This part will introduce the power of open standard formats (LandXML, IFC). When you design noise fence or noise bank, it is quite often generated as a surface for noise bank and a 3D model for noise fence. Those surfaces can be exported into LandXML files and used directly inside Explorer. Typical design work in such cases is done with specific design package from where you can export your design into *.ifc file and use that inside Explorer to generate a final MAGNET VDC model.
For the current workflow you can use two alternative workflows, depending on what you want to achieve:
- If you want to include noise bank data into Explorer, ensure that such information is coming in LandXML format already. Or you can export that kind of data from a native design format into LandXML (for example exporting AutoCAD Civil 3D surface into LandXML).
- If you want to include structure like noise fence into Explorer, ensure that such information is coming in *.ifc format. Or you can export that kind of data from a native design format into *.ifc (for example exporting Autodesk Revit model into *.ifc).
- 02_Design\08_Structures\Noise fence
- DWG - This folder includes one *.dwg file that represents noise bank design made with AutoCAD Civil 3D tools. That design can be exported into LandXML with AutoCAD Civil 3D tools. But any other design package can be used to do the same (from native format into open standard format). The exported file can be found from the folder LandXML.
- IFC - This folder includes one *.ifc file that was generated from Autodesk Revit project. IFC files, as open standard formats, can be directly used/imported into Explorer final model. We do that in later sections.
- LandXML - From here you find one LandXML file that represent noise bank design as a result from the *.dwg file that can be found from the folder DWG.
- Revit - From here you find one Autodesk Revit project file. This project file was used to generate an *.ifc file from Autodesk Revit. That export can be found from a respective folder, IFC. You do not need to reopen that *.rvt file to regenerate an *.ifc file.
General workflow






To export your design into IFC format, go to: Application menu > Export > IFC.
Select the location of your IFC file as: 02_Design\08_Structures\Noise fence\IFC (please note that you already have one IFC file in that folder). Select IFC setup and click Export.
You can now open that IFC file inside Explorer (we look all the settings that apply to IFC import into Explorer in later section):
Through those settings you can easily turn off some object groups that you do not need to show in your final VDC model (quite often used with building design objects, where in an infrastructure model you do not care what is inside of that building and therefore you are able to light up your model content by exporting only valuable/exterior information into IFC).