Vendor-independent BIM workflows powered by LLMs over open standards.
A curated collection of configurations, scripts, and examples for controlling BIM and 3D architecture software through large language models (Claude, Cursor, etc.) via the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — using exclusively open formats. No Autodesk dependency. No proprietary lock-in.
The .rvt format is the trap. The .ifc standard is the exit. AI is the timing.
The AEC industry has been hostage to proprietary BIM ecosystems for two decades. Autodesk AEC Collection costs ~€3,600/seat/year. An .rvt file only opens in Revit. Meanwhile, the EU BIM Mandate was built on IFC — an open ISO standard — not on Revit.
Open BIM tools like Bonsai have had a production-grade IFC engine for years. What held them back was not capability — it was UX. Blender is a tool built for 3D generalists, not architects. The interface friction was the blocker.
Bonsai's IFC engine is already production-grade. The missing piece was a usable interface for architects. That piece is now an LLM away.
The MCP moment changes the equation. LLMs can now reason about building models and act on them through a standardized interface. "Give me a ground floor plan with door tags and dimensions" becomes a prompt, not a menu hunt. The interface friction that blocked open BIM adoption for a decade is solvable with a language model.
This repo maps that path and assembles the pieces into a coherent, opinionated workflow.
Claude / Cursor → MCP (stdio) → MCP4IFC / Bonsai MCP → IfcOpenShell → .ifc (native)
No proprietary middleware. The model lives in IFC from the first element. Any IFC-compliant viewer or authoring tool can open it.
- MCP configs — ready-to-use
mcp.jsonfor Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor targeting IFC, Rhino and SketchUp - IfcOpenShell scripts — Python automations on IFC files without opening any GUI
- Bonsai setup guide — native IFC authoring in Blender with MCP bridge
- RhinoAI MCP — Claude ↔ Rhino/Grasshopper bridge for parametric design
- SketchUp MCP — SketchUp control via Python server + Ruby plugin
- IFC Git workflow — version-control your BIM model like source code
- Prompt library — tested prompts for common BIM tasks in natural language
| Layer | Tool |
|---|---|
| IFC engine | Bonsai (Blender) — native IFC authoring, no translation layer |
| AI as UX | MCP + LLM replace GUI friction for architects |
| Format | IFC (ISO 16739) — never .rvt, never .pln |
| IFC library | IfcOpenShell (Python) |
| AI protocol | Model Context Protocol (MCP) |
| AI clients | Claude Desktop · Claude Code · Cursor · Windsurf |
| Parametric | Rhino 8 + Grasshopper · RhinoAI MCP |
| 2D docs | Bonsai drawings → Inkscape (gap being actively closed) |
| Versioning | IFC Git — git-based model version control |
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/open-bim-ai-stack
cd open-bim-ai-stack
pip install ifcopenshell
cp configs/claude_desktop.json ~/.config/claude/mcp.jsonOpen Claude Desktop. Describe a building element. It appears in your IFC model.
This is a roadmap and a stake in the ground, not a finished toolkit.
If you're building in this space, open an issue or get in touch.
- Landscape docs and related projects — Apr 2026
- Claude Desktop MCP configs for IFC
- IfcOpenShell script examples
- Bonsai setup guide + MCP bridge
- Prompt library for common architectural tasks
- IFC Git workflow documentation
Ordered roughly by relevance to this repo's goals.
The most complete open MCP server for IFC to date. 50+ BIM tools, RAG-based dynamic code generation, built on IfcOpenShell + Bonsai. Academic origin but fully open source and functional. This repo builds directly on top of their architecture.
Fork of BlenderMCP extending it with dedicated IFC support via Bonsai. 11 IFC-specific tools for querying projects, listing entities, exploring spatial structure and analysing relationships. MIT licensed, Dockerized, and the author is actively looking for collaborators. The closest thing to a ready-made Claude ↔ Bonsai bridge.
The closest match in spirit. Independent developer building open tools for sustainable construction and BIM automation: MCP server for IFC5/IFCX authoring, LLM-driven LCA calculators, multi-agent pipeline that takes an address and produces a full IFC model with structural, MEP and facade review loops.
Multi-agent LLM framework for generating IFC building models from natural language, with a Vectorworks integration and Solibri model checker in the loop. Good reference for agentic BIM workflows even if the authoring tool is proprietary.
Recent paper proposing a microservice architecture that decouples the MCP interface from any specific BIM API — solving the portability problem that makes current implementations ad hoc and hard to reuse. Prototype built on IfcOpenShell. Essential reading for anyone designing an MCP server in this space.
Minimal MCP server for querying IFC files. Early-stage but clean architecture. Good starting point if you want to understand the IFC ↔ MCP interface at its simplest.
69 repositories of IFC infrastructure: BIMserver, viewers, plugins, validators. The bedrock of open BIM tooling. No AI integration yet, but essential context for anyone working with IFC at scale.
The common denominator of the entire open BIM ecosystem. The Python library that reads, writes and manipulates IFC natively. Every project listed above depends on it. So does this one.
→ github.com/IfcOpenShell/IfcOpenShell