I built an open-source BIM automation platform (and learned a lot the hard way)

Nnamdi Onyia — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:05:05 +0000

Working with BIM data is… not fun.

At least, that’s been my experience whenever IFC files enter the conversation. Between complex schemas, heavy desktop tools, and limited developer-first workflows, simple tasks quickly become complicated.

So I started building something to scratch my own itch.

The idea

I wanted a platform where you could:

Generate IFC files programmatically
Upload and inspect existing models
Run compliance checks
Expose everything through clean APIs
And actually enjoy the developer experience

That became BIMFlow Suite.

What’s inside

The project is currently built around:

Backend: Django REST API
Frontend: React + Vite
Async & realtime support: Channels
IFC processing: IfcOpenShell
Task processing: Celery

My focus wasn’t just “make it work,” I wanted it to be extensible and automation-friendly.

Why I built it

Most BIM tooling still assumes, heavy desktop workflows, manual steps, or closed ecosystems, but I noticed that more teams are moving toward cloud pipelines, automated validation, digital twin workflows, and an API-first infrastructure.

In essence, I wanted something that fits that world better.

What’s next

There’s still a lot to improve. I would need to work on deeper IFC validation, better visualization, performance optimizations, and more real-world rulepacks.

But the core is there and guess what? It is open-source!

Explore the Project

The full BIMFlow Suite source code, examples, and documentation are available on GitHub.

You can:

Browse the repositories
See detailed project structure
Try out the platform locally
Contribute or suggest improvements