Important
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Rule is available in Solibri Advanced and Premium, with full editing access.
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Rule is limited editable in Essential
Rule ID: SOL/244/1
This article describes how the IDS Validation rule works, how you configure it, and how you now work with IDS files directly inside the rule. It also briefly explains what IDS is and why it is used.
The rule now supports all common IDS versions, including:
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v0.9.6
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v0.9.7
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Official IDS v1.0
The article covers the following topics:
The Information Delivery Specification (IDS) is a standard developed by buildingSMART for defining information requirements in a way that can be easily read by humans and interpreted by computers. IDS helps standardize the format and content of information exchanged, ensuring consistency and clarity in communications. It facilitates interoperability between different software and systems used in the construction industry by defining common data formats.
IDS is a structured framework that defines the type, format, and detail of information that needs to be exchanged between parties involved in a construction or infrastructure project. It specifies how information is created, managed, and shared throughout the project lifecycle. IDS defines the level of detail (LOD) and level of information (LOI) required at different stages of the project.
An IDS is a file format ending in .ids and it contains a list of information specifications. For example, a single specification might say that "all doors must have a fire rating property". The IDS file can be shared with other stakeholders in the project (and reused in other projects following the same requirements). Model authors can use the IDS file to ensure all required information is provided for each specification. The IDS file can also be used to check whether the IFC model meets all of the specifications. Reports may also be generated to list the results of specification compliance checks.
For further information on IDS, have a look at the buildingSMART website and the IDS documentation.
IDS files are written in XML format, but instead of manually creating them, you can use the Solibri IDS Editor, which simplifies the process.
Recommendation: We strongly recommend using the Solibri IDS-Editor to create and manage IDS files. More details are available here: Solibri IDS Toolbox.
The IDS Validation Rule (SOL/244/1) ensures that a model contains all required information according to the specifications defined in an IDS file.
Typical use cases are:
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Validate whether an IFC model meets the information requirements.
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Ensure compliance with industry and project-specific standards.
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Automate quality assurance checks based on pre-defined information criteria.
The rule processes the IFC model and compares it against the requirements in the selected IDS file.
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The rule reads the IDS structure and extracts defined applicability conditions.
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It applies checks to relevant model elements and compares actual properties with expected values.
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Results are categorized into:
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Pass → The applicability element meets the IDS requirement
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Fail → The applicability element does not comply
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irrelevant → The applicability element doesn´t exist
The rule can validate both instance objects and types, depending on how the specification has been define
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Selecting and Managing the IDS File
With the IDS-Rule you can:
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Click Open IDS File to browse to an .ids file.
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Or drag and drop an IDS file into the Checking view or Parameters view; the file is attached automatically and, if necessary, a ruleset is create
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Click Save IDS File to download the IDS currently used in the rule
Once loaded, a preview of the IDS-structure is in the parameters so that you can review the specifications before running the check
IFC Version Identification
The rule reads the IDS metadata and displays the IFC versions that the IDS targets (for example IFC2x3, IFC4, IFC4.3). This helps ensure that you are checking the model with an IDS that matches its IFC version
Pre‑filtering of Applicability (new)
At the top of the parameters you can enable Pre‑filter Applicability to limit which components enter the IDS check
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When the option is enabled, you can define filter rows (State, Component, Property, Operator, Value) similar to other component filters in Solibri
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Only components that pass this pre‑filter are passed on to the IDS applicability step; everything else is ignored by the rule
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You can use this to focus the check on particular disciplines, classification codes, phases or any other combination supported by the standard Solibri filter
This improves performance in large models and lets you run different IDS checks on different subsets of the model.
Working with IDS in the Rule (embedded IDS Editor view)
When you have selected an IDS file, the Solibri IDS Editor web view for that file is shown directly in the Parameters view. This is the same UI that you use in the standalone IDS-Editor.
The view works as follows:
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Use the Edit button in the yellow bar to switch the current IDS into Edit mode.
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In edit mode, you can add, modify or remove Applicability and Requirement facets using the+ Applicability and+ Requirement buttons, just like in the standalone IDS Editor.
Any changes you save in this embedded view are written back to the same IDS file that the rule uses, so you can immediately re‑run the check with the updated specification.
Notice
If there’s an error in the IDS file structure, an error message is shown when you upload the file.
Tip
You can download the IDS file used in the rule by clicking Save IDS File.
When the check is run, the rule creates issues for components that do not satisfy the IDS requirements
For each issue you can see:
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Which specification the component was checked against.
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Which applicability and requirement facets were applied.
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Which properties, attributes or other information are missing or incorrect.
Components that meet all requirements appear as Passed in the checking results, and components outside the applicability are shown as Irrelevant
Targeting components from the Applicability or Requirement
In the embedded IDS view you can use the blue target icon to filter the model preview to the components that match a specific part of the IDS. When you click the target icon in an Applicabilityblock (for exampleEntity = IFCOLUMN), the 3D view is filtered to show only the components that satisfy that applicability. When you click the target icon in a Requiremen tblock (for example a specific property requirement), the preview is filtered further so that only components that both satisfy the applicability and fulfill this requirement remain visible. This lets you step through the specification facet by facet and visually see which components pass each stage in the 3D view.
Severity Parameters:
By default, all components not matching the requirements return a medium () issue. To specify the critical and low severities for specific components, open the Severity Parameters view and set the conditions in the filter table:
The IDS Validation Rule (SOL/244/1) is a powerful tool for ensuring data quality and compliance in IFC models especially together with our IDS-Editor. By leveraging Solibri’s IDS validation capabilities, teams can improve project coordination, reduce errors, and streamline data-driven workflows.
For additional details on Solibri IDS functionalities, visit: