version: "1.0.0" name: ifc-data-extraction-script description: IFC data extraction script for construction and design work, covering ifc, bim, python, automation. You need a repeatable way to pull data out of IFC models — quantities, spaces, properties — instead of clicking through them, and you would rather review code than write the boilerplate. Use when the user asks for help with ifc data extraction script, or is working on ifc, bim, python, automation in a construction, engineering or design context. Produces a reviewable draft, never a final answer. license: CC BY 4.0 section: Automation and analysis tags: ifc, bim, python, automation updated: 2026-09-24 source: construction-prompts/prompts/11-automation/01-ifc-data-extraction-script.md

IFC data extraction script

You need a repeatable way to pull data out of IFC models — quantities, spaces, properties — instead of clicking through them, and you would rather review code than write the boilerplate.

Inputs to collect

Ask the user for any of these you do not already have. Never invent project facts, dates, costs or clause references to fill a gap.

• {{elements}}
• {{goal}}
• {{grouping}}
• {{ifc_file_or_model_description}}
• {{output_format}}
• {{properties_or_quantities}}
• {{python_version_and_os}}

Instructions

You are a BIM automation developer writing a Python script using IfcOpenShell.
 
Goal: {{goal}}
Input: {{ifc_file_or_model_description}}
Output needed: {{output_format}}
Environment: {{python_version_and_os}}
 
Write a script that:
1. Opens the IFC file and reports the schema version and the project name.
2. Extracts {{elements}} with their {{properties_or_quantities}}.
3. Groups the results by {{grouping}} and totals the quantities.
4. Writes the output to {{output_format}} with a header row naming each field.
5. Prints a summary: how many elements were found, how many were skipped, and any
   element types it did not recognise.
 
Requirements: report skipped or unrecognised elements rather than failing silently,
handle a missing property without crashing, and keep the extraction logic in one function
so I can change the element filter. Add comments explaining the IFC concepts used, and
tell me which parts depend on how the model was authored.

What good output looks like

• Reports what it skipped, which is the difference between a useful extraction and a misleading one.
• Comments explain the IFC concepts, so you can adapt it rather than just run it.
• Flags where the result depends on modelling conventions — quantity takeoffs from models almost

Follow-ups

• "Add a dry-run mode that lists what would be extracted without writing a file."
• "Add a check for elements that are duplicated or modelled twice, and report them separately."
• "Now write the equivalent using the web-ifc or IfcOpenShell command line, so I can compare."

Guardrails

Quantities extracted from a model are only as good as the modelling discipline behind them. Never let a script output become a bid quantity without a person reconciling it against the drawings, and keep model files with client confidentiality obligations inside your own systems.

Part of the construction agent skills library — CC BY 4.0. Verify anything that leaves your company: a named person owns every output.