BIMsurfer

What BIMsurfer is

BIMsurfer is a JavaScript library and web viewer for building information models stored in IFC and related formats. It uses WebGL to render models in a browser and is designed for use with BIMserver. The v3 codebase was rebuilt from scratch as a beta; it requires WebGL 2.0 and targets high-performance rendering. Viewer tools include measurements and as many as six section planes. Version 3 supports IFC and has partial support for 3D Tiles, while the project also lists glTF among supported formats. Its model loader uses BIMserver, and the repository includes an example connecting to the BIMserver API. The project supplies developer, minimal-demo, and API examples for the JavaScript library, plus API documentation references. A separate v2 path can display static files generated by IfcOpenShell and is built around open standards such as glTF. BIMsurfer is released under the MIT License, allowing use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale under its conditions. It is free, with a listed plan price of $0, and can be used through web, API, or self-hosted deployments.

Who it suits

BIMsurfer suits developers building browser-based BIM viewers, especially projects using BIMserver, IFC, glTF, or 3D Tiles. It also fits teams that need an MIT-licensed library with measurement and section-plane tools.

Limits

Version 3 is beta, has no official release, requires WebGL 2.0, and offers only partial 3D Tiles support.

Getting started

1. Open the BIMsurfer GitHub website
2. Choose the developer, minimal-demo, or API example
3. Use the JavaScript library in a web project
4. Connect the v3 model loader to BIMserver
5. Provide WebGL 2.0 support for v3

Verdict

Pick BIMsurfer when you need a free, open JavaScript BIM viewer that can connect to BIMserver and render IFC models in a browser. Look elsewhere if you require a released, non-beta package or complete 3D Tiles support.