Set the project defaults
Exterior and interior wall material, doors, frames and glazing, concrete grade: you choose them once, and every element comes with these values. A value you change per element overrides the default.
Checks · Quantities and IFC · ULTIMATE
BIM: not lines, an information model.
Every wall on the floor plan becomes an element: its thickness, material, height and area are recorded. Rooms know their volume, doors their type, sockets their circuit. The take-off builds itself, clashes are marked on the plan, and the model goes to BIM software as IFC.
BIM at concept scale · Not a substitute for detailed design
IFC2x3export
λ · Uwall thermal values
m·m²·m³take-off
6clash rules
What BIM means here
With BIM, the same plan now has properties
The walls you draw in the Plan editor already have dimensions. The BIM layer gives them meaning: which material, how many centimeters, load-bearing or not, which floor they belong to. A room is more than its area; it gets a volume and a floor finish. A socket is more than a symbol; it gets a circuit and a height. This information goes into the live take-off and the IFC; the voltage simulation's breaker and cable size data is also written to the MEP elements. Change it in one place and it updates everywhere.
- Each element maps to an IFC class; standard property sets (Pset_WallCommon, Pset_DoorCommon…) come ready
- Pick from the material library: brick, aerated concrete, reinforced concrete, plasterboard, wood
- The take-off changes when the plan changes; no manual tables
- The IFC2x3 file can be imported into BIM software that reads IFC2x3 and into free IFC viewers
- Model
- Plan elements + property sets (Pset) + BaseQuantities + floor–space relationship; circuit and breaker properties on MEP outlets
- Schema
- IFC2x3 Coordination View 2.0 · units meter, m², m³
- Input
- The plan you draw; materials and heights from the right panel, defaults from the project settings
- Quantities
- Walls in m, m² (gross) and m³, floor finish m², doors and windows by count and m², concrete m³, MEP symbol count, cable and conduit m
- Check
- Six clash rules (including column–MEP); a live list for this floor, violations marked on the plan, and clicking a row selects the elements involved
- Export
- IFC · CSV element table · PDF sheet · Handover set (PDF, IFC, DXF, CSVs and the project file in one ZIP)
Elements and property sets
Elements, IFC classes and take-off
The class is assigned automatically as you draw. Most properties are measured from the plan; ones like material you enter once, and “Apply to all” copies them to similar elements.
| Plan element | IFC class | Properties | Take-off output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall | IfcWallStandardCase | Length, thickness, height, material layer, interior/exterior, U-value | m · m² (gross) · m³ |
| Door | IfcDoor | Width, height, type, material; with an opening in the wall (IfcOpeningElement) | Count · m² |
| Window | IfcWindow | Width, height, frame and glazing, U-value | Count · opening m² |
| Room | IfcSpace | Name, net area, height, floor finish, wet area; spaces enclosed by walls too | Finish m² · skirting m |
| Slab | IfcSlab | Floor slab, with its thickness | With geometry in the IFC |
| Column · Beam | IfcColumn · IfcBeam | Cross-section, height, concrete grade | Count · concrete m³ |
| Stairs · Ramp · Railing | IfcStair · IfcRamp · IfcRailing | Type and dimensions | With geometry in the IFC |
| Furniture | IfcFurnishingElement | Name, material, supplier, unit price | Count · amount |
| MEP | IfcFlowTerminal · IfcElectricDistributionPoint · IfcFlowSegment | Type, height; circuit, breaker and cable size (from the simulation) | Symbol count · cable and conduit m |
What it does
Six jobs in the BIM layer
01
Property sets
Every element comes with a standard Pset: Pset_WallCommon, Pset_DoorCommon, Pset_SpaceCommon… You can also add a supplier, unit price and revision note to each element.
02
Automatic take-off
Wall length, area and volume, floor finish, doors and windows, concrete m³, MEP symbols, cable and conduit meters. When the plan changes, the table changes; it downloads as CSV and as a PDF sheet.
03
Clash detection
Furniture inside a door swing, a socket on a door opening, an object inside a wall, overlapping rooms, a cabinet blocking a window and a circuit running through a column. A violation is marked on the plan and gets a row in the list; “Detour around column” and “Move to wall” fix it in one click.
04
Revision comparison
Save a state of the plan as a version; afterwards, added, deleted and changed elements are color-coded on the plan. No more “what did you change?”
05
Material library
Ready-made materials for walls, slabs, frames, glass and concrete; walls come with thermal conductivity (λ) and a calculated U-value. Add your own wall material and it's listed in all your projects in this browser (it doesn't show up on other devices).
06
IFC export
IFC2x3 in one click. Geometry, classes, material layers, property sets, BaseQuantities and the floor–space relationship; openings in walls are filled with doors and windows, and MEP outlets carry their circuit and breaker info. The BIM team opens the model in their own software and carries on.
Column–MEP check
BIM clash detection: circuits don't go through columns
Reinforced concrete columns and beams can't be drilled later; the most common surprise on site is the electrician's line that lands on a column. The module recognizes the columns and beams on the plan as structural elements; when a circuit route or a socket or switch position clashes with them, it warns you and suggests an alternative route.
- A circuit through a column is marked red; "route around column" draws a new route in one click
- For sockets and switches on a column face, a suggestion to go "surface-mounted" or move to the adjacent wall
- A warning for lines that cut through a beam and for ceiling fixtures that land under a beam
- The result goes to the voltage simulation: a longer route updates the cable take-off and the voltage drop
Before · clash
After · no clash
How it works
Three steps from plan to BIM model
Select an element, fix its properties
The right panel shows the IFC class and properties: material, supplier, unit price, revision note. “Apply to all” copies them to elements of the same type in one go.
Check, then get the take-off and IFC
Clashes are listed live for this floor; click a row and the elements involved are selected, with fixes like “Detour around column” in one click. The take-off table is live in the BIM panel; IFC, the CSV element table and the PDF sheet download via separate buttons, or all in one ZIP with the Handover set.
Model by plan
The BIM layer is on Ultimate
FREE
Homeowner · Student · HobbyistPlan and furniture layers; room areas and plan summary. No property sets, take-off or IFC.
PLUS
Agent · Solo designerMEP layer, all door types, 3D of all floors and scaled PDF. No element properties, no take-off.
PRO
Architect · Interior designer · ContractorTake-off from dimensions and material schedule, DXF. No element properties, no clash detection.
ULTIMATE
Engineer · Design office · ContractorProperty sets, material library, live take-off, clash detection, revision comparison, IFC export and the Handover set.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is BIM in Nodaform like Revit or ArchiCAD?
No; Nodaform works at concept scale. The goal is to give every element in the plan properties, get the take-off automatically and take the model to BIM software as IFC. Detailed design continues in those programs.
Which IFC version is exported?
IFC2x3 (Coordination View 2.0); it opens in BIM software that reads IFC2x3 and in free IFC viewers. Wall, door, window, slab, space, column, beam, stair, ramp, railing, furniture and MEP elements are written with their classes, material layers, property sets and BaseQuantities.
What does the clash check look at?
Furniture inside the door swing clearance, sockets and switches on a door or window opening, objects inside a wall, overlapping rooms, tall furniture blocking a window, and a circuit or water pipe passing through a reinforced concrete column or beam, and a socket landing on a column.
How does it tie into the voltage simulation?
The breaker, cable size and circuit info found by the simulation is written to the property sets of MEP elements; it shows up in the IFC and the take-off. Both are in the same Ultimate plan.
Which plan includes the BIM module?
Ultimate. On Pro, the take-off and material schedule come from dimensions; Ultimate adds property sets, clash detection and IFC.
Start
The plan you draw today becomes your BIM model tomorrow.
Open a free account and draw your plan. When you switch to Ultimate, the same plan becomes a BIM model with property sets; no redrawing.
No credit card needed · No install · Paid plans are paid through Paddle