BuildingInformationModel.extract

BuildingInformationModel.extract(elements, path=None, load_geometries=True, export_materials=True, export_properties=True, export_styles=True, export_types=True, export_relationships=True)

Extract elements into a new standalone BuildingInformationModel.

Collects the given elements and all their descendants, exports them to a new IFC file preserving all linked information (geometry, placements, properties, materials, styles, type definitions), then loads the result as a new model.

Ancestor spatial containers (IfcProject, IfcSite, IfcBuilding, IfcBuildingStorey) are included automatically so the extracted file is a valid, self-contained IFC file.

Non-spatial IFC relationships (connections, space boundaries) are preserved when both endpoints of the relationship are in the exported set. This ensures the interaction graph is maintained in the extracted model.

Parameters:

elementsGenericElement or list[GenericElement]

Element(s) to extract. All descendants are included automatically.

pathstr, optional

If given, the extracted IFC file is saved to this path. If None, a temporary file is used and cleaned up after loading.

load_geometriesbool, optional

Whether to pre-load geometries in the extracted model. Default True.

export_materialsbool, optional

Whether to export material associations. Default True.

export_propertiesbool, optional

Whether to export property sets. Default True.

export_stylesbool, optional

Whether to export visual styles. Default True.

export_typesbool, optional

Whether to export type definitions (IfcRelDefinesByType). Default True.

export_relationshipsbool, optional

Whether to export non-spatial relationships (connections, space boundaries) where both endpoints are in the exported set. Default True.

Returns:

BuildingInformationModel

A new standalone model containing only the extracted elements.