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TRILOGY DESIGN INTELLIGENCE USER GUIDE 08

PMM Converter

Browser-only IFC → OBJ converter for Revit-to-SketchUp workflows.

React · Browser .ifc → .obj No-Upload Audience · Designers

PMM Converter is a single-page React app that turns Revit-exported IFC files into SketchUp-importable OBJ. The whole conversion happens in the browser — files never leave your computer. The missing link for studios working between Revit and SketchUp without a Revit license.

PART · I Foundations

1. What This Tool Is

Direct .rvt → .skp conversion is not possible without a Revit license. Both formats are proprietary; the .rvt format has no public reader, and .skp writing requires Trimble SDKs.

The standard workaround is a two-hop:

Revit (.rvt) → export → IFC (.ifc) → THIS TOOL → OBJ (.obj) → import → SketchUp (.skp)

PMM Converter handles the middle step in the browser, so you do not need a server, an account, or to upload anything.

2. Opening the Tool

Open the hosted version at the published URL, or open the local HTML file. No installation, no sign-in. Once loaded, it works offline.

3. What It Handles

The parser supports IFC files using IFCPOLYLOOP / IFCCARTESIANPOINT geometry — the most common representation. Some IFC files use IFCFACETEDBREP or IFCSWEPTSOLIDSHAPE; if your file shows zero faces detected, that is why. Open an issue and we will extend the parser.

PART · II Daily Use

4. Step 1 — Export from Revit

In Revit:

  1. File → Export → IFC
  2. Choose IFC2x3 or IFC4 (either works)
  3. Enable Export solids if your import has missing geometry later
  4. Save the file

5. Step 2 — Convert

  1. Drag the .ifc onto the upload area, or click to browse
  2. Click Convert to OBJ
  3. Watch the stats fill in: face count, point count, entity count, detected types
  4. Click ↓ Download .OBJ

6. Step 3 — Import into SketchUp

  1. In SketchUp: File → Import
  2. Choose the OBJ file
  3. Adjust units in the import dialog if needed (default is meters)
  4. Click Import

Your geometry now lives in SketchUp. From here you can run PMM Connection to layer in PMM metadata.

PART · III Reference

7. Reading the Stats Panel

After conversion, the tool displays:

If face count is 0 but entity count is high, the geometry representation is unsupported (see Section 3).

8. Privacy & Files

The conversion runs entirely in your browser using a JavaScript IFC parser. No files are uploaded to any server. Refresh the page and the file is gone from memory.

PART · IV Care & Repair

9. Troubleshooting

"0 faces detected"

The IFC uses geometry representations the parser does not handle yet. Try re-exporting from Revit with a different IFC version (IFC4 instead of IFC2x3, or vice versa). If still nothing, the source file uses IFCFACETEDBREP or IFCSWEPTSOLIDSHAPE — file an issue and we will extend the parser.

OBJ imports into SketchUp upside-down

Coordinate-system mismatch between Revit and SketchUp. After import, select all and Edit → Flip → Red Axis (or whichever axis fixes it). Once you know which one for your workflow it is consistent.

SketchUp says "no geometry"

The OBJ is valid but contains only points or lines — no faces. The source IFC did not export with solid geometry. Re-export from Revit with Export solids enabled.

Wrong scale

Default OBJ units are meters; SketchUp may import as inches. In the Import dialog, set units to Meters and the scale will be correct.

10. Credits

PMM is part of the PMM Tools suite by Trilogy Design Intelligence, a service of Trilogy Partners.

This guide and the tool follow the PMM Attribute Schema v1.0 — the canonical contract shared across PMM Connection, PMM Horizon, PMM in the Sky, PMM on the Ground, PMM Compass, PMM Bridge, PMM Relay, and PMM Converter.

Trilogy Partners. Boots on the Ground, Eyes on the Sky.