door on the egress path carries a fire rating and a classification code, and the agent writes the query against the extracted property tables. You can also upload the information delivery specification document itself and ask the agent to work through its requirements.
Where is the model processed, and who can see it?
Model files are processed in the Nomic project space and are visible to the people with access to that project, the same as the drawings and specifications alongside them. Nomic is SOC 2 Type II certified and operates under zero-data-retention agreements with its AI providers. Enterprise plans add multi-region data hosting in the EU, Australia, the US, and the UK. If a project mandates a specific residency, settle the region during evaluation rather than after the first model is uploaded.
