export_bc3_budget
Export construction budgets in BC3 format from IFC models in Blender by extracting spatial structures, quantities, and applying unit prices for cost estimation.
Instructions
Export a BC3 budget file (FIEBDC-3/2016) based on the IFC model loaded in Blender.
This tool creates a complete construction budget in BC3 format by:
1. Extracting the complete IFC spatial structure (Project → Site → Building → Storey)
2. Extracting IFC quantities and measurements for all building elements
3. Converting to BC3 hierarchical format with IFC2BC3Converter:
- Generates budget chapters from IFC spatial hierarchy
- Groups building elements by type and categories defined in external JSON
- Assigns unit prices from language-specific JSON database
- Creates detailed measurements sorted alphabetically
4. Exports to BC3 file with windows-1252 encoding
Features:
- Multi-language support (Spanish/English) for descriptions and labels
- Automatic element categorization using external JSON configuration
- Optimized conversion with O(1) lookups and batch operations
- Detailed measurements with dimensions (units, length, width, height)
- Full FIEBDC-3/2016 format compliance
Configuration files (in resources/bc3_helper_files/):
- precios_unitarios.json / unit_prices.json: Unit prices per IFC type
- spatial_labels_es.json / spatial_labels_en.json: Spatial element translations
- element_categories.json: IFC type to category mappings
Args:
language: Language for the budget file ('es' for Spanish, 'en' for English). Default is 'es'.
Returns:
A confirmation message with the path to the generated BC3 file in the exports/ folder.Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| language | No | es |
Implementation Reference
- tools.py:631-693 (handler)MCP tool handler function for 'export_bc3_budget'. Fetches IFC model structure and quantities via other MCP tools, creates an IFC2BC3Converter instance, and calls its export() method to generate the BC3 budget file.
@mcp.tool() def export_bc3_budget(language: str = 'es') -> str: """ Export a BC3 budget file (FIEBDC-3/2016) based on the IFC model loaded in Blender. This tool creates a complete construction budget in BC3 format by: 1. Extracting the complete IFC spatial structure (Project → Site → Building → Storey) 2. Extracting IFC quantities and measurements for all building elements 3. Converting to BC3 hierarchical format with IFC2BC3Converter: - Generates budget chapters from IFC spatial hierarchy - Groups building elements by type and categories defined in external JSON - Assigns unit prices from language-specific JSON database - Creates detailed measurements sorted alphabetically 4. Exports to BC3 file with windows-1252 encoding Features: - Multi-language support (Spanish/English) for descriptions and labels - Automatic element categorization using external JSON configuration - Optimized conversion with O(1) lookups and batch operations - Detailed measurements with dimensions (units, length, width, height) - Full FIEBDC-3/2016 format compliance Configuration files (in resources/bc3_helper_files/): - precios_unitarios.json / unit_prices.json: Unit prices per IFC type - spatial_labels_es.json / spatial_labels_en.json: Spatial element translations - element_categories.json: IFC type to category mappings Args: language: Language for the budget file ('es' for Spanish, 'en' for English). Default is 'es'. Returns: A confirmation message with the path to the generated BC3 file in the exports/ folder. """ try: # Get IFC data logger.info("Getting IFC data...") ifc_total_structure = get_ifc_total_structure() ifc_quantities = get_ifc_quantities() # Validate that we got valid JSON responses # If there's an error, these functions return error strings starting with "Error" if isinstance(ifc_total_structure, str) and ifc_total_structure.startswith("Error"): return f"Failed to get IFC structure: {ifc_total_structure}" if isinstance(ifc_quantities, str) and ifc_quantities.startswith("Error"): return f"Failed to get IFC quantities: {ifc_quantities}" # Try to parse the JSON to ensure it's valid try: structure_data = json.loads(ifc_total_structure) if isinstance(ifc_total_structure, str) else ifc_total_structure quantities_data = json.loads(ifc_quantities) if isinstance(ifc_quantities, str) else ifc_quantities except json.JSONDecodeError as e: return f"Invalid JSON data received from Blender. Structure error: {str(e)}" converter = IFC2BC3Converter(structure_data, quantities_data, language=language) output_path = converter.export() return f"BC3 file successfully created at: {output_path}" except Exception as e: logger.error(f"Error creating BC3 budget: {str(e)}") return f"Error creating BC3 budget: {str(e)}" - bc3_writer.py:12-583 (helper)Core helper class IFC2BC3Converter that performs the actual conversion from IFC JSON data to BC3 format. Includes configuration loading, data processing, spatial hierarchy traversal, element categorization, quantity extraction, BC3 record building, and file export. The export() method generates and saves the BC3 file.
class IFC2BC3Converter: """ Converts IFC structures (JSON) to BC3 format for construction budgets. Architecture: - Loads and validates input data (IFC structure, quantities, prices) - Generates chapter hierarchy from IFC spatial structure - Groups building elements into budget items by type - Exports to FIEBDC-3 (BC3) format with windows-1252 encoding Method Groups: 1. Initialization & Configuration Loading 2. Data Parsing & Indexing 3. Code Generation & Formatting 4. IFC Element Classification 5. Quantity & Measurement Extraction 6. BC3 Record Building 7. Core Processing & Conversion Logic 8. Public API Methods """ # Class constants SPATIAL_TYPES = {'IfcProject', 'IfcSite', 'IfcBuilding', 'IfcBuildingStorey', 'IfcBridge', 'IfcBridgePart'} IGNORED_TYPES = {'IfcSpace', 'IfcAnnotation', 'IfcGrid', 'IfcAxis'} def __init__(self, structure_data: Union[str, Dict], quantities_data: Union[str, Dict], language: str = 'es'): """ Initializes the converter with input data. Args: structure_data: JSON string or dict with IFC structure quantities_data: JSON string or dict with IFC quantities language: Language for the budget ('es' or 'en'). Default 'es' """ # Parse input data self.structure_data = self._parse_json_input(structure_data) self.quantities_data = self._parse_json_input(quantities_data) self.quantities_by_id = self._index_quantities() # Configuration self.language = language self.unit_prices = self._load_unit_prices() self.spatial_labels = self._load_spatial_labels() self.element_categories = self._load_element_categories() # Counters using defaultdict for simplification self.chapter_counters = defaultdict(int) self.item_counters = defaultdict(int) # Registry of items and positions self.items_per_chapter = defaultdict(set) self.item_positions = defaultdict(dict) # Global registry of created concepts (to avoid duplicates) self.created_concepts = set() # Invert mapping for O(1) lookup self._ifc_to_category = self._build_ifc_category_map() # Cache for code-to-position conversions self._position_cache = {} # ============================================================================ # 1. INITIALIZATION & CONFIGURATION LOADING # ============================================================================ # Methods that load external configuration from JSON files and build # internal data structures during initialization. def _load_unit_prices(self) -> Dict[str, Dict]: """ Loads unit prices from JSON file based on language. Optimized: Loads all prices at once (more efficient than lazy loading since typically most types are used in an IFC model). Returns: Dict with ifc_class as key and dict {code, description, long_description, unit, price} as value """ filename = 'precios_unitarios.json' if self.language == 'es' else 'unit_prices.json' prices_path = BASE_PATH / filename if not prices_path.exists(): print(f"Warning: Unit prices file not found at {prices_path}") return {} try: with open(prices_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f: data = json.load(f) # Dict comprehension is faster than loop + assignment return { item['ifc_class']: { 'code': item['code'], 'description': item['description'], 'long_description': item['long_description'], 'unit': item['unit'], 'price': item['unit_price'] } for item in data.get('prices', []) } except Exception as e: print(f"Error loading unit prices: {e}") return {} def _load_spatial_labels(self) -> Dict[str, str]: """ Loads spatial element labels from JSON file according to language. Returns: Dict with IFC type as key and translated label as value """ filename = f'spatial_labels_{self.language}.json' labels_path = BASE_PATH / filename if not Path(labels_path).exists(): print(f"Warning: Spatial labels file not found at {labels_path}") return {} try: with open(labels_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f: data = json.load(f) return data.get('spatial_labels', {}) except Exception as e: print(f"Error loading spatial labels: {e}") return {} def _load_element_categories(self) -> Dict[str, set]: """ Loads element categories from JSON file. Returns: Dict with category code as key and set of IFC types as value """ categories_path = BASE_PATH / 'element_categories.json' if not Path(categories_path).exists(): print(f"Warning: Element categories file not found at {categories_path}") return {} try: with open(categories_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f: data = json.load(f) # Convert lists to sets for O(1) membership testing return { category: set(ifc_types) for category, ifc_types in data.get('element_categories', {}).items() } except Exception as e: print(f"Error loading element categories: {e}") return {} def _build_ifc_category_map(self) -> Dict[str, str]: """Builds reverse mapping of IFC type -> category for O(1) lookup.""" return { ifc_type: category for category, types in self.element_categories.items() for ifc_type in types } # ============================================================================ # 2. DATA PARSING & INDEXING # ============================================================================ # Methods that parse and index input data for efficient access during # conversion process. @staticmethod def _parse_json_input(data: Union[str, Dict]) -> Dict: """Parses input that can be JSON string or dict.""" return json.loads(data) if isinstance(data, str) else data def _index_quantities(self) -> Dict[str, Dict]: """Indexes quantities by element ID for O(1) access.""" elements = self.quantities_data.get('elements', []) return {elem['id']: elem for elem in elements} # ============================================================================ # 3. CODE GENERATION & FORMATTING # ============================================================================ # Methods that generate hierarchical codes, format positions, and escape # text for BC3 format compliance. def _generate_chapter_code(self, parent_code: str = '') -> str: """Generates a hierarchical chapter code.""" # Root level uses sequential numbering: 01#, 02#, 03#... if parent_code == 'R_A_I_Z##': self.chapter_counters['root'] += 1 return f'{self.chapter_counters["root"]:02d}#' # Sub-levels use hierarchical notation: 01.01#, 01.01.01#... base_code = parent_code.rstrip('#') self.chapter_counters[base_code] += 1 return f'{base_code}.{self.chapter_counters[base_code]:02d}#' def _generate_item_code(self, category: str, chapter_code: str = None) -> str: """Generates a unique code for a budget item globally (not per chapter).""" # Use only category as key to ensure global uniqueness self.item_counters[category] += 1 return f"{category}{self.item_counters[category]:03d}" def _chapter_code_to_position(self, chapter_code: str) -> str: """ Converts chapter code to position format with caching. Example: '01.02.03#' -> '1\\2\\3' """ if chapter_code in self._position_cache: return self._position_cache[chapter_code] clean_code = chapter_code.rstrip('#') parts = clean_code.split('.') position_parts = [str(int(part)) for part in parts] result = '\\'.join(position_parts) self._position_cache[chapter_code] = result return result @staticmethod def _escape_bc3_text(text: str) -> str: """Escapes special characters for BC3 format.""" if not text: return '' # Normalize and clean whitespace text = str(text).strip().replace('\r', ' ').replace('\n', ' ').replace('\t', ' ') # Escape BC3 special characters return text.replace('|', ' ').replace('~', '-') # ============================================================================ # 4. IFC ELEMENT CLASSIFICATION # ============================================================================ # Methods that classify, categorize and filter IFC elements based on their # type and properties. def _get_category_code(self, ifc_type: str) -> str: """Gets category code for an IFC type (O(1) lookup).""" return self._ifc_to_category.get(ifc_type, 'OTROS') def _get_spatial_element_label(self, ifc_type: str) -> str: """Gets translated label for spatial elements from loaded JSON.""" return self.spatial_labels.get(ifc_type, ifc_type) @classmethod def _is_spatial_element(cls, ifc_type: str) -> bool: """Determines if an IFC element is spatial (container).""" return ifc_type in cls.SPATIAL_TYPES @classmethod def _is_ignored_element(cls, ifc_type: str) -> bool: """Determines if an element should be ignored.""" return ifc_type in cls.IGNORED_TYPES def _group_elements_by_type(self, elements: List[Dict]) -> Dict[str, List[Dict]]: """Groups elements by IFC type, ignoring invalid types.""" groups = defaultdict(list) for elem in elements: if not self._is_ignored_element(elem['type']): groups[elem['type']].append(elem) return groups def _is_unit_based_element(self, ifc_type: str) -> bool: """ Determines if an element is measured by unit (no dimensions needed). Unit-based elements: doors, windows, furniture, stairs, railings, fittings, terminals. """ unit_based_types = { 'IfcDoor', 'IfcWindow', # CARP - Carpentry 'IfcFurnishingElement', 'IfcFurniture', # MOB - Furniture 'IfcStair', # ESTR - Stairs (counted as units) 'IfcFlowFitting', 'IfcFlowTerminal', 'IfcDistributionElement', 'IfcRailing' # INST - Installations } return ifc_type in unit_based_types def _is_linear_element(self, ifc_type: str) -> bool: """ Determines if an element is measured by length (meters). Linear elements: beams, columns, piles. """ linear_types = { 'IfcBeam', # ESTR - Beams 'IfcColumn', # ESTR - Columns 'IfcPile' # ESTR - Piles } return ifc_type in linear_types # ============================================================================ # 5. QUANTITY & MEASUREMENT EXTRACTION # ============================================================================ # Methods that extract quantities, dimensions, and measurements from IFC # elements and format them for BC3 records. def _get_quantities_for_element(self, element_id: str) -> Dict[str, float]: """Gets quantities for an element.""" return self.quantities_by_id.get(element_id, {}).get('quantities', {}) @staticmethod def _get_measurement_dimensions(quantities: Dict[str, float], ifc_type: str = None) -> tuple: """ Extracts dimensions from quantities based on element type. - Walls (IfcWall*): Use NetSideArea (accounts for doors/windows) - Slabs/Roofs (IfcSlab, IfcRoof): Use GrossVolume - Other elements: Use NetVolume or fallback values Returns (units, length, width, height) """ if not quantities: return (1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0) # Walls: ONLY use NetSideArea (lateral area without openings) if ifc_type and ifc_type.startswith('IfcWall'): net_side_area = quantities.get('NetSideArea', 0.0) # Force return NetSideArea for walls, even if 0 return (1.0, net_side_area, 0.0, 0.0) # Slabs and Roofs: ONLY use GrossVolume if ifc_type in ('IfcSlab', 'IfcRoof'): gross_volume = quantities.get('GrossVolume', 0.0) # Force return GrossVolume for slabs/roofs, even if 0 return (1.0, gross_volume, 0.0, 0.0) # Priority 1: Use NetVolume (accounts for openings and voids) net_volume = quantities.get('NetVolume', 0.0) if net_volume > 0: return (1.0, net_volume, 0.0, 0.0) # Priority 2: Use NetSideArea as fallback net_side_area = quantities.get('NetSideArea', 0.0) if net_side_area > 0: return (1.0, net_side_area, 0.0, 0.0) # Priority 3: Use GrossVolume or GrossSideArea as fallback gross_volume = quantities.get('GrossVolume', 0.0) gross_side_area = quantities.get('GrossSideArea', 0.0) if gross_volume > 0: return (1.0, gross_volume, 0.0, 0.0) elif gross_side_area > 0: return (1.0, gross_side_area, 0.0, 0.0) # Priority 4: Use basic dimensions (for linear elements) length = quantities.get('Length', 0.0) width = quantities.get('Width', 0.0) height = quantities.get('Height', 0.0) return (1.0, length, width, height) def _get_item_data(self, ifc_type: str, category: str, chapter_code: str) -> Dict[str, Any]: """Gets all necessary data to create a budget item.""" price_data = self.unit_prices.get(ifc_type, {}) return { 'code': price_data.get('code', self._generate_item_code(category, chapter_code)), 'description': price_data.get('description', ifc_type.replace('Ifc', '')), 'long_description': price_data.get('long_description', f"Item for {ifc_type}"), 'unit': price_data.get('unit', 'ud'), 'price': price_data.get('price', 100.0) } def _create_measurement_lines(self, elements: List[Dict], ifc_type: str) -> List[str]: """Creates measurement lines for a list of elements, sorted alphabetically by name.""" # Sort elements by name before processing (handle None values) sorted_elements = sorted(elements, key=lambda e: e.get('name') or '') measurement_lines = [] for idx, elem in enumerate(sorted_elements, 1): elem_name = self._escape_bc3_text(elem.get('name', f'Element {idx}')) # Elements measured by unit (doors, windows, furniture) don't need dimensions if self._is_unit_based_element(ifc_type): line_parts = [elem_name, "1.000", "", "", ""] # Linear elements (beams, columns, piles) measured by length elif self._is_linear_element(ifc_type): quantities = self._get_quantities_for_element(elem['id']) length = quantities.get('Length', 0.0) line_parts = [ elem_name, "1.000", f"{length:.2f}" if length > 0 else "", "", "" ] else: quantities = self._get_quantities_for_element(elem['id']) units, length, width, height = self._get_measurement_dimensions(quantities, ifc_type) line_parts = [ elem_name, f"{units:.3f}", f"{length:.2f}" if length > 0 else "", f"{width:.2f}" if width > 0 else "", f"{height:.2f}" if height > 0 else "" ] measurement_lines.append('\\'.join(line_parts)) return measurement_lines # ============================================================================ # 6. BC3 RECORD BUILDING # ============================================================================ # Methods that construct individual BC3 format records (~V, ~K, ~C, ~D, ~T, ~M). # These are the low-level builders for BC3 file structure. @staticmethod def _create_bc3_header() -> List[str]: """Creates BC3 file header lines.""" date_code = datetime.now().strftime('%d%m%Y') return [ f'~V||FIEBDC-3/2016\\{date_code}|IFC2BC3 Converter|\\|ANSI||', '~K|3\\3\\3\\2\\2\\2\\2\\2\\|0\\0\\0\\0\\0\\|3\\2\\\\2\\2\\\\2\\2\\2\\3\\3\\3\\3\\2\\EUR\\|' ] def _build_chapter_record(self, code: str, name: str) -> str: """Builds ~C record for a chapter.""" return f"~C|{code}\\||{name}|0\\||||||" def _build_decomposition_record(self, code: str, child_codes: List[str]) -> str: """Builds ~D decomposition record.""" children_str = '\\'.join([f"{c}\\\\1.000" for c in child_codes]) return f"~D|{code}|{children_str}|" def _build_item_record(self, code: str, unit: str, name: str, price: float, date: str) -> str: """Builds ~C record for a budget item.""" return f"~C|{code}|{unit}|{name}|{price:.2f}||{date}|" def _build_text_record(self, code: str, description: str) -> str: """Builds ~T descriptive text record.""" return f"~T|{code}|{description}|" def _build_measurement_record(self, chapter_code: str, item_code: str, position: str, measurement_content: str) -> str: """Builds ~M measurements record.""" return f"~M|{chapter_code}\\{item_code}|{position}|0|\\{measurement_content}\\|" # ============================================================================ # 7. CORE PROCESSING & CONVERSION LOGIC # ============================================================================ # Methods that orchestrate the conversion process by processing spatial # structure and building elements recursively. def _process_spatial_node(self, node: Dict, parent_code: str, lines: List[str], depth: int = 0) -> str: """Recursively processes a spatial node (chapter) from IFC structure.""" if self._is_ignored_element(node['type']): return None # Generate chapter code and name code = 'R_A_I_Z##' if depth == 0 else self._generate_chapter_code(parent_code) label = self._get_spatial_element_label(node['type']) node_name = node.get('name', '') full_name = f"{label} - {node_name}" if node_name else label name = self._escape_bc3_text(full_name) # Add chapter record lines.append(self._build_chapter_record(code, name)) decomposition_codes = [] # Process building elements building_elements = node.get('building_elements', []) if building_elements: item_codes = self._process_building_elements(building_elements, code, lines) decomposition_codes.extend(item_codes) # Process spatial children recursively for child in node.get('children', []): if self._is_spatial_element(child['type']): child_code = self._process_spatial_node(child, code, lines, depth + 1) if child_code: decomposition_codes.append(child_code) # Add decomposition record if decomposition_codes: lines.append(self._build_decomposition_record(code, decomposition_codes)) return code def _process_building_elements(self, elements: List[Dict], chapter_code: str, lines: List[str]) -> List[str]: """ Processes building elements and groups them by category. Optimized: Batch operations to reduce concatenation overhead. """ created_items = [] chapter_key = chapter_code.rstrip('#') # Group elements by type elements_by_type = self._group_elements_by_type(elements) # Pre-calculate common values outside loop chapter_position = self._chapter_code_to_position(chapter_code) date_str = datetime.now().strftime("%d%m%Y") # Process each group for ifc_type, type_elements in elements_by_type.items(): category = self._get_category_code(ifc_type) item_key = f"{ifc_type}_{chapter_key}" # Check if this item already exists in this chapter if item_key in self.items_per_chapter[chapter_key]: continue self.items_per_chapter[chapter_key].add(item_key) # Get item data item_data = self._get_item_data(ifc_type, category, chapter_code) item_code = item_data['code'] # Register position position = len(self.item_positions[chapter_key]) + 1 self.item_positions[chapter_key][item_code] = position # Escape texts (batch) name = self._escape_bc3_text(item_data['description']) long_desc = self._escape_bc3_text(item_data['long_description']) batch_records = [] # Only create ~C and ~T records if this concept hasn't been created globally if item_code not in self.created_concepts: self.created_concepts.add(item_code) batch_records.extend([ self._build_item_record(item_code, item_data['unit'], name, item_data['price'], date_str), self._build_text_record(item_code, long_desc) ]) # Always create measurements for this chapter measurement_lines = self._create_measurement_lines(type_elements, ifc_type) full_position = f"{chapter_position}\\{position}" measurement_content = '\\\\'.join(measurement_lines) batch_records.append( self._build_measurement_record(chapter_code, item_code, full_position, measurement_content) ) # Add batch at once (more efficient than 3 individual appends) lines.extend(batch_records) created_items.append(item_code) return created_items # ============================================================================ # 8. PUBLIC API METHODS # ============================================================================ # Public methods that provide the main interface for converting and # exporting BC3 files. def convert(self) -> str: """Performs complete conversion and returns BC3 file content.""" lines = self._create_bc3_header() # Process structure from root # Try different possible root keys root = self.structure_data.get('structure') if not root and 'type' in self.structure_data: # If structure_data itself is the root node root = self.structure_data if root: self._process_spatial_node(root, '', lines, depth=0) else: print(f"Warning: No structure found. Keys available: {list(self.structure_data.keys())}") return '\n'.join(lines) def export(self, output_filename: str = 'ifc2bc3.bc3'): """Exports BC3 file to exports folder.""" script_dir = Path(__file__).parent exports_dir = script_dir / 'exports' exports_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True) bc3_content = self.convert() output_path = exports_dir / output_filename with open(output_path, 'w', encoding='windows-1252', newline='\r\n', errors='strict') as f: f.write(bc3_content) print(f"BC3 file successfully exported: {output_path}") return output_path - tools.py:631-631 (registration)The @mcp.tool() decorator registers the export_bc3_budget function as an MCP tool, using the function name as the tool name.
@mcp.tool() - bc3_writer.py:551-567 (helper)The convert() method in IFC2BC3Converter orchestrates the BC3 content generation by building header and processing the IFC spatial structure recursively.
def convert(self) -> str: """Performs complete conversion and returns BC3 file content.""" lines = self._create_bc3_header() # Process structure from root # Try different possible root keys root = self.structure_data.get('structure') if not root and 'type' in self.structure_data: # If structure_data itself is the root node root = self.structure_data if root: self._process_spatial_node(root, '', lines, depth=0) else: print(f"Warning: No structure found. Keys available: {list(self.structure_data.keys())}") return '\n'.join(lines)