# Help

What IFC, IDS, BCF, BIM and openBIM are, which versions IFC Checker reads, and where buildingSMART explains them in full.

Updated 1 November 2026

- [What are BIM and openBIM?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/what-is-openbim/): BIM, building information modelling, is a way of working in which a building is described as a digital model that carries information about each part. openBIM is buildingSMART's name for doing this with open standards, IFC for the model, IDS for the requirements on it and BCF for issues, so that different software can work on the same model.
- [What is IFC?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/what-is-ifc/): IFC, the Industry Foundation Classes, is an open standard from buildingSMART for describing a building and everything in it as data, so that different programs can exchange a model.
- [What is IDS?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/what-is-ids/): IDS, the Information Delivery Specification, is a buildingSMART standard for writing down, in a file a computer can read, what information an IFC model must carry.
- [What is BCF?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/what-is-bcf/): BCF, the BIM Collaboration Format, is an open standard for passing issues between BIM tools.
- [Which IFC and IDS versions are read?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/ifc-versions/): IFC Checker reads IFC files in the STEP format in the schemas IFC2X3, IFC4 and IFC4X3 (IFC 4.3), and IDS files in version 1.0.

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